A hero in despair

Ares patiently listened to the young friar's words, explaining why he was so frightened of him, also telling him that he indeed did have some information from looking through the files. When Stephan told him that he thought he would be very upset with him for having such information, Ares just shook his head. "What reason do I have to be upset with you for knowing things of me? I couldn't care less about whatever you found out. It's what you do with said information that can potentially upset me."

The friar then had a little rant, telling his only interest is to serve the goddess, and his former bishop. He also complained that a lot of people are so mean. Ares closed his eyes. He did not look as stressed out anymore, his frown had disappeared and he sat a bit more relaxed on his chair. He still was tired, but... less so. "That's just how reality is, friar. Under our current Archbishop's reign, times have been rather grim. You have to accept it and move on, or else you will pay. That goes for newcomers like you, but also veterans like me."

He could see himself inside the young man. Not the Ares from now, but the Ares that first entered the capital. They both were naive young lads that wished nothing but to serve the goddess, and thought that joining the church would be a great step to show their dedication. That's what Ares thought back then, at least. He was not fully sure what the full reason was for Stephan to join the church, but he had a feeling it also was something among those lines. Ah, if only Stephan had joined a few years earlier... Ares had the luck that he joined during a time when the church was still in its prime and beloved, while Stephan now joined during a time where the church was thrown in a dumpster fire.

"Ha, it surprises me that the files don't contain any lies of sorts to worsen my name. That seems like something the Archbishop would do anyway... But yeah, that does not seem too different from what I read back then. I guess the only differences are that there are more... incidents in those files. But what else is in there?"
 
"Um..." Stephan fiddled nervously with the tie on his robe. "The thing is... I am pretty sure I... that is to say..." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to steady himself. He opened his eyes suddenly and blurted the sentence out forcefully.

"Doyouhaveayoungerbrotherwhomightpossiblymaybebeperhapsmissing??"

There! He'd said it and hadn't chickened out! Yet...
 
Ares waited. It was all he could do. Either that or he would forcefully need to get it out of him, but that was only if the friar would be a coward and decide to back out. But fortunately, that did not seem to be the case, as he quickly spurted the sentence out. Though Ares had to pay attention to make sure that he caught all words.

And indeed. He knew of his brother.

"..." Hearing him ask about his brother, he slowly looked away and closed his eyes in silence. Yes... It's been around three years since Julius took control of the church, and thus also three years since he last saw his brother. Oh, what he would do to ensure his safety... Well, it already showed, really. In order to keep him safe, he did things that disgusted him beyond belief. But now was no time for grievance. He couldn't show too much weakness in front of the friar.

And so, he turned his gaze back to Stephan, recollecting his emotions so that he still appeared calm. "Alright... I need you to promise me to never let these words outside of this house, or else I will be forced to cut you down. So promise me that you will keep this secret." Ares took a deep sigh, preparing himself to talk about his brother. "Yes, you're right... My younger brother, Orion, is missing. Well, not exactly missing, I suppose, because I know what happened to him... He is being held hostage, so that I continue to obey the church." Ares stood up. He walked towards the family painting, pointing towards the young man next to him. He looked a lot like Ares, though a key difference is that Orion's hair was not as long as his, as Ares always wore it in a ponytail. As mentioned before, the painting was signed by someone under the name "Orion", too.
 
The knight seemed... shocked? No, that wasn't the right word. More like he was expecting Stephan to know about this yet was still hurt by the words. Hurt? No, again, not the right word, but Stephan couldn't keep third guessing himself. At least Ares didn't seem angry. He seemed to need a moment to collect himself, then he was fine. Sort of. He looked so serious! Stephan supposed that made sense.

"Of course I can keep a secret!" he hurried to assure his new friend. "I am very good at secrets. Unless they are about hurting other people, of course, but I can keep whatever you say in confidence. Promise."

He settled back and listened quietly to Are's tale. "That is most unfortunate... but... you are certain he is being held?" Stephan asked cautiously. "There are many other places he might be, perhaps. You are assured the Church is involved?" He looked at Ares earnestly, no judgment or doubt in his eyes, only the desire to seek the truth.
 
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