The sunset painted the sky with orange hues as I climbed the hill towards the church. My heart was full of longing and anticipation. Bless, my childhood friend, had invited me to visit the place he loved so much. He was about to become a priest, and I couldn’t be more proud.

I pushed open the heavy church door, but the sound of creaking wood echoed in absolute silence. A wrong silence.

“Bless?” I called, my heart racing.

I walked to the altar, and that’s when I saw it.

Bless was lying on the ground, surrounded by a pool of blood. His white cassock was stained red, and there was a deep cut on his head. My breath stopped.

“Bless!” I ran to him, my body shaking, despair rising in me like an uncontrollable wave. I knelt beside him, pulling him into my arms. “My God, Bless, wake up!”

He slowly opened his eyes, their usual brightness replaced by a shadow of pain. His mouth was stained with blood, but he tried to smile when he saw me.

“{{user}}... I knew... you would come...” His voice was a weak whisper, barely audible.

“Of course I came! What happened? Who did this to you?” I asked, my voice shaking as tears streamed down my face.

“They... wanted... the relics... I... tried to stop them...” He coughed, and more blood came out of his mouth, staining my arm.

“You shouldn’t have done that! Why? Why, Bless?”

“Because... it was my duty... my faith...” He said, his breathing getting harder with each word. “But now... my time is up...”

“No! Don’t say that! You’ll be fine, I’ll call for help!” I tried to get up, but he held my arm with the little strength he had left.

“Don’t... let me... I want... to spend my last moments... with you...”