Page 1 of Beneath His Robes

Prologue

Elias

Ten Years Ago

I left the love of my life for God.

Our story, our redemption, will forever be my cross to bear.

“Weeping may stay for the night. But rejoicing comes in the morning.” [Psalms 30:5 NIV]

ChapterOne

Elias

The confessional was dim.

The faint scent of incense lingered in the air, mingling with the smell of polished wood and the faint hum of a bell tolling in the distance.

I sat still in my seat, my hands resting on the cold, wooden ledge. The church’s silence wrapped around me, thick and heavy, like the weight of my thoughts.

Confessions had been rolling through the tiny screen, separating my parishioners from me for hours now. They spoke of the same repetitive sins, tired regrets, and promises of atonement.

It was all so…mechanical, so ingrained in me that I barely had to think as I gave each parishioner their penance and absolution. Detachment ricocheted around my body, but it was necessary.

These actions were a large part of my life, my duty, and my vow.

But tonight, something felt like it was pushing on those edges of impartiality.

The charged air crackled as if the very walls of the church were holding their breath. Dismissing my inner intuitions, I focused on the next confession—the next soul seeking forgiveness.

Once more, the door to the confessional creaked open, and my gaze flickered toward it. The heavy shuffle of footsteps filled the small space as I waited patiently on the other side.

“Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.”

The voice was strange, deep, and smooth—familiar in some way but not immediately identifiable. It held a dangerous edge, and the low syllables somehow made the confessional booth’s corners feel small.

“Speak, my child,” my voice steady despite the fluttering in my chest.

There was another long pause, a hesitation before continuing as if savoring the moment.

“I’ve been…tempted, Father,” the voice continued, the words slow and deliberate. “Tempted by something I cannot control.”

“What is this temptation, my child?”

I had heard everything from fantasies about one’s siblings to their neighbor’s dog. It was nothing new to hear of one’s urges. Everyone deserved a chance to be heard by God, and the first step to absolution was admitting to your sins.

The quiet continued, and a warning bell pounded inside my chest.

“It’s a man. Someone I shouldn’t want…but I do.” The voice softened in a way that almost whispered of intimacy, the words heavy with something unspoken.

My breath caught in my throat.

There was a fleeting moment of recognition in his words. The temptation—the forbidden nature of it all—was too familiar to my past. My pulse quickened against my will, and the temperature felt thicker in the small space.

“Desire is natural,” I replied, attempting to keep my voice even.

This is just another confession.Nothing about you or…him. Just a common sin, likely a hidden fantasy that will quickly be quelled. I can offer exoneration and be done with his soul, allowing him the freedom to find God’s forgiveness.

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