This was Todd's first time using the confessional at the Westwood Church. The small room, less than three square meters, was dim and somewhat stuffy, containing two wooden chairs facing each other, separated by a wooden louvered screen.
At midnight, a man walked into the cubicle opposite the confessional.
Using his clairvoyant ability, Todd saw that the other man was wearing a hunter's robe made of coarse linen, his beard hadn't been groomed in years, and he looked hesitant and confused, unsure whether he should sit down.
"Sit down, child."
Todd's somewhat childish voice startled the man.
Even though the other person knew they couldn't see the screen, they still turned their face towards it, their eyes shining brightly in the darkness: "You are not the abbot."
Todd was usually too busy to conduct confessions, so he always left it to the deacon. Today was the first time he had presided over such a ceremony. After thinking for a moment, he said, “It’s pointless to worry about these things. Under God’s power, we are just the words of the Father.”
Seeing the man standing there, Todd asked again, "Lost sheep, what brings you here to repent?"
The other person sounded somewhat bewildered: "Someone told me that if I go into the confessional at midnight tonight, someone can answer my questions."
“Sit down. I can only hear your voice, not see your face. And what you say will only exist in the ears of you, me, and the Father. Come, speak your confusion.”
The man sat down in the chair as instructed and remained silent for a long time.
Just when the priest thought the other person was unwilling to speak, the other person spoke: "I am a different species."
That's right, the person opposite should be Randall...
Todd looked at Randall with X-ray vision. Randall's hands were clasped together and rubbing back and forth, showing unease and fear, as if he was about to leave at any moment.
"There's something I've never understood: if everything was created by God, then other species are no exception. Why are we rejected by the world, persecuted by the church, and excluded from the ordinary world? Was it a mistake on God's part to create us?!"
After hearing the question, Todd thought for a moment and said something strange: "Everything that is rational exists; everything that exists is rational."
Randall repeated the sentence, then shook his head and said, "I don't understand."
Todd organized his thoughts: “The Father is the origin of the universe and the absolute one. He created everything on His own and manifested it in nature, society, and spirit. Everything in the world is the result of His externalization.”
"I'm sorry, I still don't understand, what does all this have to do with the alien species?"
Todd sighed and put it more bluntly: "The existence of the alien species is the work of the Father. The existence of this race is in accordance with the Father's 'reason'—the reason of the universe, but it may not be in accordance with the 'reason' of the mortal realm."
Even the most obtuse person would understand the deeper meaning behind those words once they've been said.
As the origin of the universe, the Heavenly Father ensures the existence of all things that conform to His principles. The existence of other species, as His creations, proves their conformity to His will. The so-called "principles" of the mortal realm refer not only to the ethical principles of the secular kingdom but also implicitly include the principles of the church established by mortals.
Simply put, all things in the world were created by the Father, including other species, so their existence is naturally in accordance with the Father's will. Their slaughter and persecution are entirely due to the secular world and the church's wanton distortion of the Bible.
Seeing the man's seemingly enlightened expression, Todd continued, "As a mutant, you have a responsibility and an obligation to maintain relations between mutants and other races. Do you understand?"
Seeing the other person nod, Todd finally breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to leave, the other person's next words pinned him firmly to his chair.
“There’s one more thing… I want to repent for my past crimes… I killed my mother…”
Todd was stunned by Randall's words.
The introduction stated that the other party's mother was his only relative, who died while on the run. How could she have been murdered?!
Randall held his head in his hands, recalling his past as if he were suffering immense mental anguish.
"After being discovered to be a mutant, I took my mother and fled north from Lonely Rock City. While crossing the mountains, we were starving and couldn't find any food..."
Upon hearing this, Todd gripped his sleeves with both hands, a terrifying thought flashing through his mind.
Randall lowered his head, his eyes fixed on the ground, his voice trembling: "Out of desperation, I could only pretend to go hunting during my rest time, secretly cutting off pieces of my own flesh with a knife to deceive my mother, telling her it was the flesh of the prey... Later, she discovered the truth, and one night while camping, my mother ended her life with a cloth strip..."
Todd pursed his lips and sighed deeply. Hearing the weeping from the other side, he made the sign of the Holy Cross and softly said, "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, your sins will be forgiven..."
Fifteen minutes later, Todd returned to the scripture hall, sat down at the table, and picked up Randall Quincy's introduction again to read it carefully.
In the flickering candlelight, Rachel did not disturb him, but simply watched quietly.
“Randall is the person we’re looking for.” After saying this, Todd placed the paper on the table and closed his eyes.
Rachel shifted her posture: "Can I ask you what you and he talked about?"
“I’m afraid not, it involves private matters. But I can assure you, he’s a kind man. His fighting style and his willingness to die stem from some tragedies that happened to him.” Todd leaned back and said, “It’s time to start training him, and all the preparations for the mission.”
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