I sat in the confessional booth with my back to the wall. There was a painting of Saint Mary next to the booth, and I could feel her eyes burning holes into the top of my skull even through the hard wood interposed between us.
When I heard the Priest sit on the other side of the wooden lattice, I said a sentence that hadn't left my lips in more than a decade. "Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned."
"You have surprised me," the Priest said. "I did not expect you to be Catholic."
"I hate to disappoint you, Father," I said, half joking. "I was confirmed fourteen years ago, and I haven't stepped inside of a church since. Calling me a Catholic is insulting to your faith."
"So it has been fourteen years since your last confession?" the Priest asked.
"Yes, Father," I said quietly.
"And what brings you here after so many years?"
"Sin, I suppose," I said, sighing. "Do I really have to say what I've done? You know who I am."
"I don't know which sins weigh down your soul, Sebastian," the Priest said. "More importantly, one of the first steps toward true Penitence is putting your sin into words."
"Fine. My sin is…" my voice caught in my throat. "No, I'm sorry. I'm not actually seeking Absolution. It's way too late for that. I just came here because I wanted an excuse to complain to somebody. I'm sorry for wasting your time, Father."
I stood from the seat and began to move toward the door before the Priest said, "You're not wasting my time at all. It sounds like, of all people in Zeon, you are the most in need of the Sacrament of Confession."
I returned to my seat. Quietly, I said, "My sin is murder. The worst part is that I have no idea how many people I have killed. The number is somewhere between fifteen and two billion."
The Priest paused for half a minute before saying, "According to our dogma, killing is always a sin, but most priests are comfortable Absolving soldiers who kill in a war. Warriors killing other warriors is a fact of modern life. I assume, however, that is not what brings you here."
"You see right through me, Father," I said with a chuckle. "How many innocent women and children lived on Island Iffish? Normal warfare is one thing, but what I've done is unforgivable."
"Everyone can be forgiven, Sebastian," the Priest said.
"Maybe I'm the exception to the rule. People like me probably shouldn't be forgiven. I mean, what kind of world would it be if serial killers could be forgiven just by praying on a rosary?" The Priest didn't immediately respond to my implied insult, so I continued speaking. "You know, the Federation has started calling me a demon, and I'm starting to think they're right. Maybe I'm just an evil spirit from another plane of existence that has possessed the body of a mortal man."
As I spoke, I didn't like how much my words were starting to make sense. Something supernatural must have been behind my appearance in this world, and that force might have been the Devil for all I knew. Perhaps something like Laplace's demon knew that my presence in the Earth Sphere would doom the people of this universe, and that's why I was put in Dogwood's body.
"Even demons perform God's work, Sebastian," the Priest said quietly. "It was God who sent the Devil to test Job, and it is the Devil who punishes unrepentant sinners in Hell. Tempting and punishing the wicked is God's will. It is only through these tests of faith that free will is possible."
"That says more about God than the Devil, don't you think?" I shot back.
Ignoring my statement, the Priest said, "You said you weren't searching for Absolution, Sebastian, but I can see a path to forgiveness available to you. Dedicate your life to doing God's work, and you will find Absolution."
"Are you saying I should become a priest?" I asked with a slight chuckle in my voice.
"No," the Priest said. "'Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.' Matthew 5:9. Commit yourself to peace, end this terrible war, save more lives than you have taken, and I believe that God will forgive you."
"God will forgive me? Ha!" I said, allowing a cruel laugh to escape through my lips. After a few seconds, my peals of laughter transformed into barely-controlled sobbing.
"I'm sorry, Father, but could I be alone for a few minutes?" I asked.
"Yes, my child. Remember that you can be forgiven, but you must commit yourself to your Penitence."
The lonely sound of feet striking against flagstones marked the Priest's departure. After spending a few minutes regaining control of myself, I left the confessional booth and exited out into the church's main chamber. Within seconds, I was surrounded by a crucifix depicting the death of Christ and nearly a dozen stained glass windows.
Standing in the center of the nave, flanked by lines of pews, I looked up at the crucifix and said, "If You want to say something to me, now's the time."
The brass statue of Jesus nailed to the cross stared back at me, but His expression remained unchanged. The only response I received was the echo of my own voice.
A few minutes later, I stepped out of the church. My car was still parked where I left it, but a large SUV was parked nearby. The rest of the church's parking lot was empty, so I was pretty sure I knew what was happening.
I raised my hand and beckoned to the SUV before taking a seat on a waist-high wall about a dozen meters away from the church's front entrance. Just as I took the first drag of a cigarette, the SUV pulled out of its parking space and began moving toward me.
"'Even demons perform God's work,' huh?" I muttered as the SUV approached.
The SUV moved fast, so I was only able to take a few breaths of the cigarette before I had to toss it into a nearby ashtray.
The large purple SUV bearing the symbol of Zeon stopped in front of me, and three men wearing Zeon uniforms stepped out. One of them saluted me and said, "Hello Captain Dogwood, Rear Admiral Kycilia Zabi would like to speak to you."
Huh. The greeting was a lot nicer than I expected. I returned the salute and stepped into the SUV. I didn't want to keep the Lady of Zeon waiting.