Deliverance
The old chapel is silent, but beneath the quiet lies a sense of excitement so strong that it can almost be heard as a faint buzz around you. The pews are packed with devoted followers and the air is equally packed with so much hope as to be palpable, the sweet promise of release, of unity, of Salvation, tantalizingly floating around you.
As usual, it’s rather dim. The candles in their golden sconces remain unlit and the only source of illumination being the quickly setting sun filtering through the stained glass windows. The rays take on a faint pinkish-red tinge, the heart-wrenchingly tender hue of flesh, as it envelops hooded figures and you bask in the tendrils of light like the warm embrace of The Mother.
At long last, Adriel appears, their toothy cloven hooves gracefully clacking across the stone bricks, cutting through the dense silence like a blade. They’re undisguised, of course, and their ink black flesh sharply contrasts their snow white sheep’s wool, while their white flesh almost blends in with it. An inaudible gasp of awe can be felt in the chapel. In their paws, they carry a being, roughly the size of a human brain and loosely wrapped in cloth.
They come to a stop in front of the stained glass window and unfurl their fleshy wings slightly. The fading light reflects in their many dark red eyes like specks of gold on a blood ocean, even more radiant than the gold lining on their blue robes. Adriel speaks, their voice gentle and sweet like honey, tender like meat, yet strong enough to carry the weight of promise as it echoes.
“Children of The Mother, we gather today to witness a great blessing, for The Mother has heard our prayers and in her infinite kindness and wisdom she has chosen one of you, devoted followers, for Salvation.”
They let the last of their words dangle in the air for a second, tempting as the sweetest fruit from the Garden of Eden. You have witnessed this ceremony many times, but the temptation never fades, the hope never wanes that some day it will be your turn. And you know that everyone else in the pews is thinking the same thing, the hunger for Salvation yearning to be sated.
“______, The Mother smiles upon you today. Come hither, devoted follower, so that you may receive her blessing.”
The sound of Your name from the ever benevolently smiling mouth of your Prophet, is as sudden as a knife to your heart, and infinitely more beautiful. Your devotion to The Mother has been noticed, your prayers heard, and the incredible sense of gratitude, of hope, of wonder, of anticipation and longing, threatens to overwhelm you.
You arise on shaky legs. You can feel the eyes of the fellow Children upon you, their admiration, reverence and envy can be felt powerfully enough that it almost ought to burn your meager unsound flesh, stripping it from your bones and removing its crushing weight. But you know that your body, useless as it might appear, will soon be blessed, your meat will become pure and good, and you will finally belong.
The walk can’t be longer than ten feet, but it feels like an eternity passes before you’re kneeling before Adriel, your cloak discarded and your paws clasped together in silent prayers of thanks.
Up this close, you can see the blood red nerves on Adriel’s flesh pulsating gently. The bundle in their arms wriggles ever so slightly, making you almost quiver in anticipation, despite, or maybe because of, the faint smell of rotting meat.
Adriel reaches out a paw and gently, lovingly, wipes a tear (you didn’t even realize you were crying) from your face.
“Be not afraid, devoted follower. The Mother has recognized your devotion and answered your prayers. You will be delivered from your pain.”
Their words are like a warm blanket on a bitterly cold winter's night. You wish you could say something, anything, to express your gratitude, but you're unable to speak. However, Adriel's smile lets you know that no words are needed.
They begin to unwrap the bundle. The Mignyan Crab that emerges looks rotting, that much is obvious even in the faint light, and its smell grows stronger to the point where an outsider might gag or even retch, but it doesn’t faze you, you wouldn’t dream of showing such disrespect in front of a divine being. Unusually for a Crab, it doesn’t appear to have any teeth, only a growth of bones across what presumably is its spine, the pure clean white a stark contrast to the rot. Its single green bloodshot eye is located next to a cluster of holes. It regards you curiously, twitching its little legs, as you stare back in pure reverence.
With their small stature, Adriel only needs to bend down slightly to plant a kiss on your forehead before setting the Crab down on the floor in front of you and taking a step back.
“Be delivered by the flesh, my Child. Accept this Crab into your body and let its blessing Salvage you.” Adriel clasps their hands together in worship and lets their voice ring out louder than before, the force of it seeming to rattle the stained glass windows, “THANK YOU, O GREAT MOTHER! THE MOTHER IS KIND! THE MOTHER IS GRACIOUS! THE FLESH WILL DELIVER US! GLORY TO THE MOTHER!”
In accordance with the ceremony, the followers in the pews join in, the combined chanting creating a beautiful cacophony of devotion and love.
“THE MOTHER IS KIND! THE FLESH WILL DELIVER US! THE MOTHER IS KIND!”
The Crab scuttles around on the floor a bit, before climbing onto you. You shudder in awe feeling its little legs move across your body, poking at you here and there as if to really make sure you’re up to scrutiny. Even after being chosen, you still feel almost unworthy, surely not even hundreds of years of your devotion would warrant an incredible honor such as this. Yet it has been bestowed upon you by The Mother, the most incredible blessing and fortune.
“THE MOTHER IS KIND! THE MOTHER IS KIND! THE MOTHER IS KIND!”
The chants seem almost frenzied as the Crab finishes its ‘examination’ of you and returns to the floor in front of you. As it finally leaps for you, your open mouth twists into a gaping smile.
“THE MOTHER IS KIND!”
