[21 November 1921]
Knock, knock, knock!
That soft knocking, the priest thought. There is no one who knocked like that except one child. He quickly opened the door and ushered the person inside.
"Lyokha, are you alright?" the priest asked. But then he was shocked to see the boy's clothes stained with blood. "Are you hurt? Who hurt you?"
"No, grandpi..." the boy said, sounding a bit nervous. The old man noticed a drastic change in his grandson's face; the innocence was gone from his eyes. He closed and locked the door from the inside before asking, "You don't seem to be the Lyokha I know. Will you admit the truth to me?"
"I don't know who I am, even though I'm in Alexei's body. I woke up after he summoned me to deal with his family's troubles. He was so distraught after seeing his younger sibling killed by their mother..."
"I knew it... they’ve gone too far! I shall ask the Tsar to imprison those two madwomen!" Furious, the priest stood up and rushed toward the door, but the boy suddenly tugged at his robe.
"There's no need for that, grandpi. I've already handled it. Alexei is resting peacefully now. I managed to save Anka, too; she's outside."
"Handled it? How?" the old man asked, bewildered. He turned around, wanting to hear more.
"I... I killed Mother with a bottle just as she was about to strike me with a knife. Afterward, Father lost his mind and fled into the forest, never to return," the boy confessed. The old man was so shocked he nearly fainted. Then, he began to sob uncontrollably, leaving the boy feeling both frightened and suspicious.
"Oh, my grandson... my poor, unfortunate grandson..."
"Are you angry with me, grandpi?"
"No... I pity you. Lyokha. Anka. I wish I could turn back time; I should never have appointed your father as part of the cathedral—no! It would have been better if I had never become a priest in the first place!!"
"Forgive me. I... was only carrying out what Alexei truly desired in his heart. But I don't know where to go or what to do next. I'm lost..."
The priest rose from the floor and gently grasped the child's shoulders. "First, change your clothes. You wouldn't want to get caught, would you?" He then retrieved a small-sized cloak, and the child changed into it. The priest tossed the child's blood-stained garments into the burning hearth; the flames quickly consumed the crimson-spotted clothing.
"Forgive me, child, but you cannot stay here either. Word of your family's scandal has already spread. The civil unrest from heart of Kiev starts disrupt the cathedral too. Eventually, people will discover that you were the one who did this, and I fear you would be beheaded like any other criminal."
"I know. I want to go somewhere else with Anka, but I don't know where. Please, tell me what to do..."
"I know of a place for you." The old man produced a sheet of paper bearing a map. "Head west. It is a safer refuge for you than here. Stay there until you are old enough to live on your own. I know you can do it. Take my horse at the stable. Leave before dawn breaks."
"Why are you so kind to me? I am not Alexei anymore. I even killed my own mother and father. Why are you still so kind to me?"
"Listen, child..." the priest embraced the boy tightly. "No matter who you are, I still love you. Both as a priest who cares for the faithful and as a grandpi who loves his grandson. As a priest, I feel guilty for failing to protect you, for the fact that you still carry the burden of everything that has happened over these past four years. As a grandpi, I feel responsible for raising the man who tormented my own grandson. This is my penance, child."
"Grandpi... this isn't your fault..." For the first time, the boy wept; until now, he had always worn a hardened mask when facing the people he hated... or rather, the people Alexei secretly loathed. They held each other close before the grandfather finally let go and handed him the map.
"Promise me one thing. What you did to your parents... let that be the first and last time. Never hurt anyone else again."
"...I promise, Grandfather."
"Go now. I will protect you with a small lie. Well, even a priest has his own sins, but this is better than watching everyone I love suffer. Goodbye, my grandson..."
The boy stepped out of the room and signaled his young sister who was waiting nearby, to flee immediately. Taking the priest's horse, they escaped just as dawn broke and the rest of the household was waking up.
"Alexei, so this is why you still loved that priest as a kind grandfather. He truly was a good man; I will never forget him," the boy thought as he rode on with his sister. "To honor your grandfather's kindness... I will officially take his name as my own... Vitaly Bodenko."