The most precious jewels one will ever have around their neck are the arms of their children.

But right now in the Cathedral, around the neck of a child was the hand of a grown up who called her a demon.

Zane was near the door of the Cathedral.

The Emberlord was in front of him, holding Milo by her neck.

Milo’s eyes were closed.

Her face was already pale but now it had turned blue.

She had lost too much blood and it was still coming out.

Zane was only one step away from getting out of the Cathedral but his leg was broken.

No. Not broken. Broken was a merciful word to use.

It was turned inside out.

His knee was in the back.

Zane couldn’t even stand up.

Hena and her bodyguard had saved him from the Enforcers but who would come to save him from the strongest preacher of God present in the Cathedral?

Xavier and Tesla were out for good.

Even if Xavier crawled and reached near the Emberlord, Milo would be dead till then.

Under the strong grip of the Emberlord around Milo’s small neck, how long could she survive?

"Everyone!" Coin spoke. "Have you ever seen someone like this girl? She was lacking eyes. She was lacking consciousness and yet she spewed blood. How else could she do that if not for a demonic identity residing inside her?"

The Emberlord roamed in a circle with Milo in his hands.

"Call me a child slayer. Call me a monster but I have to perish the evil. She might even be possessed by a Riftborn for all I know. She has to die."

"For the last time, she is a bloody child!" Zane bellowed. But he wasn’t the only one.

"Kill her!"

"Burn the witch!"

"Purge the evil!"

The audience bellowed as well.

All of them wanted Milo’s death.

The Emberlord nodded.

"You all are understanding believers. Let’s not stretch this out anymore."

Coin faced Zane once more and while looking into his eyes, the Emberlord applied force on Milo’s throat.

Zane’s pupils widened and ignoring his mangled leg, he tried to get up.

The pain worth hundred agonies travelled inside his body but he would save Milo.

"Let her go. Please. Kill me if you want. Let her live!"

He begged.

"You are not a demon, Zane Atlas. She is. She is also not your sister. She is a demon. She is a demon posing as your sister. She tricked you. She is a demon!"

"No, emberlord. The only demon I see here..."

Zane glared at Coin.

"Is you."

The Emberlord flinched.

But then he shook his head.

"It’s futile for me to talk to you anymore. Bid her farewell."

"No!"

Zane jumped towards Coin.

But Coin used all his strength on Milo’s throat and...

THUCKK!

Something came.

Something came flying from outside the Cathedral.

Not a sword.

Not a spear.

Nothing of steel.

Something light.

Something normal.

It hit the Emberlord’s forearm of the hand that was holding Milo.

And that thing managed to make Coin let go of the girl.

Zane caught her, saved her from falling and jerked his head at the thing that came flying.

Everyone did the same and when they saw the thing, all of them forgot their words.

Out of all the things they could have expected to see today, this wasn’t on their list.

Right before the Emberlord could snap Milo’s neck, from outside, came flying...

A mop.

A mop used to sweep floors.

It was wet and because of it being wet, when it came flying the water had splashed on the Emberlord’s face, the dirty water which made him let go of Milo.

Seeing he was disturbed again, the Emberlord clenched his fist.

"Which dying soul did this!?"

He roared and jolted his head outside the Cathedral.

Everyone also looked there and they saw someone walking.

It was a man and when he finally stepped inside the Cathedral, everyone saw him in full glory.

The man wore a long black coat, leather boots, long hair, a belt with a bull on its buckle and most of all, the man smoked a cigar.

"Who are you?" Coin asked.

The man took a puff of his cigar.

"I am but a janitor, gentleman."

"What is your name?" Coin asked another question.

Everyone frowned.

But Zane didn’t.

He knew the man.

Not once had he thought he would meet him here.

And certainly he didn’t think that he would be the one to save Milo.

It was the same man who gave Zane the shirt he was wearing right now.

It was none other than...

"They call me Jammy the Janitor."

The Emberlord clenched his jaw.

"What are you doing here?"

"I work here."

"Why didn’t you attend the prayer?"

"I prayed at the church. My shift starts late, you see. What are you doing here? The prayers ended a long time ago."

"A trial is going on here and you are interrupting it. Get lost!" A halocrat shouted.

The Emberlord nodded.

"Yes. The trial for Zane Atlas is ongoing. He returned me the fake relic. And his sister is a demon. I was about to execute justice and you came. So take your mop and go away."

Jammy looked at Zane.

His eyes went to the broken leg and then at the unconscious blue faced Milo.

Zane stared at Jammy with empty eyes but Jammy saw something in them.

Hope.

"Go away, Janitor."

Jammy crushed his cigar.

"No can do."

The Emberlord raised his brows.

"Are you refusing my order? I will take it as a disrespect to the trial."

"Heh." Jammy laughed.

He stepped closer to Coin.

"The trial already lost its respect the moment you held a little girl by her neck, justice man."

"Enough!"

SHRILL!

The Emberlord called his scythe to his hand.

"What are you implying, Janitor?"

Jammy didn’t move back from Coin.

"She is inside the First Flame’s embrace. If she was a demon, she would already be dead if this place is as holy as you claim. The fact that she is alive means she is a normal human child."

"Then why did she vomit blood?"

"Can’t it be a simple illness?"

"Why should we even listen to the likes of a Janitor? Why shouldn’t I just kill you for interrupting me?"

Jammy went silent.

He stared at Coin’s eyes.

Everyone waited for some words and the words arrived.

"You lost the original relic. You think she is a demon. That’s what the trial and problem is all about, yes?"

Coin nodded.

Jammy ran his fingers through his hair and then turned his head at Zane.

"What can you do about these problems, kid? Entertain the Emberlord here."

Zane flinched.

All eyes came back to him.

Jammy pushed everything to Zane.

Zane couldn’t rush it.

Fighting won’t help him here.

Cursing, logic, he had tried all of that and it brought him to this stage.

He needed something else now.

Something that could hold everything back.

Jammy and the Emberlord pierced Zane with their eyes as his head remained low.

Instead of thinking about everything, the gutterborn focused on the problems that were pointed out.

And if Zane thinks through those problems then...

"I..."

Something came to his mind.

"I..."

That was the only way.

"I..."

He struggled to decide.

"I..."

His eyes fell to Milo.

"I..."

And that was all it needed.

"I..."

He made up his mind.

The hesitation died as he finally raised his head and locked eyes with the Emberlord.

"I will find and return the original relic in five days right in this very Cathedral that accused me of stealing it."