Drowning in a sea of his own self inflicted pain and anxieties, Karamatsu found it utterly impossible to lock away his impure thoughts he had managed to keep hidden away for his entire life.

Within the priest's mind, all he could see and feel were the violent actions of his day, as well as how he failed to even protect one person. It was someone he loved, too.

As if the punishment of 'failure' wasn't enough, the broken man was to be cast away, banned from the village he had grown to adore.

"It's just a dream..." Karamatsu tried to tell himself in his mind.

The darkness of loneliness surrounded him and silenced the world around him. Like a plush blanket, it wrapped around him, hugging him, holding him captive, and keeping in all the man's 'heat'.

Visions of a person Karamatsu felt as if he had once known filled his mind, comforting him a little. He couldn't identify the portrait that was before him, but deep in his twisted, broken heart, he knew. He just knew, "This is a good person."

Like the loving kiss a mother would plant atop her baby's fuzzy head, the portrait resonated emotions of comfort and warmth.

"Remember me in the next life," the portrait seemed to be speaking to him, then faded away from his memory.

It was if a knife had split Karamatsu away from all happiness that remained within this small, broken world.

As Karamatsu's eyes adjusted to the darkness of the world around him, cold winds swirled around his ankles, crawling up his legs, hitting him in his very core. Chills ran down his spine as the priest broke out into a cold sweat.

Tears welled up in the eyes of the Karamatsu within the priest's mind. They spilled over and out of his eyes, streaming down his cheeks, dripping from his chin to the ground below.

Like the claws of a viscous lion, deep inside the priest, he could feel his heart being ripped to pieces as sin devoured his precious soul.

"I understand how nobody could possibly love me," Karamatsu whimpered. "Never once have I shown love towards anyone, apparently. I'm not good enough for this world. It's just failure after failure for me. A huge disappointment. Love? What even is love? I don't remember how it feels suddenly...I feel so cold...so alone..."

Rubbing his eyes, Karamatsu turned around, finding that his wife was smiling pleasantly at him.

Dressed in a lilac dress, the woman pulled her young baby boy closer to her body, attempting to keep him warm. The child cried out pitifully and the wind hit his face.

Worry overcame the woman's simple face, turning her attention towards the little boy.

"Nameless. Homeless. Worthless. Alone," she began to cry, hugging the fragile child. "You were mine for only a moment, and now you belong to the world."

Karamatsu's mouth hung open as he watched his deceased wife in horror. For her next actions shocked him.

The woman pulled a dagger out from a small pocket in her dress, quickly stabbing it all the way through the young child's neck.

The little boy was vulnerable, his soft, squishy skin accepting the dagger, as he would have accepted a pacifier.

"STOP!" Karamatsu cried out, but his voice could no longer reach his wife. It was at that moment, that his heart was truly accept the fact that she and her son, were dead.

Upon the priest's awakening, his was both relived and saddened that he was merely experiencing a dream.

Looking up, Karamatsu gazed at the stars, twinkling joyously in their brilliant, nightly garments.

With the moon overhead as well, the priest took in the calming scenery of the heavens beyond him.

"It truly is glorious," the priest sighed, sitting up in an empty field. It was only hours ago that he had fled from his old village, fearing for his life. "and yet such an unworthy, ruthless man, such as I, is allowed to witness this common, nightly show."

Karamatsu rose to his feet, grabbing his small backpack of belongings, and began to continue his journey to a new town or village.

His entire body ached, having rested out in the middle of nowhere on firm, uncomfortable earth, but the priest was simply thankful to have been given a second chance.

"My heart aches to be with you again..." Karamatsu mourned as he trudged a long, keeping his eyes focused on the sky. "But my actions were foolish. I could have prevented all of this...if I wasn't such a terrible person...I failed to show you how much you meant to me. I feel as if I've felt this feeling of 'failure' before. For now on, I promise you, my love...I'm going to live for the sake of others, and make sure they know that their lives matter, and that they are loved."