Nevin grimaced. He knew of an easy way out, a way around the problems that this branch of the Church could cause. The way that thing had talked, it was the only one around, so maybe it had not yet indoctrinated anyone into the Scarlet worship. That meant they still all believed in the Crimson, and didn't have an association with that corrupt creature, he hoped. But, he could use what the creature had told them. He just... did not want to do it, which was a very, very poor reason not to when it would be the best solution to the problem. By doing this, he could make sure that this branch of the Church of Crimson stayed good and true, he could ensure that there were no other remnants associated with the thing here in the Church, and he could leave without being assaulted by everyone outside who was an adherent.
But he really, really didn't want to though, and didn't that matter? He did not want to take on the role that the false preacher had given him, did not want to assume that mantle in the eyes of even the small number of people who would see him, and thus recognize him forever after. But, his own wants did not matter here - it would prevent an outbreak of pain and anger, it would keep people true, and it might spark the start of a more widespread acceptance of the actual tenets of the Church of Crimson, without the taint of this 'Scarlet Made Flesh' hovering over it. So with a deep breath, Nevin did something that he had never done in all the years since he had survived the rituals of the original cult. He took off his gloves, and unbuttoned his shirt, letting his pale skin and the vibrant red lines upon it show - and then he opened the door.
There were only a few disciples left at this point, the people who were curious as to why this last person was taking so long to meet with the preacher. But when they saw him, when they saw the lines - they all froze, staring at him with disbelief. Nevin held up one red-marked hand, forestalling any comments that they might have. He would need to talk swiftly to convince them not to put him up on a pedestal, or to lynch him.
"My name is Nevin, Nevin Aaimaparapatoiis. I bear the Crimson, as you see, and as the preacher said the Messiah would. I do not know, nor do I claim to be if I am, the Messiah, but what I do know is this. Something had infested the good preacher, and when he laid eyes upon me, the demon inside of him broke free, enraged, and assaulted me. I slew it, Crimson against its tainted Scarlet, but the preacher did not survive his ordeal. His remains shall be consecrated with my Crimson, and he shall be burnt - this is the way of Crimson to deal with deaths among the faithful. Who will help me?" Stunned silence met him and his grim words, before two of them came forward, bowing and offering their help.
Nevin directed one to carefully bring the corpse of the preacher outside, as he and the other prepared the kindling. By the time they had finished, and the oddly limp body was arranged somewhat neatly atop the wood, a small congregation had gathered to see him, and to hear what he said. "The Crimson gives us life, we are born from it. The Crimson sustains us, and we are made men by it. The Crimson unites us, and we are equals carrying it. The Crimson fades, and we must offer it up, so that it may return and revitalize itself before birthing a new life. This is, I believe, the first death you are witnessing in the Church?" Several people nodded. "When a member of our Church, a child of Crimson, passes on, two things are done. The first, their body is drained of the Crimson, placed in an urn, and several close friends place a small portion of their own Crimson inside the jar as well. This is our Unity - even after death, the Crimson binds us all, past and future. This will not be done here, cannot be done here - a dark perversion of the Crimson, an entity known as the Scarlet Made Flesh -" Nevin scanned the crowd as he spoke, but none of them reacted to the name, which reassured him, "- has tainted this man's Crimson, poisoning it and denying him the unity the Crimson offers us all. The second thing, is this."
He took a deep breath and stepped forward, holding one hand above the body, the other gripping his knife. "Another child of the Crimson - any of us will do for this as we are all equals in the eyes of the Crimson - places some of their own living, vital Crimson upon the corpse. This is to help the fading force of the Crimson within the corpse to find its way back to the great unity, to rejuvenate itself in the process of time." Nevin sliced his palm open, clenching his hand into a fist as bright red welled up and dripped down onto the body. Only he was close enough to notice the way the flesh sizzled for a moment on contact with his blood. "And thus, the body is prepared. We light the flame." The man who had helped him prepare the kindling stepped forward with a torch, and set the wood beneath the body ablaze. Nevin forced himself to stay and watch as the body burned up, despite the smell of cooking flesh that quickly pushed the crowd away. he had to be sure that the thing had not hidden away a few pieces of itself.
When the fire had burned out, and the body was ashes - stoked a bit perhaps by his magic - Nevin took a deep breath and turned to the only other person who had stayed, the man who had prepared the body. "It was a tragedy. But I am not ready to take up the mantle he envisioned for me - I still have much to learn before I can hope to fill that role. Can you, or another, guide the Church in his place?" The man looked stunned, before nodding slightly.
"Y-yes my lord! Brother Kaine said that I was almost ready for introduction to the final tenets of the Church, so I believe I can guide our brothers and sisters from here. I -" Nevin held up his bloody hand, a slight twist of his wrist scattering drops of his blood against the man's arm, but aside from brushing them off without even looking, nothing happened. Nevin spoke quickly.
"I believe you might already know of them, Brother. I fear the 'final tenets' might have been a chance to spread the taint of the Scarlet. Worry yourself not with them, I will seek any further knowledge myself, and return to guide you and the others in the fullness of time. I must... I must go. This place still bears the smell of the taint, and it unfortunately repulses me. I believe in time, it will be cleaned away." With that, Nevin slipped away, leaving the stunned and confused priest behind.
Outside, away from the Church, Nevin breathed a deep sigh of relief. It had somehow worked - shock and awe had carried him through the event, and acting like he knew what he was doing. While he had seen the ritual of passage before, it was normally reserved only for the clergy, not for every man as he had implied to them. But he felt that fit the tenet of equality better than it being reserved for only a few. But now, here away from them, Nevin could confirm what he had suspected. His magic was quiescient, his skin silent - and the stench of the city that had so bothered him had been dropped considerably. The cult, at least in its original form, was dead. Only time would tell if the healthy version he had tried to nurture would survive. He would need to come back and check on them periodically, but now, that didn't seem like such an imposition.
