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Heaven Sent index
Even from a distance, the villa looked enormous. Shouyou could see it perched on the hill from the time he set out from the temple, gleaming white under the sun during the day, and lit up by fires shining within its walls when he stopped at an inn for the night.
He had always seen it, of course, from the time heād been small, allowed to play outside the temple in the dirt with the other children. The Centurionās Villa, the owner of the land they lived on. For that privilege, they were taxed, though not an unfair amount. Every month, the temple sent an acolyte to deliver the payment to the villa, as a sign of respect to the one who lived there.
For years, one of the priests had been the one to make the trip, but he had twisted his ankle two nights previous. In his stead, the elders had selected Shouyou to go, because he was young and had enough energy for the trek.
They were concerned about his manners and how he would present himself to the villa on the hill, but after much lecturing, he was sent off, to fulfill their obligation and return. It had taken him nearly two days to reach the villa, but on the eve of the second, heād finally arrived, as the sky grew dusky and purple.
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