What child is this, who laid to rest
On Mary's lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet
While shepherd's watch are keeping?
 

This, this is Christ the King
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing
Haste, haste to bring Him laud
The babe, the son of Mary

-What Child is This, Tommee Proffit

Immersive purposes.

Everything was brown and I reached up to rub my throat. It was hot and I could feel the hot ground underneath my feet. As I looked down, I saw that sand had gotten between my toes. Shepard’s and merchants were walking around and I could see that it was a peaceful memory.

“Someone tell me why you guys are dressed like that?” Jeno’s voice snapped and I looked down to see that we were dressed in robes. Like every other memory, I wasn’t in my own body and so wasn’t Haechan. Haechan had something on his head and I was holding a big jar of water, hauling it from the side.

As we turned back, we saw that unlike us, Jeno was still wearing his modern clothes. There was a yell and Jeno jumped, a hand going to his chest when a dog ran past him. I blinked, Jeno still bewildered at what was going on.

“You… You’re not real,” I managed to say, frowning. “In the memory, I mean.”

It was obvious now why they needed a Shield. Haechan and I would be playing roles while Jeno was there to make sure he could bring us back. As I cleared my throat to explain to Jeno what was happening, I felt my body turn and I moved towards the lake to fill my jar.

“Martha!” Haechan had suddenly yelled and as confused as I was, I let myself take the role completely. “Jesus is having a word with his apostles.”

Whatever Haechan was saying, I couldn’t verbally understand it but the words formed in my brain and I found myself nodding.

“Must you go now?” Haechan asked, his eyebrows knitting together. “You know he needs his privacy.”

A searing feeling of annoyance flashed through my chest and I huffed, turning around to peer at the river that wasn’t so far away. The person who yelled out Jesus’ name before this was Judas and I saw them sitting. Judas was listening to Jesus intently, the savior of the land smiling at my husband.

Husband? I found myself thinking, going back and forth from my own identity to the one in the memory.

“We must fill the jar, Thaddeus,” I said, rolling my eyes at the younger male.

“I know you don’t approve of him,” Haechan said almost accusingly. “You don’t believe in his teachings.”

I swallowed. What I got from this is that I was a skeptic… or was it because I felt like something would go wrong? Judas Iscariot was my husband and I; Martha Iscariot, was not a strong believer in Jesus. I didn’t believe in the power the people said he held.

“Thaddeus, we have a feast to cook,” I said to Haechan when I stalked towards the river. A few feet away, lowering my gaze as I brought the jar down into the river and let it fill up with water. Jesus had stopped talking, his lips going to kiss Judas on the forehead.

It was obvious that Jesus loved my husband more than the other apostles. My husband was the apple of his eye. I slowly watched the water bubble as it took over the empty space in the jar, Judas touching Jesus’ feet as a sign of respect.

The jar was filled now and I moved away, tasting a feeling of distaste on my tongue. I moved back to Thaddeus, Lee Haechan still rooted on the spot when a voice called my name and I turned to see Judas walking to me.

I smiled at Judas.

“How were his teachings?” I asked and I noticed how my voice cracked. He passed me a small smile when his eyes fell on Haechan.

“Thaddeus. Did you leave your sister to fill a jar of water on her own?” Judas asked Haechan, Haechan nodding slowly. “We have a feast tonight.”

The way he said it made it seem like something was coming and I chewed on my lip. As we entered the house, women began to cook and the memory dragged by so quickly. Jeno was simply fascinated by everything and he took every opportunity to watch them.

But the moment Lee Jeno moved away, I found myself slipping into Martha’s identity until night had fallen and Judas sat on the edge of the bed. Thaddeus, my younger brother played by Haechan was in the other room. Jeno had stood just behind the door, passing through every room like a ghost.

“What’s wrong, my love?” I ask Judas who was staring at his hands when he looked up at me. I knew something was brewing and I hated how Judas looked like he had the world on his shoulders. “You look troubled.”

“I am,” he admitted, turning to tuck a hair behind my ear. My fingers moved over the hair on his face and I leaned forward to connect my lips with his. “I am going to be a sacrifice.”

His words made me stop kissing him and I pulled my lips away from him, questioning his words.

“A sacrifice?” I asked, Judas nodding as he pushed me onto the bed that was for the both of us.

“A sacrifice for the greater good. To unify the people, I am going to be a sacrifice.” He breathed, his eyes clouding over. “But I am to be hated.”

“And why would they ever hate you?” I asked, a hand going to brush against my husband’s face. Judas was a thief before he became one of Jesus’ apostles. “Why would you degrade yourself to simply a sacrifice? You are more than that—”

“I am a son of God,” he replied. “And I am not to ask questions for what plans they have for humans.”

I scoffed, pushing him away and pulling my robes up.

“What is he asking you to do?” I asked, my voice trembling.

“He’s asking me to betray him,” my husband answered.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This was enough confirmation that Jesus’ crucifixion was planned; Judas’ betrayal was something he was asked to do and that put everything into perspective. Was this why he thought he could replicate the past? Was this why he thought that he could be God and Miles the new Jesus?

The night had continued on and the feast had come. Eleven apostles sat for their supper and I watched Jesus from afar. He sat in the middle, his apostles eating and drinking from around him when Jesus passed around a cup.

The cup was the Holy Chalice and I saw how it glowed, Thaddeus coming up beside me.

“Sunbae…” he whispered and I nodded. We weren’t in our roles just yet and I chewed on my bottom lip, watching the absence of my husband make a few of the apostles look uneasy. A few of them, Apostle Mark, especially had asked where Judas was. “This is the last supper. This is when Judas betrayed Jesus and told the Romans who he is.”

“This would be the night that Judas kisses him on the cheek to identify him, right?” Jeno asked from beside Haechan. “He kisses Jesus and the Romans took him away. It’s a very famous verse from the Bible—”

And like Jeno said, Judas began to push through the crowd. My husband looked unsettled as he leaned over to Jesus and kissed him on the cheek. Everyone had gasped as the galloping of the Romans neared.

When they arrived, the memory began to grow hazy and we were all moved to somewhere far away. I had no idea how many days had passed but from afar, I could see that Jesus was on his cross. His hands were hammered and on his head was the crown of nails.

Judas was beside me and he began to cry. He was an outcast now, a loner for doing something he was asked to do. Haechan was beside me, my younger brother watching as flames rose and the Romans circled Jesus as they taunted him.

My heart hurt as I saw Judas wipe away his tears. He did love Jesus. Judas heaved a sigh, turning to me when he told me that he couldn’t do this.

“How many people know that you did this for him?”

“None,” he told me. “Just you and Thaddeus.”

I don’t know how many days had passed but it ended with Judas hanging himself by a tree and I found myself weeping for the death of my husband.

I had one goal in mind and that was to make sure his name wouldn’t be tainted.

Sadly, that was exactly what happened.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Haechan thought the memory had ended but he still could not wrap his head around the fact that there was something unfulfilled about it. As Haechan, Bora and Jeno walked to the door to exit the memory there was a gust of wind and just like that, Bora had flown backward, Haechan frantically trying to regain his balance.

It was like a whirlpool and Haechan let out a yell when his surroundings changed and he felt his body hit the solid fl