2025-10-28 03:25:12Cassian lost his balance.
His voice cracked as he demanded an explanation. “I’m sorry, but I truly don’t understand what you’re saying! I’ve never even met you before, let alone done anything that could’ve gotten my brother killed! Explain this to me, Monsignor Ardent!”But Ardent replied coolly, “It’s not time yet, Cassian. Some things must be remembered the right way.”
Cassian was still trying to grasp what that meant when two monks came in and, at Ardent’s command, locked him temporarily in the basilica’s sitting room “to calm himself down.”
“Monsignor Ardent, why am I being detained?!” “All things that you chase too hard turn into a boomerang. It’s better you compose yourself first.”The two monks quickly pulled Cassian away, not allowing him to speak further. The room was small, with one high window and thick stone walls that trapped the cold air. Cassian sat quietly on the wooden bench, but his mind was in chaos—caught between anger, fear, and a guilt he couldn’t understand.
“Oh Lord, what am I supposed to do? Is this how I’m meant to find my answers? It feels unbearable.”He had barely finished whispering when the door opened again. One of the monks returned and handed Cassian a small bottle.
“Father, drink this. You’ll calm down. Monsignor Ardent ordered it,” he said.Cassian took the bottle and drank it immediately. The monk turned and left, leaving him alone once more.
Sure enough, within minutes, Cassian lay slumped on the wooden bench, his eyes unfocused. His eyelids felt heavy, yet he forced his lips to move. “Elias… if you have something to tell me, if you know what really happened, then come and show me. I truly need you…”That last word closed Cassian’s eyes, and he fell fast asleep.
But in the middle of the night, something woke him.
A sound—a faint whisper coming from behind the wall. He sat up straight, listening. The voice called his name, soft but clear: Cassian...He moved closer to the wall, searching for the source. From between the cracks in the stone, the whisper came again, louder this time. Trembling, Cassian followed the sound through a narrow passage behind the altar. There, behind a large cross hanging on the wall, he saw something—a secret gap he hadn’t noticed before.
He pushed the cross slightly, and the wall behind it shifted, opening a narrow crevice. Inside, a stone shaped like an eye gleamed—black obsidian, shimmering strangely in the dark.
And the eye… seemed to look back.Cassian hesitated. But curiosity overcame fear. He touched it.
In an instant, the stone pulsed warmly—and the vision swallowed him whole.He saw Elias, his brother, bound at the center of a circle of sacred symbols. Around him stood several priests in ritual robes—including Monsignor Ardent. But the most horrifying sight was the figure standing beside the altar—himself, younger, with eyes blazing blue like hellfire.
Cassian gasped. The vision shattered, and he collapsed to the floor, blood dripping from his nose. His breath came ragged, the room spinning around him.
A soft knock on the door startled him.
“Still awake?” The voice—Monsignor Ardent’s.Cassian scrambled to his feet. “I… I just woke up.”
Ardent opened the door slowly. “Then come with me for a moment. The night air is soothing.”Cassian wanted to tell him about the vision, but Ardent’s sharp gaze stopped the words in his throat.
“Don’t,” Ardent said calmly. “Whatever you saw, let it be. The time hasn’t come to speak of it.”Cassian merely nodded, and they walked through the long corridor lit by flickering lanterns.
When they stepped outside the basilica courtyard, Valenfort lay silent—but alive in an eerie way. Thin smoke rose from chimneys, and the air carried the scent of wet stone and incense from a distant chapel.
“Where are we going?” Cassian asked. “The mayor summoned us,” Ardent replied without looking back. “He says it’s important. And… it concerns the Church.”They descended the cobblestone street toward the city center. Between the shadows of towers and the roofs of the night market, Cassian noticed city guards stationed at every corner, their faces tense. Something was clearly happening.
When they reached the mayor’s grand hall, they were greeted by a tall man in a dark crimson robe. “Monsignor Ardent,” he said, bowing slightly. “We’re grateful you came so quickly.”
Ardent smiled faintly. “You said this was about the people’s trust in the Church?” The man nodded. “And also about the decision of war that may soon come. The people are beginning to side with those who oppose the sacred authority.”Cassian listened silently, but the longer it went on, the more the conversation shifted—not about peace, but about power.
“The Church has always been the bridge for the people,” the mayor said with a diplomatic smile. “And if you would write a pastoral letter supporting our policy, Monsignor, they would believe that this action… is blessed.”Monsignor Ardent didn’t reply immediately. He stared at the candle in the middle of the table, letting its flame reflect in his dark eyes.
“Blessed,” he repeated quietly. “Blessed by whom, Mayor? By God—or by the will of men?”The mayor held his smile, then clapped his hands lightly. An aide stepped in, carrying a small chest carved with Valenfort’s crest.
“A small token of gratitude,” the mayor said easily. “For the restoration of the monastery—or perhaps… the purchase of new scriptures for your pupils. You know, this city owes much to the Church.”Cassian knew what was inside even before it was opened—the faint scent of wood mixed with cold metal. He looked at Ardent, waiting for his reaction.
Ardent studied the chest for a long moment, then nodded slowly. “Generous citizens are always a blessing to God,” he said flatly. “We’ll accept it… in Valenfort’s name.”Cassian felt something tighten in his throat. “In Valenfort’s name,” he repeated softly, though his gaze was sharp.
The mayor smiled in satisfaction. “Then we’re in agreement.”Ardent looked back at him. “I never said we were,” he replied quietly, his thin smile chilling the air. “I only said I was listening.”
Cassian watched him warily.
“Is it true… that we’ll involve ourselves in such worldly affairs?”Ardent turned slowly, his smile cold. “Worldly or not, Cassian, God often speaks through the hands of rulers. We merely interpret His will.”
Cassian felt the weight return to his chest. Those words reminded him of something—of their childhood at the monastery, when Elias had opposed a similar decision and ended up exiled.
And that night, amid the diplomatic words and the false laughter of officials, Cassian realized something far darker:
that in Valenfort, faith and power were not two separate things—but two edges of the same sword.
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9
Seven years ago.The night outside the window glowed with a cold silver light. The wind shook the old trees in the yard of their grandmother’s long-abandoned house. The air was thick with dust and damp earth, yet that night, two brothers stood in the middle of the living room, watching a shadow on the wall that moved without light.Cassian held a small lantern, while Elias gripped a short sword etched with the sign of the cross.“He’s here,” Elias whispered. “I heard him when we opened the back door.”Cassian took a deep breath. “Don’t act rashly.”“Too late for that, brother.” Elias’s gaze lifted toward the ceiling. “Look.”The ceiling trembled softly. From between the rotten boards, black liquid began to drip—falling to the floor like blood flowing backward.Cassian pulled a small book from his coat pocket—Manual Obscura, a copy of an old scripture known only to the Church’s highest-ranking demon hunters.He read quickly in Latin:“Fiat lux in tenebris, et umbra cadat in nomen Domin
8
Cassian walked beside Monsignor Ardent, head bowed so the rain wouldn’t soak his robes.Neither spoke since they’d left the mayor’s residence—the sound of their footsteps on wet stone was the only rhythm marking the silence between them.At last, Ardent cleared his throat softly. “Cassian,” he said, his voice calm but layered with meaning. “You seemed… unsettled earlier.”Cassian turned slightly. “I just… didn’t expect the relationship between the Church and the mayor to be so… unrestricted.”Ardent smiled faintly, barely visible through the fog. “Ah, you’re still young. There will come a time when you learn that purity isn’t about avoiding the world, but about navigating it.”Cassian said nothing.Ardent continued, his pace steady. “Money, power, faith—they’re merely instruments. The Church cannot live on prayer alone. Even God, if you pay attention, works through the offerings of His people.”He looked up at the sky, his eyes catching a faint blue glow at the top of the distant basi
7
Cassian lost his balance.His voice cracked as he demanded an explanation.“I’m sorry, but I truly don’t understand what you’re saying! I’ve never even met you before, let alone done anything that could’ve gotten my brother killed! Explain this to me, Monsignor Ardent!”But Ardent replied coolly, “It’s not time yet, Cassian. Some things must be remembered the right way.”Cassian was still trying to grasp what that meant when two monks came in and, at Ardent’s command, locked him temporarily in the basilica’s sitting room “to calm himself down.”“Monsignor Ardent, why am I being detained?!”“All things that you chase too hard turn into a boomerang. It’s better you compose yourself first.”The two monks quickly pulled Cassian away, not allowing him to speak further. The room was small, with one high window and thick stone walls that trapped the cold air. Cassian sat quietly on the wooden bench, but his mind was in chaos—caught between anger, fear, and a guilt he couldn’t understand.“Oh
6
“Welcome to Valenfort, Father Cassian.”The deep voice echoed through the grand hall of the basilica, reverberating among stone pillars that rose toward the heavens. Monsignor Ardent stood at the far end of the room, dressed in a white robe trimmed with gold embroidery. His hair was entirely white now, his gaze sharp yet not without warmth.Cassian bowed respectfully. “Monsignor Ardent. Thank you for receiving me.”“Ah, you came all the way from the north to meet an old man like me. Surely God has His reasons,” Ardent said with a faint smile. Then his eyes shifted to Celene, who stood by the doorway. “Celene, my child, give us a moment alone. I wish to speak privately with Father Cassian.”Celene nodded gently. “Of course, Uncle.”Cassian glanced briefly at her before she stepped out. The great doors behind them closed with a soft thud. Ardent turned and said, “Come with me.”He walked slowly through a narrow corridor toward his private chambers. The basilica’s walls were lined with a
5
The sun pierced through the last veil of mist above the gates of Valenfort, glinting off moss-covered stone rooftops and the slow-fluttering church banners.The carriage halted on the main street leading to the market, and the driver bowed slightly.“We’ve arrived, Father. The basilica is on the northern side of the city, but the road there is quite crowded today.”Cassian nodded, stepping down from the wooden stairs and taking in his surroundings.The city was alive—noisy, colorful, foreign. Children ran by carrying warm loaves of bread, fruit sellers called to customers, and the clanging of a blacksmith’s hammer split the air.After days of hearing nothing but rain and prayer, this bustle felt like another world to Cassian.His stomach twisted with hunger; he realized he hadn’t eaten since the morning before.The aroma of toasted bread and meat stew rising from the stalls made him swallow hard. He stepped toward a small shop with a wooden sign reading El Pan del Sol.The shopkeeper,
4
Rain poured hard as Cassian ran through the fog. Each step felt heavier, as if the earth itself refused his touch. Voices followed from behind—soft, whispering, yet sharp enough to pierce the ears.Cassian… Cassian Holt… your blood is still warm…He turned, but there was no one on the road. Only trees swaying under the wind.Then another voice—closer.You held her, didn’t you? You’re the one who woke her from the grave.Cassian clamped his hands over his ears and ran faster. His breath burned in his chest, his vision blurring—and before he could realize it, a white light flashed from the right—His body was thrown. The world spun. Rain became shadow. Darkness.Cassian opened his eyes in a place without direction. There was no sky, no ground—only darkness rippling like water. In the distance, a small blue flame flickered—and at its center stood a figure in a black cloak, wearing his own face.“Stop fighting me,” the voice echoed, as if it came from inside his own head.Cassian gripped
