The wind howled through the charred remains of what once was a village of warriors.
Kael had been born into fire and steel. His father wielded a sword like it was part of his soul, and his mother taught him that pain was simply proof that one was still alive. The village honored strength, worshipped battle, and expected Kael—young, observant, brilliant—to become another sharpened blade for their cause.
But Kael had always seen too much.
He noticed the cracks in their smiles. The fear behind the glory. And one day… he saw their end.
A raid came like a curse. Silent at first, then thunderous. Blood soaked the ground like rain. His parents—those cold, strict pillars of expectation—fought to the death. And when death arrived, they didn't pray for a god to save them.
They only saved him.
They hid him. Lied to him. Told him he was chosen, told him he was strong. But as Kael ran—his body bruised, his breath shallow—he looked back one last time and realized something cruel:
His parents had lied not because they believed in him.
They lied because they wanted him to live the life they never could.
He wandered, broken and bitter, until he found a village far from war. The people there smiled, always bowed toward a central shrine. Kael, curious and desperate, asked questions. "Why do you kneel? Who is he? What does he do for you?"
They didn't answer.
They imprisoned him.
In the dark cell, Kael waited. Days passed. Hunger gnawed. Then he came—the man they worshipped. Draped in white robes, eyes shining like false hope.
Kael asked, "Why do you pretend to be a god?"
The man smiled. "Where I came from… a boy once committed a terrible crime. But he was spared because he was underage. People said he didn't know any better."
Kael stared, his voice cold. "And the one he hurt? Did she know better?"
The man's smile faltered. "That's not the point."
"It should be," Kael replied.
The man left in silence. But Kael's thoughts didn't.
He realized then: people don't seek truth. They seek comfort. They forgive monsters if it makes them feel righteous. They follow blindly if it makes the world seem ordered. And they silence those who question—because truth is not welcome in a temple built on lies.
That was the day Kael stopped believing in gods.
And started dreaming of fire.