After dealing with the priest, Lioren continued walking, chasing a familiar feeling that was growing clearer in his mind.
A long, dim corridor stretched before him. The darkness here was more than just the absence of light—it seemed to drain the emotions of anyone who passed through.
He silently reached the end of the hallway, where a small, old door stood slightly ajar. When he opened it, a tiny library revealed itself under a faint, dusty glow. Not a single soul in sight.
> "This is where the feeling stops…" – Lioren
He stepped in. The air was cold and thick with the scent of ash. Lioren froze—residual traces of magic still lingered.
> "This is... my curse." – Lioren
A long silence followed. In the dim light, he saw lines of text carved in blood on the wall—spells torn from memory.
Then, it all made sense to him.
> "So that's it."
Without another word, Lioren turned and left the room. When he returned to the Sanctum where he had sealed the priest—the ice had shattered, and the priest was gone.
Unfazed, he merely glanced at it.
Then, he walked on, leaving the Holy Sanctuary behind.
Far down the road, he came to a stop. In front of him stood the Gate of Saints—the fabricated symbol of mankind's faith.
> "Disgusting." – Lioren
Above, a massive magic circle suddenly materialized over the Sanctuary. Then more circles emerged, rotating around it—layer upon layer, overlapping like the gears of fate.
> "Violent Magic: ATOMIC."
An overwhelming explosion erupted. Blinding light. A sound that tore through space. Everything was swept away.
The Sanctuary—once called the divine realm—was now nothing but ash.
---
The sound of hooves pounded steadily against the stone path, pulling an ornate carriage along the road toward the royal palace. The sky was clear, the clouds high, and the sun reflected golden light off the royal emblems fixed on the carriage door.
Inside, AveNolavel—draped in a silk robe of emerald green embroidered with silver thread—sat with legs crossed, casually flipping through a crumpled letter.
"It's finally done," he muttered, eyes glinting with self-satisfaction. "Now to report back to Father and gather our forces... The Church will no longer be a threat."
He leaned back, fingertips grazing the edge of the soft leather seat, lips curling into a smug smile.
"The only question is… who should I pick tonight to ease the tension? Rabbitfolk, catfolk… or—ah yes, the Elves. Flexible, obedient… just my taste."
He closed his eyes, indulging in the pleasure that awaited him. His smile widened.
"Hurry up already…"
BOOM!
The entire carriage jolted violently. The ground trembled—as if a titan had kicked its way out from the underworld. The horses screamed in panic, the carriage tipped, then crashed onto the roadside, splintering like a crushed toy.
The door burst open. AveNolavel stumbled out into the dirt, his robe stained with mud. His face flushed with rage. He stood, storming toward the driver—a loyal old soldier who had served him for years.
"What the hell kind of driving was that!?" he roared, finger pointing furiously at the man.
But the driver didn't speak. He stood frozen… eyes wide, mouth agape, pointing toward the horizon.
"M-My lord… Look…"
AveNolavel followed his gaze.
And in that instant, all fury, all arrogance on his face vanished—replaced by sheer bewilderment.
On the northern sky, a massive black plume was spiraling upward like the wrath of gods. It rose from the sacred heartland—the site of the Holy Sanctuary of Light.
A thick mushroom-shaped cloud ascended, shadow and ash engulfing the blue sky. A flicker of light still lingered at the center of the explosion—like the echo of divine judgment.
"No… No… That's the direction of the Sanctuary…"
AveNolavel staggered back, pale. His heart thundered in his chest.
"Get me a horse!" he screamed. "I NEED TO GET THERE NOW!"
But the driver didn't move, as if his soul had been ripped from his body. AveNolavel didn't wait. He dashed to the overturned carriage, pulled the warhorse free from the tangled reins, and leapt onto its back like a madman.
Hooves thundered toward the inferno blooming on the horizon.
"I must know… what the hell happened there…"
---
A roar echoed from the horizon.
A scorching wind blew like the breath of a demon, heavy with the scent of blood, scorched metal, and ash. The sky turned crimson, as if it were bleeding.
AveNolavel gritted his teeth, urging the horse faster. The wind lashed his face like blades. The trees on both sides of the road shuddered violently in the aftermath of the blast. Each strike of the hooves kicked up burning dust, as if the fires of hell were breaking into the world.
And then… he saw it.
In the distance—the Holy Sanctuary of Light—once the spiritual pillar, the eternal symbol of Faith and Light...
Now nothing but a colossal graveyard of ash. Black smoke spiraled into the heavens like an invisible god's hand crushing holiness.
AveNolavel yanked the reins, body frozen, eyes wide in horror.
> "No… No… it can't be…"
The magnificent cathedral had been melted in hell's crucible.
The once-pure white pillars now jagged cinders. The bell tower snapped like a broken neck. Statues of saints charred and cracked.
Holy banners whipped across the scorched earth, blood-stained and burning.
AveNolavel dismounted. Every step sank into searing ash.
He bent down, picked up a scorched remnant of the sacred banner, trembling as he brushed off the holy dust…
> "Who… did this?" – his voice was hoarse—half fury, half delirium.
But then his gaze darkened. A faint smile curled on his lips.
> "But wait… isn't this exactly what I wanted…? The Church… erased… That monster finally fell…"
Without hesitation, AveNolavel mounted again, circling the ruins in search of traces—any clues left behind.
He searched madly through the ash. But no… nothing remained. No screams, no bones, not even a single grain of consecrated dust. Everything had been cleansed in fire.
Until—he heard hooves behind him.
A squad of royal cavalry crested the hill. Leading them was a female knight in silver armor—ashen-blonde hair whipping in the wind, her gaze sharp as a blade.
Neura—the strongest warrior of the kingdom.
> "Prince AveNolavel!" – her voice rang through the ash-laden wind.
AveNolavel turned. Seeing a familiar figure, he rode toward her.
> "So it's you, Neura. When did you get here?"
Neura halted, her eyes fixed on the massive ruin ahead.
> "I just arrived. As soon as I saw that blinding light shoot into the sky… I led troops here immediately."
She stared into the ashes of the Sanctuary. Shock flickered briefly, but her eyes quickly steeled—she was used to catastrophe.
> "This place is no longer safe. We must leave immediately, Your Highness."
AveNolavel nodded, but his eyes remained locked on the ruins.
> "Yes. I need to see the King… before the whole Kingdom becomes the next pile of ash."
He rode off—carrying in his eyes the image of a world that had just collapsed.