Dung. Dung. Dung!
Where… am I?
What is this place?
Kuze's eyes fluttered open. A dull gray light seeped through cracked stained-glass windows, illuminating a cold, dusty hall. The air was thick with age, the walls lined with crooked paintings — faces too weathered to recognize.
"A gallery?" he muttered, confused.
Suddenly, sounds from outside drifted in: chanting, bells, and something darker — rhythmic drumming, voices screaming with unnatural joy.
"Burn her!! Burn the false one!!"
"Bring forth the Hollow Flame!"
Kuze staggered to the nearest window. He gasped.
Outside, in a stone courtyard, a crowd circled a platform. At the center stood a beautiful girl, around his age, bound in ropes. Her beauty was striking — not just in looks, but in the strange calm she wore like armor. Her long white hair shimmered in the torchlight, and her piercing blue eyes scanned the crowd, searching… waiting… accepting?
Around her, robed figures danced in circles, chanting in a language Klein didn't understand. Symbols glowed faintly beneath their feet. One of the cultists — masked, arms raised to the sky — spoke in a guttural tone, and the crowd answered in unison.
This wasn't an execution. This was a ritual.
Kuze's heart pounded.
Why? What are they doing to her?
Should I help? I don't even know her… but this feels wrong. Everything about this is wrong.
Before he could act, a voice shouted from behind him.
"Hey, you! What are you doing here?!"
Kuze spun around. A group of robed men stood at the far end of the hall, glaring. One pointed directly at him.
"Umm…"
Another voice cut in quickly.
"He's with me!"
A boy, about Kuze's age, dashed into the room. He had messy hair, a cocky grin, and zero sense of timing.
"We were playing tag, alright? He's new."
The cultists groaned.
"Out of the church!" one snapped.
"Stupid kids…" another muttered.
"Kids these days," the third sighed.
Kuze exhaled, relieved. The two boys backed away until they were alone in the corridor.
"Thanks for the save," Kuze mumbled. "I'll just be going now—"
"Wait."
The boy grinned. "I saved you, right? So you owe me."
Kuze sighed. Here we go.
"Fine. What do you want?"
The boy gestured to the window. "See that girl? We're going to save her."
Kuze blinked. "You mean that girl? The one tied to a post while a cult summons Satan or whatever?"
The boy nodded, completely unfazed. "Exactly."
"You've got a plan, right?" Klein asked, already dreading the answer.
"Nope. You're gonna make one."
Great. I wake up in some cursed cathedral, and now I'm part of a rescue mission I didn't sign up for.
Who even am I? Klein… right? That's my name. I think.
Everything else is just… fog.
"Alright," Kuze muttered. "You distract the guards. Steal something. Get them chasing you. I'll sneak in and cut the ropes."
"Nah, you distract them," the boy said smugly. "I'm the one saving her."
"What?! I made the plan. You follow it."
"And I saved your butt, remember? That makes me the leader."
Kuze groaned. "Who are you?"
The boy puffed up. "Name's Joseph. And this'll be over before they even notice."
—
Spoiler: they noticed.
Kuze walked up to a guard, grabbed something off his belt, and bolted. Shouts echoed behind him.
"He just stole my flask!"
"Catch him!!"
Before he could blink, Kuze was tackled to the ground, bound, and thrown into a cell.
"Great," he muttered, slamming his head back against the stone wall. "I wake up in a nightmare, try to help some psycho, and now I'm in prison. Great, great, great."
He hoped Joseph got away. At least one of them should.
But he was wrong. Less than a minute later, Joseph was tossed into the cell beside him, grinning despite the bruise forming on his cheek.
"Well, that went well," he said cheerfully.
"You're insane," Kuze groaned.
They sat in silence for a moment.
"So… why her?" Kuze finally asked. "Why risk your life to save someone like that?"
Joseph hesitated. Then, softer:
"She's not just someone. Her name is Elina. We grew up together. We used to sneak into the hills, skip prayer chants, and steal bread from the abbey. She's… I dunno. The only person who ever really looked out for me."
Kuze tilted his head. "So you like her?"
"It's not like that. Not really. She's family. I just… couldn't let them do that to her."
Kuze stared at the ceiling.
He still didn't know where he was.
He didn't know how he got here.
He didn't even know who he really was.
But one thing was clear.
He wasn't waking up from this.