《Weep, for Sun is dead》 Chapter 1: The death of the (The) Sun The man who carried the mantle of The Sun was aged beyond belief. His armor was more tattered than whole, yet it still held by the will of the bearer. His sword and shield weren¡¯t even that, they were made of pure sunlight, closing the wounds just as quick as they made them. Or cleansing them. Today is one of those days, one of the days when we could all die and not know how. Today is the day we could lose our Sun. Some of us have seen countless days like these since we first took our mantle, since we first started our duty. Since we first became The Stars, the backdrop of the Sun. We by luck or chance, by skill or [Skill], by courage or cowardice survived this long. We marched this far into time and stayed in the cursed place. So long that we don¡¯t even remember how long, so long we lived that we don¡¯t even know our names, so long we are only remembered by our titles. It has been so long everything became a routine. Even death. Even suffering. Even words. ¡°May The Sun favour you today, Second star.¡± The Hero said like he always does. ¡°The only favour I ask is yours, First Star.¡± I answered, just like I always did. The greeting started out as a joke, then it turned into the comfort of a known routine. Years passed and it turned into the only thing we know. Recently I started to think about how sad that is. How far we have fallen, how long we have lived. It never should have been like this, but it somehow was. Is. They still look at us the same, with awe, admiration, longing. They do not know. They do not realise. We are not men anymore. We lost that somewhere along the way. Chip by chip. Supernova by supernova. It wasn¡¯t until recently that I even realised it myself. Does Sun know I wonder? Does it even care? ¡ª-------------- This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. I never found out. I never will. It was midday when the sun was covered by an eclipse, it was midday when Sun faced Eclipse. It happened before, it should have happened again. It is a dance they battled many times over. It should have, but it didn¡¯t. When the eclipse passed, Sun wasn¡¯t left standing. Eclipse was gone, but with him, Sun fell. The greatest of heroes died. Our hero, our guiding light, beacon of hope. Our Sun. It fell, it died, it was no more. I was consumed by rage, The Stars blazed like never before. We tore through enemy ranks, we broke through them and scythed through their flank. We were unstoppable, we were burning as brightly as we could. We were burning with everything we could. We were trying to do something before our light went out too. And then the Sun went out, not that they knew. It was no longer here. Something was missing, something was wrong. Fighting slowly stopped and soon it was no more. Everyone stood still. Something was wrong, deeply wrong. The darkness was rising, the air grew cold and harsh. I am about to die, he realised. Everyone is, the living and the living dead. The heroes are dead, killed by each other''s hands. Only lesser men fought on, for life and death if nothing else. But, now in this moment, no one cared. Few people could think of glory when they see doom. Now the light was no more and people looked up, searching for the Sun. Looking for the clouds or something else that hid it. But, nothing did. The sky was clear, the stars were breathtakingly bright. But, there was no Sun. There was no Sun. It was midday, and there was no Sun. ¡°Oh. Gods above, below and in between have mercy on us. Oh, Gods of old spare us.¡± I prayed. I fell on my knees and bowed my head and prayed again. I was not the only one. The whole battlefield took to the knee and prayed. Some simply fell over, others with trembling limbs. Soon the chanting started. A prayer to the gods, one thing which united us all. A prayer for help, for forgiveness. For ¡­- It did not matter. Blazing light hit the world blinding everyone, seared in their eyes was the image of the god restarting the Sun. A wave of divine heat passed them all, the whole battlefield. They stood still and prayed. Soon the first person opened their eyes and saw the world, saw the Sun and cheered. The others looked and saw it too. There was no more fighting on that day, no more war or killing. On the day the Sun went out, the eternal battlefield knew peace for the first time. But, could it last? The peace was interrupted, a conflict almost continued. Someone dared to throw oil into the blaze. A quest was issued. [Quest: The Sun has fallen. Rise! Rise and take the mantle.] [Reward: Title of The Sun, The Everlasting, The Source and Ender of Life, Beacon of Hope] Chapter 2: For the future we march; for the past I make war It was done. The creature wasn¡¯t surprised by it, it knew what was coming. Yet, it was still hurt by it. It still felt something from losing someone who it knew for so long. Even if it helped with the suicidal plan, even if it was numb to life. A monster, a creature named Asyun by a man now dead, carried no heart and possessed no soul. Yet, it was still pricked when it lost someone it was close to. For long they knew each other, for long they kept eachother secrets and company.. For how long? Ages have passed and come since they first ran into each other and now Eclipse is gone. They meet on the dark side of the moon, in a place of secrecy and myth, a place only legends have walked. A place of void. They survived to escape, survived to live, to be friends. Now Eclipse''s time is over, and its rage is about to boil. It seems Asyun won¡¯t be staying for much longer. It wasn¡¯t even that long, only years since Eclipse decided to end his own fate. It passed by so quickly, they didn¡¯t have enough time. He managed to carry it out today, he managed to do what he wanted. He managed to die. Not that anyone would remember him for that, or thank him. Sun will be at the center of the world''s attention. It is he who they would pray for, cry for and remember. It is he who System honored even though he was not the one who did the impossible. -.. Actually he did. He managed to die. A boisterous laughter explodes in still burning background ¡°Eclipse managed to kill it while the Sun managed to die. Talk about blatant favoritism. ¡° ¡°Stupid system¡± The creature from the moon cursed before emptying a cup. ¡°Stupid gods¡± the cup shattered and war was declared. It was time to leave, the show was done and the mourning .. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. They sometimes camped here when opportunity allowed, the nature was beautiful here, hidden from civilization and sight. It was close to the Eternal Battlefield, but it was not not tainted by the war. It was close enough and far enough, perfect, quiet and peaceful. What more could one ask from a retreat spot? It took a slow walk through this familiar place untouched by people for it would be the last one. ¡°Or it was, and it is again¡± The ruins are visible behind the creature, the ruin of a young village that has been alive just a day prior. The church at the top of the hill is nowhere to be found, not even a stone remains. What could have caused such fury, such destruction? Trespassers. Sun worshiping trespassers. There was no mercy, everybody is dead. They cried for his death. Cried for a man that would have burned them without a thought. They cried for Sun and cursed the Eclipse. Not anymore. Not anymore, not ever.. Maybe history won¡¯t remember you, Eclipse , but I will. You will forever live in my memory. For the past I make war. ¡ª------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The burden of the Sun is a heavy one. Too heavy for one man to hold, yet one man has held it for so long without complaint. None knew how heavy his burden was. Now we know. Now the Endless stars, who may seem endless in numbers and names, know. Even if there are thousands of us carrying the spark of the star, even if we are endless in our lives, even if we give it our best it is still too much. We can¡¯t hold it. The sun is eating us up, slowly. It is consuming us, using as a fuel from the inside out. Soon the weakness will fall prey to it and their flame will be eaten. Soon we will be dropping like flies. We have decades, years and months left, none of us will see a new century. Too little, too little time to find a new Sun. Too little to see the rise of a new dawn. Twilight years are in front of us, the dusk has already passed. In this darkness we will shine more brightly than ever, but when it passes will the new sun rise? Or will eternal dark rule all? ¡°Glory to Sun! Glory to Stars!¡± Thousands voices echo in unity And so we march. Not to the old frontier of eternal war, but back home, to lands of lesser wars. The quest has been issued and the torch must be passed on. There is another hand waiting out there in the dark. Another Sun must rise; the next Endless Star will follow. The flames will be passed on, they will be rekindled and fed. Which one will rise to the heavens and claim the Sun for themselves? Which one will become the next Sun. For the future we march. Chapter 3: Coming of the good and the bad When Sun fell, the world of living stilled. Sun was gone after all, how else could one react?. They prayed for the Sun and when the Divine hand brought it back the world was still again. They prayed again, differently now. It was a thing that occured all over the world, living or living dead, they were all impacted. Then the quest came and a new era began. The Chief Priest of the town close to the eternal battlefield knew what was happening. Knew they were coming. So he waited for them at the gate, he knew what they were about to do. He didn¡¯t wait alone- merchants,the rulers of this fair city came as well, common people and traders, journeying knights and nobles- everyone came, for everyone found out. They cried as they waited, but gathered some things that might be of use, obscure artifacts and ancient heirlooms. The twilight is upon us and if there is no Sun night will swallow all. It was time, it was time for a new time. Some time passed, then they came. Some have seen them a lot, some know them even, some were friends with them. Others saw them in passing or here and there. Some were seeing them for the first time. Those looked carefully, everyone did in fact. Because maybe this is the last time they could see them. The legends of old in flesh. You never knew how precious something was until you lost it, until it was no longer by your side, until it was gone. It was the same with The Sun, and Sun. The Stars.. will we lose them as well? Is this the end of the day? Of the living? The Stars brought hope with them. Just their passing shared it with others. Words of new dawn and new stars. They were sent in celebration, in memory. They will be remembered. Their stories will be shared to be passed to a new generation, to the next stars to help them, to guide them, to protect them. When they left, a somber mood took over the city. A sleepy mood, relaxed atmosphere and people. Their hope was rising, they were shining. It would countie to grow, until it exploded and great people were created in moments. But it didn¡¯t reach. After some days their peace was interrupted by unexpected news. A news that ruined their day, their lives. A news brought by a church messenger, the news that is now known to the whole world. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡ª------ Sun fell and then the Sun died. Flame was reignited, the Sun was reborn, kidneys of fires fell off to the chosen. Touched by the sun, touched by the divine they were. Across all of land, all of space and time. They are our future heroes. Those who will fight off the dark, the twilight and death. It is them who would rise the new dawn. ¡°The quest has started. Chosen ones, stand. Chosen ones, step forward for it is time. It is time to rise and claim your destiny. ¡­.¡± These are the words of the Holy Pope, the little Sun, as he is often called. It was meant to be an insult, but the Popes carry it with great pride. For who wouldn¡¯t want to be compared to the most holy Sun. These are words spread from th eFirst Church of the Sun to all over the kingdom, beyond the borders, across mountains and rivers. The world is learning of what has happened. But, in this kingdom it was declared, in this kingdom it became known, it is the kingdom who spread the news from the Pope''s mouth. The Kingdom Of Radiant Stars. From the very center of it, the very heart of power. From the Grand Cathedral of the Sun. Street criers cried it at the street corners and squares. People rushed to inform their family and friends, merchants planned around the news and nobles plotted at their gatherings. The clergy offered comfort and food to people, showing strength and unity. In no time at all, the whole town knew and it spread quickly to the closest villages and towns. But, they all knew. Then it was time for the rest of the world to know. The runners blazzed carrying the messages across the city and country. They spread out wider and wider, going in every direction. From the road through the villages, from town to town. Until they crossed the borders and crossed it into another land. There they visited villages and spoke the truth, there they visited the towns and talked to majors and nobles, there they were hosted by kings in their grand halls. There in halls only a few can enter and see with their own eyes, they spoke and confessed the holy truth from the Pope¡¯s mouth. They didn¡¯t stay for long, they didn¡¯t have time. They ran again, as far as they could, as fast as they could. The king, the nobles and peasants of this land knew, the rumors will take care of the rest. The message must reach others with haste- other common people, kings and people of import. And so one of them ran and ran, until it happened upon a mighty legion of old. Carrying ancient sigils unfading- sigils as old as time, known to every man. Sigil of Sun and The Stars.. So he rushed as quickly as he could, as quickly as his legs would carry him. Horses didn¡¯t slow or stop, they kept on marching and runner had to run with them. He spoke to them all, but to men closest to him first and foremost. He knew he could die for what he is about to do, there would be no justice, no solace for him. He knew what kind of a message he was carrying, he had repeated it so many times already after all. It is not condolences for a man, a legend, a hero .. a friend to these people. It was an accusation, venom and spit in the face. Pope¡¯s words condemned these heroes to death. Chapter 4: Priests of Dawn ¡°That was the beginning of the schism in the church, beginning of the war in the name of The Sun, for Sun. It is the start of a bloody affair that won¡¯t be forgotten by time, or by places it visited and consumed. The classroom of kids paid attention to what was said, it was not everyday that a priest of Dawn taught them the history of a Fallen Sun Church. ¡°At that moment there were no more Church Of Sun, now it was fractured and broken. But, it still fought to the last man, woman and a child. Not wanting to give, not wanting to surrender. Not willing to accept defeat.¡± This is someone who knows it. ¡°Because defeat means being branded heretic. Because defeat means death. Because defeat means betraying your faith and the Sun. And that last thing, that last thing above all else they couldn¡¯t allow. That¡¯s the reason they couldn¡¯t find peace.¡± The detail, the realism of it. ¡°That leaves only blood. Blood and death.¡± The terror. ¡°Both sides fought, burned on pyre, killed and slaughtered, set churches and towns aflame. The war makes monsters of men and walking disasters of heroes. And church had plenty of heroes. In the end neither side won, neither side rose above the other; they both fought with everything they had and blinked at nothing to do what they thought was right and just, what they thought was the will of Sun. In the end the only thing left was Ash. Crunched down, I could look straight into their eyes. ¡°Ash and cloudy skies.¡± I could peer into their souls, see their pathways of power.. ¡°And so the sun set and night came. One force broken in two who acted and many more who did and didn¡¯t throw a bone into their conflict. They didn¡¯t find peace and so they brought the very thing they fought against.¡± Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°Twilight of the World¡± I held their very souls in the palm of my hand, hidden though they from sight I had them. It is time to show them the truth of the world, the reality -Twilight. And so when I took a deep breath and looked up they followed my gaze. For the first time they didn¡¯t see the ashy clouds that cover everything, but what lies behind them. They saw the truth and I continued on. Letting them stare up. ¡°The border between real and unreal thinned, other realms invaded ours. Visitors came from different places and time, elementals made home for themselves on our soil and chaos reigned. Void came to devoevor the very essence of our world, while body snatchers and soul eaters stole our young ones. The Sun was being eaten, consumed by a Comic Horror.¡± I sighed looking down, they were still staring upwards, captivated. ¡°What differences does it matter now? What god you worship, what nation you swear too, whether you are living or dead. It matters not on which side you were, not anymore. We are all the same right now, fighting for our world with everything we have.The world is in chaos and invaders are on our shore, anomalies take over the people we care about and the mantle of the Sun is lost.¡± ¡°Are .. are we going to die?¡± One of the kids asked. I raised my head to see them all looking at me. I didn¡¯t even notice when they stopped looking up with how quiet they were. ¡°Take heart, children, for the world is not ending yet. The Sun will rise again, a new Dawn will shine and our world will know order and peace again. Take heart, children for Warriors of Dawn take ground , take heart for Churches of Dawn hold the ground. We shall see the first sunrise, and if not we will make things easier for those who follow us..¡± I rose up, spread out my hands and smiled looking at them ¡°You.¡± There is nothing wrong with learning in a classroom, but I like to offer the kids a different experience, something that would make a lesson unique compared to so many others. So for this lesson I took them outside, we walked the streets and I treated them with a snack. We found a tall tree and rested beneath it. They are a curious bunch, like all kids are. Full of wonder and energy, naive in the ways of life. Now, as they look at me mixed with horror and wonder I know I stroked their fire. They will not lose their will and fail to despair, they will not give up so easily. They will fight and win. They will live. The world is broken and in pieces, but the kids are our future. The kids are out hope in this dark world. And we will protect them, guide them and help them rise. We are the priest of Dawn Chapter 5: Doom鈥檚 oath They are the priests of Dawn. They welcome the return of the Sun, the end of Twilight. We don¡¯t worship the Sun, or welcome it. We don¡¯t seek the end of Twilight. All things end, be they peace or war. So will the Twilight. It is not the question when the Dawn will rise, the question is when. In reality, only one thing is certain. Changing of times. Change in the world. Time defeates everything and everybody. From highest immortals to lowest mortals, they all succumb to the march of time. Time wears on all things and it is only a matter how much time it is going to take. Fools of Sun, of Dawn don¡¯t realize it, but time wears on them as well. Does it matter that you conquered your monsters if you became a monster in their place? Is anything worth that price? Is anything worth that price even though there are plenty of other options to try? Why pay the highest possible price and lose yourself and your people? For what? Time wears on them and they change, they grow more savage, more bloodthirsty, more revenge prone. They are no longer the light of the past. No longer lofty and immaculate, now they are down in the mud and tainted by dark. They are losing themself. Their light. Overstepping. When Twilight ends, will they still be the same people that rose to fight it first? In spirit? But, I relent. That is the nature of the living. Change. Heart. The living dead ¡­ There are many types of undead. And each is different, each seeks a different thing, but I core they seem to share one thing, advancement. Or maybe that¡¯s just me. Zombies, skeletons, liches, ghosts and many more, countless more. As many as they were nations and the people among the living. Each Different, but alike in want to take the next step in death. Next step in change? In truth we aren¡¯t that much different from the living. One might even speculate that we are the same. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. oH, what a horrendous thought I wonder how they would take it, both the living and the living dead, if someone told them they are the same? ¡°huhehe huhehe huhehehehe¡± ¡°Master! Stop your creepy laughter, you are scaring the acolytes¡± With a thought disappear and reappear at the highest point of the temple. I look down on the world in ruins below me, I look up at the Ash above. Red is the color of blood, and blood is a thing of life. Spill enough blood and it becomes black, black as death. Life and death. That¡¯s us, the opposite side of the eternal battlefield, the living dead. Masters of Doom looked down on the world from this very temple and made their desires reality with schemes and plots. They did what their hearts desired, they often fought each other. For the benefit of a fight if not others ultimate death. Now they stand with singular desires, but they take different measures for different purposes. They still fight, each other and the enemy. They still have different goals, but they are all concaving at the point of defending their home. The Temple of Doom is ancient, older even than the Fall Church of the Sun. It is the world''s first religion. Doom of others and yourself. As such, there is a certain legacy left behind every generation. The Temple of Doom houses countless screaming souls. Countless ¡®thinking heads¡¯ , and now they, now we look up and plot, plan and scheme, we strategize the end of our enemies. The world¡¯s enemies. Now we all look up. We look and see the world and it¡¯s cracks. We see the world and its invaders. Foreigners, bringing death and distraction, strangers to this land bringing change and dragging others with them with force or influence. The elementals taking the extreme places even more extreme, the void gnawing at the world itself, looking for a place to spill from. Strangers taking over living and dead, taking their place in the world and usurping their fate. And that thing high above. Above then tallest halls, above then highest peaks, beyond the Ash of the sky and moon now seldom seen. Above all that in the coldness of space, it feeds on our warmth, on our Sun. A Cosims Horror. Even now, sight of it puts terror in my bones, chills run down my marrow and my phalanges grow cold. That¡¯s my body, my soul burns with hate. I will end that thing. I will show it the march of time. It has been alive since time itself began, since before the first dust of this world gathered, it has been alive for so long it has rarely met someone who could end it. Who wants and can end it. For there is always a price to be paid. A cost to anything we do. Eclipse paid one when Sun fell, the world is paying one right now for what happened after. There will be a price, but there will also be revenge. That¡¯s my Doom¡¯s oath. That¡¯s my promise. Chapter 6: Pigs and babies, death and stupidity ¡°Death, life, soul. The three cores. The tree pillars of living¡± Necromancy, biomancy, soulmancy. The magic that is the very essence of our world. The magic to control life, biomancy. Yes, it can be used for healing and helping, but that doesn¡¯t disguise what it really is. Control of the living. Bodies of the living can turn into undying prisons under the right care, they can become instruments of torture or pleasure. In the end, for biomances a body is what a plot of land is to archichet. Free to build upon, to change and modify, but there are some limitations that would see your project collapse and become dust. That is in the hands of the living, in the hands of the living dead it is even worse if you can believe that. Your body becomes theirs to command, theirs to order, to do as they wish. You fade to the background, not being able to talk, not being able to think. TO THINK. All you have is thought of your ¡®bodymate¡¯ and all that awaits you is death. Death as you slowly fade away into nothing, while your body slowly starts to reject the invader, but doing so also kills you. If you are lucky. If you are not and survive, far worse fate awaits you. Necromancy. The rule of the dead. High enough practitioner can control the living dead, make a stop and change sides. High enough practitioners can confuse the undead enemies, making them attack their allies. Some can even experiment with creating new living dead. The living dead grow into this ability slowly as they age, mature and master themselves. The aura they call it, with its higher undead become like beacons for lower ones. The living, for them, is not so easy, not so given. Still it can be accomplished, mastered and used for creation of undead. Neither side uses the more nefarious methods on each other anymore, there are whispers in the wind of it being conducted. Where secret groups experiment on each other, being both the recipient and giver of ¡®care¡¯, for scientific purposes only they say. ¡°My sacrifice isn¡¯t like that, it isn¡¯t for science. It is only for me. For my greed..¡± Soulmancy. Mastery of the core of living, be they the living dead or .. just living. The metaphorical heart of living beings. Soul. Mansueto wasn¡¯t even sure it existed. It is considered a myth, a thing that is there, but not understood. The three cores of living are life, death and soul. If there is power of life and power of death, why wouldn¡¯t there power of soul? If there is biomancy and necromancy why wouldn¡¯t there be soulmancy? Why wouldn¡¯t there be the power of the soul? Of the very essence all living things hold. ¡®I have dabbled in this. Observed it. At moments I could find. People dying and their soul, where does it go when the body is cold? Conception of children and how they grow, where does the soul come from? Birth, new life taking the first breath of life.¡¯ What he has been doing can¡¯t be excused. Can¡¯t be forgiven. ¡®These 3, are key points. 3 moments of life. So? Answers?¡¯ What he did, it is sickening. To everybody, even him. ¡®There are none. Soul escapes my sight. But, not my ear. Except ..¡¯ He is not doing this for the good, to defend the world. But, so he could rise, so he could survive. ¡®Except at the moment when the umbilical cord is cut. At the moment when mother separates from a child, a moment when a child takes a first breath. At the moment it wails it¡¯s first cry, I can hear it then.¡¯ Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. That¡¯s his sacrifice. His crime. His sin. His .. way to the top. ¡®My regret. But, not my stopping point. The spell is harmless anyway. I used it countless times, on countless people and they are all fine. I use it on myself and I am fine. Everything is going to be fine. ¡® I will present my study and be moved to the elites, I will advance and study magic. I will repay ever- this family, this child that is about to be born. I will shower them in riches and comforts, I will make sure they live comfortably. Heh, they won¡¯t even know why. They will never find out why, because nothing is going to happen to them. I hope. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ It is done. Everything is prepared. Everything has been ready for a long time, every single thing. Everything but, Mansueto. And who is Mansueto but a main villain of this whole affair. The one wielding the metaphorical blade, one spilling the blood and calling doom. Who, but him? One can not predict the exact moment the birth would occur, but one can expect it. Yes, someone can be born earlier or later, but there is a time period when the birth is expected. So he waited. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. And waited ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. As he waited for the moment of birth to finally come, he faced the truth. He was still unnerved by it, not the magical side of things, the voodoo hoodoo things, but the natural biological thing. The blood, the pain, the screaming and the babies first cry. The birth itself was horrific to him. He has seen it so much, it still affects him. It still made him want to run away, to hide and close his eyes from the truth. It wasn¡¯t only the birth of the new that did this to him. It was also the dying of the old. The first time he noticed it was when he found himself witnessing a pig being slaughtered. It was surreal. The fire was ready and burning, the water was hot and close to boiling, the women were still inside drinking their morning drinks while the men relaxed and prepared things outside. They seemed so relaxed. Like they had done it so many times, like it was nothing Then the first one entered into the cop with the pigs. The others almost didn¡¯t even notice, they continued as they were, but moving closer to the door. Leaning on it, shouting advice. Then the screaming began, from the one pig, the one chosen. But, all the others. Did you know that a pig is considered a different animal, a different beast depending where and how it lived? If it was domesticated, it was a farm animal. Kids could play with it, you could ride on it or wrestle with it. It was still dangerous, it still had teeth. But, it was kind. There is sheere size and mass to pigs you can¡¯t understand until you get close to them, until you have to hold them down, until they bleed. And that¡¯s only the farm ones. The wild ones are a wholly different story. The wild runs in their blood, the savageness of the forest, the fight. Hoarser fur, thicker skin, stronger muscles. And those are only the things he overheard them saying while men complained how wild it is. How it fights, how it is not easy to hold it down. To kill it. He expected more blood to be honest, from such a monster. When you see how huge it is, a massive boar, a true champion of its species weighing 300 kg. You would think it would be a river of blood, but it wasn¡¯t. At least, it didn¡¯t seem so. Yet, when it was somehow taken by it¡¯s snout. The real screaming began. Then the men of the farm entered the coop. To me, a child at that point they seem like wolves. They brought the pig out. Oh, how it screamed. It was a piercing cry of a soul fighting for life. How its brothers and sister made noise and clamor in the coop. Cheering, begging, asking. They weren¡¯t heard. Three were pulling it forward, one by snnout and one for each ear. One was pulling it up by the tail to make it easier for them to drag it. Then the screaming pig turned to me. He couldn¡¯t see it¡¯s eyes, he didn¡¯t see it try to toss the men- all he could do is to listen. He heard its scream, and it became soul crushing when the pig faced him. He had to turn to the side, close my eyes and cringe away. He wanted to run away. When he turned back he saw a bleeding pig and not a whole lot of blood. Weirdly that¡¯s the part that stuck with me. Blood, death, soul piercing cry. That¡¯s the part that made him the man he is now. That¡¯s when I became averse to death, that¡¯s when I realized that souls must exist. There wasn¡¯t if, could, or should. They exist. And I will tame them. That¡¯s the first and last time he felt it when someone died. Was that pig special somehow? Now he heard it only at births, and he made sure to stay away. It wasn¡¯t pleasant. When he woke up the next day a skill that would shape his life was there. [Skill gained: Cry of the soul] Chapter 7: [Confused] Aftermath ¡°I can see the head!¡± ¡°It is coming out.¡± ¡°Push¡± It was time. It was time to act. And so he did. He tried earning his second soul skill, by influencing the cry of the soul. And he did it the only time he could. At birth itself. He has regretted it ever since. He didn¡¯t see what happened, he passed away in the grass. Knocked out, while time moved on without him. Noone even found him, he awoke by himself in darkness. He didn¡¯t feel quite himself. But, that''s normal, he passed out after all. If he felt fine that would have been more strange. Still, the grogly stood up. And looked around him the night had already fallen and passed, the dawn was approaching. He has been out for quite some time. How come none found him? Strange. Holding the one with one hand and his back with the other Mansueto made his way out from a hidden place where he was hiding. Close enough to hear and hidden enough to escape notice it would seem. Even if someone found him there is a chance they would just think he is a crazy beggar and think nothing of it. To say the crowd was thick would be to understate the present situation. There were only a few people about, not whole groups of people doing work. Everything was subdued, from walking to looking around. The fear was in the air, those few who were out drew into themselves and moved quickly. Not wasting a second. There was also a different group of people. Priests of Dawn and acolats of Doom. Something has had to happen for them to arrive in such force here. In this no-name place. Ugh, someone probably did something stupid Not thinking much of it, he waved them back in greeting as he passed them and continued on my way. There was no reason to stick around if something dangerous was afoot. Mansueto let his feet take through familiar close and tight streets of his home. A fortress turned town over countless years. Then turned to a bigger fortress when the Sun died and Ash came. It was still small, relatively speaking, but it was bigger than before. He even heard a rumor that it was now marked on the map. Could you believe that, a place as small and insignificant as this, marked on the map and known to the whole world. Our place, my place. For some reason pride filled him up at that thought, Of course they would be great. And they would be even greater still, when he ¡­ When he what? He must have gotten drunk more than he thought he did, or should have. Did he really get drunk? He usually gets drunk quickly and then takes it easy as alcohol does its work. But, why was he there, in that place? The nurse home is nearby, he ¡­ something, something. He is missing something. Passing by the sea, a cold sea wind cleared his head instantly. He can think about this when he gets home. Now, he better rush there. He started to speed up his steps to get away from this cruel wind as fast as he could. His sure, fast and purposeful step soon turned into confused stumbles as he slowly looked around and realized that he doesn''t know where he is. How is this possible, he lived here his whole life, he didn¡¯t even leave the walls more than 5 times. How could he not know where he is? oh no, how long have I been asleep? Years? Decades? What about my family? Oh, oh no. Are my parents dead? Did my wife manage to get by? Our kids, our sweet little baby .. - Did my wife remarry? In panic, in confusion he turned around and around. Seeing more and more things that were off, that were wrong in some way. The street lights, the walkway, the dories, the skifs and dignys. They were all weird. But, most of it all was the sky. The Ash. Why Ash? There was no Sun, no moon. There were only clouds of Ash. Thery weren¡¯t clean blue, or beautiful pink or orange. They weren¡¯t even gray or dark clouds of the storms. They were .. ashy clouds. Somehow, it was dark in an unnatural way that made people uncomfortable. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. It certainly made me uncomfortable. His confusion might have alerted the priests and acolacts because soon they were approaching. Was he in trouble? ¡°Good mor, good sir? Everything alright there?¡± One of two, the priests asked, the acolyte just looked around, not really paying attention. The hood covered the acolytes face and body, Mansueto couldn¡¯t really see them. But, he knew there was something there, something that he was missing. He stared at them, not responding, seemingly lost. The wind was cold and harsh. ¡°Sir? Sir? Are you quite alright? Is something the matter?¡± The priest tried again and the acolyte also focused on him now. Maybe they could tell that something is wrong. ¡°Is he drunk?¡± The ancolaty was as blunt as his voice was harsh. The confused man''s head snapped to the face hidden by the hood and retreated a step or two in fear. ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem drunk. Scared, I think. Calm down, good sir. Noone is going to hurt you.¡± The priest slowly approached with small steps. ¡°Scared and confused. Is he suffering from [Confusion]? Why hasn¡¯t this fool been found earlier?¡± ¡°Shh! It is going to be alright. Calm down. It doesn¡¯t matter, all we can do now is take him in?¡± ¡°Take me where?¡± Confused man finally got his tongue back and asked The priest of Dawn and the acolarryte of Doom both jumped. Not expecting a [Confused] person to speak. Maybe he wasn¡¯t under the ailment after all. ¡°Good sir, we thought you [Confused] and wanted to take you to the [Carer] until it passes you.¡± The priest said relaxing slightly. Mansueto frowned. Something, something is weird about that. About what they were saying, but he couldn''t put his finger on what it was. Stil, he really was confused. ¡°Thank you, I really am confused. And I''m a bit lost, to be completely honest with you. I lived here my entire life and now I don¡¯t know where I even am. It is a bit embarrassing, I am not that old, am I now?¡± Mansuero started talking and his mouth worked on his own, his brain was still blank, still groggy from passing out. ¡°What about you, what brings the Orders here?¡± The two members of the most prestigious orders of this world looked at each other. Confused and lost, was this ¡®Confusion¡¯ spreading from him to them? ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard the [Declaration], it should have been heard across the whole fortress. Even if you were deep down or in a specialized room, it should have still reached you. Good sir, can you tell us what happened to you?¡± ¡°I ¡­ ¡° Mansueto passed, not knowing what to say. ¡°I don¡¯t remember¡± He looked around. ¡°Everything seems strange, foreign. I -¡± The strong gust of the wind had them all drawing into themselves and turning their backs to the wind to protect their face. ¡°Easy. There is no need to tell the whole story here. The wind is getting harsher. We need to take you to the carer anyway, we can continue there.¡± Mansueto nodded. Mostly because of the wind, part in agreement and not having any other option. They entered the closest alleyway to hide from the wind, while the priest requested a pick up. Mansueto lowered himself onto the cold stone, not knowing what to do and wanting to rest. He was exhausted and lost. He didn¡¯t know what to do. ¡° Cough, cough, Good sir.¡± The priest guy coughed while rubbing his hands together to ward off the chill. ¡° As you probably heard just now, my name is Luca. Priest Luca. This is my partner Acolyte Justus. Do you remember our Orders? The Priests of Dawn and Acolacty of Doom? ¡°Yes, I do. I remember them. I remember the Sun, and the Ash.¡± ¡°You said you grew up in this city? Do you know its name?¡± The acolyte asked, the thing behind the hood staring right at me now. ¡°Yes, I was born here, and didn¡¯t leave it apart from a few times. Of course I know it¡¯s name, did you know that it was put on the map? Soon everyone will know where ¡­ , where ¡­ .¡± Mansueto frowned, looking to the side, he couldn¡¯t remember. He couldn¡¯t remember the name. ¡°What? You don¡¯t know?¡± The priest was silently looking at him, while the acolyte pressed him further. The situation was turning even more weird from their side. ¡°I ¡­ don¡¯t. I don¡¯t remember it.¡± He said while shaking his head. ¡° I don¡¯t remember it at all, not the name, or the look. Nor streets or squares. I don¡¯t even remember where I live. I don¡¯t remember it at all. ¡° ¡°It¡¯s Curon.¡± ¡®Soon everyone will know where Curon is?¡¯ Mansueto just shaked his head. It didn¡¯t ring a bell. They waited in silence that was broken by coming off their ride. It didn¡¯t lift the silence between them. He just followed behind the priest, he was lost so far he didn¡¯t even pay attention to anything. ¡°We are here, come.¡± The priest said and he finally broke and came to himself somewhat to follow him again. The acolyte, Gus? maybe, was already in front of them talking to someone. ¡°... yes, yes. I don¡¯t know. Here is he.¡± The person he was talking to then took charge of him and led him to a room. He was shown and put to bed, fed a sleeping concussion and fell asleep. The dreams welcomed him and he welcomed them back. Hopefully he will be better after a bit of rest. Chapter 8: Was that enough of a excuse He awoke terrified, covered in sweat. He uncovered himself to cool down and took deep breaths. Trying to calm down, to forget it. Yet the terror wouldn¡¯t leave him. He felt like he almost died. The dream, no the nightmares weren¡¯t kind to him. But, as it is with dreams he doesn¡¯t remember much. Nothing firm and solid, just impressions and some half remembered things. Some things stayed though and carried terror with them. Terror of being a guest in someone elses body, and then them being guest in his own. Never being alone, always having a tag-along. He shivered. Not from cold, but from memory. He didn¡¯t even manage to calm down properly when he saw them. [Gained ailment: Greater Confusion] [Lost ailment: Greater Confusion] [Trait Gained: Failed Soul Savior] [Skill gained: I volunteer for the punishment!] [Condition Gained: Double souled] [Skill gained: Soul murder] [Trait gained: Defender of the world!] He saw them and remembered. Remembering what he has been doing. The reason why he was hiding away, why he passed out. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Oh no, something went wrong. Something went wrong. While he was panicking, even more lost and confused then he was under [Greater Confusion] and a nurse entered his room. She was cheerful and bright, like the Sun. He cringed away, wanting to hide. To hide himself and his sins away. ¡°Oh you are awake. Good morning. Are you feeling alright, is everything ok?¡± She asked as she carried some food to him. She went to cheek something, still waiting for his response. ¡°Did [Confusion] go away? You were asleep for one and half days, we were starting to get worried. You were the last one still sleeping.¡± ¡°Last one?¡± He asked ¡°Yes, all other recover much quicker. What a terrible thing to happen. Poor Carla, to have her baby do that to her family.¡± Mansueto swallowed. ¡°What happened? Can you tell?¡± ¡°Carla was expecting a baby, it should have been 2 days before today. Except something went wrong. Some manner of bodysnatcher or soul eater has taken over her body. As soon as it was born it went feral.¡± The nurse shook her head sadly, while Mansueto¡¯s face palled even more. ¡°It was a tragedy. The baby, if it can even be called that, killed a whole family and then some. Some folk managed to stall it long enough until guards managed to neutralize it. Priests and acolytes were called. They are still trying to find out how this happened.¡± ¡°Whole family dead?¡± I coraked, and sniffled ¡°Yes, and then some.¡± Nurse added, not aware of my deep pain ¡°I heard from acolytes that brought you in that it was one the best out comes. If it didn¡¯t go wild, who knows what a foreing soul would do. It might have killed us all in sleep¡± ¡°Wha-?¡± ¡°As horrible as it is, things are better this way.¡± The nurse left after checking on him some more. He was still in daze after he heard what happened. One thought in his mind. Was that enough of an excuse? Was that enough of an excuse for him? One last thing was there. [Class gained: Soulmancer]