Inside the aging Church of Embrek, the wooden beams creaked softly as wind pressed against the structure.
Thunder rumbled overhead.
Father Lucen sat alone near the statue of the Goddess of Light.
A worn scripture rested in his hands.
Candlelight flickered against cracked stone walls.
The front door slowly opened.
Creeeeak.
Rain-scented air drifted inside.
A hooded figure stepped through the doorway.
The door closed behind him with a dull thud.
He walked forward calmly.
When he reached the center aisle, he removed his hood.
White skin.
A sun-shaped tattoo carved along the right side of his face.
"Hello, Father," Fritz said flatly.
"I'm back."
Lucen did not flinch.
He did not look surprised.
Instead, a faint smile appeared.
"Little Fritz," he said warmly.
"Come. Take a seat."
Fritz walked to one of the dusty benches where devotees once prayed.
Dust rose slightly as he sat.
Silence settled between them.
Rain tapped against stained glass.
"Life has been harsh on you, my son," Lucen said gently.
Fritz did not respond.
His eyes remained steady.
After a moment, Lucen spoke again.
"I've taken in another child," he said quietly.
"An orphan."
"He has black hair."
"The village despises him. The city avoids him. Yet… his heart remains kind."
Lucen's fingers rested lightly on the scripture.
"Sometimes I wonder what kind of future awaits him."
Fritz finally spoke.
"Does he know what kind of man you are?"
Lucen's smile faded.
But his expression did not change.
Silence.
Fritz's voice lowered.
"Huan and Rena aren't coming back."
"They died because of you."
Thunder cracked outside.
"Why did you stop me from entering the academy?" Fritz continued.
"Why didn't you let me become a knight?"
Lucen's voice turned softer.
"In the grand scheme of things… it was to protect you."
"They enlisted anyway."
Fritz's jaw tightened.
"I could have saved them."
His voice grew harsher.
"I could have saved many."
"But you ruined it."
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
"All because of your selfish reasons."
Lucen remained still.
Fritz leaned forward slightly.
"Yes, Father. I know about the Mark."
"And I know its true purpose."
"In the end… you're nothing but a coward."
"And a selfish one."
For the first time—
Lucen's expression hardened.
"So," he said slowly,
"You've obtained a godling."
Fritz nodded once.
"That's right."
"But that part doesn't concern you anymore."
The candles flickered violently as wind rattled the church windows.
Lucen closed the scripture gently.
The sound echoed softly.
"So," he said calmly,
"You've come to take my Mark."
The church fell silent.
Only rain remained.
Fritz exhaled slowly.
"I could have taken your Mark anytime," he said.
"I could have ordered any member of the Oathbreakers to kill you. None of them would lose sleep over it."
He stepped forward, boots echoing against the church floor.
"But I needed to confirm something."
His voice grew colder.
"I've hated this kingdom enough to raise an army capable of denting the capital."
"But when I learned the Mark of that damned Goddess could be transferred…"
He paused.
"I didn't want to believe it."
His jaw tightened.
"I didn't want to believe the man who raised me sent two of his own children to die… just to preserve himself."
Thunder shook the stained glass.
"And to save your own skin," Fritz continued, "you stopped me from becoming a knight."
His voice sharpened.
"You and your gods and goddesses—"
"You wage wars. You plunder. You manipulate."
"So it doesn't surprise me."
"The Mark isn't a blessing."
"It's a curse."
A sudden surge of wind exploded through the church.
Candles extinguished instantly.
Lucen's body lifted from the ground and slammed against the far wall.
Crack.
Wood splintered.
Stone trembled.
He hovered there, suspended in invisible pressure.
Blood trickled from his forehead.
Fritz walked toward him calmly.
"You've grown old, Father," he said quietly.
"The old you would have killed me the moment you knew I understood the curse."
Lucen's body trembled slightly in the air.
Yet—
He smiled.
Not forced.
Not bitter.
Warm.
"I know this may be difficult for you to accept," Lucen said softly.
"But even if you walk into darkness…"
His eyes remained gentle.
"You are still someone who would offer a stick to a blind man."
Rain hammered against the windows.
Lucen's smile deepened.
"It doesn't matter what you think of me."
"I know the Goddess will watch over you."
Fritz's expression did not change.
He raised his hand.
Wind gathered around it — thin, sharp, controlled.
A razor edge.
Without hesitation—
He thrust his hand forward.
It pierced through Lucen's chest.
There was no scream.
No resistance.
Fritz withdrew his hand.
Lucen's heart rested in his palm.
The wind dissipated.
Lucen's body fell from the wall and collapsed onto the stone floor.
Fritz looked at the heart for a moment.
Silent.
Then—
He brought it to his mouth.
And devoured it.
The sun-shaped mark on his face began to glow faintly.
Warmer.
Brighter.
When he finished, he wiped his mouth slowly.
He touched the mark with his fingers.
"…The irony," he murmured.
For the first time—
He looked down at Lucen.
Even in death—
Lucen was smiling.
Fritz stared at him for a long moment.
His face remained unreadable.
Then he turned.
And walked out of the church.
The door closed behind him.
Rain continued to fall.
"Don't walk so fast, boy! I can barely keep up!" the guard called out breathlessly.
Aleck didn't slow down.
The guard hesitated behind him.
He didn't like following the black-haired boy this late at night. Old rumors clung to his mind. Fear twisted quietly in his chest.
Still, he forced a polite tone.
The church came into view.
Aleck froze.
And then—
He saw him.
A hooded figure stood near the entrance of the church.
Still.
Unmoving.
Lightning flashed across the sky.
For a brief second, the tattoo of a sun carved into the right side of the man's face became visible.
Aleck recognized him.
The man from the forest.
The one who saved them.
Even though something felt wrong, Aleck stepped closer.
If he's here… Father must know him.
"Hey, mister," Aleck said, slightly out of breath. "If you're here for the sermon, come tomorrow afternoon."
He scratched his head awkwardly.
"I'm sorry… I forgot your name."
Aleck moved closer.
He noticed faint red stains on the man's hands.
On his mouth.
But his mind didn't register danger.
Fritz looked at him.
There was something in his eyes.
Not anger.
Not hatred.
Something almost… pitiful.
Like looking at a child who doesn't understand the world yet.
Then Fritz's gaze shifted.
To the guard.
Another lightning strike illuminated his face fully.
The guard saw the tattoo.
And froze.
He had seen that mark before.
On wanted posters.
On military briefings.
His legs gave out beneath him.
He collapsed to his knees, unable to speak.
Fritz did not move.
For a brief moment, his eyes returned to Aleck.
A gust of wind came.
Then—
Just gone.
Aleck blinked.
"What…?"
But the church doors stood open.
Wide open.
Wind pushed through the entrance.
Cold.
Aleck felt something sink inside his chest.
He rushed inside.
Morning
On a distant mountain peak, as dawn began to break—
Fritz sat on a large stone.
The sky was pale.
He held a worn scripture in his hands.
There were faint stains of dried blood on its cover.
He read silently.
Behind him, heavy footsteps approached.
Brick arrived, massive sword resting across his back.
Oliver's severed head still bound beneath the guard.
Fritz closed the scripture slowly.
"Was he strong?" he asked.
Brick paused.
"…Yes."
"For a moment, I thought I might lose."
"If I hadn't tricked him… I would have died."
Fritz gave a faint smile.
"Then you are stronger."
Brick burst into deep laughter.
"That's what I like about you, Leader."
Silence followed.
"Is your task complete?" Brick asked.
Fritz nodded once.
"It's done."
"We won't return here again."
The sun rose higher.
They began walking away from the mountain.
Behind the stone where Fritz had been sitting—
Two smaller stones stood side by side.
Names carved into them.
Huan.
Rena.
At their base—
Two white lotuses rested quietly in the morning light.
The wind passed over them gently.
