Chapter 26: The Anatomy of Despair
The "Forbidden Peaks" were no longer a sanctuary. The air, once crisp and filled with the scent of pine and snow, now tasted of copper and ash. Under the gaze of the giant violet face in the sky, the valley had become a pit of madness. The "Remnant of the First Flame" was tearing itself apart.
Lyra stood at the center of the camp, her golden aura flickering like a dying candle. Before her stood the old knight who, only moments ago, had sworn to protect her with his life. Now, his eyes were a swirling vortex of purple shadow, and his sword dripped with a dark, acidic mana.
"Sir Gareth, please!" Lyra cried, her voice breaking. "It's the System! It's playing on your grief! Fight it!"
"Grief?" Gareth's voice was a guttural rasp. "I have spent twenty years fighting for a 'Good' that left my family to starve. The Sovereign offers me a kingdom where I am the master. Why should I choose your cold, empty light over his warmth?"
He charged. The clashing of steel echoed through the valley, but it wasn't a fair fight. Gareth, fueled by the [Sin-Seed], moved with a speed and strength that was beyond human limits. Every strike he landed on Lyra's shield of light caused her to wince, the golden energy cracking under the pressure of his "Wrath."
From his throne in Oakhaven, Cyan watched the spectacle through a massive scrying pool. Beside him, Lilith was feeding him dark grapes, her eyes fixed on the screen with sadistic delight.
"She's persistent," Lilith remarked. "Most would have broken by now. Why don't you just send Azrael to end it?"
"Death is a mercy, Lilith," Cyan replied, his voice calm. "I don't want her body. I want her realization. I want her to understand that the 'Sacrifice' she preaches is the very thing that will destroy her. Watch."
Cyan reached out his hand toward the scrying pool, his fingers twitching as if he were pulling invisible strings.
[System Skill Activated: Whispers of the Abyss - Layer 2.]
In the valley, the black thorns around the camp began to glow. They didn't just whisper to the soldiers; they began to project the memories of everyone present. Lyra saw the faces of the children Gareth had lost. She saw the betrayal Gareth had suffered at the hands of the old Church.
"You see, Lyra?" Cyan's voice resonated directly in her soul. "He isn't attacking you because he is evil. He is attacking you because he is human. He wants what was taken from him. Can your 'Sacrifice' give him back his children? Can your 'Flame' warm the corpses of his family?"
"I... I can save his soul!" Lyra screamed, her mana erupting in a wave of gold that momentarily pushed Gareth back.
"His soul is already mine," Cyan countered. "But I'll give you a choice. A 'Sacrificial' choice, just the way you like it."
Suddenly, the black vines surged forward, wrapping around a group of uncorrupted orphans who were hiding in the back of the camp. The thorns tightened around their necks, drawing blood.
"Kill Sir Gareth," Cyan commanded, his voice cold and absolute. "Use your golden light to pierce his heart. If you do, I will release the children and leave this valley. If you refuse, I will let the thorns drink their lives until there is nothing left but husks."
Lyra froze. Her sword, made of pure light, trembled in her hand. Gareth was charging again, his blade raised for a killing blow. To save herself and the children, she had to commit the very sin she preached against: murder.
"Choose, Little Saint," Cyan whispered. "Save the many by killing the one. Isn't that what a 'Hero' does?"
Lyra looked at Gareth. He was a man she loved like a father. Then she looked at the crying children. The golden glow around her began to turn a murky, sickly orange—the color of a sunset before a storm.
"I... I'm sorry, Gareth," she whispered.
With a scream of pure agony, Lyra lunged forward. Her blade of light didn't just pierce Gareth; it exploded inside him. The golden energy, tainted by her desperation, burned him from the inside out.
Gareth fell to his knees, the purple light in his eyes fading for a brief second. "Thank... you..." he whispered, before turning into ash.
The children were released. The thorns retreated. But Lyra remained on her knees, her hands stained with the metaphorical blood of her mentor. Her golden mana was gone, replaced by a dull, throbbing violet light that pulsed from her chest.
[System Notification: Hidden Objective 'The Murder of Innocence' Completed.]
[Target 'Lyra' has reached Corruption Level: 45%.]
[New Title Unlocked for Target: The Fallen Martyr.]
In Oakhaven, Cyan stood up from his throne.
"The flame hasn't been extinguished, Lilith. It has been repurposed. She thinks she has saved the children, but she has only proven that my system is the only law that matters."
"What now, Master?"
"Now," Cyan said, walking toward the balcony to look at his vast empire. "We invite her to the Citadel. She is no longer a threat; she is a masterpiece. And every masterpiece belongs in the King's collection."
Cyan's laughter echoed through the palace, a sound that promised a world where even the purest of hearts would eventually learn to kneel.