Chapter 13:" The Burden of a Fading Flame"

My body lay on the ground, defeated over a pool of blood.

I was unable to vanquish him; he is an exceptional knight. What was once a temple will now become my tomb.

The battle was intense and ravaged everything around us. The light from the stained glass vanished along with my presence.

“It has been a battle worthy of admiration,” said the sentinel, kneeling beside me. “You fought valiantly: you ignored your suffering and surpassed the limits of your body.” His voice faltered.

“You suffered as well.” My vision blurred. “If I die now, I will go proudly knowing that I lived up to your expectations.”

“You are wrong, you will not die.” He rested his sword on my chest. “The temple has fallen, and with it, the last memories of Lumen. My watch ends here; what I was meant to protect has vanished.”

What do you mean?

His voice emerged deep and full of solemnity. It carried a melancholic tone containing centuries of memories. Yet, sadness did not dominate his heart, only a steadfast conviction.

“Unlike me, you still have reasons to remain in this world. Allow me to give you my blessing.”

A glow emanated from his body, enveloping his arm with the delicacy of a final farewell. It was an incomparable light carrying serene nobility. It did not roar or tremble: it surrendered to me in silence, accepting its fate. The intoxicating warmth took over my body, a breath of eternity igniting my soul.

What is this? I feel alive again… Why are you doing this? Is it mercy? Compassion? Do you pity me? You met me today, and yet you chose to give me something so sacred. Can faith in the Goddess create a heart so pure?

“This is my final wish as the protector of Lumen: I entrust you to spread her will and let her goodness guide your destiny. Act knowing that a part of her grows within you,” he requested with his last breath.

When I absorbed the light, he stopped moving. He fell petrified like another statue in the hall. His presence faded completely, along with the heat of his sword and the glow of the stained glass. Darkness consumed the remnants of the temple.

An image seized my eyes for a second. It was a woman with seven pairs of arms, eyeless and with an impassive expression. In her palms, cities stood in their prime. Behind her, a star paid tribute, offering its essence.

Is this how Lumen looks? Why am I able to see her?

I knelt beside the sentinel.

“You gave your life to the one you defeated. Why did you consider me worthy?” I asked as I stood, astonished.

“He didn’t give it to you because you defeated him,” said Zera, brushing off the rubble. “He did it to immortalize his Goddess. His faith in Lumen chained him to this temple, preventing him from spreading her purity beyond these walls. Now, that legacy belongs to you.”

We both stood in front of the Sentinel, watching him.

Zera… How do you understand the desires people keep inside?

“He dedicated his life to protect Lumen, even giving her his death. What kind of faith can give life to something so pure?”

I’ve always thought that believers worship gods to gain power, that they were mere greedy, blind parasites. But… I had never seen faith so deep.

“From what you told me, Zenith is a treacherous Goddess, whose evil surpasses all expectation. However, that does not mean all gods are like that.”

Maybe you are right…

“I don’t have an ounce of the nobility he had: I even despise faith. Am I the right one for…?”

“That doesn’t matter,” Zera interrupted. “You owe him your life: obeying him is the least you could do.” She walked to the sarcophagus, the only part of the temple that remained unburied.

I never wanted to owe anything to anyone, and now… every heartbeat reminds me that someone gave me their life. This feeling within me… is it gratitude? Guilt? Admiration? I have witnessed a truth that is difficult for me to accept: there is more light in this world than I ever thought.

I saw his corpse with a mix of fascination and repulsion: I was mesmerized. Every detail was a testament to what he had been and what I could not comprehend.

A strange contradiction churned inside me: gratitude for staying alive, guilt for having survived thanks to him, and admiration for his sacrifice.

I removed his helmet, intrigued to reveal his face. Yet, doubt will gnaw at me for the rest of my life: his armor was empty.

If I live, it will be to honor him. If I die, his sacrifice and devotion will have been in vain. And yet… I do not want to live paying a debt; I do not want to be bound to anything.

Even so, what I felt was undeniable: absolute respect for the one who offered me his soul without asking for anything in return.

Is this humility? Or fear of wasting a gift I don’t deserve? I want to live and take advantage of his sacrifice, without acting according to Lumen’s ideals. But… something does not allow me.

“Darek, come see this.”

With her hand, she held the sarcophagus door, charred on the outside but pristine inside.

There lie the answers I had sought for so long. But… if I obtain them, guilt will consume me. The sentinel sacrificed himself for me: I feel that if I look inside, I will be dishonoring his memory.

When I glanced inside, rage surged through me. Only ashes remained.

“He lied to us. He said that the true secret rested inside, though in reality he did it to die defending his Goddess,” explained Zera.

Damn him… No, I cannot be angry with him. What he did was an act worthy of a hero.

“A Goddess once rested here. How curious… even they can disappear completely. Death and oblivion are a fate beyond them.”

At least I have the comfort that gods die.

“The Eternal Whisper mentioned it, remember? Creatures are born from human beliefs. This is what we witnessed: without her devotees, she was consumed by sadness,” said Zera.

“Without the sentinel to remember her, her existence was erased.”

“That is why he entrusted you to keep the flame of her will in your heart.”

With difficulty, we left the temple.

“When I was imprisoned in the Cathedral of Perpetual Order, Zenith entrusted me with a mission. I told you about it, didn’t I?”

“Yes, you said you failed and she condemned you to death: that seems like an exaggeration to me.”

She suspects I wasn’t honest with her, and she’s right.

“Well, my task was to recover the Feather of the Late Beginning. I want to find out what it is, what it does, and who made it. That way, I’ll know Zenith’s motives for obtaining it.”

A rabbit approached Zera and leapt onto her lap. As she caressed it, its body began to warp until it burst in a shower of blood. Black smoke seeped out from within.

“A wise choice, dear friend,” said the Eternal Whisper, materializing from the rabbit’s corpse. Zera froze in place.

Was there truly no more dramatic way to appear?

“What do you know about the Feather?”

“How dare you do that to a poor rabbit!? You wretch!” Zera grumbled, throwing a hundred punches at him. Yet he remained intangible.

“I know it is the only clue that will unveil Zenith’s true nature—and may lead you to his end,” he said, stepping back from Zera as though he feared her.

Today he bears no resemblance to how he first appeared in the forest. That’s what he’s like—ever-changing.

“That object has a unique name. What is it for? Is it powerful? Who created it?” Zera asked, her excitement growing.

“You will discover that once you can wield it. The two of you are among the very few capable of bearing it.” With that said, he returned to the rabbit’s body, piecing it back together. It hopped away into the distance.

What a pitiful way to leave. Isn’t he supposed to be a primeval being, always shrouded in a cryptic and deadly aura?

“Owning the Feather of the Late Beginning does sound tempting. Besides, I already told you—I’m going to follow you until I find my parents.”

“Is that your new objective? To find that artifact? As I told you before, I’ll accompany you until I can find my parents.”

As long as you don’t get in my way, do whatever you want.

“I remember that the Feather was in the swamp bordering The Abyss of the Forsaken Faiths.”

The border of Lusthal with Aurethys. I am returning to the place where I was reincarnated.

We continued our journey, leaving behind the Temple of Lumen, Goddess of Eternal Radiance, whose grandeur had witnessed the inexorable passage of time.