Prologue: A Catholic Cathedral

Rin Sylvester couldn't tell whether it was day or night.

The faint light from the few standing black candles was all that helped her eyes trace out the countless figures in the room. The virgin Mary stood on the altar's left hand, Saint Joseph on the other, and the holy crucifix with the dying Jesus on the front middle, right next to a kneeling Rin. Everything but a typical Catholic church.

It was different.

Fr. James, in a black tunic, took orders from a tall terrifying man that they all addressed by the name 'Lord'. The said Lord hid his face from the public and covered himself in a black cloak so long it tailed behind his feet, sweeping over the dust on the rough floor. In a way, he reminded Rin of the grim reaper.

Under his power, the congress was in uniform; dressed in long black cloaks, a bit shorter than his, and black masks that made Rin wonder if they had something to do with the mast silence.

Footsteps approached slowly, and her breath hitched at the sight of a glistening dagger headed for her throat.

She recognized her parents' faces on the first pew and the pale hands of the one holding the poniard belonged to none other than her beloved boyfriend. What hurt most, she wasn't sure— between being fake loved by her parents all her life or being betrayed by the boy she loved the most.

What happened to 'Daddy's little princess'? 'Mommie's favourite jewel?' And 'Together forever and always'? All those sweet words turned into air. They were all just hungry peasants feeding the gaunt pig in the pigsty and that pig was her.

"No, please", tears streamed down her cheeks. "Please— don't hurt me."

More footsteps echoed, the more she struggled the tighter the ropes felt around her.

"It's okay, my daughter", Fr. James approached the girl and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"What are you going to do to me?", her voice wavered in fear. She couldn't believe she once trusted the man. Only to find out what lay beneath the 'sweet god-fearing padre' facade after walking in on him with her mother in the same bed. She should've suspected it though, considering how much he always liked to 'pay God's children a visit' at their house.

He was the one who gave her that holy sacrament of confirmation. She had always looked up at him, calling him her hero, her pillar, and her living human Jesus. He had been by her side for as long as she could remember. It's crazy how the ones you'd give your life for are the ones to take it away from you. They say what you love the most is what kills you, she had proven the statement right for herself.

"May your parents be blessed for submitting to the Lord's will ...", the padre muttered, like a prayer.

"Father ... ", Rin sobbed.

"God loves you and before you know it, you'll be with him in a better place", he indirectly declared her ending.

At first, the only heaven she desired was home. With her parents, sister, boyfriend, and friends. Being left betrayed didn't give her the desire for any kind of heaven. She didn't want heaven. Not anymore.

"Please stop this", her whisper conveyed how breathless she was. "Somebody ... please save me ... don't do this to me, please!"

Jesus, the once saviour of her life turned unreachable. How could he disappear when she needed him the most? Where was he?

The smell of wild incense burned her nostrils and her throat contracted as the sound of faraway bells reached her ears.

"Your soul is pure and the Lord has chosen you, would you decline an offer from the Almighty above?", Fr. James squeezed the girl's shoulder hard before letting go.

A low hymn chorused from the congress and for a second, she yearned for a last glance of her wrecked world.

She regretted it.

There were 8 foot heighted creatures amongst them and she didn't need extra knowledge to know they weren't humans. Demons perhaps, or was her imagination playing tricks on her? They stood like sculptures, gargoyle-faced. Long sleeved cloaks with claws peeking through the hems. They looked like Orcs, fictional creations of Tolkien, but these ones came in as tall as they could get with pale sylph-like bodies. A certain power hovered over them like a halo and shield, challenging anyone who thought of stepping on their personal boundaries. Their facial features stoic and stiff enough to break a stone. Her parents held the same expressions and never had she ever felt such torment in the place she loved the most.

A vermillion liquid soiling the gleam of the blade became the last thing she saw.