To Play God

The sacred chamber of the Eternal Flame was suffused with a haunting glow, the flickering fire made shifting shadows on the ancient stone walls. The air carried with the scent of burning oil and incense, the silence broken only by flames that burned with unnatural vigor. 

Aric stood alone, his hands clasped behind his back, his silhouette sharp against the brilliance of the fire. 

The chamber was a place few were permitted to enter, reserved for the Church's highest rituals and prayers. Yet tonight, it belonged to Aric alone, a fitting symbol of how far the once-mighty institution had fallen under his grasp. 

He stepped closer to the flame, its light illuminating the sharp lines of his face and casting his eyes in a golden hue. There was a time when the Eternal Flame had inspired awe, a symbol of purity and divine will. Now, Aric saw it for what it truly was—a tool, as malleable as the men and women who bowed before it.