Monk

It was as though the choral hymn of the church's choir echoed in the air, yet beneath it, an ominous, shadowed presence lingered—a malevolent aura that cloaked the room.

"Mr. Riggs!" Adel was the first to react, hurriedly bowing his head in respect.The other four Otherkin, once alert and wary, were now unsettled by Adel's gesture.Upon noticing this, Adam grinned, walking into the room with effortless poise, as if an invisible force parted the Otherkin, each retreating to the side to make way for him.He seated himself, crossing his legs, his fingers lightly tapping the mask before him. It was as though he had instantly become the sovereign of this place, and there was an undeniable urge for those around him to kneel in submission.

"I presume you've all heard of the God's Tear Ritual," Adam began, his voice raspy yet commanding, "There are certain tasks I need you to carry out.""Please, Mr. Riggs, give your orders," the Otherkin exchanged glances and promptly spoke."Do not worry, it is not difficult. I simply require your assistance in gathering some materials," Adam murmured, his voice calm and soothing. "If you do well, I will not hesitate to perform the God's Tear Ritual for you ahead of time.""Bring back a vial of holy water, monkshood from the cliffs, human outer garments, the corpses of various beasts, soil from both the highest and lowest points of the city..."Adam continued, his voice steady and deliberate. Some of the items were indeed needed for the ritual, while others were merely for complicating the process, adding layers of mystique to the ceremony.

With a tone that held a commanding finality, Adam directed them to gather the items."As for Adel…" Adam turned his gaze toward the blood slave, who was bent low, seemingly contemplating before he spoke. "At noon, look directly at the sun and collect your tears in a vial.""Understood, Mr. Riggs!" Adel's face lit up with manic joy as he eagerly agreed.The tasks the others had were mere formalities, but Adel alone had to gather his own tears, and with the God's Tear Ritual already mentioned, he understood all too well that the ceremony would be for him.

The God's Tear Ritual didn't involve any extraordinary powers; at its core, it was a divine ceremony, a miracle wrought by the god's own power.The first stage of the ritual was focused on penitence.The tears of repentance—wild beasts, who did not need the god, had suffered due to His absence. That was their sin. The second son, disobeying the shepherd's warning, ventured into the depths of the cave, and thus, suffering descended upon the earth. This was his sin.To receive the god's mercy, both the wild beasts and the second son must atone for their sins.

Watching the Otherkin leave to gather the materials, Adam did not relax. Instead, he sat still, eyes closed, continuing to collect his thoughts.Once Adel's portion of the God's Tear Ritual succeeded, all the gathered Otherkin would be 'loyal' to him. Adam would continue assigning them tasks, urging them to invest more and more in the pursuit of the ritual.As the capital increased, so would their entanglement in the ritual, deepening their loyalty to Adam and aiding him in subjugating more Otherkin, gathering more capital from them."Through this, the Otherkin will be divided into tiers," Adam reflected on the nature of the Otherkin, contemplating whether his plans had overlooked any details."Jin? Adel invited him," Adam recalled Adel's earlier words before entering."Would the Otherkin be uninterested in something that can so effectively conceal their identities? No, they would not be." Adam understood well. Any Otherkin within the Sacred Sky Nation would be intrigued by the God's Tear Ritual, even if they had other methods to mask their abnormalities."Those who were interested but declined Adel's invitation are the most dangerous." These individuals hadn't been drawn into Adam's division of Otherkin. Until Adam had full control, these individuals would target him directly, seeking to gain access to the entire ritual."Therefore, when interacting with Adel and the others, I must be more cautious, ensuring that they do not lead those dangerous individuals straight to me." Adam noted this point, momentarily setting his worries aside.

Outside, Adel had already begun his task of gazing at the sun.In the God's Word, after the god departed, the world was bathed in endless light, cleansing the wild beasts.Thus, many monks believed that the god was the shield of the world, protecting it from the excessive light that could damage it.This gave rise to another incarnation of the god: the God of the Sky, who, with His power, divided the sun, moon, and stars, ensuring they would not appear simultaneously.Another interpretation claimed that the god had replaced the sun, giving rise to the Sun God incarnation.When the churches of the Sky God and Sun God clashed, a third theory emerged:"The god is perfect, but His perfection differs from that of humans. He is the embodiment of both good and evil, the Creator and the Destroyer, He is the god of the 'whole'.""The wild beasts drove the god away, but only the god's goodness departed, while His evil remained, punishing them."This view prompted most churches to target those who described the god as 'whole.'After all, most churches were founded on the belief that the god was good and loved humanity.Apart from this, there were also the originalist churches, who believed the god was great, irrespective of good and evil.The God's Tear Ritual seemed to borrow from all three teachings, not simply channeling the power of one incarnation of the god.Sun, sky, and the dichotomy of good and evil.The first stage of the God's Tear Ritual, focused on penitence, directly addressed the Sun God. To gaze at the sun was to show a willingness to repent, and the tears shed were the tears of repentance.

Holy water was needed, not for its divine power but as a catalyst. Had Adam been a true monk, he would have carried that power within him and could have done without the holy water.The monkshood from the cliffs, associated with werewolves, carried potent toxins, often required in potions or dark rituals.There was a widely known saying: "Even a pure-hearted person, one who never forgets to pray at night, can turn into a wolf under the full moon when monkshood blooms."Adam knew that some chose to transform into werewolves to extend their lives, and the ritual to do so was hidden in that very phrase.Werewolves and vampires shared a close connection, and blood slaves too were involved in rituals that required monkshood.As for human garments and the corpses of various beasts, these were symbolic.The soil from the highest and lowest points of the city was meant to connect to the true site of the God's Tear.In the God's Word, the demon spirit entices the second son to a lake formed from the god's tears, located in the most prosperous place. The soil from the highest point pointed to this "prosperous" place, and the lowest soil symbolized the lake's depths.

Adam's fingers tapped lightly on his mask. Behind it, he could almost feel the faint pain from the scar on his cheek.For this ritual, he had suffered greatly.Thinking of these fortunate Otherkin, who could so easily begin their rituals, Adam found himself reflecting once again.Memories resurfaced, and Adam focused on calming his thoughts, striving to regain his composure.

"Trace the ancestors, look back at the past, and uncover your talents," Adam recalled the signs of bloodline awakening. "Are the signs already here?""Memories easily resurface, and it seems my affinity has indeed strengthened."Adam set his feet down and walked toward the window, watching as Adel stared at the sun, hoping that the unfolding event would help him focus."Strange, the blood slave isn't afraid of the sun? I guess previous films and stories from my past life can't really be applied here." Though he had already known this, seeing a vampire gaze directly at the sun still felt absurd.In this world, vampires were products of the monk's experiments with werewolves. Their weaknesses were similar, and they only feared silver.With a bone dangling in front of them, the Otherkin moved swiftly, quickly gathering the items Adam had requested.And with that, the ritual began.