Arya_caelum

Not every hero is known. Not every act of kindness shines.
In a world that has long abandoned its conscience, Raka Aryasatya chooses to stand alone.

Bearing a noble name but shaped by a harsh childhood, Raka has grown into a man who appears cold and merciless. His body is strong from experience, his mind sharpened by scars, and his heart... still searching for a reason to beat.

Amid the ruins of a society plagued by betrayal and deceit, Raka refuses to sink. He is no angel—far from it—but for the few whose lives he has touched in secret, he remains their only hope.

Yet every choice comes with a price. Every sacrifice wears away at his soul. And with each step forward, the shadows of an unfinished tragedy close in.

Can a man still hold to what is right... when the world around him demands his destruction?
Will a name carved in ashes endure—or be lost to the winds?

A NAME CARVED IN ASHES

Somewhere on the Black Sea of Vehras.

The sleek scout frigate Avarion sliced through the dark waves, its engines humming with a quiet menace.

Aboard its command deck, Inquisitor-Commander Veydran Kaas stood tall before the observation screen, arms folded.

His uniform — deep crimson adorned with the sigil of the Dominion of the Sevenfold Path — gleamed faintly in the dim light.

The comms officer turned, voice tense.

"Unidentified vessel detected — approximately three nautical miles southeast. Minimal lights. No official registry."

At the edge of the room, Lieutenant Arvek spoke in a low voice.

Veydran Kaas exhaled slowly, his voice heavy.

If it is them — better we know."

He paced slowly to the holographic map at the center of the room.

"The Ashen Creed... a heretical sect claiming to carry 'Virtue' — yet spreading madness wherever they go."

"But... they fight the Sins, don't they? Aren't they—"

Those who fight the Sins with their methods fall just as deep."

"You think their Empathy is pure? You think their followers remain sane?

They poison the world with guilt, with excessive compassion, with an obsession for 'Virtue' that leaves them weak — and dangerous."

The navigation officer murmured softly.

"I heard... some of them cry while they kill. And yet they keep killing."

"Exactly. That is their corruption.

They are not fighting the Sins — they are fighting humanity itself.

And in doing so, they birth a new kind of madness."

On the screen, a faint image of the Silent Grace came into view.

An old ship, its hull dark, barely lit.

But its engine heat signatures... too controlled.

"They know we are here," Kaas said softly.

We watch first... learn their weakness.

One mistake — and we will send them to the depths with their rotting ideals."

Inside the command room of the Silent Grace, tension lingered.

At the navigation console, Vira Caelum spoke quietly.

Brother Marec replied in a low tone.

"Avarion. They've likely picked up our trail."

By the window, Raka Aryasatya stood still.

The black sea stretched before them — but within him, it was not silent.

His Empathy pulsed gently — a subtle flow reaching outward.

He could feel it: the watchfulness aboard the enemy ship.

And beneath it... no clear intent to wage war.

But they have not chosen blood... not yet," he said softly.

And I... will know the moment their intent changes."

His hand brushed the hilt of Ashen Veil — not in threat — in readiness.

His Empathy reached further, sensing the undercurrents aboard the Avarion.

"If war comes... we will choose the moment, not them."

In the distance, the faint light of the Avarion blinked once.

Within its command deck, Veydran Kaas gave a thin smile.

Let us see... how firm their pillars of ash stand when the storm truly breaks."

CHAPTER 5 — Shadows on the Horizon