The Apostate's Walk
LOCATION: ASHVALE SANCTUM
The bells of Ashvale did not ring.
Whispers moved through the Order's inner halls. Priests locking doors that once stood open. Inquisitors clutching their relics tighter. Senior Seers whispering about the news, about the unthinkable which is now roaming.
Because he was back.
Because Thalos Verin—the Father of Blades, the Warden of the Flame, the man who could make kings kneel—was dead.
Not in battle. Not in glory.
But broken.
By him.
By Lucan Malryk.
Now? They didn't just whisper his name.
They mentioned it like it was a daily prayer.
But the forbidden type.
---
Taren Solt had always believed in the Rite.
He had chanted the prayers. Studied the flame-texts. Watched the chosen be cleansed with reverence in his eyes and iron in his soul.
But nothing in the scriptures had prepared him for what he saw in the Hall of Ascendants.
Lucan Malryk.
Alive.
No, not alive.
Returned.
Taren had hidden. He was still gripping the edge of a cracked statue when it ended—when the screams stopped and all that remained was Lucan's quiet breath and the ruin he'd left behind.
Alon, Mirell, Jeris… all gone. So fast. So easily.
Taren didn't cry.
He just shook.
Lucan hadn't even looked at him.
Didn't need to.
It was like standing in the presence of a god's mistake.
And then Lucan walked on. No words. No mercy. No hesitation.
Straight toward the Sanctum's inner chambers.
---
Taren didn't stop running until he couldn't hear the screams anymore. Although they had already ended long before he even ran.
He shouldn't have gone to the Crypthold—no one did.
It was where they buried the fallen Ascendants, the ones who died in failure or disgrace.
But it was the only place far enough from him.
From Lucan.
His lungs burned. His legs trembled. But still he ran—past empty shrines, through sealed archways, until he reached the obsidian steps leading to the High Seer's Cloister.
Two paladins stood at the door.
They moved to bar his path, but the look in his eyes stopped them cold.
"He's back," Taren gasped. "Lucan. He killed them all."
The doors opened before he could be announced.
---
INSIDE — MOTHER HALIX'S CHAMBER
The room was dark.
No fire. No incense. Just a single flickering glyph on the wall—pulsing softly like a heartbeat.
Mother Halix stood near the window, her back turned, hands folded behind her robe. She didn't move as Taren entered.
Didn't speak.
Didn't even flinch.
"I saw him," Taren whispered. "He came through the training ring. Thalos is dead. The others too. He didn't blink. He just... walked through them."
Still silence.
Then: "Describe him."
Taren blinked, startled. "W-what?"
Halix turned, slowly.
"Describe the boy we burned."
Taren swallowed. "White hair. Black veins... Th.. the one at the last rite.
A pause.
Then Halix crossed the room and placed a hand over the glyph.
[Order Code: BINDING DECREE 77]
[Subject: Lucan Malryk]
[Status: DECEASED — ERROR]
[Override? Y/N]
[Y]
[Confirmed. Status: ACTIVE — ROGUE ENTITY]
[Judgement Protocol Initiated]
The room darkened as the system updated.
[New Classification: Apostate]
[Threat Level: EXTINCTION]
[Target Status: KILL ON SIGHT]
Halix looked back at Taren and said coldly:
"Alert the High Council. Summon every Inquisitor. And burn every record of his name from the archives. If Lucan Malryk walks this world again…"
She stepped to her altar, removed the final lock on her reliquary.
"…then the gods themselves must learn to fear."
System Broadcast – Global Bounty Alert
[UNIVERSAL ORDER ALERT — CLASSIFIED SYSTEM OVERRIDE]
[Subject: Lucan Malryk]
[Alias: The Apostate / Ritebreaker]
[Threat Level: BLACK SUN — EXTINCTION]
[Status: KILL ON SIGHT]
[Confirmed Sin Kill: Thalos Verin]
[System Corruption Level: IRREPARABLE]
[Villain Tier: Ascending]
[Bounty Issued: 1,000,000 Soulmarks + Path Authority]
[Bonus Reward: Artifact of Purity / Seat on the High Flame Council]
[Tracking Priority: Absolute]
[System-wide message delivered to all bonded users within divine jurisdiction.]
Across cities, temples, hideouts, and broken ruins—the broadcast slammed into minds.
Lucan's name now sat on every altar like a desecration. He wasn't just wanted.
He was sacred prey.
---
LOCATION: ASHVALE RUINED BELL TOWER
Lucan sat alone in a ruined bell tower, overlooking the shattered skyline of Ashvale. The system's ping echoed in his head like a bell.
[You have been ṁ̷̼̏a̶̙͋r̴͈͂k̴͕͌e̶̋͜d̴̡̑ by the D̵̟͌͘i̷̛̘͐v̴̛̯̎í̴̲n̶͚͠e̶̙̐̾ Network.]
[Bounty Set: 1,000,000 S̶̳̓̏o̴̹͑u̶̥͐l̵̗̕m̸̥̔a̶͍͘r̶͚͋k̷͕̐s̷̘̅]
[Note: Expect ē̷͎s̴̪̾c̶̖͒ḁ̷̃l̷̳̍a̸̛̬t̴͇̃i̷̖̕o̴̰̚n̴̟̐. Loyalty f̵͕̍r̷̖͌ą̵̓c̴͙̅ẗ̴̪u̷̙͝r̶͍͘e̴̛̜s̵̯͑. Paths n̴̲̈́a̶͓̅r̸̥̒r̷̖̅ö̷͖́w̶̺͑.]
Lucan's jaw tightened.
"Let them come," he muttered.
Then—
A new ping.
But this one was different. Hidden. Quiet.
[Encrypted System Message — Unsigned]
["Not all of us have forgotten what they did to you."]
["Don't return to the old shrine tonight. It's a trap."]
["Head east—toward the Chainspire Ruins. I'll find you there."]
LOCATION: CHAINSPIRE RUINS
Lucan arrived at the Chainspire just before midnight.
The place felt... familiar.
[Location Confirmed: Chainspire Ruins]
[Memory Trace... F̶r̷̲̀a̸̲̋g̸͚̾m̷͎͂e̸͓̾n̶̞͒t̷̨̅e̵͓͐d̷͎̿]
[Emotional R̶̦̓e̶͖̐s̴̳̕i̶̛͈d̸̡͂ȕ̸ͅȇ̸͙: H̴͔͗I̸̞̚G̸̦͂H̶̩͛]
[Sin Stability: F̵͈͌l̴̡̊u̸̲̅c̵͉̓t̷̨͒u̶̖͝ȁ̵̟t̷̛̬i̴̳͘ñ̵̨ǵ̴͍...̶̞̒]
Lucan stepped into the center of the shattered hall.
And then —
"Lucan."
He froze.
The voice was soft. Sad. Woven with memory.
He turned.
Aelira.
Dressed in crimson robes. Eyes that once looked at him like he was more than a tool.
She smiled—bittersweet and tired. "You came."
His heart skipped.
[WARNING: Presence Detected — Aelira Varn]
[Sin Stability Decreasing…]
[Emotional Influence: SEVERE]
[LOVE detected — initiating countermeasure… FAIL]
[W̷̛̗̖͇̟͠A̶̼̞͈͚͐̽͌̇̄͗͋͑R̸͇͇͝N̷̹̩͎̍̀͒̍͛͆͝͝͝I̸̖̠̿͝͝Ǹ̴̛̜̙̋̄G̵̩͖̬̾͐͑]
Lucan hesitated. "You… sent the message?"
Aelira nodded, stepping forward into the pale moonlight. "I shouldn't have. I knew it was dangerous. I knew… what you'd become."
Her eyes shimmered—not with power, but with Regret.
"But I had to see you. Just once more."
Lucan's breath caught. The wind shifted, stirring his white hair.
"You believed them," he said, quietly. "All of them. The priests. Thalos. The Rite."
"I didn't want to." Her voice cracked. "Lucan, I—I tried to stop them that night. You think I didn't scream when they put you on that altar? I fought. I begged."
"Then why didn't you bleed with me?" His tone wasn't cruel. Just a bit sad.
Aelira's hands trembled. She reached for him as he fingers gently brushed his cheek.
"You don't know what it's like to be powerless in a holy war," she whispered. "They made me choose—my oath or you."
Lucan's eyes closed briefly. "And you chose the gods."
"No," she said softly. "I chose to live with it. I've never known a day since where I didn't wish I had taken your place."
[System Alert: Sin R̴̦̹͛̄e̷̯̓͝ŝ̷̰̒e̷̱̾͆r̶̻̋v̴͖͠o̶͙͘i̴̛̩r̷͚̓̽ Dropping...]
[Love Signal Detected — Priority C̷̙͐͒o̶͈̿́n̸͚̅́f̷̟͋͝l̵̜̈́͂i̷̞̽c̶͇͘t̷̻͌͛ Engaged]
[WARNING: TARGET IS AELIRA VARN — Threat U̴̡̇n̷͍̄̕c̶̩̅̚e̸͋͜r̶͖̔t̶̻̋i̷̟͘f̶͕̚i̷̖̕ē̷̙d̴͓̐]
[S̷͎͝y̵̡̎͠s̵̪̐̽t̵̰͌e̵̳̿̓m̴̠̎̚ ̸̯̾R̸͐͜e̸̙̒s̷͈͝p̶͇̓o̶̯̐n̴̹͌s̶̨̚e̷͔̐ ̷̠̾S̶̖͠ū̶̙p̴̪̔p̶͈̏r̵̙̾e̷̡̓s̶͈̎s̸̬̈́e̴̹̅d̷͙͋...]
Lucan almost reached for her hand.
"I never hated you," he said. "Even when I came back… I thought if anyone still had a soul in that place—"
Aelira looked down.
"I do, Lucan."
She stepped closer. Pressed her forehead to his.
A moment of stillness. Of warmth. The kind that gives hope.
"I do," she repeated. "And that's why…"
---
Then—
The click of boots behind him.
The shifting of steel.
The sound of spell-runes being activated.
Lucan's system flickere and ringed.
[T̶̞̈́R̷͑ͅA̷̟͝P̴̢͝ ̴̺͗D̷͈̿E̶͇͂T̵͇͝Ę̶͝C̸̞̓T̴̩̏E̶̗̿D̶͕͗]
[Aelira Varn: FALSE ALLY]
[System Ḭ̴̄n̴͓̈́t̷̏͜e̸̛͈g̷̛̳r̴̲̈́i̶͖̅t̴̗͐y̶̲̓ Ć̷̝o̴͕̐m̷̘̽p̵̻̓r̷̼̄o̶͙̐m̵͓̅ì̶̼s̶̨̕e̵͔͝ḏ̶̀]
[Ambush Im̶̘̏m̵͚̈́i̶̘̋n̶͕͑e̶̳̽n̴̰͋t̸̘͌ — M̴̡̚O̴̩̔V̶͕͋É̵̖!̷̤̿]
He turned just in time to see her back away—tears in her eyes, but no guilt in her voice.
"I'm sorry, Lucan. You should've stayed dead."
Figures closed in from all sides—Paladins, Inquisitors, a Warden-class Knight in full flamebound armor.
The sky lit up as suppression wards locked into place.
Lucan surged to his feet, his power runes glowing but the sin was weakening him.
The love had made him fragile.
And just as the first blade pierced his side—he fell.
He Hits the Ground and his vision swam.
Aelira stood above him, whispering a silent prayer. "I loved you once. I did. But the gods come first."
[System S̴̘͊ẖ̶̓u̶̞̽t̷̞͝d̴͖̓o̸̺̿w̶͍̿n̷̻̓ in 3… 2…]
---
Then—SILENCE.
A wind tore through the ruin.
A sword of pure voidsteel slammed into the Warden's chest—pinned him to the ground.
Someone landed beside Lucan clothed in black and silver.
Not armor. Not priestly garb.
Robes—layered and tactical.
She didn't speak.
Didn't need to.
An Inquisitor blinked—and was split down the center.
The next screamed, spell forming—
Her boot was already on his throat. She didn't even glance down as she caved it in with a twist.
Lucan watched, stunned but his vision was a bit blurry, as she moved through the ambushers with surgical precision. No wasted motion. No emotion.
Not rage. Not vengeance. Just death.
Two more charged.
They didn't reach her.
Not even close.
Her cloak snapped once—and their bones collapsed inward.
She turned to Lucan, her hood still shadowing her face and still no words.
[WARNING: Entity D̸͔́e̵͇͝t̶̥̅e̷͍̚c̸̼̄t̷͎̔e̷̯̓d̶͔̾]
[Threat Level: U̸̦̓N̷̯͑C̶͚̔L̵͔̋A̶̡̎S̸͖̈S̵̲͠I̸͈͘F̶̙́I̸̻͝Ë̷́͜D̴̯͛]
[Power Signature: B̶̨̐E̸̲͘Y̷̲̽O̸̢̐N̵͈̿D̴͓̕ ̶̪̍P̸͔̍O̶̙͠S̴͈͑T̶̖̍-̷̞̅R̴̞̒I̷̹̓T̷̹̍E̸͔͠ Structure]
[Recommendation: D̶̤́O̶͖͋.̷̛̞ ̴͚̽N̴͍͑O̶͜͝T̴̨̛.̵̚͜ ̸̢̈́Ë̶̜́N̷̹͘G̷͇̋Ȃ̷͕Ǵ̸̹E̶̦͑.]
Lucan trembled a bit.
She raised one gloved hand. A portal ripped open behind her.
Then—finally—she spoke.
Her voice was calm. Low and commanding.
"Get up. You still owe the world your wrath."
Then she turned and stepped into the dark.
Lucan staggered, bleeding and broken, but followed.
And the world behind them was left to rot.