The Archbishop and the Forbidden Prayer

The bells of the Grand Citadel tolled.

Once, that sound was a call to devotion. A sacred melody sung by the heavens, guiding Verdantia's faithful toward light and absolution.

But now?

The bells rang hollow.

The sound was heavy—like rusted chains dragging through forgotten corridors. And the prayers that followed… no longer belonged to the gods.

At the very top of the Grand Citadel, within a sanctum where even nobles dared not speak too loud, sat Archbishop Valemir—the last voice of Verdantia's Divine Order.

He wore gold-trimmed robes and a silver mantle that glowed with holy symbols. But the light no longer reflected in his eyes. Those eyes, once sharp with divine clarity, now shimmered with doubt… and dread.

He had seen the signs.

He had heard the screams from the Garden.

He had watched, helpless, as entire squads of holy knights returned with vacant smiles, kneeling not before the altar… but toward the forest.

Toward him.

"Priyanshu…"

Valemir whispered the name like a curse.

A name that once meant nothing.

A shadow in the background.

Now it stained every prophecy, twisted every vision.

And worst of all… the gods had gone quiet.

He rose from his chair, walking across the grand prayer hall that once echoed with choirs. Now it echoed only with silence. His fingers traced the edges of the sacred mural—the first blooming of Verdantia.

It was said that when the gods planted this land, they left behind a hidden root—a source of absolute power. Something forbidden. Something that could overturn even divine will.

A whisper from the past stirred in his thoughts:

"If ever Verdantia blooms black… the gods will fall."

And now, the black bloom had already begun.

He fell to his knees before the central altar, arms spread wide, voice cracking as he chanted ancient hymns.

"O Lord of Light, I beg of thee… grant me your voice once more. Tell me how to stop him. Tell me what must be done…"

Silence.

Only the wind answered.

Only the vines scratching at the outer walls of the cathedral answered.

Only he answered.

Valemir froze.

A second heartbeat pulsed beneath the marble floor.

Not his.

Not divine.

But something… darker.

His breath grew cold. Candles flickered out. The holy scripts unrolled themselves and bled ink across the marble.

And then—he heard it.

A voice. Velvet-smooth. Familiar.

"Still praying to a god who doesn't want you?"

Valemir turned with a gasp.

There, standing in the archway, dressed in midnight robes with silver embroidery that pulsed like living threads, stood Priyanshu.

He wasn't hiding anymore.

He didn't need to.

Even the sacred hall bowed to his presence—curtains swaying, holy relics shaking gently in their glass prisons, golden light dimming under his gaze.

Valemir rose to his feet slowly, anger and disbelief twisting inside his gut. "You… You dare walk into the House of the Divine?"

"I walk where I'm welcomed," Priyanshu said calmly, stepping forward. "And your God hasn't exactly been home for a while."

"You've desecrated everything," Valemir hissed. "The forest. The faith. The saints. You've turned them into obedient monsters."

"I didn't force them," Priyanshu said with a smile that shouldn't have belonged to someone so calm. "I showed them a different kind of prayer. One that actually gets answered."

Valemir's hands trembled as he reached for his holy staff, but Priyanshu raised a single finger—and the staff turned to ash.

Valemir staggered backward, breath stolen from his lungs.

"You… you'll be stopped. By prophecy, by punishment. Something will strike you down."

"Oh?" Priyanshu tilted his head. "Like your God?"

Silence.

Priyanshu stepped forward, closing the distance. The Archbishop's knees buckled, but he didn't fall. Pride still lingered… even as obedience seeped in.

"You've read the scriptures," Priyanshu said softly, "You know what lies beneath the Garden. You know what the gods tried to bury."

Valemir's lips tightened. "The First Root…"

Priyanshu nodded. "The truth that could not be erased."

He leaned in closer, eyes glowing faintly.

"There's a reason your prayers no longer work, Valemir. Because you're no longer praying to anything. They left. Long ago. And now…"

He gently took the Archbishop's hand.

"…a new prayer is being written."

The Hidden Villain System flickered.

[Influence Expanding: 81% of Verdantia Converted][Key Figure Located: Archbishop Valemir – Potential Conversion Candidate][Status: Resistant | Faith Level: High | Psychological Stability: Deteriorating]

"You think I'll kneel?" Valemir spat, eyes bloodshot.

Priyanshu smiled.

"No. I think you'll break. And then… you'll beg."

He stepped back. Slowly.

The floor around the Archbishop began to pulse—black vines emerging from between the marble tiles, coiling around the holy altar, wrapping like lovers around statues of saints.

The sky outside thundered.

But it wasn't rain.

It was the sound of the Garden—stretching.

Growing.

Claiming the Citadel.

And then the vines touched Valemir's feet.

His scream was instant, but not from pain.

From pleasure.

Searing warmth flooded through him as the vines seeped into his skin, whispering secrets, rewriting prayers, touching not his body… but his faith.

"No… No… I… I can't—"

His voice trembled. His breath hitched. His knees gave out.

He clutched his head as visions poured in:

—Priyanshu on the Throne of Blooming Roots, worshipped by all.—Saints clad in black silk, blessing children in his name.—A new scripture, glowing with forbidden grace.—A world at peace… under him.

Valemir wept.

Not because he was in pain.

But because, for the first time… something had answered.

And it was beautiful.

Priyanshu knelt beside him, gently wiping his tears.

"Say it," he whispered, voice velvet.

Valemir looked up at him, eyes now tinted violet.

"I… I submit."

[Conversion Complete: Archbishop Valemir – Role Changed: Divine Warden ➤ Obedient Prophet][New Power Unlocked: Forbidden Prayer][Effect: When recited, spreads corruption through holy zones without resistance][Verdantia Control Level: 87%]

Priyanshu stood tall, the Garden outside responding in thunderous bloom. A rain of black petals fell over the Citadel.

The priests knelt.

The knights knelt.

The bells rang once more—but now, it was a song for a new god.

A whispered name in every corner of Verdantia.

Priyanshu.