The chapel loomed ahead, its silhouette jagged and broken against the eternal twilight. Once a place of worship, its stone walls were now cracked and overgrown with vines, the stained-glass windows shattered into jagged teeth. The only sound was the mournful groan of the wind through the exposed rafters.
Veiss stopped at the edge of the overgrown path leading to the entrance, his eye scanning the building. It had been years since he'd seen a church that hadn't been desecrated, either by cultists or the shadow-beasts that prowled the land.
"Stay close," he said to Kaela, who stood several paces behind him.
The girl nodded silently, clutching the edges of the oversized cloak around her shoulders.
Veiss pushed the heavy wooden door open, the hinges groaning in protest. The interior was just as ruined as the exterior—pews lay overturned, their wood splintered and rotting, and the altar at the far end was blackened as if by fire. A thin layer of ash covered the floor, stirred into lazy swirls by the draft that leaked through the broken windows.
"Doesn't smell like anyone's been here recently," Veiss muttered, stepping inside.
Kaela hesitated at the threshold, her eyes flicking around the ruined sanctuary as though expecting something to lunge at her from the shadows.
"Inside," Veiss barked, his tone leaving no room for argument.
She obeyed, her small footsteps crunching softly on the ash-covered floor.
Veiss moved toward the altar, his hand resting on Umbraclaw's hilt. The blade felt heavier than usual, its surface cold and unyielding against his palm. He could feel its unease, a faint thrum of tension that pulsed like a second heartbeat.
"This place," the weapon whispered, its voice barely audible, "reeks of rot."
He ignored it, his attention focused on the altar. A charred book lay open atop it, its pages curling and blackened at the edges. He reached for it, but a faint rustling sound stopped him.
He froze, his muscles tensing as he scanned the room.
"Kaela," he said in a low voice. "Stay behind me."
The girl didn't respond, but he could hear her shuffling closer.
The rustling grew louder, accompanied by the faint creak of footsteps on wood.
Veiss turned, his hand tightening on his blade. "Who's there?"
A figure emerged from the shadows near the back of the chapel. It was a man, or what was left of one. His skin was pale and stretched taut over sharp bones, his eyes sunken into dark hollows. His robes, once white, were now stained with ash and blood. A jagged sunburst symbol was carved into his forehead, the edges of the wound still raw and oozing.
"The faithful have returned," the man rasped, his voice thin and cracked. "The Black Sun has blessed us with its presence."
Veiss stepped in front of Kaela, his stance defensive. "We're just passing through," he said. "We don't want trouble."
The man laughed, a dry, brittle sound that echoed off the chapel's walls.
"Trouble?" he said, his gaze flicking to Kaela. "Oh, trouble has found you, traveler. Do you not see? Do you not feel the radiance she carries?"
Veiss's grip on his weapon tightened. "You don't know what you're talking about."
The man's eyes widened, a manic gleam lighting up his gaunt face. "Oh, but I do! The sigil! The mark of the Black Sun! She is its harbinger, its chosen vessel!"
Kaela shrank back, her small hands clutching at Veiss's cloak.
"Shut your mouth," Veiss snarled, stepping forward.
The priest cackled, raising his arms in a mockery of worship. "You think to protect her? To shield her from her destiny? Foolishness. She is already lost. Her light will burn this world to ash, just as the Sun commands."
In a blur of motion, the priest lunged forward, his bony hands clawing at the air. Veiss sidestepped the attack and swung Umbraclaw in a wide arc. The blade sliced cleanly through the man's midsection, sending a spray of blood across the chapel floor.
The priest crumpled, but he wasn't finished. His upper body twisted unnaturally, his fingers scraping against the ground as he dragged himself toward Kaela.
"Embrace it," he hissed, his voice bubbling with blood. "Embrace the light!"
Veiss moved quickly, driving the blade through the man's back with a sickening crunch. The priest convulsed, his body spasming violently before going still.
The chapel fell silent once more.
Veiss pulled his blade free, the dark steel glinting faintly in the dim light. He turned to Kaela, who stood frozen, her wide eyes locked on the priest's corpse.
"You alright?" he asked, his voice gruff.
She nodded slowly, though her trembling hands betrayed her fear.
Veiss sighed and sheathed Umbraclaw. "Let's move. This place isn't safe."
As they stepped back into the open air, Veiss glanced at the girl, her small frame hunched against the cold.
The priest's words lingered in his mind, gnawing at the edges of his thoughts.
She is its harbinger.
He shook his head, pushing the thought aside. The Black Sun's influence was everywhere, corrupting everything it touched. He couldn't afford to let it twist his thoughts too.
Not yet.