“Send him in,” a priest in a gold-trimmed white tunic confirmed as he slid on his ornate hat with a yellow plume. A gold-plated iron staff rested in his left hand while his right adjusted the headwear.

Moments later, an older man in simple black robes was escorted into the throne room of the gothic cathedral. Sitting upon the throne, the priest lifted his head high and puffed out his chest—using the staff to hold himself upright. His eyes carefull studied the older man as he strode into the room, causing his shackles to rattle.

“It’s an honor to be granted this meeting, high priest Edwin,” the man in black robes said with a nod of his head.

“Silence!” Edwin roared. “Do not think this audience was granted for you to speak your case, Dark Lord Tervor!”

“Oh? Then why am I graced with this meeting?” Tervor asked, raising an eyebrow at the younger man on the throne.

“Your army has fallen and your reign of darkness is over. However, you are here because you can be of use to me.”

“Reign of darkness, you say?” Tervor chuckled. “How can I be of service to someone as powerful as you, Light Lord Edwin?”

“That is not my title!” Edwin spat. “I am a high priest of the Goddess of Light! You would do well to respect that and accept my offer.”

“You have yet to offer me anything.”

Rolling his eyes, Edwin continued, “Your influence will no longer spread over the land—but I am a merciful man. If you release the hold you have on the minds of the woman and children, then I can release them. Our citizens of the light may have been led astray, but we are both aware of who the real culprit is.”

“And what do you reckon that I have done with your citizen’s minds?” Tervor asked, a grin spreading across his lips.

“I’m not aware of what dark magic you used or how to release the spells used to control their minds… which is why I am asking you to release them before we are forced to cleanse them.”

“When you say cleanse—you do mean that you will slaughter them—no?”

“The Emporer of the Light would never ‘slaughter’ innocent civilians!”

Tervor shook his head and sighed, “Then how exactly would your Lord ‘cleanse’ the people?”

Edwin opened his mouth to speak, but slowly closed it after a moment. He sunk back into his chair and scratched his head. Shuddering, he quickly returned to his upright posture as he continued to think.

“Also—as you know—these shackles do more than just restrain my arms and legs,” Tervor explained as he held up the cuffs around his wrists with a clank. “They cut off the wearers connection to the flow of magic. If I were casting a spell, it would have dissipated by now.”

“Enough!” Edwin barked as he shook his head. “I will not let you corrupt my mind!”

“Corrupt your mins with what—painful truths?” Tervor shot back. “Why don’t you hear my request? It may help you understand exactly what has corrupted your people’s minds.”

“Very well, you may make your request…” Edwin mumbled before regaining his composure. “However, you are in no position to bargain. Your life is completely in my hands.”

“Which may be a part of your issue, High Priest.” Tervor remarked before clearing his throat. “All I originally came to ask was for the woman and children to be spared. It seems like we have the same goals, so I can tell you what ails their minds if you wish; however, you may not like what I have to say.”

“I—in fact—like nothing that you have to say,” Edwin clarified, slamming his staff on the ground for emphasis.

“Then be my guest and cleanse them all of their lives. Just be warned that genocide is rarely smiled upon in hindsight.”

“We would never commit atrocities such as that!” Edwin gasped. “Our Lord follows the will of the Goddess of Light! She would never lead us down the path of darkness from which we dragged you from.”

“What civilians have I killed?” Tervor hissed. After a long pause, he continued. “You haven’t clarified how your Lord and Goddess cleanse their citizens… although I assume you are intelligent enough to know the truth.”

“It is better to remove a diseased animal than to stand by and watch the whole heard die!” Edwin shouted.

“Are the citizens filling your dungeon diseased, or do they disagree with your Lord?” Tervor asked. “Have you lived as a commoner, High Priest?”

“No! Not… not in a long time. I escaped that hell.”

“And what happened to those you left behind in that ‘hell,’ as you described it yourself?”

“I…” Edwin mumbled as his mind drifted back to his childhood. He remembered seeing the knights—wanting to be one of them—until they came for his family.

Broken, bloody, his mother and sister were unrecognizable as they were dragged out of the house and carted away; that was the last time Edwin had seen them. His father fought back, and then everything went dark: last Edwin heard, his father was never found.

Tears streamed down Edwin’s face as his lips quivered, unable to form words. He sobbed and dropped the staff, which clattered on the ground with a loud clang. Fluttering to the ground, his hat landed silently next to the staff.

“What could I do?” the priest babbled.

“Nothing, son,” Tervor croaked through his own sobs. “I didn’t know how to save you—to reach you. It was all my fault; however, you don’t have to perpetuate this cycle!”

Edwin looked up at the older man with wide eyes. He looked different—somehow familiar—like a baby blanket that was obviously too small but somehow comforting. “What can I do?” Edwin asked.

“Let me go. Let all of us go and join us.”

“Get out of my head!” Edwin roared putting his hands over his head and curling into the fetal position as waves of light emminated from him.

“I’m not using magic, Edwin: I can’t,” Tervor assured the priest, reaching out to place a shacked hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t touch me!” Edwin screamed as light exploded around him, sending Tervor sprawling across the room. “No! No, don’t die…”

“I’m fine,” Tervor sighed, standing up and dusting off his singed robe. “You just need to calm down. Using magic when you are so emotional can be dangerous.

Suddenly, the door burst open and a knight in golden-trimmmed plate mail strode into the room. He looked at the high priest, then at the prisoner, before clearing his throat. “I’m here to take the prisoner,” the knight announced in a gruff voice.

“What for?” Edwin snapped. “I’m… not finished with him!”

“Orders from the Emperor. He is to be cleansed at once.”

“Ahh… you are my executioner then?” the older man chuckled. “What exactly am I being cleansed of… life?”

“We are going to cleanse this society of the blight that is you and your followers,” the knight spat in response.

“No!” Edwin roared again, sending a pulse of light-energy across the room. Papers combusted as tables flipped through the air, candles lit, and everyone in the room was knocked backwards by the force of the wave.

A Templar send by the Lord of Light himself was dead, as was the resistance. “No!” Edwin sobbed, grabbing his hair and falling to his knees on frustration. “Why! What… what do I do?”

No one answered, so Edwin composed himself. With shaky hands, he removed Trevor’s cloak. Placing his hat, staff and robes on Trevor’s body, he wrapped himself in the black garmet as he threw a lit torch on the bodies and walked out of the chapel.