The first chapter
A pale young boy was standing in front of the cathedral. He had been standing there for hours waiting for someone. He wasn't alone, as others like him wearing criminal clothes and 'will'-imbued shackles were standing while forming a crowd.
Suddenly the paladins who were guarding the stone cathedral parted ways, and a priest came into his view. The crowd also noticed the priest and started humming in a quiet clatter.
The young boy's fears came true when the priest came and announced those accursed words without an emotion.
"No food will be issued today."
The young man and the people behind him could only watch helplessly with grim faces as the priest went into the large stone cathedral.
The pale boy, along with the rest of the criminals, could only sigh as they could not eat today. They had been starving for a week already.
The only reason why he and others like him were even alive was due to the blessing present in the air cast by the 'green saintess of life'.
This was a common occurrence among criminals like him. They had to work every day for some food they barely received.
If they did not work and rebelled like some always did, they were sent outside the walls to die. The pale young boy, however, was sighing for an entirely different reason.
It was because he was going to die today. The reason for his death was not starvation. Nobody actually dies of starvation in the outer sector anyway.
It was because he had decided to become one of the rebels and also one of the youngest ones to go out of the walls to fight those accursed abominations.
The criminals of the outer sector were treated more like slaves than actual criminals. Their crime was that they were suspected of being infected by the corruption that made everybody worse than monsters.
The young boy was also among those who had been suspected to come in contact with the corruption. The young boy's mother, who gave birth to him, became corrupted during his birth.
His crime was something he had been atoning for since birth. Even if he became fed up with this life, he still loathed this continent to his core.
The reason why he hated this continent and the people residing inside the inner sector was because they threw him in the outer sector when he was just newly born.
The only reason why he sighed was that he wanted to taste some food at least once before he died today. Reality was still cruel to him, as he did not get to fulfill his last wish before his death.
The pale young boy, who was just around sixteen, crossed the muddy streets and sat down on one of the dry grounds he could find under the perpetual dark sky.
He still had a few hours before his executioners came for him and some others living in the outskirts who were either about to become corrupted or sentenced to go out to die for the continent.
He was just pondering something when an old man sat beside him and asked the stupidest question of the day.
"You got some matchsticks, young boy?"
The pale young boy opened his eyes and looked at the old man, who was wearing criminal clothes just like him. The old man was familiar to him, as he saw him almost daily after work.
The old man was quite unique to him, as he kept a finger-sized dried-up stick with him all the time. When the young boy asked what it was, the old man just shrugged and said that it was a key to heaven.
The pale young boy never believed that a key to heaven could be present in a finger-sized stick, if heaven did exist, that is. The young boy answered the old man after a full moment of silence.
"Do I look like I would have matchsticks with me? I don't even have a day to spare anymore."
The old man looked at him and repeated the same words he said every day with the same enthusiasm.
"Everything is possible, young man! Just believe it!"
Just like that, the old man started to pester the young man in front of him like he did every day.
The pale young boy did not mind the presence of the old man. Maybe it was one of the reasons why he was still sane in this insane world.
He still didn't trust this mad old man, as he had been swindled by him in the past. The old man would lecture him on various things and would say some interesting things that he had never heard of.
Though it would all become meaningless as he was going to die today, he still looked at the old man and brought something from his criminal clothes. He wanted to thank this mad old man for all the teachings he gave to him for years.
The old man suddenly stopped blabbering and looked at him with stupor. He knew that the thing the young boy was holding right now was not only hard to get but also considered blasphemous to keep in the outskirts.
Fire was banned to be lit in the outer sectors, as it could awaken the slumbering corrupted residing outside the walls. Still, they were inside the protection of the walls, and the corrupted couldn't even come near the walls.
Right now, they were living in between two large walls. The walls were built with enough space in between them to accommodate an entire city.
The only sources of light in the outer sectors were the dimly lit streetlights made of moonstone. The night in the outer sector was eternal, as it was always covered with clouds with some sort of blessing from the 'black saintess of darkness'.
What the pale young boy was holding right now was a lighter, in good condition at that.
"Where you got that from?"
"Stole from a corrupted corpse."
The pale young boy answered as if he went to an amusement park. The old man, stupefied as he was, shifted his gaze and looked ahead.
The criminals in the outer sectors labored each day to build walls. Some were asked to go out and repair the walls. The corrupted rarely wandered around the walls due to the 'will' imbued in each brick of the wall.
The young boy in front of him must have wandered quite far to be able to acquire something so rare. Did he have a death wish at that time?
"Quite lucky you survived it."
"We are going to die anyway."
The pale young boy said in a different language he learned from the old man while fiddling with the lighter he acquired.
Though, the old man just shrugged off his words like he always did. There were just 3 distinct languages spoken in the Holy Empire.
"Who knows? We might just survive."
"Nobody from the outer sector survives the night of despair."
The pale young boy just sighed as if he had given up on hope.
"How are we any different from those corrupted atrocities outside?"
"We don't look as hideous as them."
The old man started laughing as if he had not uttered the deadest humor of the day.
As the pale young boy ignited the lighter while fiddling with it, his eyes reflected the spark. If one looked at him, they could see that he had black eyes and black hair.
The pale young boy finally got tired of playing with the lighter and just tossed it towards the old man.
The old man quickly grabbed the lighter, lest it get drowned in the little mud nearby. He whistled as he read the letters written on it.
"Northern Blaze"
Lighters were made in the northern continent and were sold in the eastern continent that they were living in before the world war happened ages ago. After the world war came to a halt, the distance between the continents widened exponentially due to the movement of tectonic plates.
'WHATEVER!'
The pale young boy clicked his tongue as he returned from his deep thoughts. This was due to the influence of this mad old man near him.
There was a southwestern continent as well. The communication between the three continents had stopped ages ago when the world war came to a halt.
The pale young boy was quite lucky to be able to acquire something so rare, but there was no hint of happiness in his gaze. There was just emotionless silence.
The silence was broken when the old man lit the stick-like thing he always held like a treasure.
The young boy never understood why the old man wanted to burn it when he treasured it so much.
After the tip of the stick was burnt, the old man just blew out the lighter. The young boy became a little curious as to what the old man was trying to do.
He just watched as the old man brought the finger-sized, dried-up stick to his lips while inhaling the smoke coming out of the burnt tip.
The young boy initially assumed that the old man was going to heat the stick and eat it. Though, he became even more curious after seeing his actions. This was the first time he was seeing something so bizarre.
Humans were genetically curious, and he was just another human in the grand scheme of things. Moments passed by, and his curiosity was at its peak when he saw that the old man was enjoying the smoke he inhaled.
He hesitated for just another fraction of a second and asked the old man.
"Let me do it too, old man."
The old man stopped as he sized up the pale young boy in front of him while saying something that he couldn't discern. He then gave it to the pale boy with some hesitation.
The pale young boy did not even pay attention to the old man's ramblings as he became somewhat used to his antics.
The pale young boy brought the finger-sized stick to his lips and took the first puff of his life. He had heard the old man say that this stick-like thing was a road to heaven, if heaven did exist, that is.
After a moment of inhaling, the pale young boy burst into a fit of coughs, and he could swear he saw the old man chuckling from the corner of his eyes.
After he calmed down a bit, he asked the old man in a flustered tone.
"What in god's name is this even?"
"It's a road to heaven, boy! Maybe you have a lot of sins to walk it on!"
The pale young boy could swear that the old man in front of him was more sinful than he was. As if to prove it, he took another puff. This time, it was purely out of his ego to show that the old man was wrong.
The old man chuckled as he noticed the childish actions of the young boy in front of him. Minutes passed by, and the young boy felt calmer as he found the burning stick refreshing.
After a few more puffs, the old man wanted his finger-sized stick back. The pale young boy gave the stick back, though he did grimace a bit. He then turned to the old man and asked.
"What's it called, old man?"
"Don't know; forgot, I guess."
The pale young boy found the presence of the old man oddly comforting on the last day of his life. Though, the silence was broken sooner as he saw his executioners heading his way.
…
There are 128 sectors that are divided evenly on a circular mass of land from the centre, which is also the last stronghold for the people of the eastern continent.
There is an inner circle and an outer circle that are really close to each other. The outer wall of the circular landmass is made with large stone walls imbued with 'will'.
Sector 77's inner circle housed one of the oldest cathedrals that stood like a monolith. There were paladins guarding the doors, and servants could be seen cleaning the floors.
Some of the priests were chanting ancient scriptures and healing some of the paladins. The hall looked chaotic at first glance, but one could find order in everything there.
If one entered the cathedral and opened a large door, which is usually closed, they would find a large statue of an almost naked man with ethereal wings reaching for the sky at the center of the great hall.
One could see a hundred and twenty-eight people kneeling and praying while shedding tears in front of the white, naked statue with wings and a face without features.
There was another group of people that anyone would recognize as servants, coming and collecting the tear drops of those praying before they fell down.
At the forefront of the people shedding tears, there was a person facing the statue with closed eyes and clasped hands.
One could say that he was the pope if they looked at his hands, which held a necklace made of white beads. He was a dark-skinned man in white priestly robes.
The massive door opened as paladins rushed in, making way for the regal 'purple saintess of mysteries' to enter. The pope did not even pay attention to the sudden commotion in the hall.
The ' purple saintess of mysteries', who was greeted by all, went ahead and prayed in front of the statue and then bowed at the pope.
The pope opened his old eyes and nodded towards the 'purple saintess of mysteries' while blessing her like an elder would to a child. The 'purple saintess of mysteries' wore white robes while she had purple hair and eyes.
She had pristine white skin akin to a fairy, which was a contrast to the old man in front of her. The pope opened his mouth and asked her.
"How is the mission ongoing?"
"It went as expected."
The pope nodded and turned around towards the statue and started praying.
The entire situation looked serene if not for one of the paladins near the pope to bring out a knife, which shimmered between curse and corruption. He pressed it against his old throat, making it bleed with golden blood.
There were only a few artifacts that could affect the old pope here. The paladin was holding a cursed knife used to seal the cursed texts.
The room descended into chaos as the other paladins brought out their weapons in a swift arc imbued with their 'will'. The tension in the room was almost tangible.
The 'purple saintess of mysteries' was at the forefront with her back against the statue. She hadn't predicted such actions from a paladin.
Even the other paladins in the hall were shocked to find that one of their own had chosen to betray the church in such a way.
After a moment of stalemate silence, the paladin keeping the knife on the pope's throat took off his helmet while revealing his face with long black hairs.
The pope was still as silent as he was before, with his eyes closed, as if he did not care if he died or lived.
If he died, though, there might start a war between all the factions. It is because the small thread of trust that has been maintained between them for centuries would be broken.
The priests nearby, along with some of the paladins and maids, were sweating buckets. Meanwhile, 'purple saintess of mysteries' looked amused by the situation.
The paladin who removed his helmet asked the 'purple saintess of mysteries with a loud voice.
"I want some answers from the esteemed 'purple saintess of mysteries' here."
'Purple saintess of mysteries' narrowed her eyes a little. She gestured with her hands for all people present in the hall to get out.
When all the people except those who were shedding tears as they prayed in silence got out of the room, the traitor paladin asked the 'purple saintess of mysteries'.
"Why did you corrupt normal people into mindless abominations?"
For the first time, her smirk faltered as she looked at him with confusion on her face. She thought he had come from one of the factions to create chaos in the holy empire.
"What do you mean?"
The paladin raised his voice and asked in a rough voice.
"Don't even dare act clueless in front of me! I decoded those cursed texts! They record how the church started unleashing the corruption a few decades ago!"
The saintess's smirk disappeared and was replaced with a serious face. The situation was a lot dire more than she had anticipated.
If he really did read the texts as he had described, then he will die sooner. It means the paladin in front of her doesn't fear anything. She asked him in a somber voice.
More importantly, he had released the god sealed inside those cursed texts. The god they have been keeping in for centuries.
"What do you actually want?"
The paladin answered in a hoarse voice with another question of his own.
"What is the purpose behind this madness? Don't you know that nearly 40% of our people have been corrupted already? What could be so important for the church to resort to something so deplorable?"
The paladin's eyes were red as he shouted at the 'purple saintess of mysteries'.
The hall went silent for a moment as the 'purple saintess of mysteries' suddenly brought her hands to cover her eyes, and then the paladin heard it.
He heard the muffled laughter coming from the 'purple saintess of mysteries'. Moments passed by as her evil laughter turned louder and she looked maniacal. She finally stopped and raised two of her fingers.
"Two reasons! That is all."
The paladin was perplexed for a moment as he asked.
"What do you mean by two reasons?"
"You heard me correctly, dear! There were two reasons why this madness was unleashed."
"What are they?"
"We were creating an empire and uniting everyone under the walls. We created this nameless empire for a reason. It was all planned since the church and this faith were created."
"What?"
He was flabbergasted after hearing this world-bending truth. If this truth were to spread, it might bring an unknown catastrophe that would ravage the continent for years.
"Yes! The church had been accumulating the corruption from centuries ago and released it just a few decades ago. We did it to unify the entire eastern continent and bring all factions under one flag. We also erected walls and divided it into sectors!"
"Why! Why such tragedy for such a petty thing! There were other ways to do it!"
The paladin's voice was increasingly drowned with despair. How could he not when half of his family, along with the family members of people in the empire, got turned into abominations by the same church they trusted so much?
The 'purple saintess of mysteries' smiled as if relishing his despair and folded one of her fingers. She then said in a melodic voice.
"That is due to the other reason and is also the main one as well."
What the paladin heard just shocked him to his core. He couldn't believe that such a conspiracy was going on throughout the continent to such a degree.
…
In the outer sector 59, the paladins in hundreds came and called out names. Some were forcefully brought, while some came out of their own volition.
Nobody could hide as they could be tracked with the collars they were wearing. They could not even kill themselves, as they were cursed to not do it.
The pale young boy, along with the old man, was present in the crowd that was made up of people whose names were called out.
Just like today, hundreds of paladins would come and take people every month. There was a notice which held the names of those who would be called out a day before they were taken.
Just like before, around a hundred people were taken by the paladins. They could not resist as they were brought to a location many dreaded.
The young boy saw the wall as they approached it. The Great wall protected them from the corrupted.
Though a few occasionally did manage to get by from the underground, they were quickly dealt before any corruption spread into the masses. Suddenly, the old man nearby started to ramble as he looked at the majestic wall.
"Do you know that you can find the sun if you travel a few miles from here?"
The pale young boy had never seen what a sun looked like. He only heard that the sun was a giant ball of fire in the sky from the old man before.
It is so bright that one cannot look into it directly without getting some blinding issues. He would always be amazed by the ramblings the old man spewed.
The old man beside him started to talk enthusiastically again as he looked at the walls.
"Do you know, if one went for a thousand miles straight from here, one could find oceans?"
"What is an ocean?"
"It is a place where there is only water and no land."
The pale young boy did not believe that something like that could exist. If there was such a large amount of water available, why did they work all day just for a handful of water?
They reached the wall and were taken to an empty field near the wall. There, their collars were removed and were replaced by another one. This time, the collars they wore were much lighter than the ones they were used to.
After replacing the collars, they were asked to change their clothes in the field with the ones they were given.
This time though, they were given a standard military set of armor the paladins used and a sword. They were given a shield that was mostly transparent. It was a retractable shield and made of frozen 'will'.
After the commotion settled down, a man in paladin armor, which looked quite unique, came towards the criminals and released an intense aura of bloodlust.
Every criminal staggered and fell down to their knees wearing paladin armor. Nobody could resist the man's aura and was pressured to the ground.
The man spoke in a commanding voice.
"I am the general assigned to this sector, and all of you are heinous criminals who have been given a chance to redeem themselves."
The general intensified his aura and spoke in his commanding voice once again.
"You will face the corrupted outside and kill them. If not, you die protecting your homeland!"
The general gave out an evil smile, and for some reason the pale young boy, along with those around him, felt chills at that sight.