No.25's POV
My lips parted,
"I shall give life where death has taken it… I shall preserve life where death shall come."
"I shall become the shelter of the weak, the sanctuary of the forsaken, the light that remains when every other light has faded."
"I shall bear what they cannot bear… I shall suffer what they cannot suffer… I shall bleed so that they may remain unbroken."
"I shall give them warmth… while I embrace the cold."
"I shall give them tomorrow… while I surrender my own."
The people inside the Sanctum could hear me.
"Where death comes… I shall stand."
They could hear my painful breathing.
"Where darkness spreads… I shall burn."
They could hear the weakness hidden within my voice.
"Where fate closes its hand… I shall tear its fingers apart."
They could hear their God struggling to remain standing.
And they understood.
Their bodies trembled.
One person lowered their head.
Then another.
Soon, thousands of heads bowed simultaneously.
Shame filled their hearts.
