The bronze bells of Aetheria had barely stopped echoing when the announcement was broadcasted through the mana-conduits of every hallway. The voice was cold, metallic, and carried the unmistakable authority of the Church.
"By order of the High Inquisitor, all lessons are suspended. All students are to report to the Central Plaza for the Rite of Solar Purge. Attendance is mandatory. Absence will be viewed as a confession of heresy."
The Central Plaza was a vast, open-air amphitheater that looked out over the clouds. In its center stood a massive, golden pillar—the Sun-Glaive. It was a relic designed to resonate with the pure light of the gods, acting as a tuning fork for the human soul.
Chase stood in the assembly of students, his hood pulled forward. He felt the [Scabbard of Broken Oaths] growing restless against his leg. It hated the light radiating from the Sun-Glaive; it felt like acid on his skin.
The Forced Partnership
"You're shaking," a voice hissed next to him.
Chase glanced sideways. It was Julian. The noble boy looked worse than Chase did; his arrogance had been replaced by a twitchy, frantic energy. He was staring at Chase's hand—the one that no longer wore the Void-Seal.
"If they find out what you are, they'll kill everyone standing near you," Julian whispered, his voice trembling. "I saw what happened to the floor in the arena, Chase. That wasn't 'luck.' That was a crack in the world."
[System Prompt: Manipulation Opportunity]
Target: Julian (Fear-State: High)
Action: Bind the witness.
"Then you'd better help me hide," Chase replied, his voice a low, melodic threat. "Because if I go down, I'll tell them you were the one who helped me enter the lower vaults."
Julian's face went white. He opened his mouth to protest, but the sound of heavy armor silenced the crowd.
The Inquisitor's Gaze
High Inquisitor Vane stood atop the dais, his silver cape snapping in the wind. Behind him stood a row of priests, their hands glowing with a soft, white light.
"The shadow of the Calamity has touched these halls," Vane declared, his eyes sweeping over the rows of children like a scythe through wheat. "The Sun-Glaive does not lie. One by one, you will touch the pillar. The pure will feel warmth. The tainted... will feel the fire."
One by one, students began to walk forward. Most touched the stone and walked away with a sigh of relief. But the line was moving fast, and Chase was only twenty students away.
The Scabbard's Deal
Chase felt his mana pulse—it was still too low to fight, and his disguise was fraying under the intense holy pressure of the plaza.
"The light will peel you like fruit, little spark," the Whispers laughed in his mind. "But the Scabbard can eat the light. For a price."
[System Warning: Forbidden Contract Offered]
Offer: The Scabbard will absorb the Sun-Glaive's resonance, allowing you to pass as 'Pure'.
Cost: Permanent loss of 5 Max HP and a 'Blood Bond' with the relic.
Chase looked at the golden pillar. He could see the jagged mana-veins of the device—it was designed to provoke a reaction from anything Abyssal. If he touched it now, he would explode in violet flames.
"Accept," Chase thought.
A sharp, searing pain shot through his hip as the leather of the scabbard seemed to bite into his skin. He felt a cold, dark hunger spread through his veins, settling in the palm of his hand.
The Touch
"Next. Chase of the North Wing," the priest called out.
Chase walked forward. The silence was deafening. Even Vane leaned forward, his visor glinting. Chase reached out and pressed his hand against the warm, golden surface of the Sun-Glaive.
For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then, the pillar hummed. But instead of the violent, angry red of a heretic, the pillar turned a soft, gentle blue—the color of a harmless, mediocre mana-pool.
Vane's grip on his sword-hilt loosened. The priest nodded. "Pure. Underdeveloped. Pass."
As Chase walked back into the crowd, he felt the stolen light churning in his stomach, being digested by the relic. He had survived the Sieve, but as he passed Julian, he saw the noble boy looking at him with a new kind of horror.
Julian had seen it. For a split second when Chase touched the pillar, his eyes hadn't been grey or gold. They had been a terrifying, endless black.
The Purge is over, but Chase is now "bonded" to the relic.