"If we make the problems, why do we expect God to solve them? We rely on a deity because we are too scared to rely on ourselves. In this world, a prayer is just a way to avoid taking the next step."
The Castle of Mortius did not look like it was built by human hands. It was a giant, jagged tower that stood upon the earth like a spear driven into a dragon's back. As I looked up, the scale of it made my stomach turn. The path towards it was not a straight line; it was a winding, broken trail of obsidian that snaked over the empty void.
To my left, there was only darkness. To my right, there was only darkness.
The abyss was so deep that it seemed to pull at my eyes, reflecting the void within my own soul. I wondered how such a place could even exist. How much darkness could one world hold? But just as my legs began to feel weak, I felt a spark of warmth in my mind. I remembered the words my parents used to say back home, before the world turned cold:
*"You need to find the light in the abyss of darkness to continue walking on the right path."*
I gripped those words tightly. They were the only things the Soul Roulette couldn't take from me.
Finally, I reached the main gate. It was a massive slab of black stone, decorated with strange red and brown lights that pulsed like slow-beating veins. White stripes ran across the door, and a thick frame of grey metal held the whole thing together. It looked more like a fortress meant to keep a monster inside than a church meant to welcome people.
I leaned my shoulder against the stone and pushed. I tried to be as quiet as possible, my heart hammering against my ribs. *Please don't be anyone inside,* I prayed. But the door didn't move an inch. It was locked tight from the other side. There were no voices, no footsteps—just a heavy, suffocating silence.
"Stuck," I whispered. My breath came out as a white mist in the freezing air.
I scanned the perimeter and spotted a small set of stone stairs a few feet away. They were narrow, crumbling, and stuck to the side of the castle wall like a spiderweb. They led upward, spiraling toward the purple-tinted spires that pierced the sky.
I began to climb.
The wind picked up, howling as it rushed through the gaps in the stone. Suddenly, a swarm of massive black birds exploded from the towers above. Their wings were huge, flapping with a sound like heavy, wet silk being torn apart. Their eyes were like red embers, watching me as they circled the abyss. I pressed my back against the cold wall, my fingers digging into the cracks of the stone. One slip and I would be nothing but a memory.
After what felt like hours of climbing, my legs shaking with every step, I saw it—a window. It was large, arched, and beautiful, but it was too far away from the stairs. I couldn't reach it.
I tried to jump, but my hand slipped off the slick stone. I pulled out my small knife, hoping to jam it into a gap in the wall to use as a handhold.
*CLINK!*
The blade hit the wall and bounced back instantly. The stone was too hard, or perhaps protected by some unknown power. The vibration traveled up my arm, numbing my fingers.
"I have to go higher," I muttered to myself.
I climbed a few more steps until I was slightly above the window's ledge. The wind roared, trying to push me off. Below me, there was nothing but a mile of empty air. If I missed this jump, I wouldn't just die—I would disappear into the dark forever.
I took a deep breath, centered my weight, and leaped.
Time seemed to slow down. My fingers clawed at the air until—*SNAP*—I caught the ledge. The rough stone tore at my palms, but I didn't let go. I hauled myself up, gasping for air, and tumbled onto the windowsill. I looked back down once. The path I had walked on was now just a tiny, thin line in the distance. I was so high that the world below looked like a dream.
I stood up and turned around to look into the hall. My jaw dropped.
The environment inside the church was insane. It was a massive cathedral that stretched upward into shadows I couldn't see through. In the very center of the hall, bathed in a ghostly white light, stood a huge statue. It was a man riding a majestic dragon, his hand raised high, holding a silver sword that seemed to glow with its own power.
But as I looked at the statue, a sound began to fill the room. It was low at first, like a hum, but it grew into a rhythmic chant. It sounded like hundreds of people were kneeling in the dark, praying together, though I could see no one.
*"Oh Lord Mortius... my god, my deity... Please lay your energy on your fellow believers..."*
The voices were cold and empty. They didn't sound like people asking for help; they sounded like servants begging for a master's shadow. The hair on my arms stood up. I was inside, but I had never felt more alone.
[USER: RIAN]
[09 YEARS | 362 DAYS | 18 HOURS | 12 MINUTES]