The old man grunted and jabbed a finger at Kael’s face. "So, you’re saying you don’t know ?"
Kael scowled, already annoyed. He tried to dig through his mories, but nothing about this wrinkled old man rang a bell. "I don’t think I know."
Baret and Gare almost slamd their faces into the ground. They opened their mouths to scream his na, but to their horror, they couldn’t. It was like sothing was choking them.
"YOU!" The old man’s forehead bulged with thick veins. "You’re saying you’ve never seen this face before?"
Kael clicked his tongue. "Fuck no! Old man, do you have a hearing problem?"
"BASTARD!"
SLAP!
The old man stomped on the ground, creating a shockwave that made the air tremble. Everyone around them froze in fear. "You don’t know ?! Then who the fuck do you know?!"
Kael raised an eyebrow. "Why are you behaving like that as if you are my long-lost sugar daddy or sothing?"
"You don’t know your Uncle, you shithead!"
Kael’s body stiffened. He turned his head and saw Baret and Gare sweating bullets. They hesitantly nodded.
"Uncle...?" Kael muttered, blinking. Then, he frowned. "But you look so old."
"Because I am old, you dumbass!"
Kael stared at him, and suddenly, mories hit him like a brick. A younger version of this old fart, once standing toe-to-toe with his father, now aged like spoiled milk.
His uncle was a tall man, more taller than that old coot. Quite majestic and strong but now, he looked like an old man who aged a lot.
"Wait... I rember now! You’re Ramos Veydrin!"
Ramos’s face twisted before he sighed. "So, you finally rember , huh?"
"Uh... yeah... I an, you looked different before. You were kinda handso, but now..."
"But now?" Ramos narrowed his eyes.
"Haa! Nothing..." Kael coughed. "So, Uncle, why are you here?"
Ramos gave him a long, scrutinizing stare. "You look different from the last ti I saw you."
Kael yawned. "And when was that?"
"You were six."
"..." Kael’s lips twitched. "That long ago? Yeah, no wonder I forgot."
"So why are you following ?"
"I wasn’t following you, kid," Ramos grunted. "I was here for so work when I saw you trying to turn this place into a war zone." He pointed at the knights and paladins clashing in the courtyard.
Kael smirked. "They were just playing. Warming up, y’know?"
The knights and paladins, still locked in combat, suddenly paused and nodded. "Uh... Yeah... Just warming up."
"See?" Kael grinned. "Now, let’s go inside." He shoved his hands in his pockets and strolled forward, clicking his tongue.
Ramos raised an eyebrow. "Did you just click your tongue?"
Kael scoffed. "Bah! You must be hearing things, old man." He sped up, muttering under his breath. ’Damn it! I wanted chaos, but this old fart ruined my fun!’
......
Inside, Kael’s gaze landed on a massive statue of a winged woman. Worshippers knelt before it, whispering prayers. It was the Goddess of Prosperity, Thea.
He sneered. ’Prosperity, my ass. This bitch destroys everything and makes people pray for her to fix it.’
’What a sinister God?’
Many people know her benevolent side but only he knew about this bitch cruelty.
Ramos stood beside him, while Baret and Gare were being healed. Kael watched as the priest worked and felt his irritation grow.
’I hate them.’
Temples hoarded all the good healers. Anyone born with healing abilities was forced to join the Church, given blessings that made their powers stronger and turned into brainwashed servants of the gods. Without them, the Church would crumble in a year.
That’s the main reason why you can’t find good healers around. Cause without the blessing of divinity, a healer would be stuck at E or D rank.
Their level-up condition is harsh. Not like others who can level up by killing.
Kael clenched his fists and stared at Thea’s statue. ’Fuck! I wanna break this damn thing.’
A smooth voice interrupted his thoughts. "You don’t look well, Emanuel."
Kael’s eyes flicked up. A white-robed man with a warm smile walked toward him. His presence felt like sunshine, but Kael only felt like puking.
The man greeted Ramos. "It has been a long ti, Sir Ramos."
"Certainly has, Bishop Joseph," Ramos replied, his tone as dry as sandpaper.
Kael imdiately noticed the tension. These two were glaring at each other like they wanted to rip each other apart.
Joseph smiled thinly. "Your nephew seems to have inherited your habit of poking at sacred places."
Ramos rubbed his nose. "What can I say? He hates hypocrites. It’s in our blood."
Kael widened his eyes in fake shock. "What? Uncle, are you telling that I got my talent for causing chaos from you?" He turned to Joseph and smirked. "Wow. Guess it runs in the family."
Joseph clicked his tongue. "You take after Lord Ramos. Both in manners and attitude... and both lacking dignity unlike your father who had an epito of dignity."
Kael grinned. "At least I do things with a clear conscience. Unlike a certain white-robed bastard."
"Hahaha!" Ramos slapped Kael on the back, making him stumble. "Damn! That’s my nephew! I like it!"
Bishop Joseph’s expression darkened at Kael’s words. His warm smile twitched, threatening to crack. He turned his gaze back to Ramos, his voice maintaining a forced calm.
"I see your influence runs deep, Sir Ramos. No dignity, no pride. Just two n who revel in chaos."
Ramos grinned, unfazed. "Dignity and pride? Big words coming from a man wrapped in white robes while your little sheep lick the dirt at your feet."
He glanced at the priests tending to the wounded. "How does it feel, Joseph? Knowing they don’t pray to the gods out of devotion but out of fear? That without these so-called blessings, your church is nothing but a rotting corpse waiting to collapse?"
Joseph’s fingers twitched. His composure wavered for a split second before he regained control. "Faith is what binds people together. Without it, there is only chaos."
Ramos chuckled, stepping closer. "Faith, huh? More like chains. You lot pretend to be saviors, but you’re just well-dressed slavers. Binding the weak with false hope, hoarding power, and acting as if you’re above the rest." His voice dropped, laced with mockery. "You think your gods care? If they did, they’d have struck down by now."
Joseph’s nostrils flared. "Blaspher!"
Ramos smirked. "Oh no, I’m scared. What are you gonna do? Smite with a sermon?"
Karl felt his eyes opening to the new world.
The old man had a step ahead.
Kael snickered, watching Joseph’s face contort. "Damn, Uncle, you really have a talent for pissing off people.I adore your."
Joseph took a step forward, his hands clenched into fists. His mask of serenity cracked. "You—!"
BOOOOOOOM!
The entire church trembled as an explosion tore through the building. A section of the grand structure was obliterated in an instant, the force of the blast sending debris flying like shrapnel. Marble pillars crumbled like sand, and stained-glass windows shattered into a rain of colorful shards, painting the air with glittering death.
The golden chandeliers swung violently before snapping from the ceiling, crashing onto the stone floor with deafening clangs.
A shockwave surged through the entire place, shaking the foundations so violently that people staggered and fell. Statues of saints and gods cracked and collapsed, their divine figures reduced to rubble. The murals that once depicted holy stories made of glass were torn apart as sections of the ceiling caved in.
Screams filled the air as priests, knights, and commoners alike scrambled to find cover.
Through the massive hole where the church wall once stood, a blinding pillar of light erupted into the sky. It was like a lance of divine fury, piercing the heavens and illuminating the world in an ethereal glow. The sheer force of its presence sent a deep, bone-chilling tremor through everyone’s bodies.
Kael, Ramos, and Joseph froze, forgetting what they were doing just now.
A suffocating aura washed over them, making their bodies feel heavy. The air turned thick, almost unbreathable. Every hair on their bodies stood on end as an overwhelming, otherworldly power pressed down upon them.
Kael’s smirk disappeared.
Ramos narrowed his eyes.
Joseph swallowed hard and spoke.
"OOPS! It seems soone’s patience snapped."
For the first ti in a long while, none of them had anything to say.
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