Blood Eclipse
The silence in the room was broken only by the sound of the wind whistling through the balcony door and the occasional muffled noise of Chagas in the distance. Yuzuki watched Gotier, attentive and absorbed in the story the priest was telling. He had never imagined that the man he knew as a spiritual guide had lived such a dark and bloody life.
Picking up the whiskey bottle again, Yuzuki took another swig, lit a cigarette, and exhaled the smoke slowly, as if trying to ease the tension swelling in his chest.
" The Church of the Holy Faith is widely known across the continent of Pangeia," Gotier continued, never taking his eyes off the city. "They are seen as saviors, liberators of poor towns, redeemers of misery. And for a time, even I believed it. I thought it was a good opportunity to make money."
Gotier paused, his gaze drifting to a distant memory.
" What I didn't know at first was that the Church accepted me not in spite of my cruelty, but because of it. They needed Gotier the murderer, the predator. My city was a hell, Yuzuki. There were only two types of people: the hunter and the hunted. I was the hunter, and they knew that to grow stronger, they needed someone like me."
He took another swallow of whiskey, as though the alcohol were a shield for his courage.
" At first, I only thought about the money. I allowed them to build temples in the city and use my influence to expand their power. Meanwhile, anyone who opposed the Church was eliminated. I hunted down those who resisted, Yuzuki. Literally." Gotier's eyes grew heavy. "The streets ran red with blood."
Yuzuki remained silent, absorbing every word.
" Gradually, the city prospered. What was once a dump turned into a wealthy metropolis full of opportunity. People convert quickly when they're afraid. And at thirty, I was officially ordained a priest. But I wasn't just any priest."
Gotier raised an eyebrow, offering a bitter smile.
" I was a Blood Priest, Yuzuki—a rank above ordinary priests. My job was simple: to expand the Church's dominion. Towns and villages that refused the Red Eclipse God were razed to the ground. Men were killed. Women enslaved. Children turned into soldiers or priests."
Yuzuki gripped the bottle tightly but said nothing.
" And I loved every second of it," Gotier confessed in a low, cutting voice. "The blood, the chaos, the power. It felt like the life I was meant to lead. The people we killed became sacrifices for the Red Eclipse God's rituals. And I believed it all made sense."
The Song in the Darkness
Gotier paused for a long moment before continuing. His eyes, once filled with rage and painful memories, softened slightly.
" Over time, my power grew. I commanded many priests and influenced dozens of churches. But something unexpected happened."
He took another sip of whiskey and glanced up at the clouded sky.
" Among the Church's slaves was a woman… she used to sing. Not a cheerful song, but not a sad one either. It was a melody of hope—something that seemed absent from that place."
Gotier let out a humorless laugh.
" She'd sing from a monastery balcony. I used to think she'd jump one day. But she never did. She'd sit there, gazing at something only she could see."
He looked at Yuzuki, ensuring he grasped the importance of his words.
" I didn't know who she was or what kept her alive. I only heard her voice. Over time, I found myself waiting for it. It… brought me peace."
He paused before revealing her name.
" Her name was Lili. She had a daughter, Mila, just four years old. A joyful child who seemed oblivious to the horror around her."
Gotier's eyes glistened with restrained emotion.
" Lili was dark-haired, brown-eyed, with silky hair that shone even in the gloom. But it wasn't her beauty that captivated me. It was her song. Her faith in something no one else in the monastery believed."
Yuzuki remained silent, the cigarette almost forgotten between his fingers.
" To have a slave like Lili, you had to pay in coins. And I had plenty. I didn't buy her to use her as others did. I only wanted to hear her music. And over time, I befriended Mila too."
Gotier closed his eyes, recalling moments that felt like a different life.
" The little girl made me feel something I hadn't felt in years, Yuzuki. Something I thought was dead inside me. Mila played with me as if I were ordinary. And Lili… she began to trust me."
He sighed deeply, as though his words gravely burdened him.
" A woman and a child, Yuzuki… they changed me. Even a monster like me."
The chapter ended with Gotier staring out at Chagas. His voice, heavy with sorrow and regret, seemed to be swallowed by the night. Yuzuki stood beside him in silence, his gaze distant. He knew Gotier's story was far from over.
Gotier fixed his gaze on Chagas's horizon—lit by scattered bonfires and the faint glow of the moon, which seemed to flee that place of darkness. Yuzuki remained by his side, inhaling on his cigarette, while the priest, the whiskey bottle now nearly empty, continued his tale, his voice wavering between coldness and remorse.
" Lili and Mila were everything to me."
The priest clenched his fist, as if holding something invisible.
" For the first time in my life, I felt human. But it was an illusion, Yuzuki. A man like me has no right to happiness… not without a price. And the Church of the Holy Faith is merciless. If they discovered I had a family, they would kill not only me but them as well."
Yuzuki inhaled on his cigarette, watching Gotier's hands tremble ever so slightly, then exhaled a cloud of smoke into the frigid air.
" You knew the Church would find out, didn't you?" Yuzuki asked softly.
Gotier nodded, his eyes fixed on nothing. "I knew. And when the Eclipse God began speaking to me through the mark on my chest, I realized something terrible was coming. The pain… was unbearable. It was as if something was burning my soul."
Yuzuki narrowed his eyes. "And what did he say?"
Gotier laughed—a dry, bitter sound. "He gave me a choice: sacrifice the entire city in his name in exchange for freedom for me, Lili, and Mila. It was a pact… but for me, there was no other way."
Yuzuki met his gaze, expression solemn. "And you accepted."
Gotier turned to Yuzuki, his look cold and intense. "I did not hesitate, Yuzuki. Because a man without family is already dead. And I was willing to destroy everything to save them."
Pensou por um segundo
"A Blood Moon"
That night, the sky opened in a red eclipse, bathing the streets in an infernal light. The city, once vibrant, was silent, as if death hovered over it.
Gotier walked the streets in his blood-priest's robes—red and black vestments billowing in the wind. His presence was both feared and revered, and the townsfolk greeted him with respect, unaware that the man they hailed would soon become their executioner.
He began at the church, where priests and faithful had gathered for an evening prayer. The crowd knelt before the altar, their faces lit by trembling candlelight.
"Father Gotier!" called a deacon, smiling. "We've come to give thanks for the miracle you've brought to our city."
Gotier studied him for a moment before whispering, "The miracle is not yet complete."
Before the deacon could react, Gotier slid his ceremonial dagger across the man's throat, ears to ears. Hot blood spattered across the altar, dripping onto the Eclipse God's symbol.
Panic erupted. Worshippers screamed, scrambling for the exits, but the church doors slammed shut, barred by Gotier's soldiers. The slaughter began.
Mothers pressed their children to their chests, desperate to shield them. Men rushed toward Gotier, pleading for mercy.
"Why?!" cried a woman, terror in her wide eyes. "You saved us! You were our hero!"
Gotier stared at her, expressionless. "There are no heroes. Only survivors."
His blade glittered again. Silence descended upon the church.
The Faithful Massacre
Soon the streets became a hunting ground. The elderly ran in desperation, seeking refuge in vain places. Children wept as their mothers begged for mercy. Their cries echoed like a macabre symphony through the very streets Gotier had helped build.
"Father Gotier! Please, spare us! We are your family!"
"Family?" Gotier echoed, irony heavy in his voice. "I have no family. Not while the Eclipse God demands everything."
The city transformed into a living nightmare.
Houses were set aflame; people fled in every direction, their screams mingling with the crackle of burning wood. Blood-soaked alleys reflected the eclipse's crimson glow.
Gotier walked among the wreckage, eyes empty. He wouldn't allow himself to feel—any hesitation, and his God would destroy him.
An old man knelt before him, eyes brimming with tears. "Father Gotier, please… my granddaughter—she's only a child…"
Gotier looked down at the girl's lifeless body beside him. He couldn't recall having slain her.
"Compassion is weakness."
He shoved the old man, who collapsed, sobbing into the mire.
A young woman was dragged by two church soldiers before Gotier. She struggled, eyes wild with fear.
"Please!" she cried. "I never denied the faith! I have always served the Eclipse God!"
Gotier stared through her. "Then serve him in death."
With a single precise strike, he drove his blade into her heart.
Children darted through the alleyways, their thin voices begging for their parents. Women tried to flee, but the church's soldiers were swift.
They set each house ablaze in turn, watching the flames consume what once symbolized hope. The river running through the city turned red with the blood of those who tried to swim away, only to be cut down by the very soldiers who followed Gotier's orders.
A child clung to her mother's corpse, pleading with Gotier in trembling whispers. "You said you'd protect us…"
Gotier hesitated—but only for an instant. He knew any sign of weakness would earn the God's wrath. "Protection is a lie."
With one blow, he silenced the child and turned away, leaving the body to lie in the blood-soaked mud.
Crimson under Moonlight
At dawn, there was no one left. Three hundred thousand souls had been sacrificed in the name of the Eclipse God.
Gotier drew a deep breath. His God was pleased.
The sun returned to the sky, gilded as though trying to mask the carnage it had witnessed.
Gotier's Escape
With the city consumed by massacre, Gotier raced to his home, where Lili and Mila slept, oblivious to the horror outside. He woke them gently, silencing their protests and cradling them in his arms.
The streets were deserted; only the crackle of flames and the thud of collapsing bodies broke the silence.
He mounted the horse waiting at his doorstep. "Don't ask questions," he told Lili, eyes fierce. "Just hold Mila and trust me."
They rode away, leaving the city they once called home to burn beneath the fading red eclipse.
Gotier never looked back.