"You gave me your gaze, priest. Now I'll show you what Hell really looks like."
The Cathedral Tower loomed over the Grand Academy like a blade made of stained glass and prayer.
That's where Sir Lucien Dawnmarch now resided—invited as a "guest," but everyone knew the truth.
He was a spy. A hunter. A hound of the Empire.
And Kael intended to break him.
[Hidden Quest Activated: Break the Eye]
Objective: Destroy or corrupt the Divine Eye of Lucien DawnmarchTime Limit: 7 Days (Before next Academy evaluation ceremony)Reward: +300 VP, Forbidden Blessing Fragment, Lucien's Divine Skill (Tier-D, Random Extraction)Optional Bonus: Use no direct violence or dark magic in the act (+200 VP)
Kael stood before his Tomb Gate, lit by pale witchfire.
Varnak appeared beside him, robes rattling like bones in wind.
"The Divine Eye is not flesh. It is a fragment of god-light—implanted, not grown."
"So we must shatter a belief," Kael whispered. "Not a bone."
"Then show him a truth so twisted, the gods would rather go blind."
Kael stared at the wall.
And smiled.
🌒 Plan I – The Poison of Doubt
The next morning, Kael attended Lucien's open sermon at the chapel—a performance designed to intimidate the student body.
Lucien stood tall behind the altar, preaching virtue. Righteousness. Obedience.
Kael sat quietly in the back, robed, masked, unreadable.
Until, during a brief pause, he spoke.
"Sir Lucien, does your Divine Eye reveal the truth… or only the truth you believe in?"
The entire crowd turned.
Lucien's golden eye flared. "Explain."
"I've seen that gaze judge a man guilty before he speaks. That's not justice. That's prophecy. And prophets burn entire cities for their visions."
"You question the gift of the gods?"
Kael's voice didn't rise. Didn't falter.
"I question anyone who calls power a gift."
[System: Influence Gained — 4 students now doubt Lucien's purity.]
Lucien trembled—just slightly. Enough.
🌑 Plan II – Mirror of the Fallen
Two days later, Kael sent an anonymous package to Lucien's private quarters.
Inside: a mirror.
Cursed not by magic—but by truth.
The reflection in the mirror was enchanted by illusion runes to show not one's face, but one's most shameful act.
When Lucien gazed into it… he saw a young boy, screaming, burning in holy fire—his own mistake. A false heretic. Killed without trial.
Lucien recoiled. Slammed the mirror down. But the damage had begun.
[System Alert: Lucien's Divine Eye has begun to desynchronize.][Mental Conflict Detected. Doubt infection: 16%]
🌘 Plan III – The Eye That Cried Blood
On the sixth night, Kael walked the halls alone.
Until he found Lucien, standing in the moonlight, hand to his brow.
"Raven Ashfall," the knight said quietly. "You are not a demon. Nor are you righteous. You… unsettle me."
Kael tilted his head.
"That's because I exist between your truths."
Lucien's Divine Eye suddenly flared—unbidden.
Kael stepped closer, unmasking only the lower half of his face.
"Look deeper."
And then—
He whispered a name.
The name of the boy Lucien killed.
The one from the mirror.
Lucien's face drained of blood.
His eye trembled.
And then—it bled.
Golden tears of blood poured from his socket as the Divine Eye cracked like glass.
He screamed.
"What… have you… done…?"
Kael turned.
"I showed you the truth your god was too afraid to reveal."
[Hidden Quest Complete: Break the Eye]+300 Villain Points+200 Bonus Points (No magic or violence used)Item Gained: Forbidden Blessing Fragment (1/7)Skill Extracted: Divine Sense – Tier D (Converted to Dark Alignment)
Divine Sense (Corrupted): See the fear, guilt, or desire in others' souls. May cause hallucinations with prolonged exposure.
🌑 Later — Tomb Gate
Lucien was gone.
Taken by Empire clerics for "spiritual cleansing."
Kael stood within the growing tomb, gazing into a pool of bloodglass.
"One eye cracked," he said. "Six thrones left."
Varnak knelt.
"Shall I prepare for war?"
"No," Kael whispered. "Prepare for believers."