Pieter Smit woke up in the middle of the night. For some reason, a feeling of unease made him decide to check on Kyne. He walked slowly down the hallway of his small house and opened the door to the study where Kyne was writing letters. The light from the oil lamp, almost extinguished, made the room dim.
There, he found Kyne asleep on the table, his head resting on his arms. Ink still clung to the tip of his pen, and a neatly folded letter lay beside him. It was unclear how long the boy had been asleep.
"Hmm… this boy," Pieter muttered softly, but he smiled slightly. His expression was gentle, like a father looking at his own child.
He slowly took a warm blanket from the chair and covered Kyne with it to protect him from the cold. After making sure Kyne was comfortable, he turned off the oil lamp and returned to his room. It wasn't long before Pieter fell asleep again.
Morning greeted the town of Sandburg with a soft, cool air. A thin mist hung between the old buildings, giving it a mysterious yet peaceful feel. Small birds occasionally chirped from the rooftops, as if welcoming the new day.
Kyne walked beside Pieter Smit, carrying the letter he had finished last night. Although his face still looked a little sleepy, there was a small, hard-to-conceal gleam in his eyes—a mix of hope and excitement.
"Let's send your letter first," Pieter said, tying the straps of his long coat. "I'll do my morning patrol as well."
Kyne nodded. He quickened his pace to keep pace with Pieter. This was his first time seeing the town of Sandburg clearly in daylight.
The wooden houses were lined up close together, their wooden roofs looking somewhat worn by time. The streets were filled with small vendors, shoppers, and a few workers just starting their day. It wasn't as busy as Astorn, but it still felt lively.
Upon arriving at the post office, Kyne stood for a moment before dropping the letter into the mailbox.
"Finally…" he said with a sigh of relief. "I hope Dad, Mom, and Brother can read my letter soon."
Pieter patted Kyne gently on the shoulder. "Your family will be proud to hear from you."
Kyne smiled slightly. "Thanks, Pieter."
"How about we go around town? You should know the important places in Sandburg."
Kyne nodded. He always enjoyed the opportunity to explore new places.
The two of them walked through the market, hearing greetings from several residents who already knew Pieter as the town guard. Kyne was introduced one by one, and although a bit shy, he still gave a smile and a small greeting to everyone they met.
Just as the sun was starting to rise, Pieter invited Kyne to rest at an ancient-looking spot.
An old church stood at the end of the street. The building was large, but it looked as if it hadn't been cleaned in a long time. Moss and weeds were growing on the exterior walls. The stained-glass windows, which should have reflected beautiful light, looked dull and covered in dust.
"Can we come in?" Kyne asked innocently.
But before Pieter could answer, a man who looked like a church guard came out from the side of the building.
"What are you guys doing here?" His voice was deep, like someone who hadn't spoken in a long time.
"We're just taking a short break," Pieter replied, sitting on a bench outside the church. "Half a day of walking has made our legs tired."
Kyne eyed the tall church doors with great curiosity. "Can we come in?" he asked hesitantly.
The church guard stared at Kyne for a long moment, as if considering the right answer.
"You want to come in?" He sighed. "Actually… I wanted to stop you. But if I did, I'd look suspicious."
Kyne frowned, not understanding. But the guard had already taken the key from his coat pocket.
Click.
The church doors opened.
As they opened, the cold air from inside hit their faces.
Kyne stepped inside slowly.
The room was large, with high ceilings and majestic pillars. Yet everything seemed to be shrouded in sadness. The chandeliers burned dimly, giving the building a gloomy atmosphere.
On every side of the building, dust accumulated thickly. The long benches were neatly lined up, but they looked as if they had been untouched for years.
"Why is this room… so dusty?" Kyne asked quietly.
The church guard replied in a flat voice, "Because the person who built this church forbade anyone from worshipping here. He cursed it."
Kyne was shocked. "Cursed… the church? Why?"
"There's a dark history to this place."
He began to tell his story.
Long ago, a group of people in black robes—a cult that people called satanic—entered this church. They performed forbidden rituals in the center of the sacred altar, unconcerned about the ground they were treading.
The church owner, an elderly priest, tried to stop them. But the group instead threatened him again… a threat so cruel that it made the church guard shudder just remembering it.
They said they would kill the church owner and use his body as a sacrifice for the resurrection of the king they worshipped.
"In the end," the guard said in a low voice, "the church owner chose to close this place and curse it. He said that anyone who worships inside will lose their peace."
Kyne swallowed, feeling a chill run down his spine. But his curiosity far outweighed his fear.
He walked slowly around the room.
He stopped at an old bookshelf standing near the left wall.
The shelf was mostly empty, except for a single, dusty tome, as if placed there intentionally.
"What book is this…?" Kyne muttered.
He pulled it out. The church guard approached, staring at it in confusion.
"I've never seen this book before," he said softly.
Kyne opened the book.
The first page was blank.
The second page was blank.
Only a few pages had writing, and all of it was in ancient Greek. One of the largest inscriptions read:
"Η Αυτού Μεγαλειότητα Σίγουρα θα Αναστηθεί Σύντομα"
Which means:
"Our Majesty will surely be resurrected soon."
Kyne read it slowly, as if touched by something he didn't understand. He couldn't read Greek at all.
"…Who is Our Majesty…?" he murmured. "Is… there a ruler greater than a noble? Or… someone more dangerous?"
He turned to the next page.
There was a black-and-white painting. The drawing was crude, but it clearly depicted a group of black-robed people performing a ritual, forming a circle with strange candles.
In the center of the circle…
There was a giant, dark figure.
It had no human form. It was like a living shadow.
Kyne swallowed hard, then turned to the church guard.
"What does this picture mean—"
But his sentence was cut off.
The church guard… was gone.
There were no footsteps. No door opening.
He had simply vanished.
Kyne called out softly,
"Hello…? Sir guard?"
There was no answer.
When he looked back—his heart skipped a beat.
The church door he had entered…
It had transformed into a large, black door… much taller than before.
Thick, grayish smoke began to pour out from the cracks in the floor. The previously dimly lit room began to feel like a secluded space in another world.
"W-what's happening…?"
It was stuffy. Cold. Dark. The air pressure changed drastically.
Kyne took a step back, but the floor behind him vanished like mist.
He began to panic.
"Could it be… this is why this church is called the cursed church…?"
A faint voice could be heard from afar—either a whisper or just a gust of wind. But the voice kept calling… growing clearer and clearer.
A negative aura surrounded him from all directions.
A deep sound could be heard…
…like the breathing of a creature not of the human world.
Kyne closed his eyes.
He didn't know…
what would happen next.