The cathedral's lowest levels were ancient. Darker, colder, and heavier with each step downward.It was a place forgotten by even the highest clerics — a prison built before most kingdoms even existed.
Clerics in red ceremonial robes lined the hall, chanting softly. Their faces were pale. Some of them were trembling.
Tanisha walked at the front, her holy staff clutched tightly. Beside her was Elisar, his heavy boots echoing on the stone floor.
Behind them followed teams of other bishops, magicians, and knights — each carrying blessed chains, relics, and scrolls.
At the end of the descent, a heavy iron gate stood.
The walls around it were cracked and scarred, as if something had once pounded against them endlessly.
Two magicians raised their hands. Ancient spells lit up, unlocking the massive gate with a groan of metal.
The gate opened.
Inside was darkness. No light reached the chamber. No sound echoed from within.
Only a smell.
Rotting blood. Burned flesh. Death. Tanisha forced herself not to gag.
Even seasoned knights stepped back instinctively.
Elisar didn't flinch. He raised his hand, and a holy light burst from his palm, illuminating the cell.
There, chained to the walls, arms and legs spread apart, was Pauli.
Or what was left of him.
A beastkin with silver-gray hair, long enough to reach the floor. His ears, once pointed, were torn.His arms were covered in thick scars, branding marks, and burned-in chains of cursed metal.He was shirtless, his chest a map of old wounds and seal scripts burned into the skin.
Despite being chained for decades, his body looked powerful. Not starved. Not weak.
Muscles thick and solid. Breathing slow and steady.
Pauli opened his eyes.
Two glowing crimson irises stared at the group.
For a moment, no one spoke. Even the bravest knights held their weapons tighter.
Elisar stepped forward calmly.
"Pauli."
The beastkin's head tilted slowly, like an animal curious about prey.
"You will be given freedom, Temporary freedom. You are tasked with finding and killing a Cursewright. His name is Azel."
No response.
The clerics began chanting louder.
Chains of light formed in the air — divine contracts, binding spells, soul geas seals.
As the spells wrapped around Pauli, his body jerked once.
Elisar raised a hand.A knight stepped forward with a long iron rod, tip glowing with sacred fire.
"Brand him!"
The knight hesitated — only a split-second — then thrust the rod forward.
The sacred brand slammed against Pauli's chest.The chamber shook from the impact.
Pauli didn't scream. He only smiled. A slow, wide, unnatural smile.
When the rod was pulled away, the burning mark remained — a complex rune of obedience.
Tanisha turned to the assembled magicians.
"Release him!"
Seven magicians nodded. Together, they began reciting the final unsealing chant.
The chains on Pauli's arms cracked.
The cursed metals shattered one by one.
The seal scripts burned off his skin like paper.
The iron collar around his neck burst into pieces.
In one breath, Pauli stood.
The ground cracked under his bare feet.
His full height towered over every knight, his frame now visible in terrifying clarity.He looked almost human... but the beast-like hunger in his eyes said otherwise.
Pauli stretched his arms casually.
A nearby knight flinched which made Pauli's smile wider.
Elisar stepped forward again, unshaken.
"You will hunt the Cursewright known as Azel. You are forbidden to kill anyone else unless absolutely necessary."
A golden chain attached to Pauli's ankle glowed — a reminder of the divine command tied to his soul.
Pauli's voice finally broke the silence. It was low. Rough. Almost playful.
"Cursed blood... eh... smells good."
Tanisha stepped forward, forcing herself to speak.
"Complete your task and we will grant you one wish other than freeing you."
Pauli tilted his head, staring at her.
Then laughed.
It was not a human laugh. It was the sound of something feral, hungry, amused.
The knights shifted uneasily.
Without waiting for permission, Pauli turned, walking slowly out of the cell. Chains of light clinked at his ankle, but they didn't slow him.
The guards parted like broken leaves as he passed.
Elisar watched him go.
"We will track him closely. If he disobeys even slightly, we activate the brand. His soul will be torn apart instantly."
Elisar said to the holy knights. The knight captain nodded grimly.
Tanisha followed after Pauli, her heart heavy. Inside, she still hated this plan. Unleashing a monster to kill another monster. It felt wrong. But the survival of the church came first.
It always came first.