Godless Blood: Last Apostle

Silver walked through the maze-like paths of the desert village after successfully sneaking past the guards again, thanks to his small size.

The knife in his hands was now wrapped in a worn cloth that he found stuck on a Sagebloom cactus, which he found easily thanks to the worn fabric standing out from the purple and golden flowers of the plant.

It felt oddly comforting in his hands… Maybe he felt safer in the night now that he had a weapon. He tried to hold it in a way so that the blood on his hands wouldn't dirty the cloth. It was going to be a gift to his sister.

He walked past a few merchants who gave him a puzzled look, and past the stray dogs behind a fence who barked at the smell of blood. But he didn't care. His focus and will were on the present, as he did his best keeping it safe.

Finally, after having to retrace his tracks twice due to getting slightly lost, he stood in front of Mira's hut, which was slightly more decorated than the others. There were unopened gifts in front of the door, which was weird, since Mira usually opened all the gifts sent to her by the village's kids and even adults who admired her.

Silver felt a bit confused, but overlooked it as he walked closer towards the worn, wooden door. He knew he couldn't stay long, or else the other villagers would pester Mira with keeping their children in the decorated house even more.

But as soon as he reached the door, he froze. He heard a voice. Mira's… But he could hear someone else's voice too. They were speaking in a lower tone, definitely more serious than usual.

Silver paused, now unsure whether knocking would be a good idea. He stood there, contemplating his choices, before he suddenly heard a chair scraping on the floor as the voices died down. He winced, before stepping back. Whoever was talking to mira was coming out.

Suddenly, the air changed. Silver could feel it. Whoever was walking towards the door had a sort of mysterious aura around them. He could feel their presence, even though the door was blocking their way. He immediately realized who it belonged to… And he slowly took a step back. He knew what this meant for him.

As the weathered door knob turned, Silver held the dagger closer to his chest, as he steeled himself for what would come next…

The door opened, revealing horns, long, black and twisted, as well as the scent of magic, something he knew too well. A figure stepped out.

"...Silver..? Is that you..?"

Silver tensed, as he closed his eyes. The figure reached a clawed hand out, each of the claws sharp and tended to, as the shadowed figure…

…Pat him on the head. The wrinkled palm of the figure rubbed Silver's head, until his hair stood up.

Silver winced, before pouting, as he used his free hand to push it away.

"Elder..! Stop! I'm not a kid anymore..!"

The village elder, a short yet sharp figure emerged into daylight. His multi-colored flowered robe, signalling his role as the Elder, was slightly tattered from age but well-maintained, his movements slow and deliberate, as if always careful not to harm even the ground he walks on.

The expression on his white and wrinkled face is serene, but the most striking feature is that his eyes remain shut—always. It was the village head, Elder Cheonho.

"Hey, stop it, you monster- Huwahk!"

The child let out a cry as the elder rubbed his cheek, careful as to not let his sharp claws hurt him.

"It's Cheonho! How many times do I have to tell you, child?"

As Silver was fighting off the barrage of head pats and tickling, Mira peered from the opened door, lured by the sudden event.

"...Silver? What are you doing here..? Elder!"

The elder laughed as the boy tried to escape his mighty hold, before raising his hands and stepping back after being given a death glare by Mira. Silver, finally free, ran towards the safety of his big sister Mira.

As the village elder stepped back, chuckling, Silver felt a rare moment of relief. The playful banter with Cheonho had lifted some of the weight from his shoulders. For a fleeting moment, it almost felt like everything was normal again.

Silver turned to Mira, who looked at him with both softness and curiosity, holding the dagger carefully in his hands.

Mira's eyes widened as she saw the present, as she stepped outside, her soft gaze falling on Silver, still clutching the wrapped cloth with a tenderness that made her heart tighten. The act of giving her something so precious, a symbol of his care, made her feel a warmth she hadn't realized she was missing.

"Silver… Is that for me?"

The boy simply smiled brightly, holding out the now whispering dagger to her, and missing the warnings the dagger spoke into his head as he was too entrapped in his own feelings.

Mira gave him an equally bright smile as she slowly reached out for the clothed dagger.

"...Thank you… You shouldn't have."

But as her hands gently took the dagger from him, she paused. There was a moment of stillness, a tension in the air that she couldn't explain. She unwrapped the dagger, and saw the slight glint of the black steel.

The dagger felt too... familiar. Too perfect. And yet, despite the faint prickling sensation in the air, there was no magic. She couldn't sense a single trace of mana emanating from it, which unsettled her more than she'd care to admit.

"What is this?" she asked, the confusion clear in her voice, as she inspected the blade, feeling its weight. "It's... beautiful, but... strange."

The elder, who had remained quiet, now stepped forward, his eyes still closed as his sharp fingers gently traced the edge of the blade, his brow furrowing slightly. "Hmm... this feels... different." He paused, and though his sightless eyes never opened, it was clear he was focusing intently on something hidden just beneath the surface. "But there's no mana here... No signature of any sort… Who made it?"

Mira frowned, a bit uncomfortable. Usually, weapons like these have a Mana stigma bound onto it, which worked as a signature, since everyone's mana patterns were different.

Silver frowned, as he listened to the conversation, reading the puzzled expressions on their faces. "Is it bad?" he asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

"No," Mira answered quickly, her tone softening as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "No, it's not bad. Just... unusual." Her lips quivered with a smile. "I love it, Silver. Thank you."

Silver, who was still confused about the situation, smiled anyway. Mira liked it. That's all he wanted to hear.

Suddenly, Mira yelped, putting a hand to her head as he suddenly stumbled back from him, dropping the half opened present. The Elder flinched, as Silver jumped back, surprised.

Mira froze for a second, before muttering something under her breath, and standing back up. Seeing the boy's face stare up at her in shock and worry, she forced a smile to her face. However, Silver could tell she looked more tired than before. The Elder sighed, his expression darkening.

"...Is it the repercussions again?"

Mira put a hand to her seashell necklace, which glinted ominously in the sun, before slowly nodding.

Silver, still extremely confused, glanced at the both of them with a disoriented yet worried face.

Mira slowly bent down to pick up the clothed dagger again, before reclosing the cloth, and giving a pained smile to silver. Before he could speak, Mira cut him off with a slightly strained voice.

"...I'm sorry. Thank you for the gift… I love it, really. But… This isn't the right time. Your big sister needs some rest, okay?"

Silver opened his mouth, as if trying to say something, but then promptly closed it as he nodded.

"...Okay…"

Mira tilted her head, feeling bad about the whole thing… But then let out a breath as she smiled again. And with one last hesitating look, she retreated back into her hut, closing the door behind her, leaving only silence behind.

Silver lowered his head. The sun continued to relentlessly bore down onto him, casting a shadow over his face, as he spoke to the elder, not turning to look at him.

"...Elder… What's happening to Mira..?"

Silver was confused. Mira had changed. She was no longer the loving sister that pushed back anything just to talk to him. Something was wrong… The look in her eyes when she suddenly stumbled back. He knew that look.

It was pain. A deep, uncontrollable pain.

The elder turned his head towards his direction, still not opening his eyes. He sighed, before putting a clawed hand onto Silver's shoulder.

"...My child…" the elder's voice was low, his tone far more serious than usual. The playful mirth from earlier had disappeared, replaced by an unsettling depth. "Mira... She is not the same as before. I've watched her closely these past months. She is changing."

Silver's heart tightened, the words reverberating in his chest like a heavy weight. "What do you mean? What's happening to her?" His voice cracked slightly, despite his efforts to keep it steady.

The elder's sigh was long and weary. "It's not something easily spoken of... but Mira has been carrying something for some time now. That necklace she wears... It has an influence over her, one that I fear she doesn't fully understand." His voice grew softer. "The more she uses it, the more it changes her. I've seen it in her eyes, in the way she behaves."

Silver's thoughts raced, the weight of the elder's words sinking in. "But... she never told me. She's always been so honest with me. Why would she hide something like that?"

Cheonho paused for a moment, considering the question. "Because she's afraid, Silver. Afraid of burdening you. Afraid that if you knew the truth, you'd try to stop her from using it." He looked down, his face darkening. "She believes it's the only way to protect this village. But what she doesn't realize... is that it's slowly taking its toll on her. And she's too proud to admit it."

Silver's eyes flickered to the door where Mira had disappeared, her figure already a shadow in his mind. The sister he had always known—strong, brave, protective—was slipping away. Something was changing in her, and it wasn't the girl he had grown up with.

"But why hasn't she come to you? You've been here longer than anyone. Why didn't you stop her?" Silver asked, his voice quivering slightly as the weight of the situation settled over him like a blanket of dread.

Cheonho's expression softened, though his eyes remained shut. "I could never stop her, Silver. Mira is... strong-willed. She would have resented me for it. She would've thought I was trying to control her, to take away the one thing she felt was keeping everyone safe. She has always carried the burden of the village's well-being on her shoulders."

Silver swallowed hard, the reality sinking deeper. "What do I do?" he whispered. "How can I help her?"

The elder looked at him then. "The only person who can truly help her now is herself. She has to see that continuing down this path is dangerous. Telling her to stop now would only hurt her pride. If she keeps using it the way she has... she may lose herself entirely. And there won't be anything left for anyone to save."

Silver stared at the ground, struggling to keep his emotions in check. How could he make her see that? Mira had always been the one protecting him, never the other way around.

"Then stop her!" Silver snapped, unable to hold back his emotions anymore. Tears could be seen from his eyes as he turned to face the Elder, with a desperate and pleading expression… Before looking back down to the earth. "Please… I don't want to lose her too."

The elder simply shook his head silently, before putting a hand onto silver's head.

Before he could speak again, a sudden sound pierced the air—a deep, resonating chime of the village bell, followed by another. The bell rang five times, and only five times, as the blood in Silver's veins turned to ice. The sound was unmistakable, and it carried a chilling weight.

The elder's expression hardened immediately, his body tense. "Five times. This is no coincidence. Danger approaches."

Silver's heart skipped a beat. "What does that mean?" His voice trembled with a fear he couldn't quite shake.

Cheonho's lips pressed together into a thin line. "It means something—someone—has arrived, and they are no friend to this village. You must be ready, Silver. Whatever happens next... we cannot afford to be unprepared."

Silver's thoughts raced, but before he could question anything further, the air around them seemed to shift. The winds picked up, and with it, came an unsettling scent—burning earth and something far older, something Silver couldn't place. He clenched his fists. He could feel it now, too. The tension. It was like the whole village had drawn in a collective breath, waiting for something terrible to happen.

Cheonho stepped forward, his movements deliberate, and his eyes still shut. "Stay close, Silver. There is no time to waste."

Silver, still reeling from the elder's words about Mira, nodded quickly, his heart still tied to her, but knowing now he had to put everything aside. He had to help the village, no matter what it took.

The villagers were already gathering, their faces grim, their voices low and hurried as they whispered to one another. The bell's warning was not one they took lightly. Infantry were running towards the front gate. Children's crying could be heard in the distance. Silver's grip on the dagger tightened instinctively. He didn't know what was coming, but he knew one thing: he couldn't let anything—anyone—take Mira from him.

As they approached the square, the first crack of thunder rumbled in the distance, followed by a gust of wind that howled like a warning from the heavens themselves. Silver's chest tightened. This was it.

The storm had arrived.