Staircase spiraled down to the depth of the abyss. Closed off from outside. Not a single trace of light pierced through. The torch on their hands were the only source of light as they descended to the bottom. Luther felt a chill of cold when he looked down. A small flickering crimson light waited for them from below, beckoning them to come closer.

“They said the Luminary of Strength took the sword from the wrath and sealed it deep below Lamifel. Build this tower around the crater it created. That was the story they told everyone. Until Gizem told me something we were never told. Nobody took the ember sword from wrath. It was the sinner herself who left it behind.”

Again, it was Gizem’s name again. Luther wondered just how long they’ve been in touch. Gizem approached him with one truth to shift everything into shambles. Truth was his bargaining chip against those who wished to feign ignorance. Gizem even dragged Cael, of all people, into his plan. A broken pawn backed into the corner.

“Of course, it was a blasphemy against the Lumina Cathedral. If he wasn’t the luminary of truth, I would have dragged him to the capital and have him judged before the high priest.” As they descended closer to the bottom, the crimson lights became brighter. “So I questioned him back. Why would the sinner leave her sword behind? A weapon she could have used against us. Guess what Gizem's reply was? Don’t ask me. Ask the sinner herself.”

The sunset fire on both of their torches shifted into crimson fires. Luther flinched, almost dropping it while Cael remained calm.

“Careful,” Cael warned, stopping for Luther. “From this onward, the path won’t be easier for you. Even without its master, the crimson flame still raged on till this day. Only a few of us can enter its domain without passing out because of the heat.”

Luther wiped away the sweats on his neck while Cael hasn’t dropped into a single sweat. It was nothing to Cael since he inspected the ember sword for years.

“I understand why Gizem asked me to contact you. You talk little even if you wanted to. Luminary of Voice listened first before speaking out. If it was someone else, I won’t have the time to explain myself.”

Luther tapped his sword, telling him if it was someone else, they would have drawn their blades out before he could utter another word. Cael only smiled in response and continued on.

Veins of its crimson flame etched itself on the ground, climbing up to the walls to reach out a higher point. His breath came out heavy as the heat crushed his lungs. Throat dried, he could almost taste blood inside his mouth. Droplets of sweats weighed down his eyelashes. Luther held the wall for support. Even the miracle prayer he cast on himself couldn’t shield him from the wrath of its fire.

“We’ll stop here. Any closer you’ll pass out or worst burned from inside.” Cael stood near the rail, gazing down to the bottom. “There’s the ember sword.“

Luther pulled himself up and went over to his brother’s side. The ember sword pierced the earth, spilling its crimson flames to the floor. Cinders fell off from the cracks of its blade. Half of its body was hollow, barely holding on to its former shape.

“The crack on its sword started appearing after the wrath died five hundred years ago. Every luminary of justice before me thought of two possibilities. First, the sword was going to explode. Second, it’s losing its flame and will soon die. The first one raised a concern, so they tried to warn this to the Lumina Cathedral. Every each one of them did, including myself. But the Lumina Cathedral wanted us to keep this a secret from the people of Ashendel. They think it was our side to blame that it cracked.” Cael fisted his hands. Luther understand his frustration. Those who sat on the higher authority pushed burdens over their shoulders but returned nothing. He asked the same for them to lift the burden from Kyra’s duty. Nobody listened to him. They have only held on this long for the people.

Luther was about to move away from the flame flickering close beside him. When it grace its touch to his mortal flesh, a small chime of his bell rang. A charred hand grabbed his hand. A mortal burned into crisp from inside and outside yowled right into his face. Both of his eyes were hollow. Abyss came out of his mouth. Every fire around him turned into twisted bodies of fallen. They clawed their ways to reach up to the heaven.

“Burn their souls!” someone cried out.

Burning souls cried out louder, begging the heaven for mercy. The flame raged brighter behind him, scorching his back. He turned and met the crimson eyes searing its wrath unto him. In her arms, she cradled a girl crumbling into cinders.

“O Heavens above, I will take their souls as retributions for stealing what was mine. You shall not have them back until you return her to me!” Blood poured down from her eyes. She let out a roar of a monstrous beast. A sound no mortal or creature on these lands can make.

He jolted awake from the scenery. Frantically, he checked his surrounding. There were no fires nor the burning souls. He was back at the entrance.

“Luther!”

Before Cael reached out, Luther grabbed his hand tight, crushing him in a tight grip.

“It’s alright. I took you back once I noticed something was wrong. You saw its memories.”

Luther clutched on his head. The nightmare lingered on his mind. Repeating the same scene. He took the bell and rang. His voice connected to Cael. “Stop spreading its fire to the people.”

“Explain to me what did you see?”

“Why did you spread something dangerous? You knew the danger after knowing it had a crack. The chaos is only sleeping. Its wrath will devour the Innocents if you don’t stop. I saw everything what happened to Lamifel.”

Cael placed a hand over his hand. “Then, answer me this. What made the sinner sent down her fury to Lamifel?”

“That thing is—”

“Stop giving me the same answer as I did,” Cael snapped, yanking his arms away. “Don’t say it was because she was a sinner. What happened? Why did the wrath left its sword? Tell me everything. Don’t hide the truth as the Lumina Cathedral did and leave the burdens to me alone! Do not expect me to follow another lies!”

Luther shook his head in disbelief. It doesn’t matter why or how it happened. The sinner set Lamifel ablaze. Upon realizing this, Cael laughed. Hands covered his face.

“I have one last confession to make, so you listen well.” Cael demanded. “The heaven won’t answer me. My miracle prayer is dead. I’m nothing more but a mortal man now. A light can only lose its miracle when you committed a sin so grave the heaven labeled you as a sinner itself. Blinded by my justice, I broke the oath.”

Roses slithered around his hand and neck. Luther reached out to him, offering his light to ease the pain. Cael pushed his hand away. A mortal refusing a comfort from the light.

“A day before the curse appeared. There was a sinner, a child, wandering in the forest and gathering flowers like every curious one does. Mortal children threw rocks at him to chase him away. He acted in defense and strike his claw against the children. We caught the sinner.”

Cael withdrew his hands away from his face. Blooming roses painted his pale face, drawing blood out from his azure blue eyes.

“My miracle prayer executed the child. I assumed it was in the wrong because it was born a sinner and he harmed a mortal child. A day after its execution, a sudden chaos broke out in Ashendel. Heaven was quiet. I am the sinner. The children are sinner. Those who pointed their fingers at the sinner were a sinner themselves. Ashendel is the sinner.”

Luther wanted to think it was the curse playing tricks on Cael. A brother he grew up with together crumbling apart in front of him. Cael fell from the grace of heaven.

“Heed my word, brother. Heaven won’t tolerate to the prayers of a sinner. I am only the beginning of this tragedy. Soon the heaven will forsake us. Gizem warned me this.” Cael gave a letter sealed in red. “He wanted me to give you this.”

Luther gnashed his jaw. Everything fell back to the red letter again.

*     *     *     *     *     *

The moment Luther shut the door behind him, he ripped the red seal on the letter. He read the first sentence; Hands gripped on the letter.

Did you have a long talk with Cael?

Luther snickered. A fortuneteller might as well be a better role to Gizem than a luminary.

Time isn’t on our side. The heaven grown impatient with mortals. Cael’s losing his miracle isn’t a surprise to me and the Lumina Cathedral. Everyone kept this in silence. Punishing the sinner was natural to the luminary. Become the salvation to the mortal. As the sins of our ancestors piled up into mountains that reached the heaven, we became the child who will pay the price of their sins. By the time we lose our miracles, sinners gained control. Which is why we should seek a reliable alliance from the other side. It won’t be easy. Trust is not something we can earned consider the feud run through generations.

Another blasphemy after another. Luther can’t understand the plan of his. Allied with a sinner. Won’t the heaven forsake them for taking such sides for their own benefits of survival and peace? Besides, where did Gizem get these informations? Why was he telling this truth now and not his ancestors?

The one trust we could try to earn is Sinner of Wrath. Despite the destruction she had raised in the past, there was some notable attempt she tried to form a peace. In each war, either the sinners or luminaries, she was the one who stood between these sides and swiftly ended them. She hated meaningless bloodshed. My ancestors kept many records of her efforts. Her act of selfless was unheard to the public except the luminary of truth. Lumina Cathedral hides most of the truth for their own benefit. Lamifel was one of them. You too know how those people wanted an absolute control over everything; belief, loyalty, undying love. Lumina Cathedral isn’t as holy as we wanted to think of. So I asked of you, Luther, to find in your heart to find peace instead of brandishing your sword.

Luther slide down to the wall. He crumpled the paper. He wished to throw it into the flame. The crackling sound of a burning wood filled the quiet night. A candlelight of red fire sat in front of the opened window. He stared at it for a while. It reminded him the distance gaze belonged to the sinner. Instead of wrath, her eyes were longing for something in silent. The nightmare he saw through the ember sword was the only wrath he saw in her. A wrath of anguish. On the other side, Luther, a luminary, filled with hatred. He even attempt of provoking the quiet fire just to satisfy his greed.

“Captain!” Footsteps hurried into his room. They didn’t bother to knock and rushed inside. Luther hide the letter beside him. The knight heaved out and uttered a word which shock him.

“The curse has Vincent.”