Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint

Before the fall of the Earth Mother Cult and the widespread rise of the Holy Crown Church, the world was filled with countless faiths. Beliefs that sought to forge a brilliant future.

And yet, amidst war, faith turned into cynicism.

No god had come to save them.
No prayer had lessened their suffering.
No doctrine had provided them with answers.

Among them were monks once considered a branch of the Earth Mother Cult, though in truth, they had little connection to it. Watching the world, they groaned in disillusionment. Some chose to turn their backs on the wretched mortal realm, withdrawing into seclusion. Others, unable to stand by, stepped forward to ease suffering, preaching their teachings and guiding the weary.

…But war spared no one—not even monks. Their way of life, built upon principles different from those of the mortal world, often led to conflict. If not for the presence of martial monks, honed through years of training, they would have been reduced to nothing more than common victims, swept up in the flames of battle.

The secular world was filthy and cruel. Many monks who had descended with grand ideals fell into despair and disappointment. Some returned to the mountains, disheartened. Others, however, allowed themselves to be tainted by the world and began building power.

Two factions emerged from a single root, yet their paths diverged so greatly that conflict was inevitable.

The martial monks, once united through hardship, now turned their blades upon each other, weakening themselves. One side denounced those who embraced the world as defrocked monks, while the other called their former comrades hypocrites who feigned purity while standing idly by. Their conflict only grew, birthing more suffering and more turmoil, despite their shared faith.

"To mistake the form of a young girl as justification to disregard the disaster named Kanzhaka—that is a foolishness that ignores the essence. I will break my vows to tell you this."

Among those defrocked monks who had succumbed to the mortal world, one was Grandmaster Dogo.

Disillusioned with teachings that had lost all meaning, he chose to cast himself into an even greater abyss of doubt.

"Progenitor Tyrkanzyaka. I do not know what you truly are. But it is said that vampires feel neither suffering nor turmoil. In words alone, that is the very enlightenment we have sought."

And so, he chose to pledge himself to the Nobility of the Night—to become a vampire.

"I do not know if enlightenment granted without suffering, contemplation, or discipline has any worth. But that too must be a trial. I wish to challenge myself further with this body of mine."

All Elders were the progenitor’s subordinates.

But that did not mean they always shared her will.

"Make me a vampire. In return, I offer you this wretched body."

Some had joined out of revenge.
Some, for survival.
Some, for curiosity.
Some, out of duty.
Some, for ambition.
Some, for immortality.
Some, for recklessness.
Some, for their love of combat.
Some, for faith.
Some, for kinship.
Some, for fear.
And some, simply because they stumbled into it.@@novelbin@@

Their reasons differed, but once they became the progenitor’s subordinates, they all became Elders.

What, then, had Dogo felt?

Or perhaps—what had he not felt?

For the first time, Tyrkanzyaka was at a loss for words.

Until now, every Elder had acted in accordance with her will. They shared her emotions. Even Dogo, who refused to speak to women or even exchange blows with them, had no hesitation in driving his fist into the chest of a believer of the Celestials.

The fists of the wrathful martial monks knew no gender, no age—only faith.

As an Elder, Dogo had been just as devoted. His faith in Dao had been redirected toward the progenitor, a natural conclusion given the circumstances.

And yet, now, Dogo stood before her—openly defiant.

"…Are you out of your mind? You wish to put me on trial?"

"Not only Ruskinia’s daughter but all of us must be tested. Progenitor, you are the first of them."

Though his body was gaunt, his eyes burned fiercely.

Grandmaster Dogo.