Chapter I
Book III: Holy War
Chapter I – The Chronicles of Silence
The Scriptorium of the Holy See of Aelionism in Aruhen was immersed in near-absolute stillness. Endless rows of oak tables stretched beneath soaring vaults draped in shadows. Only a few oil lamps illuminated the hall, and the faint scratching of quills on parchment was the sole sound breaking the silence.
At one of those tables, set apart from the other copyists, worked Prelate Brenenth. His task that night was no ordinary one. He was not copying edicts of the Aelionist Church, nor commentaries on The Book of the Ordered Light. Resting before him was a far more ancient document, bound in dark leather and nearly destroyed by time.
It was a chronicle of Naru-Shal.
A manuscript dating back to the most violent years of the rule of the general known as Krakenth the Irrational—an era marked by purges, the burning of temples, and relentless persecutions following the assassination of General Markus Lecter.
Brenenth bowed his head and continued copying. The words on the parchment began to come alive before his eyes.
The chronicle related that three Veiled Ones of Naru-Shal walked through the winding alleyways of Aruhen. Night covered the city in a veil of humidity and torch smoke.
Their attire allowed them to pass for Tanuist clerics returning to the temple after evening prayers: dark robes, low hoods, and small symbols of fire stitched along the borders. No one suspected a thing.
They advanced down narrow alleys, crossed two small squares, and finally stopped before a discreet house situated halfway down a block, devoid of emblems or lanterns at the door.
One of them knocked on the wood.
It was no ordinary knock. Three raps, a pause, then two more.
The secret knock.
After a few moments, the door opened just enough for a watchful eye to inspect them. Then it opened fully. The doorkeeper said nothing. He simply bowed his head and ushered them inside.
Once indoors, they crossed a small corridor, and the man carefully closed the door behind them. He walked to the main hall where other men waited.
"They have arrived," he announced. "The emissaries of the Guardian of the Threshold, sent from Kaelu."
The murmur in the hall died away.
Eleven men were already gathered in the room. At the center stood the Priest of the Threshold, responsible for leading Naru-Shal’s underground congregation in Aruhen. Surrounding him were five Veiled Ones of the city, and resting against a far wall stood five other Veiled Ones from neighboring territories.
As the three newcomers approached, everyone bowed their heads in silence. Before commencing the meeting, a brief Ritual of Silence was performed. A small black stone was placed upon the central table. Every person present touched it with the palm of his hand and murmured barely audibly:
"The memory remains. The fire passes."
After the final invocation, the Priest of the Threshold raised his gaze.
"Welcome, brothers of the faith of the Supreme Silence, broken by the Supreme Tanuist Fire."
He paused, fixing his eyes upon the newcomers.
"We ask the Veiled brothers of Kaelu to convey our warmest greetings and unwavering loyalty to our Holy Guardian of the Threshold, Ishar Vael."
The three messengers nodded.
The priest continued:
"What we are about to discuss here is of the utmost importance."
The shadows in the room seemed to draw closer.
"In the Cathedral of this city of Aruhen, the canonization of General Markus Lecter, hero of Tanuism, will take place. The vicars of every city in the realm are required to attend the ceremony."
A hushed murmur rippled through the hall.
The priest raised his hand.
"We will not attack the canonization."
The Veiled Ones exchanged brief glances.
"However, we will assassinate one of the attendees."
The priest’s voice turned colder.
"The Vicar of the city of Vulmaxt, Sulmathtor II—the man responsible for the persecution and murder of dozens of followers of the faith of Naru-Shal within his territory."
Silence fell over the table.
"The canonization will take place on the 17th day of Myrkavel, during the next lunation."
He then unfolded a small map across the table.
"Three days prior, our men will be stationed at the Kirxtick Gorge, sixty kilometers from Aruhen. The vicar’s retinue must pass through there."
One of the Veiled Ones asked:
"The order is to eliminate him there?"
"Yes," the priest replied. "The plan is to kill him on the spot. But if that proves impossible..."
His eyes swept across the circle.
"You will abduct him. And he will be taken to Kaelu, where he will receive his proper sentence."
No one questioned the order.
The Priest of the Threshold rolled up the map and pronounced the final words of the meeting:
"May the Silence preserve memory."
The meeting had ended. On the floor of the hall, a heavy stone slab was lifted, revealing a dark opening beneath. Ten of the Veiled Ones descended one by one down the hidden staircase.
The tunnel led them into secret catacombs that slithered beneath the houses of Aruhen like the city’s invisible veins. Within minutes, they had vanished.
In the Scriptorium, Prelate Brenenth left his quill suspended over the parchment.
He knew all too well what that chronicle meant.
It was the origin of a chain of blood that would alter the history of Aruhen forever.
And it had only just begun.
