Arise, My Liege

-Alexis Lycan, 18 years old-

As the Oracle Knight points his sword at him, Alexis extends his hands higher in the air. As he does this, the satchel of gold on his shoulder slips off and falls to the ground with a muffled thud. None of the knights pay it any attention, their sole focus is on Alexis.

Oracle Knights are an elite group of soldiers who protected and escorted their designated Oracles. They are the peak of human conditioning and ability. A single Knight is a match for dozens of regular soldiers. They each had received various blessings and gifts from the Oracles they served. Having one draw their weapon on you was no small thing.

Alexis speaks slowly, hoping not to provoke the men around him.

"May I ask what this is about?"

The sole Oracle Knight, the man with the golden colored sword answers, seemingly uninterested. "Shut up and follow me."

It seems they were not in a talking mood. Alexis decides to comply and nods his head. The knights lead him towards the cathedral in the center of the town. As they walk away, none of them notice the satchel of gold sinking into an inky black shadow.

-

The cathedral they approached was grand and decorated with gold and large stained-glass windows. Said windows depicted the various Gods and their spheres of influence. Alexis did not remember the names of the Gods as they were unimportant to him. One particular plane depicts a beautiful Goddess with flowing blonde hair standing on the sea, while another shows displays a Goddess with bright, golden hair standing before the sun. These are all meaningless to him.

Alexis is roughly pushed through the doors and his head is forced down. He is kicked to his knees before someone standing in front of an altar.

"Why hello there." A beautiful, singsong voice says.

Alexis couldn't see the woman properly and his eyes focus on a pair of bare feet and a hem of an immaculate white robe.

"Oh! You can look up now." The same voice continues playfully.

He slowly looks up and sees a gorgeous young woman, about 18, standing above him. She has brunette, free flowing hair and golden eyes. A childlike gleam is set in those very eyes. A small grin also graces her face. But horrifyingly, the front of her once pristine robes is covered in fresh, bright red blood. Alexis recoils in horror and his vision is slowly drawn over her shoulder at the ghastly scene behind her.

Strung up above the altar is the beggar girl he had saved just not too long ago. Her eyes are wide open in horror and her body is covered in numerous blade marks. She is completely bare and burn marks cover her stomach and chest. The poor girl is eviscerated, cut repeatedly and bled dry while she was still alive. She is now dead.

Alexis swears and adverts his eyes, throwing up on the clean tiles. "What the fuck!" He shouts. One of the knights kicks him for his 'rude' behavior.

The woman only looks at him in confusion. She places a hand to her head and tilts it to one side. Blood smears on her face as she does so.

"What's wrong?" She asks. She follows his wavering gaze to glance at the beggar girl. "Are you talking about her? She was an apostate; I was just cleansing her lost soul." The woman explains with plain kindness in her voice.

Alexis is further taken aback by her words. "Apostate?" He asks bewildered. He glances at the girl once again as anger and indignation worms itself into his heart.

"Oh yes, she had traces of dark magic on her. Nasty stuff." She woman says. "I had to cleanse her, so she could meet the Goddess!" She finishes, clearly proud of herself.

Alexis winces slightly at the mention of dark magic. It seems that when he saved the poor girl, he sentenced her to a most terrible death. The woman notices his reaction and smiles gently.

"I sense that same magic in you. But don't worry, I will cleanse you as well!" She exclaims excitedly. "In the name of the Goddess Amanda, I, her Oracle, will save your wayward soul." She declares with glee.

Alexis feels shock pulse through his body. In front of him is one of the Oracles, one of the most powerful beings with immense authority and power.

Alexis bites the inside of his mouth and tastes blood, he stares at the young girl, strung up on the altar and scowls.

"You're a sick son of a bitch!" he shouts. He struggles against the knights who pull him to his feet.

At his words, the Oracle frowns deeply.

"I'm trying to save you. Why do you fight and say such things?" Sadness drips from her words.

Alexis grits his teeth and redoubles his efforts to break free. They had almost drug him to the altar when one of his arms breaks free. He quickly snatches a crude dagger from his shadow and stabs at the knight holding his other arm. The knife plunges into his neck and hot blood splatters on his face. Alexis kicks the body away and draws the fallen knight's sword in one smooth motion.

"Fuck!" One of the other knights yells as he watches his comrade fall.

He leaps back to create some distance between him and the remaining knights. The knights no longer have their halberds and are all armed with just their swords. The Oracle is quickly ushered to the corner of the cathedral by her Knight. She watches the events unfolding with sadness in her eyes. She just wants to save him.

Alexis readies himself as two knights stride towards him. He decides to attack before they reach him, and he lunges forward. He has the stolen sword in his right hand, and the dagger in his left.

He parries the hastily swung sword of one of the men and steps into their guard. He jabs quickly with the dagger and sprays more blood on the surroundings. The man falls to his knees while he clutches his neck, trying to stem his escaping lifeblood.

The other man swears and charges forward. Alexis meets the man and brushes off his wild swings. After a few moments he finally gets the opportunity to parry, which is immediately followed up by him plunging his sword into the man's exposed chest.

Alexis pulls the sword out and the lifeless body drops.

"Surround the bastard!" A man yells, and they all inch forward.

Alexis turns his body sideways and levels his sword. He controls his breathing; he is ready to meet them.

As the men are closing in, he suddenly feels a sharp burning from his stomach. He looks down groggily and sees a golden blade sticking out from him. He had been skewered from behind by the Oracle Knight.

Alexis watches his blood, darkened and shadowy, spill from the wound. As the blade is roughly yanked out, he spits up blood and collapses hard onto the floor. The burning feeling gets worse, and he is assaulted with an unbearable pain. He groans and spits up more blood. As his vision darkens, he sees the Oracle approach him.

"Oh Goddess Amanda! Please forgive this apostate! They know not what they are doing." She says aloud with her hands clasped.

His vision finally gives out and his heart slows, then stops altogether. He is dead.

-

As Alexis dies, a soft voice whispers out from the dark.

"Arise, My Liege."