Sophie had a restless sleep.
She was awakened by blaring horns and barking commands from outside. She didn't understand the language of these creatures, but she immediately understood that something big was happening. A change was sweeping through the camp.
She growled; these demons were surely preparing an attack on her homeland, and she was locked up in here, unable to do anything. Sudden rage overtook her as she screamed in anger. She grabbed a chair that stood by a small table and smashed it hatefully against the wooden wall. The chair broke apart.
Sophie sat down on her bed, breathing heavily. She held her head; it hurt. For two days now, she had been in this hut. It was much more comfortable than the torture cell, but it was still a damned prison. They gave her as much food as she wanted every day, and she lacked nothing, but it was clear to her that all of this was part of some scheme of that young man. She hadn't left her room. The Man wanted her to talk to the people, but she had no idea why, so she didn't do it.
She shook her head when her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a knock.
She jerked her head up. "Who is there?" she asked distrustfully. She grabbed the rusty knife hidden beneath her pillow.
"Juliet," answered a female voice from behind the door. "I heard a noise and wanted to check if everything is alright."
Sophie relaxed a little. "Yes, everything is fine."
A short silence followed. "Alright," said the woman behind the door. "Call me if you need anything."
Then her footsteps slowly faded. Sophie sat on her bed for another second, listening to the disappearing steps. Then she heard shouting again from outside as new commands were barked. An angry spark crossed her eyes. She had to do something! She couldn't keep sitting in her room like a little child sulking. She was Sophie after all, the daughter of the great Gerald!
Slowly, she stood up and went to her door. It creaked as she opened it. She peeked outside, but no one was there. Juliet seemed to be gone.
Her room was on the second floor of the building. There were at least twelve more rooms in the hallway. Some doors were open while others were closed. Sometimes she heard people moving inside them.
Carefully, she stepped outside, but suddenly the door next to hers opened. Sophie flinched as an old man stepped out. He yawned, and his bones cracked as he stretched tiredly. Sophie watched him, taking a half step back toward her door.
His skin was covered in scars, as if he had swum through a sea of blades. Four fingers were missing from his right hand, only his thumb remained, and two were missing from his left, the little finger and middle finger. He was also missing several teeth, as Sophie could clearly see the gaps when he smiled at her.
'Was he also tortured by the demons?' she wondered to herself, and immediately felt a little more connected to the man.
"Oh, Miss, you finally came out. I thought you'd stay in your room forever, raging around." His voice was rough, but warm.
Sophia blushed when she realised he had heard her. She shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other, "Who are you?" she asked, confused.
The man bowed. "My name is Gustavio. I'm your neighbor," he said, unnecessarily pointing at his door.
"Did those things lock you up here, too?"
The man laughed. "If by 'things' you mean the Polykenas, then no, I'm here voluntarily, like almost everyone else."
Sophie's gaze darkened. "Why?"
The old man shrugged his shoulders, "Reasons," he simply argued.
"What reasons can there be?" Sophie asked, shocked. "To not only betray humanity, but the sun god himself. He created us, shaped us. Every day, his bright, beautiful light rises on the horizon and makes our plants bloom."
The old man only shook his head. "Come with me," he said. "We're gathering downstairs. If you want to know why we turned our backs on that religion, you'll find out best by speaking with the people below."
Sophie thought about it. It had been her plan anyway to mingle with the crowd. Maybe she could gain support and persuade some of them to stand against these 'Polykenas,' as the old man had called them.
So she nodded silently and didn't resist. The man's smile widened a little. He pointed toward the staircase and went ahead.
They walked down the stairs in silence. Here and there, Sophie could see a few people walking the corridors or talking quietly. They reached the ground floor and stopped in front of a massive wooden door. Gustavio raised his arm but paused. "Ah, yes," he said, looking straight at Sophie. "There are some people who aren't very fond of your father, so don't be startled if you receive some...hostility."
Sophie frowned. "My father works directly under Luis, the mortal representative of the God of the Sun. How can anyone have anything against him? He is the most righteous person in the world."
The old man sighed. "How can one be so blind?" he muttered softly to himself. "Your father has done many, very many terrible things."
Sophie looked at him like a confused child. "My father would never…"
Gustavio sighed again, then simply opened the door and stopped listening to her.
They entered the reception hall, the same place the young dark-haired man had brought Sophie to before. But this time, it was filled to the brim. The tables were crowded with dozens of people talking, eating, drinking, laughing, and arguing. It was a bizarre sight, as if everything happening outside didn't matter to them.
"How can they just sit here," Sophie muttered, "while outside a grand betrayal against God and the Church is unfolding? They have to fight back! They have to do something!"
Gustavio cleared his throat, but didn't answer her. "Come, let's sit at that table," he said, pointing toward a table near the edge of the room. Three people were already sitting there: a large man, a young woman, and a fat man. They were arguing about something when Gustavio approached with Sophie.
"Gustavio, there you are, old man!" shouted the fat one cheerfully. "I was starting to think you'd died of a heart attack, old as you are!"
Gustavio laughed as he sat down. "Before I die of a heart attack, Hans, you'll be crushed under your own weight!"
Hans laughed and was about to reply when the tall man cut in. "Why is she here?" he asked with a heavy accent, spitting out the word "she" as if it were a curse. He pointed at Sophie.
Gustavio smiled calmly. "Allow me to introduce my neighbor, Sophie. And Sophie, this is Hans, Silvia, and the grumpy one here is Kiel. Come, sit down, miss!" he said with a smile. Sophie hesitated but sat down anyway, despite Kiel's dark glare.
"So you're that Sophie? The daughter of the great Gerald!" Silvia asked, leaning forward curiously.
"You know who I am?" Sophie asked.
Silvia laughed. "Everyone knows who you are. After all, the Duce himself brought you here and introduced you."
Sophie frowned. "The Duce?"
"The Duce, you know, the young man, leader of the Polykenas," Gustavio explained.
Sophie's mood darkened even more at the mention of that monster in human form. "Why do you call him Duce?"
Silvia shrugged. "We don't really know. The Polykenas call him that. Apparently, it's some kind of title, like 'King' or something."
"He's not my king!" Sophie hissed. "And I can't believe you'd all betray everything for him!"
Silvia looked at her. "It's either him or death. And it's not so bad. After he destroys Gloris, he'll take us to a new home where we can do whatever we want."
She grinned broadly, as if that were the best offer anyone had ever made. Sophie looked at her in shock and confusion. "After he destroys Gloris? How can you...It's Gloris…"
Kiel growled. "I don't care about freedom as long as they finally destroy Gloris and send those so-called 'saints' to the realm of death!"
Sophie stared at him. "How can you say that?" she asked weakly. "Gloris is the city of the great Sun God. It brings order and freedom to mankind. Thanks to it, the word of God spreads!"
"They've really washed your brain clean," Kiel growled. "Gloris is corrupt, brutal, and arrogant. Anyone who doesn't fit their ideals is punished brutally until they submit or is just killed outright. But you've been blinded so badly that you can't see the truth. Do you want to know what Gloris does for the common people?"
He didn't wait for an answer. "See that man over there?" He pointed to a one-armed man at the far end of the hall. "They burned his wife alive after she made a potion that saved her son's life. It was allegedly 'dark magic'. And there, that's Magred. She lost her whole family when your precious Gloris stormed her village, dragged everyone out of their homes. Her crime? They didn't believe in your god. Isn't that merciful? And here comes the funniest story: Gustavio was once a soldier in your army, serving under your father, he..."
"Kiel, please," said Gustavio quietly. "She doesn't need to hear this."
"She does!" Kiel snapped. "Gustavio fought his whole life for the faith and for Gloris, serving under your grandfather and father, but he made a terrible mistake. The Church once again attacked an innocent city because it didn't fit their vision, and after slaughtering thousands and defeating the army, they stormed the fortress. A genocide began. But when Gustavio was ordered to kill a family with three children, because their father used a different kind of magic, he refused. Their father wasn't an evil sorcerer but a scientist trying to save lives. But according to the Church, that was an unforgivable sin, and his whole family had to die. Gustavio refused and resisted, so they imprisoned him and tortured him for over FIVE FUCKING YEARS." Kiel got loud as he shouted the last words. He breathed in angrily, but calmed down somewhat when Silvia placed a hand on his shoulder. Gustavio remained silent and said nothing,
"They tortured him, a soldier who had been loyal for years because he didn't want to kill children..." he paused, "And they would have continued doing so until his death, had the Duce not appeared and freed him."
Kiel paused. "Tell me, Sophie, is that justice? Of course, I am aware that the Duce is just as brutal; he also has children and families killed, but at least he does not pretend to be righteous and lawful. He is what he is, a monster, but the Church is a monster that claims to be holy!"
Sophie stayed silent, then shook her head. "You're so stupid! Everything the Church does, it does in the name of justice and the God of the Sun! How can you not see that?"
A cold, disbelieving laugh escaped Silvia's throat. "They killed my girlfriend because two women aren't allowed to love each other in their eyes."
"They took my wife and daughter because they had a magical talent that wasn't allowed. They didn't even use it... they just were born with it," said Hans, pain in his eyes.
"They slaughtered my entire tribe because we practiced the art of wind magic," snarled Kiel. "Everyone here has a story like that, injustice, brutal murders, senseless cruelty. We are all witnesses, and we're only a tiny part of it. How many women and children, how many people, do you think your father killed just because they didn't fit his ideology? You can close your eyes and ears, 'princess,' but the truth stays the same: Gloris, the Church of the Sun God, a violent dictator, ruler who exploits the gullibility of the people to gain power and wealth. And if the Sun God really exists, even if he's real, he allows all this to happen. If he exists, he's a sadistic bastard. Even if he stood before me, even if his light shone upon me, even if he burned me alive, even if he gave me all the gifts in the world, even if everything you say was true, I would still never believe in a god who allows people to be oppressed, tortured, and killed, and all that in his name. Once the Duce has cleansed this planet, we will rebuild our civilization. We will recreate humanity, and this time we will do it right!"