The flames were no longer symbolic.
From the tower in the Eastern District, Riven watched smoke rise from the southern skyline. The old chapel domes were no longer white — they bled black under the flag of the Scourged Monk.
The cult no longer whispered. It shouted.
And it wanted the world to burn in reverence.
---
> [Main Quest: War of Doctrine – ACTIVE]
Objective: Prevent the conversion of two Southern Sectors within 6 days.
Risk: Faith Surge / System Nullification / Civilian Loss
Reward: Territory Buff, Strategic Control of Religious Narrative
---
Riven stood over a city map littered with red markers.
Eron entered with a dark expression and dropped two sealed scrolls on the war table.
"Five more public conversions this morning," he said. "One merchant branded, two children orphaned."
"Where?"
"Sector 3. Near the Monastery ruins."
Riven's jaw tightened.
That was once neutral ground. Now claimed by doctrine.
Mira stormed in seconds later, throwing blood-stained cloth on the table.
"This was wrapped around a child's chest," she snapped. "They etched doctrine into her skin with a heated sigil."
Riven looked down.
Three words: Obedience. Flame. Peace.
Nothing about salvation. Only control.
---
> [Alert: Moral Instability Detected – Local Loyalty Faltering in Border Zones]
System Compatibility: Dropping by 6%
Conversion Risk in Sectors 3 & 5: HIGH
---
He looked at his inner circle.
Mira. Eron. Yra.
"We stop this," he said. "Now."
"How?" Mira asked, eyes still blazing.
"We go to Sector 3," Riven replied. "And we take back what matters."
---
That night
A fog swept through the streets.
Riven, cloaked and armed, led a strike team of twenty. Yra's shadow scouts scouted ahead. Mira stayed behind to prepare the triage zone. Eron walked beside him, quiet.
"Why not send a message?" Eron asked.
"Because messages can be twisted," Riven said. "Actions can't."
---
They reached the edge of Sector 3 at midnight.
And saw the fires.
An old schoolhouse converted into a chanting hall. Hooded figures marched in circles, reciting the Monk's doctrine.
Children stood in rows, heads bowed.
And at the center, a man knelt before a flaming brazier — being branded with the mark of cleansing.
Riven's hand curled into a fist.
---
> [New Threat Identified: Confessor-Class Fanatic]
Traits: Immune to fear. Limited System Interference. High Influence on local population.
Strategy: Isolate and eliminate before ritual completes.
---
Riven signaled.
The squad moved.
In silence, they surrounded the camp.
Yra whispered, "Six guards. Two confessors. Twenty or more unarmed civilians."
Riven responded, "We only hit the confessors. Draw the rest away."
He stepped forward — no sword, just his voice.
"Step away from the fire," he commanded.
The chanting faltered.
The head confessor turned, eyes glowing faintly under his hood.
"The False King approaches."
"No titles," Riven said. "Only truth. And yours is burning the innocent."
The confessor raised his hands.
Blue fire ignited.
So did the battle.
---
Arrows struck first, pinning two guards.
A barrage of smoke bombs disoriented the cultists.
Riven sprinted through the chaos, straight at the confessor.
They clashed.
The man's body glowed — empowered by doctrine.
But Riven didn't need magic.
He needed speed.
Steel met flesh.
He ducked a flame swipe, drove a dagger into the man's ribcage, twisted.
The confessor howled.
And exploded in light.
---
> [Target Eliminated: Confessor-Class]
Faith Influence in Sector 3: –22%
System Stability: Restored to 81%
---
But it wasn't over.
A second confessor ran into the schoolhouse.
Screaming.
Not in fear — in summoning.
---
> [Warning: Faith Surge Detected – Mass Conversion Event Initiated]
Chance of Apostle Awakening: 48%
Cancel immediately or let trigger?
---
Riven made a choice.
He ran straight into the building.
Inside, dozens of children stood, eyes wide.
And one man — shaking — held a burning blade over a boy's chest.
Riven tackled him to the ground.
They struggled — blade slicing the air — until Riven jammed it sideways into the stone floor and struck the man unconscious.
Silence fell.
Then tears.
The children collapsed in sobs.
And Riven?
He stood, breath shaking.
---
> [Conversion Prevented – 23 Civilians Rescued]
Synchronization: +1.4%
Moral Standing: Stabilized
---
Hours later, the district celebrated.
Mira hugged a rescued girl, crying softly.
Eron patched up a soldier with a shattered shoulder.
Yra passed Riven a message scroll.
He opened it slowly.
> "You resist doctrine. But doctrine is not belief.
Belief will burn through your code."
> — The Monk
---
Later that night, in solitude, Riven opened the System again.
It pulsed.
But different this time.
Alive. Watching him.
---
> [Override Protocol – Final Warning]
Option: Activate Faith Suppression Algorithm
Effect: Nullifies all religious influence in governed territory
Risk: Memory Fragmentation / Perception Distortion / Companion Disapproval
---
He hesitated.
And closed the panel.
---
> Synchronization: 90.3%...
---
But even as Sector 3 was secured, word arrived.
The Monk had taken full control of Sector 5.
And in the central plaza?
A statue of Riven — made of ash and bone — was set aflame before a chanting crowd.
War had just begun.