The church felt quieter at night. The children were asleep, their soft breathing carrying faintly through the cracked wooden doors. Astro walked through the hall, his boots echoing against the stone floor until he reached a dimly lit study.
Kael was there, seated at a worn desk cluttered with papers. The oil lamp by his side flickered, shadows dancing across the lines of his weary face. He looked up when Astro entered, his eyes sharpening as if trying to measure the stranger before him.
"…I take it you're not here for prayer," Kael said with a dry smile.
Astro shook his head, his expression calm but attentive. "No. I'm here for the truth. About you. About FogSerpent."
For a moment, silence filled the room. Kael leaned back in his chair, then folded his hands on the desk.
"Very well," he began, his voice low. "We weren't always outcasts. Once, we were priests. Guardians of this city's soul. We built shelters for orphans, shared bread with the hungry, preached faith to those who had lost all hope. This church… it wasn't grand, but it was alive."
Astro's eyes flicked around the worn shelves, the peeling banners, the dim corners of the room. It wasn't hard to imagine it once filled with warmth.
Kael's voice hardened. "But the new mayor was different. Greedy. Easy to sway. FogSerpent bought him with money and fear. And when they did… everything we built was stripped away. Shelters shut down. Supplies redirected. The poor were left to starve."
The man's hand tightened into a fist. For just a moment, his composure cracked, grief mixing with anger.
Astro stayed quiet, watching him with steady eyes. He wasn't the type to rush with empty words.
Kael exhaled slowly, regaining control. "So we stopped being priests. We became caretakers. Fighters. Survivors. Every child in that hall has lost their family because of that dark guild's cruelty. No other guild in the city dares to fight them.
Astro leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his tone calm and analytical. "So you fight in the shadows. Keeping them alive while pretending this church is still just a relic."
Kael gave a small, tired smile. "You understand quickly."
Astro's gaze softened just slightly, though his voice carried a cold edge of clarity. "It's not hard. The children here… they smile, but it's a smile built on scraps. If FogSerpent keeps tightening their grip, even this place won't last."
The room grew heavier, Kael falling silent under the weight of Astro's words.
Astro pushed away from the wall and stepped closer to the desk. "How much do you know about Abel?"
Kael's expression darkened at the name. "Abel… FogSerpent's master. To most, he's just a cruel man with poisonous magic. But I've seen it with my own eyes. His magic isn't simple. He doesn't just use poison—he consumes it."
Astro's eyes narrowed slightly. "Consumes?"
Kael nodded, his face pale as he recalled. "Once, during a raid, one of my men tried to strike him with a poisoned dagger. Abel caught it, crushed the blade into his hand, and then… licked the poison off as though it were nectar. His wounds closed. His power surged. He laughed while the toxins devoured my man instead."
Astro stayed silent for a beat, his expression unreadable, before speaking in a low voice. "…That's not ordinary poison magic."
Kael met his gaze. "You understand?"
Astro's tone carried no hesitation. "I do. Abel isn't just some mage dabbling in toxins. He's a slayer. A Devil Slayer—poison-based."
The words struck Kael like a weight, his breath hitching. "You mean… a magic which can kill demons?"
"Exactly," Astro said. His gaze dropped briefly to the floor, then returned with a sharp edge. "And that explains why his subordinate's stench felt so… familiar. Slayer magic carries a distinct residue. I should have realized it sooner. That man was carrying the poison of a devil slayer in his body."
Kael leaned forward. "To let his own man be poisoned, sounds like him."
"Most likely to keep them under control, possibly to make sure he can kill them whenever needed."
Astro's mind raced, realizing that Abel might be more ruthless than he expected. From his own experience he could tell that, when slayer magic is involved, it isn't about who is stronger. It's about whether the slayer fights in their preferred environment.
You can overpower them all you want, but as long as a slayer consumes their element, they'll rise again—stronger.
Astro looked back at Kael and saw him visibly panicking. He raised a hand calmly, cutting through Kael's unease. "Then I'll need to prepare. I don't walk into a fight blind." His eyes glinted with quiet determination. "Slayers are dangerous, yes. But they're not invincible. They have advantages—but that means, without them, they're nothing but weak points. All I need is the right plan."
Kael studied him, searching for arrogance, but found none. Only steady confidence—the kind that came from someone who had already danced on the edge of death before.
For the first time that night, Kael allowed himself a flicker of hope. "…You truly think you can defeat him?"
Astro smirked faintly, though his voice was calm. "I don't just think so. I know. But it won't be on his terms. If Abel wants a fight, it'll be where I decide."
The oil lamp flickered, shadows stretching long across the church walls. In that silence, Kael realized that perhaps—just perhaps—this boy with purple eyes wasn't just another wanderer.
Kael heard him ask, "Tell me more about this mayor, and where his office is."
He might be the storm that would finally break FogSerpent's grip on Lunaris, Kael hoped.
Astro's Abilities (updated)
Strategist's Instinct: Astro may not be a genius in the traditional sense, but his sharp intelligence makes him just as dangerous as his magic. He remains calm under pressure, always analyzing the situation and searching for the best strategy rather than charging in recklessly. From his sister in his previous life, he inherited a crucial lesson: information is the sharpest weapon.
To Astro, strength alone doesn't decide victory—knowledge does. The one who gathers the most information and uses it efficiently will always stand on top. This mindset makes him a natural strategist, able to outthink opponents before he ever crosses blades with them.