Thunder roared above as Lok ran through the pounding rain, his heart pounding harder with every step.
The crowd was a sea of angry faces—shouting, throwing stones, voices like thunder themselves.
He pushed through them, desperate, eyes locked on the altar ahead.
There she was—his mother—bound and trembling, her eyes wide with fear.
The flames were ready, licking the dry wood beneath her feet.
"Mom!" he screamed, but the roar of the crowd swallowed his voice.
Lightning split the sky, casting jagged shadows over the twisted scene.
Time slowed as the first spark ignited, and everything inside him shattered.
He closed his eyes tightly and fell to the ground.
He didn't cover his face—he just shut his eyes, trying to block out the pain and the horror.
His body went limp as he collapsed, one hand pressed firmly over his ear, trying to drown out his mother's screams, but they were louder than the thunder itself.
Around him, the crowd erupted in cheers and laughter, celebrating their cruel victory.
One voice shouted, "Damn, I thought she was one of the good ones. Turns out she's just a regular bitch."
Another sneered, "By the way, who did she sleep with?"
Someone else shrugged, "we don't know it doesn't matter.
Their words hung heavy in the air—showing they cared little for the man, only obsessed with the woman's shame.
The sounds of their joy hammered into his ears, each shout piercing deeper into his soul.
He didn't move.
He didn't cry.
He just lay there—broken and silent—as the world crumbled around him.
Mom—his safe place, the answer to all his problems—had just been burned like an object. All of that… just because she cheated?
The God she loved was the one who told them to burn women who cheat? He killed mom! Does God even really love us?
An ocean of questions flooded his mind.
His face turned pale from the cold and the rain mixing with his tears
Im ruined.