Law of Evolution: The Fifth Clan

The Day Before the Last

"Who's voice? Who are you talking about?" Peter asked, turning to his old friend. No reply, just an empty, cold look. "How can you not rememember" Not a question, but a plea, directed to Tess. Her eyes almost hollow as well, cold. A sigh, then a glance at me. "I remember, too, Oswald" She paused, everyone turning to me. I opened my mouth to talk, but-

Footsteps.

I let out a sigh of relief, looking at Maria as she walked down the staircase slowly. "D-did I do something?" She stuttered, stopping even before her foot touched the floor. The tension was still in the air, I could not say if anyone was breathing. "No, you did nothing wrong" Celetine sighed, sitting down in front of me. Maria moved to the desk near the stairs and watched silently as they all returned their eyes on me. "We all heard that voice and it was not yours" Tess breathed, looking down at Celestine who nodded silently. "I- I felt, as if I was not speaking words of my own" I looked down at my paws, I was shaking badly.

"Tess, Oswald. Explain" Peter ordered, eyeing the two carefully. I was no exclusion to that order, I was sure of it. "We were not lying, that was the proof right there" Oswald pointed at me, his voice shaking more than his hands did. Peter did not speak, his eyes now on Tess. "If we do as she says, thousands, if not millions will die" She said, no, growled. "Who is she?" I demanded. "If you expected a long and painful story, then you are mistaken. She is a deity, or so we believe, Alithia, the Deity of Truth" She spoke, bitterness in her voice. "Do you not believe in, God? Forgive me if I mistaken the name" I relied, tilting my head.

"We do, but both me and Oswald have seen her in person. No evidence against he being real" Tess explained, pointing with her thumb at Oswald who as now sitting back down on the chair. "What you spoke, is it true? That thousands die if her commands are obeyed" I asked, standing up. The burning had disappeared entirely. "These two  claim that the slaughters in the Northern Temples are of her doing" Peter stepped in, eyeing them carefully. 

The Northern Temples. Legend says that the first of the Astor Clan found the monasteries up in the mountains when they colonized this part of the continent. The monks who inhabited them were of all species, including humans even before they appeared in Astora from the sea. Years after that, the other Clans were formed and it was decided that every Clan had free access to the Monasteries, the Monks had ordered it. That meant that the Northern Temples were the only region in the continent where the other Clans could meet Blunts.

Almost a century ago, that changed. Each and every single Blunt within the monasteries, even Monks, were slaughtered on the spot with no discrimination from men, women or children. The Blunts put up a fight, but.... they lost and the monasteries collapsed from the use of siege weapons issued by the Shepherds and Astora.

"If what you speak is true, then why did she appear through Antony?" The healer asked. Tess snapped at her, narrowing her eyes. "The question is, what will happen if we do as she says" Oswald said, opening his eyes. "I believe... we will only know when the revelation tomorrow takes place" I stood up, looking at them all. "Now I do not believe you are unprepared for this, so you prepare a plan while I talk to Nick. Trust me when I tell you that he will not take it lightly" I said, walking past them towards the staircase, casting Maria a worried look as I left them behind.

Sooner than I left, they had began conversion, planning. I sighed as I pushed open the door to the upper room to find Nick curled around himself in the corner of the room. His chest rising and falling rhythmically. I shook my head. I had read about what happened in Majula after the temple's destruction -that must have been one of the few documents that ever reached the other Clans- and just the sheer numbers of their losses... six thousand Blunts slaughtered as they were escaping and triple that was caught - and killed-  on their way back to Majula. Shepherds and the Astora Clan even argued on who took down the most.