Streets of Banvar, Holy Kingdom
The sun used to shine brightly almost every single day in the Holy Kingdom, its territory built upon a highly elevated plateau which further increased its radiance to the people, in order to "be closer to the Sun God Helios", which would only be beneficial to them. Banvar was a well-known city, one of the many trading districts of the Kingdom. The economy within the Holy Kingdom was immense, the donations and other money sources coming from the church focused on helping with the environment for the people, things such as streets, buildings, and other things in that category.
Most of Mainland follows the Sun God Helios, pledging their allegiance and utter devotion to him. Not all of humanity, however, thinks that way. I am one of the few that isn't brainwashed by the church and have the capability for wanting to carve my own future and destiny. Of course, if the church knew of that, I wouldn't be here for long. Which is why they don't.
I am just one of the many people who feel caged in this society that forces its beliefs onto us. Only few do something about it, plan for change and act how we wish to, without fear of the consequences it may bring. It is better to die on your feet for what you believe than to rot away in a cage, fearing for your life at any moment.
They call us the weeds, needing to be ripped out from where we hide within the confines of unknowing believers and destroyed. Most of the population in Mainland has been corrupted and brainwashed by the church, turning neighbours and families against one another in order to 'get rid of the infection before it spreads', a bounty also being placed for every weed that you find and report to the church.
I walk down the mainstreet of the inner district of Banvar. Many people used to negotiate and haggle trades from various merchants of exquisite items across the globe, including various foods, jewels, weapons, and artifacts. Now, however, there is only an eerie quietness as a much fewer people wander around Banvar, doing their daily tasks and necessities such as shopping for foodstuff, setting or opening shops, and students of the church heading forward Banvar Academy.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
I abruptly make a sharp left turn into a dark alleyway.
As I walk down it with methodolic steps, I make more turns as I traverse myself through the pathways of the other side of Banvar, the slums. People with rags for clothes greet my familiar appearance with a brief nod and turn back their heads after they've done the basic need of acknowledgement, sitting on the piss and shit stained ground they all were forced to call home.
After a while, I came to a stop. A black door made of a pristine metal not fitting to be on a wall in a place as mundane as this was before me. A small opening enclosed from the other side was in my line of sight. I knocked, and it opened abruptly. A pair of wary eyes greeted me.
"What the fuck do you want, shi-"
"I am here to bargain."
The once wary eyes that threatened to morph to anger quickly transformed into one of a tranquil nature, containing an eerie calmness that would make even the most bravest of men feel a cold sweat on their back.
"What is your bargain?"
A much deeper and powerful voice sounded from the opening of the black door.
"I will give you the answer."
The eerie eyes squinted as it discerned me for any movements or signs of weakness. It peered through me and seemed to scan throughout my soul, judging me, ready to condemn me to a nightmarish fate.
"What is the purpose of life?"
The words were slowly and carefully spoken by the watchful eyes behind the opening. I felt the killing intent surrounding me from countless individuals, waiting for any signal by the being behind the doorway so that they could shred me to pieces. I responded with no hesitation, for hesitation is for the weak, and the weak are not welcome here.
"The purpose of life is death."
The door opened ominously with a loud and foreboding screech. The killing intent abruptly vanished, as if it was never there in the first place. I looked before me and nothing but black reached my eyes. The man behind the opening was nowhere to be found. I walked through the door and heard it shut behind me with a bang. As I continued walking, the blackness surrounding me continued to get darker and darker, until I was engulfed in complete and utter darkness.