The sanctum doors blew open as Mirus stepped into the cold night air, Vultyr's new form trailing behind him like a walking deathly omen.
Moonlight shimmered across the tops of the trees and through their leaves, the distant roars of hungry nightmarish creatures rode the cool night breeze, echoing throughout the land.
He paused.
Closed his eyes and thought for a moment.
'There are three kingdoms that bordered The Horrowmaw expanse: The kingdom of Strigakia to the east, the Utahan kingdom to the west, the Sanctus Lumin Theocracy to the north and the Mythic desert behind us to the south.'
Then he took to the skies.
No wings, no magic circles, no psychomancy, and no chants.
Just complete spatial control.
He did not need magic or wings, he simply had the god given ability to ascend and descend wherever he pleased.
Angrily, he looked far to the north, squinting—with sharp disdain.
With his dark divine eyes could see the Holy border from where he stood.
Then he saw further into Theocracy lands and saw the houses and farmland on the outskirts, the poor people that occupied them and their forsaken churches filled with their hollow religious altars and effigies.
Then he looked even further, as far as he could without obstruction until his line of sight was impeded by the pristine tall white walls of the Theocracy's capital and the Sanctus Lumin Sentinels stationed on top and around it.
The Sentinels stood upon the capital wall—tall, immaculate figures clad in pristine white armor trimmed in radiant platinum.
Their helms were smooth and faceless save for a narrow cruciform slit glowing faintly with sacred light.
Long white tabards draped over gilded plates, each emblazoned with the Theocracy's sigil, a burning Iron halo with angelic wings.
The sentinels stationed on the ground held heavy tower-shields etched with the theocracy's sigil at the center along with scriptures of the theocracy's bible written over it and spears two heads taller than them crowned in gleaming auric holysteel etched in the same fashion.
The sentinels stationed on top were equipped with auric holysteel bows etched in the same fashion as the rest.
Each sentinel—silent, rigid, and unnervingly devout.
'I absolutely loathe the Theocracy and their religious zealots. Depraved idolater's, all of them worshippers of a False god. I will obliterate them first—Their faith and that wretched Supreme Pontiff Christophales!'
Mirus eyed one particular sentinel wickedly— he stood out amongst the rest.
He was no one special. Not to him.
He could see beneath the helms of each sentinel, and this one's face was begrudgingly unattractive. So much so, that mere sight of it offended and irritated him deeply.
It probably didn't help that this particularly ugly fellow was a zealot of the Theocracy.
Such is life.
'This will not do…let's…start a small fire to signal my malevolent coming.'
Mirus thought to himself and tyrannically raised both of his hands in front of him as if he were going to move a heavy object with his unseen will.
With conviction he slowly twisted and closed his fists.
High on the Rampart, the unsightly sentinel stood in silent vigilance.
Humphrey Blisterwick, forty-five years old. He was an honest man and a loyal indoctrinated Sanctus Lumin Theocracy Sentinel.
Due to his unfortunate looks and the traumas carved into him throughout childhood and early adulthood, the Eternal Haven Doctrine—with its rigid commandments and the endless scriptures of the Lux Bible belonging to the idolatrous Holy Light religion of the Sanctus Lumin Theocracy—became his salvation.
Like countless others raised beneath the Theocracy's burning iron halo, its teachings were pounded into him from the cradle onward.
And at the lowest points in his life when he had nothing else, it gave him purpose—offering him solace, belonging, and the illusion of divine favor.
The Sanctus Lumin Sentinels were where men went when their fervent worship of their god, Lumin… Luminarchos, boiled over into demented zealotry. It was where devotion twisted into duty, and duty twisted into a militant, demented patriotism—driving them to fight for the Theocracy and spread its righteous word by spear and shield.
They can be quite the terrifying bunch once you rile them up.
Today was like any other day for poor Humphrey Blisterwick— he quietly hummed a gospel tune as he manned his station on the rampart.
Or so he thought it would be…not that he would ever have a chance to reflect how his day had gone.
As he was going to die a horrible death.
One second he was just another zealot clutching his holysteel bow… and the next—
It was like his wrists had been placed between two boulders—they caved in and snapped—he dropped his bow and began to scream.
ARGHHHHH—
The other sentinels along the wall looked and ran towards the disturbance.
Upon reaching him, they froze in horror—Humphrey's eyes were bulging from his head as his armor began to crumple inwards, and his legs snapped outwards at the knees.
"HEL…p…m—He muttered what he could, pleading for help from his fellow sentinels before his head whipped around frantically and his neck twisted unnaturally before finally snapping backwards and his mouth jutted open.
Mirus smiled wickedly from afar.
"Are you seeing this Vultyr? Did I make your vision strong enough to see across such vast distances?"
She had taken to the skies with him and had been watching from the beginning.
Once he had raised his hands to the north she knew exactly where to look and saw the life being snuffed out of poor Humphrey.
"Yes my lord, my vision spans the distance. Vultyr's undying self is eternally grateful."
She too eyed them with disdain, itching to inflict harm upon her master's enemies.
"I feel I could even see further, if it weren't for their blasphemous capital obstructing my view of your beautiful landscape, my lord."
She really was furious, torrents of shimmering dark miasma cascaded down from her majestic crimsidian dark phoenix wings into the land below them as they beat powerfully behind her.
Being reborn from Mirus's Essence—his soul, she too was furious at the sight of the Theocracy's sentinels, let alone Humphrey.
Mirus side eyed Vultyr and smirked mischievously upon witnessing her composure.
"It's not beautiful… not yet— But we will make it so."
"Yes master."
In truth, Mirus hadn't tested out the entirety of his visual prowess yet, not to mention the rest of his abilities but if the planet of Prime were flat then his vision would encompass it all.
Nothing within his immediate field of vision was hidden—all was laid bare before him.
Except the planet is not flat, and Prime is in fact round.
This was something Mirus had discovered earlier on in his life, and then realized shortly after that this revelation wasn't common knowledge amongst the populace of Prime, especially those from the places like the Theocracy.
If he wanted to see further past the curve or through things that have truly obstructed his vision he would have to resort to using his vision in conjunction with his divine senses, divination, or some other obscure method.
Vultyr's vision was stellar prior to her new form, given that she was and still is a bird of prey.
With her new eldritch transformation her vision was immaculate.
Not even the tiniest insect on the smallest blade of grass could escape her eyes from the sky.
Still, it did not surpass Mirus's own divine, almost omnipotent sight.
"This is the beginning of their reckoning, Vultyr. This is our current task, this is the work we must do."
"Yes my lord."
She watched Mirus's every divine move with precision, burning it into her memory. She would exact the same cruelty and force on the people of the theocracy when it came time.
6800 miles away Mirus and Vultyr occupied the center of the Horrowmaw Expanse.
From its center, Mirus corrupted Humphrey's mind.
He released and focused his Aura of Profane Dread upon Humphrey and flooded his mind with images of his own titanous abominable Eldritch form and whispered the vile atrocities he would commit into his ear.
'Your god is hollow and your hideous mortal soul will never touch upon the Eternal Haven's pearly gates you pitiful wretch… You are fated to die a miserable wretched death…Luminarchos is a false god, he does not exist and he has never heard your prayers. They've all been swallowed by the void…For the crimes of your incessant idolatry, the upholding and spreading of your blasphemous hollow beliefs and for the crime of existing and offending my divine eye sight—your sins will be punished by death! Yours and the Theocracy's!
Mirus growled angrily in his ear.
Humphrey began to scream once more, not in pain, but as if he'd gone insane. He would've clawed out his eyes and ears if Mirus hadn't prevented him from doing so.
'Everything you've come to know and love will suffer and burn endlessly in my profane fire, your loved ones raped and killed by my wretched minions. Your morals, your faith and your precious Supreme Pontiff all defiled and destroyed by my very wicked hand. You will all know what it is to be forsaken by a higher power…You will all come to know the meaning of true suffering…OF TRUE PAIN!"
Humphrey shouted bible verses and pleaded for his mother incoherently at the top of his lungs, sobbing tears of blood profusely.
Seven sentinels flanked him from each side—four to the left, three to right, all of them watching on in horror with their mouths agape.
The sentinels stationed on the far end of the other side of the wall and the sentinels stationed at the bottom could hear Humphrey guttural screams.
Even some citizens near the bottom of the wall living inside the capital began to wonder what was going on, not knowing necessarily where the screams were coming from.
Not that it mattered from the comfort of their home.
The holy did not concern themselves with the wicked.
Nonetheless, screams that could be heard from up top the wall or beyond were not a conventional occurrence.
The people of the Theocracy's capital lived relatively peaceful lives.
Relatively, that— is the key word.
Having received quick orders, The sentinels farthest began to make their way towards Humphrey who was stationed above the gate while others stayed put and continued to man their positions, keeping an eye out for incoming threats.
"WE ARE ALL DOOMED!"
"HE IS COMING HE IS COMING HE IS COMING HE IS COMING HE IS COMING HE IS COMING HE IS!"
He stopped shouting and gasped for air as if he were given the briefest moment of respite…
His head whipped to the right and looked towards The nearest sentinel with his eyes wide and his jaw slack.
The nearest sentinel was a tall and muscular young man, with chestnut hair—It was his first week as a sentinel on the rampart and he wasn't sure what he should do in a situation like this, what protocol to actually follow.
"Brother Kaspian…"
Humphrey's once ugly but plump complexion was now anorexic and grey, almost devoid of any color.
His eyes bled, darting back and forth rapidly and his skin was blistering.
He looked as if he were rotting.
Kaspian stood there wide eyed, gritting his teeth.
"GOD IS NOT REAL!"
He screamed furiously at Kaspian as his eyes and tongue were burned out of his head, black fire erupting from them.
Kaspian reflexively threw up.
Then Humphrey's spine arched sharply, His back breaking.
Both his arms flung into the air at his sides, his hands hanging limply as if he were being nailed to a cross.
Grimly, he rose into the air guided by Mirus's unseen will.