Recap of Chapter 2
Levi was rescued after the slaughter of his family and taken toward the sanctuary under the Light Pillar. There, he discovered unsettling truths—chains binding the very sun above, priests whose shadows moved unnaturally, and whispers confirming his cursed vision wasn't mere madness. In the temple, a young priestess named Seris revealed she, too, could hear the voices. But before Levi could find comfort, the High Priest branded him Eclipseborn and ordered his "purification." In panic, Levi's power erupted, twisting light and shadow into chaos. Now, hunted by those meant to protect, Levi's fate hangs by a thread.
The temple's great hall lay in ruin. Candles flickered violently, their flames bending as if drawn toward Levi's trembling form. The guards lay sprawled across the floor, groaning, their armor cracked by forces they couldn't name.
Levi panted, sweat dripping down his pale face. His body ached as though every bone had splintered. He hadn't moved—hadn't even lifted a hand—yet the shadows and light had answered his scream.
Seris knelt beside him, her eyes wide. "What… was that?"
Levi shook his head, tears streaking his cheeks. "I—I don't know. It just… happened."
Across the hall, the High Priest clutched the edge of an altar, his face twisted in fury and fear. "Abomination," he spat. "You dared defile this holy place with shadow sorcery."
Levi tried to speak, but his voice broke. "I didn't—"
"Silence!" The High Priest's voice thundered like a hammer. He raised his hand, and the golden sun emblem hanging at his chest blazed. From the ceiling, beams of light converged, searing hot, forming a cage around Levi.
The whispers in his mind screamed.
Run. Hide. Fight.
The air grew unbearable, the golden light pressing against his skin like fire. Levi gasped, clutching his chest. His cursed vision showed the truth of the light—it wasn't pure. It writhed, binding something vast and furious above.
And it wanted him.
Seris stepped between them, arms spread wide. "High Priest, stop! He's a child! You'll kill him!"
The priest's expression softened not an inch. "Better a dead child than a seed of shadow growing in our midst."
The cage of light tightened. Levi cried out, feeling his flesh burn. He collapsed to his knees, vision swimming.
Then something inside him cracked.
The shadows surged, coiling around him like serpents. They clashed against the golden bars, devouring the light in sizzling bursts. Darkness and radiance tore at each other, the hall shaking under the pressure.
The priests and guards staggered back in horror.
"Impossible…" one whispered. "He wields both."
Seris looked down at Levi, her voice trembling. "Levi… what are you?"
He didn't know how to answer. He didn't know what he was.
The cage shattered.
A shockwave burst through the hall, scattering the priests like leaves in a storm. Light and shadow flared outward, then collapsed, leaving silence.
Levi knelt in the center, gasping for air, his body shaking violently. His eyes—those ruined eyes—burned with a glow that was neither wholly golden nor wholly black.
The High Priest pointed at him, his voice echoing. "Seize him! The boy is Eclipseborn!"
But no guard moved.
They had seen what happened. They had seen the clash of two powers that should never coexist. None dared step closer.
The High Priest snarled. "Cowards! If you won't obey, then I will—"
He raised his emblem again, but Seris's voice cut through. "Enough!"
Everyone froze.
She stood tall, her eyes blazing with conviction. "If the boy is Eclipseborn, then his fate is not yours to decide. The scriptures say such a child belongs to the Pillar's judgment—not to your vanity, High Priest."
Gasps rippled through the priests. To speak against the High Priest was unthinkable.
His face darkened with rage. "You dare quote scripture to me, acolyte?"
"I dare," she said, voice firm. "Because you twist the Light for power. But I see the truth—you fear him not because he is dangerous, but because he is beyond your control."
The hall fell into stunned silence.
Levi looked up at her, his chest tight. She was risking everything for him.
The High Priest's lips curled. "Very well. Let the Pillar decide."
He raised his hand, and the sun emblem pulsed once more. The golden light stretched upward, piercing the ceiling, connecting directly to the towering Pillar outside.
The temple shook.
"The boy shall stand trial beneath the Pillar's gaze," the High Priest declared. "Let the light strip him bare. If he is pure, he will live. If he is Eclipseborn…" His eyes glinted. "He will burn."
The trial came swiftly.
Levi was dragged through the city streets, though not by guards—by whispers and rumors. Crowds gathered, pointing, shouting.
"That's him—the shadow child!"
"They say his eyes glow in the dark."
"Eclipseborn! Tainted!"
Levi kept his head down, every step heavy with dread. Seris walked beside him, her jaw clenched. She had insisted on being his attendant for the trial, despite the High Priest's fury.
The Pillar loomed ahead, blazing like a sun frozen mid-birth. Its light was blinding, yet Levi's cursed sight saw deeper. Chains of radiance anchored it, and within its glow writhed something vast, screaming soundlessly.
His stomach churned.
The plaza at the Pillar's base was filled with priests and citizens. At its center stood a circular dais of white stone, etched with sun symbols. This was the place of judgment.
Levi was forced onto the dais. The High Priest raised his arms, his voice booming.
"People of Heliodor! Today, we cleanse our sanctuary of corruption. Before us stands a child marked by shadow. By the holy Pillar's light, his truth shall be revealed."
The crowd roared approval.
Levi trembled. Seris touched his arm, whispering. "Stay calm. Don't fight it. Whatever happens, I'll find a way."
But he couldn't stay calm. The whispers inside his head were growing louder.
They will burn you.
They fear you.
Let us show them what you are.
He bit his lip until it bled.
The High Priest slammed his staff onto the ground. The Pillar's radiance flared, beams of light striking Levi. His body convulsed, pain lancing through his veins like molten fire.
He screamed.
The crowd gasped as his eyes blazed—not with golden purity, but with a swirling dance of gold and black. Light and shadow warred within him, neither yielding.
"Look!" someone shouted. "He carries both!"
Murmurs spread, fear and awe mingling.
The High Priest's face twisted. "Abomination! No vessel can hold both! He must be destroyed before he consumes us all!"
The beams intensified. Levi felt his skin blister, his bones rattle. His cursed vision surged, and for an instant, he saw beyond the Pillar.
Chains. Endless chains of light. And something vast pulling against them. A broken sun, bleeding shadow, its voice thunderous in his mind.
Child of dusk… free me.
Levi's scream tore the air. The dais cracked beneath him, light exploding outward. Shadows surged to meet it, entwining. The plaza erupted in chaos, priests fleeing, citizens screaming.
The High Priest raised his staff again, fury blazing. "Die, Eclipseborn!"
But before the killing blow could fall, Seris threw herself in front of Levi, spreading her arms.
"If he dies," she shouted, "then so do I!"
End of Chapter 3
Preview of Chapter 4 – Chains of Light
With Seris defying the High Priest, Levi's fate hangs by her courage. But the Pillar itself has reacted—its chains straining, its light cracking. As panic spreads through the city, Levi will glimpse the forbidden truth hidden within the Pillar.
And in the chaos, a familiar shadow waits for him, whispering of freedom…
Next time: Levi learns the Pillar is not a blessing, but a prison.