The main hall of the Royal Academy of Light was usually a sanctuary of hushed study, but this morning it had been transformed into a hub of controlled, institutional panic. Armored knights of the Church stood like iron pillars at every entrance, their hands resting on the pommels of their broadswords. A massive sheet of vellum had been spiked to the central notice board, its edges etched with a faint, crimson light the mark of an 'Urgent Decree.'
**[MISSION: PURIFICATION OF OAKHAVEN]**
**[Assigned Leader: Dorian Valerius]**
**[Assigned Team: Julian Valmont, Elena Vance, Silas Vane.]**
Dorian stood before the board, his hands buried in the sleeves of his white robes. He didn't carry the posture of a hero embarking on a holy crusade; he looked like a man who had just been tasked with dredging a particularly foul sewer.
"Valerius."
Professor Aris approached, her silver armor clinking with every measured step. Beside her was Bishop Vane, a man whose 'Saintly' reputation was a curated facade for a cavernous, rotting greed. Dorian looked at the ragged group assembling behind them. Julian Valmont looked as if he were being marched to a chopping block, his bandaged wrist cradled against his chest. Elena Vance held her scholar's satchel like a shield, and Silas, the elderly librarian, clutched a stack of purification scrolls with trembling hands.
"A scholar, a coward, and a man who belongs in a rocking chair," Dorian said, his voice a cold, level rasp. "Is this a purification team or a traveling circus?"
"The Church believes in 'Redemption through Service,' Valerius," Bishop Vane said, his voice a smooth, oily baritone. "Julian must atone. Elena has the botanical knowledge. And Silas... was insistent."
Dorian looked at the librarian. Silas gave a small, tremor filled nod. "I cannot allow you to face the dark alone, Master Valerius."
Dorian let out a short, dry sound that might have been a laugh. "Fine. If you've developed a sudden urge to be buried in a forest, I won't stand in your way. But mark this if you fall behind, I will not be turning back. I don't carry dead weight."
*Ding!*
**[Urgent Saint Quest: The Ghoul Outbreak.]**
**[Objective: Lead your team to Oakhaven and survive the first night.]**
**[Reward: +100 Faith Points / Unlocks: 'Commander's Aura'.]**
The march to Oakhaven took them through the rolling hinterlands of the Valerius estate. As they neared the borders of the Whispering Woods, the world began to putrefy. The wheat was no longer gold; it was a bruised grey, withered and dry. The hamlets they passed were hollow shells, their doors barred from the outside. There was no birdsong, only a heavy, suffocating silence that pressed against their eardrums.
"It's... it's so quiet," Elena whispered.
"Silence is the sound of a predator that has already finished its meal," Dorian replied, his pace relentless.
They reached Oakhaven as the sun began to dip, painting the horizon in shades of bruised purple. The village was a cluster of dark timber huddled in a shallow valley. It looked like a tomb. In the center square, men stood guard with pitchforks that trembled in their hands.
"Halt!" one of them bellowed, a barrel chested man with eyes shot through with red. "Who are you?"
Dorian stepped forward, allowing his **[Sovereign's Presence]** to leak out a heavy, suffocating pressure that made the villagers retreat a step. "We are from the Academy of Light. I am Dorian Valerius. We are here to excise the rot."
The man looked at the cowering Julian and the fragile Silas. "You're just boys! We need the Inquisition!"
"The Inquisition is occupied," Dorian said, his voice dropping to a dangerous low. "You have me. If you wish to see the sunrise, you will do as I command. Or you can die with your pride. I truly don't care which."
Inside 'The Silent Oak' tavern, the Mayor sat at a table covered in maps. "They come with the dark," he whispered. "First the livestock. Then the children. They don't just kill you... they *change* you. One bite, and you're a puppet of the rot."
Suddenly, a shrill, jagged scream tore through the square, followed by the sound of splintering timber and a wet crunch.
"They're over the walls!" a voice shrieked.
Dorian sprinted for the door, his hand already gripping his wooden training sword. "Julian! Silas! Stay in the tavern! Elena, with me!"
He stepped into the square and saw them. They were parodies of the human form bruised grey skin stretched over ribs like blades, eyes glowing with a feral, jaundiced light. Their mouths were hinges of needle teeth dripping with black ichor. Five of them were closing in on a young woman who had tripped near the well.
"Not today," Dorian whispered.
He didn't use a sword strike. He used **[Holy Bindings]**. Thin, golden tethers erupted from his hand, lashing out like whips of fire. They coiled around the lead Ghoul's throat and jerked it backward with a sickening crack against the stone lip of the well. The creature let out a gurgling shriek, its yellow eyes locking onto Dorian with a mixture of hunger and instinctive hate.
"Come then," Dorian said, a thin, cruel smile touching his lips. "Let's see how much 'Holy Light' it takes to burn the filth from your bones."
***
**Author's Note:** The hunt has begun. Dorian is surrounded by fools, but the Ghouls are about to learn the price of attacking the Blood Emperor. If you're ready for the slaughter in **Chapter 11**, support the novel with your **Power Stones**! Your votes fuel the Saint's rising power. Let us know your thoughts in the comments!