Cause of Corpse《Book One》

Welcome to Jyterion, the land of complete peace. It never seemed real, but these people had a god: Darsus. He was their divine watcher and ruler, the one who had stabilised the peace and joy they had enjoyed for generations. Under his watch, Jyterion had known little of war, destruction, or the kind of chaos that swallowed neighbouring lands. The people prayed to him during their morning prayers and thanked him for every peaceful harvest, every safe birth, every quiet night. However, Darsus was not a god they could simply walk up to. He lived far away in a kingdom of his own, ruling from a palace that stood beyond the boundaries of the inhabited parts of Jyterion. His kingdom was separated from the rest of the land by a vast sea. That sea was not an ordinary sea. Its waters were violent, unpredictable, and almost impossible to cross. Storms could appear without warning, turning the calmest waters into a raging monster within minutes. The waves rose high enough to swallow ships, and the winds could tear apart anything foolish enough to challenge them. No one survived a journey across it. At least, that was what everyone believed, so nobody was foolish enough to try. Well... almost nobody. Many years ago, some anxious discoverers became curious about what existed beyond the forbidden waters. They wanted to see the kingdom of their god with their own eyes. Perhaps they wanted to know what Darsus looked like. Perhaps they simply wanted to satisfy a curiosity that had grown too large to ignore. Whatever their reasons were, they sailed into the ocean, and they never returned. Their ships were swallowed by the storms, and the sea gave nothing back. Bridge makers also attempted to find a way across, convinced that if a bridge could be built between the lands, people would finally be able to reach their god without having to challenge the sea. They failed too... the sea claimed them. Eventually, their attempts became stories told to children as warnings. Most people listened. Erinna did too. At least, she tried. Erinna was a fine young maiden under the care of her uncle and aunties. Every story made Erinna wonder more. Was he truly as frightening as the elders made him sound? Did he watch Jyterion from his distant kingdom? Did he know the names of the people who prayed to him every day? Did he ever look toward their land? One day, she had gone to pick some pine from a tree that shared a boundary with the sea leading toward Darsus' palace. She could not clearly see the palace from where she stood because thick clouds covered its appearance. Erinna took another pine, but her attention had already left the tree. She stared toward the sea. The sun had already begun to sink, and the light was becoming weaker. Erinna gathered what she had picked and turned away from the boundary... yet she did not leave immediately. She looked back one last time. The sea looked different now. The wind had begun to change, and a cold breeze brushed against her skin, making her shiver. Erinna tightened her hold on the pine. The first drop of rain landed on her cheek. "Oh no." She looked upwards. The rain began falling harder. It rained almost every night on this island. The elders had their own explanations for it. They said the rain washed away the bloody water that sometimes gathered around the island and replaced it with fresh water. The sea became restless and violent, causing Erinna's heart to pound. She had to leave... now! The wind struck her from the side, and she stumbled. The pine fell from her hands, but another gust nearly knocked her over. "Please..." Erinna screamed. Her feet slipped against the wet ground. She could feel small cuts forming against her skin as branches and rough surfaces scraped against her. "Please, let me go home," Erinna cried. She pressed herself against the tree. "I didn't cross the line." She looked toward the sea. "Please forgive me, Lord Darsus." She wept, still clinging tightly to the pine tree, unbothered by the injuries she had incurred. She only wanted to survive, but the storm had no mercy. Erinna's fingers began to slip. "No, please!" She held tighter. Regardless, her hands slipped. She reached back desperately. Her fingers caught the bark for a moment, then slipped again. Erinna was carried away with the waters. The storm always increased its rage whenever it trapped a meal. It did so again today. Yet... something was different. Blood would eventually spread through the water. There was no blood. What had the storm done to her?.