Where Ashes and Oaths Collide

Chapter 65: Estrela Astuta

“Yes,” Mestre Escuro said simply. “For six years now, we have been fighting. I though our fight would be… I through it would be over by now.” Luz’s amber gaze remained fixed on Mestre Escuro, his expression unreadable as his confession hung in the air. “Six years of war for what?” he asked, his voice measured despite the emotional turmoil brewing beneath his armoured exterior. “What is your ultimate goal?” his black gauntleted hand rested on the hilt of his sword, fingers brushing against the frayed white ribbon hidden beneath. “You speak of freedom for your kind, but your methods are no different for the Santo order’s,” he continued taking a step forward. “You have become the very monster you claim to fight against.”

“There are hundreds just below our feed,” Mestre Escuro said, the fight returning to his voice. “Hundreds of prisoners. There were thousands in Dourado. But for every city we conquer they take more of our people.” His voice hardened, the earlier softness vanishing as he gestured toward the ruined cathedral. “Below us, in the crypts of this very cathedral, are two hundred of my people.” His red eyes burned with renewed intensity, the oppressive aura around his growing stronger. “For every city we take, the Santa order captures more of our kind. They lock them in cages, experiment on them, use their magic as fuel for their rituals.” Luz’s amber gaze flickered to the cathedral floor beneath them, where he knew they crypts lay.

Memories of Luz’s time in the Santo’s order surfaced– image of corrompido prisoners being led through the streets in chains, their cries echoing off stone walls. “Thousands in Dourado,” he repeated quietly, his voice carrying a note of grim understanding. “I admit, when I started this, I was angry. I wanted vengeance. I wanted to crush the Santo’s order,” Mestre Escuro said harshly. “But my true enemy remains out of reach. Estrela Astuta, the leader of the Santo’s knight, the founder of the order.” Luz’s amber eyes flashed with recognition at the name Estrela Astuta. The founder of the Santo’s order– the legendary knight who has established their doctrines and led their crusades for centuries– was a figure he had revered as a child and later served under as a commander.

“Estrela Astuta,” Luz repeated, his voice carrying a note of bitterness. “The woman who praised me for my zealotry, who promoted me to commander because I showed no mercy.” His armoured hand tightened around the hilt of his sword, the hidden white ribbon on his wrist feeling like a physical weight against his skin. The black veins along his jawline pulsed in response to the emotional turmoil brewing within him. “She is the one who approved the rituals that broke recruits and turned them into fanatics,” Luz continued, pacing along the shattered marble floor. “She is the one who ordered the execution of magical children like Escuridade.”

“Yes,” Mestre Escuro said more calmly. “Take her down and the entire order crumbles.” Luz’s amber eyes focused with renewed intensity. The mention of Estrela Astuta– the founder, the architect of the very system he had once dedicated his life to– stirred something primal within him. “Crush the head and the body dies,” Luz stated, his voice taking on a dangerous edge. “Razing villages, slaughtering innocents– it is all been noise.” He stepped closer the Mestre Escuro, his black armour creaking with each movement. “She was here,” Mestre Escuro said. “Before the siege but she slipped through our grasp.” Luz’s amber eyes widened as his words registered.

The mention of Estrela Astuta being here– right under their noses during the siege– sent a jolt of adrenaline through Luz. “Here?” he repeated sharply, his voice losing its commanding tone and taking on a note of urgent disbelief. “In this cathedral? When?” his black gauntleted hands clenched into fists at his sides, the black veins along his jawline pulsing erratically in response to the emotional turmoil brewing beneath his surface. “Estrela Astuta slipped through our grasp before we arrive,” Mestre Escuro said continued, his red eyes hardening with frustration. “On a ship. Always one step ahead of me…” Luz’s amber eyes darkened with frustration. The knowledge that his true enemy– the architect of the system he had once served– had slipped through their fingers mere hours before the siege began was a bitter pill to swallow.

“A ship,” Luz repeated through clenched teeth, his armoured hands flexing against the hilt of his sword. “Of course, Estrela Astuta would use the sea to escape. He is always relied on naval support to maintain his supply lines and retreat routes.” His black gauntleted fingers brushed against the hidden white ribbon on his wrist, a familiar gesture of frustration and determination. “I could have caught her,” he said sharply, his voice carrying the weight of regret. “You still could,” Mestre Escuro said with a knowing look. “There is a temple on an island. One only Santo’s knights can enter. And despite the darkness you carry, you are still a Santo’s knight.” Luz’s amber eyes widened slightly as Mestre Escuro’s words registered.

The mention of a temple accessible only to Santo’s knights struck a chord deep within him, stirring memories of his trained and the sacred oaths he had once sworn. “A temple on an island,” he repeated slowly, his voice carrying a note of cautious hope. “Accessibly one to those with pure hearts– Santo knights.” His black gauntleted hand moved to rest on the hilt of his sword, fingers brushing against the frayed white ribbon hidden beneath. “You believe I can still enter such a place? Even with the darkness inside me? Even after everything I have done?” he asked, his tone laced with disbelief and a hint of longing. “I know you can,” Mestre Escuro said. “I have sent one before. He could enter but was not strong enough and got cut down by the guards.”

Mestre Escuro’s words struck Luz with the force of a physical blow, his amber eyes widening as he processed the revelation. Another Santo’s knight had attempted the temple’s trails and failed– killed by guards while trying to infiltrate a place meant for pure hearts. “He was cut down,” Luz repeated quietly, his voice carrying the weight of someone who had once commanded Santo knights. “How many did you send? How many died trying to reach this island?” Mestre Escuro frowned slightly. “I only send one. Santo’s knight do not exactly line up around the corner for help me.”