The boar meat was scorched on the outside, raw in the middle. Cooking was harder than it looked. Cassian hacked away at the carcass, salvaging what few edible chunks remained.
There was a pile of wild red berries beside him. He couldn't remember which ones Acolyte Akira said were poisonous. But it was either he ate them, or had his meat burnt, and flavourless.
Back at the temple, he used to turn his nose up at their daily meals, calling them slop. It seemed like fine dining now. Cain always had a problem with the seasoning. It was either too little, or too much.Cassian had agreed with him back then; now, looking back, it had been seasoned just right.
He crunched down on the stringy flesh. He added the berries on top. He gagged. They tasted horrible too
After a brief search, he managed to find a shallow cave. A quick inspection confirmed it was empty—no wild beasts, no unwanted company.
It took a lot of sweating and cursing, but he finally managed to start a flame.
Now, he sat in the dark mouth of the cave, the flames cackling,the moon his only companion.
He pulled the pocket watch from his coat. The glass was shattered, the hands frozen in place, it was all he had left now, all he could possibly need
He held it but the chain letting it fall into a slow pendulum motion.
He stared at the mark inked onto his skin. Useless now. There was no way Korvus would allow him to channel its power anymore. He was surprised the brand hadn't burned away entirely.
"Why do I still have this?" He asked Materdea—she was always listening.
"Why don't you ask Korvus" she responded—She was always vague.
He lay down on the jagged stone floor, and now more than ever, he missed the clouds like softness of his bed.
Then he remembered what they had done to him.
It didn't matter anymore. The temple and all its lush beds could kiss his ass. He was going to take the heads of every last person who tried to kill him,and then he'd burn their holy place to the ground.
Drip, drip, drip.
A drop of freezing water struck Cassian's face like a slap. He jolted upright, a violent shiver racking his frame.
The morning sun pierced his eyes with harsh light before retreating behind a bank of crimson and yellow clouds. Coward.
He stood up with a weary yawn. The red berries from the night before had soured, staining his lips a dark, bruised red. He chugged what little water had gathered in a stone hollow, gasping for air like a drowning man taking his final breath.
At the temple, breakfast would already be served.
No time to reminisce. He needed to move, needed to find a settlement before starvation or the elements finished Korvus's job for him.
Waiting outside the cave was an assault on all his senses.
The forest was vibrant, a stark contrast to the dead quiet of the cave.
Birds chirped, the smell of damp pine hung thick in the air, and the morning sky bled orange.
Cassian squinted, his legs heavy and his mind clouded with fatigue. He had no map, no destination. A memory resurfaced, a piece of advice from a temple guard.
"If you're ever lost in the woods, just follow the animals."
Varil had been a kind man. He would kill him last, or maybe grant him a quick death when he razed the temple.
He tracked a single black bird lagging behind its flock. They were flying east, away from the temple. The Archon would have called it a divine sign. He had a way of assigning holy meaning to every falling leaf. Black birds were an omen of evil.
Cassian didn't believe in the god anymore, he was a man of logic now. And Logically, returning to the temple meant death. He needed power first, and when he had it, he would return to pay his debts in blood.
He limped east. The morning dew soaked through the hem of his tunic as he trudged through the mud. Every step sent a jolt of pain up his side where the boar had rammed him. He had tried asking Materdea to heal his injuries like she did after his fall, but the goddess had merely laughed in his head. He was starting to rethink his decision. Maybe he should've given it some thought before accepting her offer. As if he could.
Through the thick treeline, a silhouette emerged. A stone structure with an all too familiar high-arched roof.
A shrine, same as the ones that had at the temple.
The faint smell of incense and burned offerings drifted on the breeze.
Temples had offered him peace in the past. Now, they offered something far more practical.
Cassian broke into a desperate, limping dash. He reached the altar and scanned it for food. Spotting a red bowl, he lunged for it, devouring the offerings like a starving hound.
Desecrating an altar was a mortal sin, but survival outweighed piety. He had no reason to be pious anymore.
Besides, Korvus didn't need it. He had other altars to eat from.
The food was lukewarm and tasted off a bizarre mix of grains and dried meats that had no business being mixed together. But a starving man couldn't afford to be picky. He collapsed against a nearby tree, swallowing the last mouthful.
Warm food meant a village was close by. A smirk crept onto his face.
He glanced back at the shrine, his smirk instantly twisting into a scowl. I will have my revenge.
Dragging himself to his feet, Cassian swung his hand and knocked the incense burner over, scattering ash and embers across the dirt—a small, petty act of war against the heavens.
Maybe the gods will descend when I slit the Archon's throat, Cassian thought as he pressed forward into the trees. Or maybe, just like me, they'll abandon him.
He couldn't wait to find out.