Lanista was a mega city divided into five provinces, housing the remnants of humanity on Earth #5572. Their planet had fought back against creatures and angels, but like every other realm in the universe, they had experienced a one-sided massacre—until the beginning of the Armageddon Games.
The invasions were temporarily halted during the games, and the winner gained a decade of peace, while the loser suffered another ten years of invasion before the next game. Following this method, several realms had been wiped out of existence.
In this realm, humanity had only known defeat until the appearance of Alistar White—the man who won three consecutive decades of peace before his death on his fourth run. For another thirty years, humanity suffered invasions and was reduced to one mega city. Then Ji Wei appeared.
Now, even Ji Wei was dead. What would be left of their city in ten years?
Liam was deeply disturbed. Even a psychopath wouldn't find race extermination funny. According to Ruth, he had been away for over three months, and since the games lasted six months, that meant they had only three months left before the games ended and the invasion continued.
In fact, he was sure those creatures were already gathering.
The heavens only displayed the perspective of an Ascendant to its people from the sky. Since Ji Wei was dead, the people of this world could no longer see what was happening in the Armageddon Games. Liam had no way of knowing what was going on now.
"What killed him?" Liam couldn't hold back his curiosity any longer.
However, Ruth didn't respond immediately. Her gaze was fixed on the window as the car raced through the quiet streets of the western province.
The city was quiet and somber because everyone knew the impending doom that would befall them in three months' time. Everyone was afraid. Ji Wei had died only a few days ago, but there were already military personnel carrying enlistment forms.
For some reason, even the air felt twice as heavy as usual.
"You'll get the chance to know eventually. Be patient," Ruth said in a heavy voice, not bothering to spare him a glance.
Liam had already noticed Ruth's nasty mood and guessed it had something to do with their current situation, so he decided to ignore her and simply enjoy the ride to the Western Province Ministry of Ascendants and Survival Affairs.
The rest of the journey was silent. Upon arrival, Liam followed Ruth into the largest building in the ministry, and to his surprise, everyone was extremely polite—to the point of suspicion.
She led him to the Minister's office, large and spacious, with a glass wall displaying a breathtaking view. The man behind the desk was not just fat but heavyset, half bald, and perpetually annoyed.
The look of discontent in his eyes while glaring at Liam standing before him was unnerving. He ignored Liam and flipped through a few pages of a document before speaking.
"Liam Wilfred. Congratulations on becoming a full-fledged Ascendant."
"Thank you."
Despite the man's bad attitude, Liam responded with a polite smile and a small bow. The single act seemed to diffuse most of the tension in the room as a small smile cracked across the Minister's face.
Ascendants were usually too full of themselves to be polite. Finding one who still retained his manners after gaining power was as rare as finding a dragon in the modern world.
"I'm aware you're also a curse pioneer?" William asked in a much friendlier tone.
Liam simply nodded. Curse pioneers were Ascendants who awakened a curse never before seen in this world. It was rare, but not unheard of.
"Have you experienced any changes so far?"
The question caught Ruth's attention. Liam hesitated for a moment before answering.
"I think I can see people's sin."
Buzz!
Ruth and William frowned, exchanging knowing glances before returning their attention to Liam.
"Are you serious?" William leaned forward, his expression cautious.
Liam nodded, silently acknowledging Ruth's deep gaze from the corner of his eye. William clapped his hands and smiled, but behind the smile was clear unease—and Liam understood why.
Bloodied hands; murder.
Dirty jewelry; theft.
Hickeys and a stained engagement ring; adultery.
Sewn lips; lies and deceit.
Liam wasn't sure how, but he instinctively understood what each sign meant and which sin it represented. There was a lot of sin tied to William—so much that Ruth looked like a saint in comparison. But Liam wasn't moved. He had seen a lot of people today, and they were all filthy with sin. These were the same people who judged him for murdering his abusive parents.
Whatever his ability was, it was exposing him to a completely different perspective of the world.
"Good. As a pioneer, you must share all your findings about your curse. That way, we can record them and use the knowledge to guide those who gain the same curse after you're gone," William explained nervously while strangely avoiding eye contact.
Liam's ability was truly shocking, but William didn't want to spend another moment with him. He shifted his attention to Ruth, who stepped forward.
"Take him to Area 3 and have him begin training right away. You know the situation right now—only he and that Denis Forman kid survived the trial. We got only two Ascendants this year."
"Area 3?" Liam's ears perked up.
He had heard a lot of things about Ascendants—trials, glorious deaths beyond the walls or in the Armageddon Games, going lost eventually, making insane amounts of money. However, Area 3 was the most exciting of them all.
These areas were secluded locations, walled and protected from the rest of the world. They were essentially new homes and communities for every Ascendant in each province. Their infrastructures included schools, hospitals, supermarkets, parks, movie theaters—everything found in normal human society, but exclusive to Ascendants.
This was the main reason Liam had wanted to become an Ascendant so badly. He wanted to leave the normal human society that labeled him a weirdo and a murderer for one that accepted unique people like him.
Satisfied with today's events, Liam waited until William and Ruth were done speaking before being led out of the ministry and heading straight for the academy. Unlike the previous ride, Ruth was a bit chatty this time.
She seemed strangely interested in Liam's ability.
"You said you can see a person's sin. Can you see mine?" Ruth asked.
Liam shot her a single glare before returning his attention to the tinted window of the SUV.
"Adultery."
Upon hearing Liam's words, Ruth's hand instinctively covered her engagement ring, and she stared at him as if she'd seen a ghost.
"What does it look like?" she pressed further.
This time, Liam gave her a deep, long look, trying to understand what was going through her mind. Was it regret?
Do sinners feel regret?
Do sinners even know they are sinners?
"Filth."
His response was simple, but it killed something in Ruth. The light in her eyes dimmed the moment she heard it.
"Thank you," she muttered with an empty smile before turning her gaze back to the window.
Liam watched her for a minute or two, wondering what was going through her mind. She bore the Curse of the Inquisitor—representing order, judgment, and purity.
People usually went lost once they deviated from their curse. Liam was curious to see if the same would happen to Ruth.
Would the guilt eat her up, weakening her mental defenses against corruption and forcing her to go lost?
'We'll find out eventually,' he thought inwardly, though he looked perfectly calm on the outside.
The rest of the journey was silent. Liam minded his own business while Ruth stared blankly into the distance, lost in thought. Area 3 was a walled community in the heart of the western province, filled with upscale buildings.
By the time the SUV stopped in front of a gated building, the moon was hanging high in the empty sky. In front of the gate stood an elderly man in his late fifties, dressed like a butler, with the most attractive goatee Liam had ever seen.
"This is your new home, and that's your butler. He'll handle all the heavy lifting with your luggage. All you need to do is eat well, get a good night's rest, and come tomorrow night for our community welcome party. You'll understand everything it means to be an Ascendant there," Ruth said without making eye contact.
Liam simply nodded. "Okay."
Without wasting a moment, he unlocked the door and stepped out of the car. Ruth watched in silence as he walked over to the old butler, dragging his luggage with a friendly smile and offering to help.
"Liam Wilfred," she muttered under her breath, narrowing her eyes.