Martial Demons Ascension

The tavern smelled of roasted meat and herbs a sharp contrast to the dusty chalk and sweat stained air of the classroom The tables were worn smooth by years of elbows mugs and dice games and the soft glow of lanterns cast everything in amber Villagers murmured quietly in their corners a few throwing curious glances at the strange pair Emmet the respected instructor and Rhyka the masked boy carrying a curved blade almost as tall as himself

They sat opposite one another at a small table near the window A bowl of thick stew steamed between them chunks of meat and potato breaking the surface of the broth A loaf of dark bread lay torn open steam still rising from its soft insides

For a while it was simple Eating Silence Rhyka slurped loudly unapologetically while Emmet took slower measured spoonfuls Every so often Rhyka dipped bread into the stew and chewed with relish humming to himself as if this were the best meal he'd had in weeks

But then Emmet's gaze lingered

He didn't even realize it at first just that his eyes kept drifting up from his stew to the boy across from him That unnatural calm The faint curl of a smirk at the corner of his mouth The way his posture even slouched was balanced For all his ridiculous theatrics in class sitting across from him now felt like sitting across from a blade not drawn not swinging but sharp enough to cut with the faintest touch

Rhyka noticed He set his spoon down wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and stared right back at Emmet

"What" he said flatly

Emmet leaned back in his chair crossing his arms "I've been wondering something"

Rhyka raised an eyebrow under the edge of his mask "Oh"

"What do you actually want" Emmet asked His voice wasn't casual It was heavy deliberate "You talk about leaving About becoming a mercenary About training growing stronger But that's surface That's a path Not a destination So I'll ask again what do you want to achieve Rhyka Truly"

The question hung between them heavier than the lanternlight

Rhyka didn't answer right away His smirk faltered just slightly replaced with something quieter His eyes dropped to his stew then back up to Emmet weighing him

"…You really want to know" he said finally

"I wouldn't have asked otherwise"

Rhyka leaned forward resting his elbows on the table His voice dropped low nearly drowned out by the chatter of villagers and the crackle of the fire

"I won't say it"

Emmet's brow furrowed "Won't Or can't"

"Both" Rhyka replied "It's… sacrilegious Blasphemous if you like If I said it out loud you'd probably throw me out of this tavern yourself"

A flicker of tension rippled through Emmet's chest He was the younger brother of the village priest He'd grown up under sermons surrounded by chants and rituals to the gods steeped in reverence for the divine He knew what counted as sacrilege and how dangerous even hinting at it could be

"Try me" Emmet said carefully

Rhyka's smirk returned sharper this time though his eyes burned with something darker beneath it

"Let's just say" he began slowly "that I don't plan to bow Not to nobles Not to kings And certainly not to gods"

Emmet's jaw tightened "…Careful boy"

"I am being careful" Rhyka said His voice was calm but the intensity was unmistakable "If I said what I really meant you'd probably call me insane Or worse But…" He tilted his head studying Emmet's face for a reaction "You asked So here's your hint the world worships one goddess above all the so called Goddess of Sorcery The one who supposedly gave humans the gift of magic"

Emmet's eyes narrowed His pulse quickened

"And I" Rhyka said softly "plan to take back everything she gave"

The words weren't shouted They weren't even angry They were cold deliberate spoken with the weight of a promise

Emmet stared at him stunned into silence for the first time in years He'd expected arrogance ambition maybe even talk of becoming a warrior of renown But this this was different

"You…" Emmet's voice was low strained "…you realize what you're saying don't you"

Rhyka leaned back in his chair the smirk settling on his face again as if nothing heavy had been spoken He picked up another piece of bread dipped it casually into his stew and took a bite

"I didn't say anything" he replied his tone light and mocking now "I only hinted You asked I answered That's all"

But Emmet couldn't shake it The conviction he'd heard in Rhyka's voice wasn't a bluff It wasn't a phase It was real The boy hadn't said it aloud but the truth was clear enough

His goal was nothing less than the death of a god

And not just any god The Goddess of Sorcery

The very goddess his brother devoted his life to serving

The tavern meal ended quietly Rhyka leaned back in his chair with a satisfied sigh wiping the last trace of stew from his mouth with the back of his hand Emmet had eaten slower more methodical and while his plate was empty his eyes hadn't left Rhyka for long Not since those words

Rhyka noticed of course He always noticed The silence between them had gone from comfortable to heavy the kind of heavy that made his smirk twitch at the corners more forced than natural

He was halfway to standing when Emmet's voice cut through

"Come with me"

Rhyka frowned "Where"

"You'll see"

"Not interested" Rhyka said waving a hand dismissively "I've got better things to do than"

"It wasn't a request" Emmet interrupted his voice flat his eyes sharp

The smirk vanished from Rhyka's face

They left the tavern together the warm glow of lanterns behind them fading into the cool blue of evening Villagers were heading home carts rattling down cobbled streets the last few vendors shuttering their stalls The mountain air was crisp carrying the faint scent of pine and incense

Rhyka's boots clicked softly as he followed Emmet irritation simmering beneath his mask He didn't like being ordered around He especially didn't like being dragged somewhere without explanation

But something in Emmet's tone firm final made resistance pointless For now

And then he saw where they were going

The church

Its tall spire loomed over the village white stone washed in the last streaks of sunset Stained glass windows glowed faintly from the inside catching the fading light each pane depicting the goddess in different forms hands outstretched eyes shining magic flowing from her palms like rivers of fire and light

Rhyka's jaw tightened beneath the mask His fingers flexed restlessly near the hilt of his blade

"Really" he muttered "Here"

Emmet didn't answer He just kept walking

Inside the church was hushed the air thick with incense Candles lined the walls their flames flickering gently Villagers knelt in rows murmuring prayers their voices a low tide of devotion At the far end a towering statue of the Goddess of Sorcery stood bathed in light her stone eyes watching her arms spread in eternal welcome

Every detail made Rhyka's skin crawl

The reverent silence The bowed heads The hollow look of comfort on their faces

He didn't want to be here

He wanted to spit on the floor laugh in their faces smash the stone idol into dust But he didn't Not yet He just stood at the back his hands shoved into his pockets eyes darting restlessly across the room

"Sit" Emmet murmured gesturing toward a bench at the far corner

Rhyka's head whipped toward him "You're joking"

"Sit"

The boy clenched his jaw glaring at him But the look in Emmet's eyes hard unyielding left no room for negotiation With a sharp exhale Rhyka dropped onto the bench folding his arms across his chest like a sulking child

"Happy" he muttered

Emmet didn't answer He simply leaned against the wall nearby arms crossed watching as the evening prayers carried on

The minutes dragged

One by one the villagers finished their prayers and filed out their voices hushed footsteps echoing across the stone floor The candles burned lower the incense thinned and the great hall emptied until only the faint creak of wood and the whisper of the wind through the stained glass remained

All the while Rhyka sat stiff his foot tapping against the floor his gaze fixed stubbornly on anything but the statue at the front

When the last worshipper left and the heavy wooden doors shut with a dull thud silence descended

Only then did Emmet step forward his boots echoing in the hollow chamber He turned looking down at Rhyka still slouched on the bench

"You don't like this place" Emmet said quietly