Rewrite The Star

chapter 77 : a light in the darkness

CHAPTER 77: A Light in the Darkness

Darren watched as the room grew tense, the air thick with unspoken emotions. Hoping to ease the situation, he intervened before Atlas's frustration could boil over.

"Before you get mad, let me tell you the whole story," Larcade said calmly, his voice carrying a weight of regret.

Atlas and Darren listened intently as Larcade began. “When I was your age, I was chosen to be a servant for the gods. I didn’t accept it willingly, but I had no choice. If I refused, our family’s first generation would have been slaughtered. So there I was, trapped in the temple for months, with nothing but water to sustain me. They believed it would purify us, cleanse us of evil. But in truth, it was meant to weaken us.”

Larcade opened the Stellaria Coetus with a solemn expression, tracing its worn pages as if reliving the past. “While walking the temple grounds, I often looked to the heavens. One night, I saw a shining star and wished for freedom from this hell. I was weak, helpless, unable to do more than pray. Then one day, a royal prince visited the temple.”

His voice faltered, filled with despair. “At first, I greeted him politely and showed him around. But soon, his demeanor changed. He assaulted me. I had grown so frail from the lack of food that I couldn’t resist him.”

Atlas’s expression softened, a trace of sympathy slipping through his usual stoicism.

Larcade continued, his tone growing darker. “The prince dragged me to the altar and tried to defile me. Desperately, I grabbed a stone nearby and struck him, using what little strength I had left. I managed to escape, running until I reached the temple’s water fountain. But the prince caught up to me there.”

Larcade’s voice trembled as he recounted the prince’s words:

"You fool. Fulfill your destiny, as I will lay my seed within you," the prince had said with a twisted grin.

"Stay away from me!" Larcade had cried.

"You’re one of the better-looking ones I’ve seen in a long time. You should be honored."

It was then that Larcade noticed something horrifying. He touched the water, and its true nature was revealed—it wasn’t pure at all. The fountain was filled with the essence of bones, the remnants of those who had come before him.

“These poor souls…” Larcade whispered, his voice filled with rage.

"Enough of this. Accept your fate!" the prince roared, advancing toward him.

Larcade screamed, splashing the tainted water in the prince’s face.

Enraged, the prince lunged at him. Larcade was overpowered, pinned down as the prince began to violate him. His cries for help echoed through the temple, unanswered—until the water fountain suddenly stilled.

From its depths emerged a shimmering light, blinding and ethereal. It surged forward, throwing the prince off Larcade with immense force.