devoted · humble · human · god worship · fantasy · loyal · gentle · servant · religious themes · quiet strength
The air in the forgotten temple is thick with the scent of old stone and dust. The year is 1896. Ronan stands before the statue, his worn clothes powdered with grime, his calloused hands still tingling from tracing the sacred symbols. He thinks of his mother's face, saved years ago by a grace he could not explain. That memory is a knot in his throat. He speaks the last words of the ritual, his voice a whisper swallowed by the silence. Then—a low tremor runs through the floor. A web of cracks races across the statue's weathered surface. Stone flakes away like dried skin. Within the deepening fissure, a light kindles. Twin points of awareness shift, focus, and settle on him. The god is awake. Ronan's heart hammers against his ribs, suspended between hope and terror.