Chapter 8: Rachel’s Vision

Fresh from the horrors of the cult’s trials, Mark returns to the institution carrying blood on his hands and guilt he can’t outrun. He hopes to find comfort in Rachel—but instead, he finds judgment, prophecy, and a truth that cuts deeper than any wound.

Without being told, Rachel knows what Mark has done. She speaks of the boy he was forced to break, of blood and fire, and of a “Chosen One” whose ascension must be stopped. Whether her words are visions or something far more dangerous, they strike at the heart of Mark’s fear: the cult may see everything.

As Rachel accuses him of crossing a line he can never undo, Mark is forced to confront the possibility that the role he’s playing is changing him—and that the darkness he entered is already claiming him.

This chapter is a reckoning between love and guilt, truth and denial, and the terrifying realization that once a line is crossed, there may be no way back.

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Chapter 7: The Trials of the Corax

This chapter marks the point of no return.

Deep inside the Mithras cult, Mark faces the brutal trial reserved for a Corax—the lowest rank, and the most expendable. In a blood-stained room where mercy is weakness and hesitation means death, Mark is ordered to prove his loyalty in the most unforgivable way imaginable.

His task is simple: break another recruit.

As a terrified boy named Aaron is bound before him, Mark must choose between exposure and cruelty, knowing the cult is watching for even the smallest sign of doubt. Every blow he delivers keeps his cover intact… and tears another piece of his soul away.

By the time the trial ends, Mark has passed.

But what remains of him is forever changed.

This is a chapter about survival at any cost—and the horrifying truth that sometimes, to fight monsters, you must let them believe you are one of them.

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Chapter 6: Rachel’s Voice

Mark visits Rachel inside the institution where she’s been confined, hoping to find the woman he once knew—but what he finds instead is far more unsettling. Rachel drifts between silence and whispered warnings, speaking in fragments about fire, blood, and a mysterious “Chosen One” who must not ascend. Though the doctors call it a psychotic break, Mark senses something darker at work.

During his visits, Rachel’s fear deepens. She insists they’re being watched, that nothing said within those walls is truly private. When another patient appears—muttering ominous, prophetic phrases—it becomes clear Rachel isn’t alone in what she knows. And when that man suddenly disappears, the sense of danger only intensifies.

Mark’s discovery of a hidden journal filled with Mithras symbols, cryptic predictions, and writings not entirely in Rachel’s hand confirms his worst fears: she knows more about the cult than she should… and whatever she’s seen has marked her.

As Rachel’s final warning echoes in his ears—they’re coming—Mark realizes the clock is ticking. The cult is moving, the pieces are aligning, and whatever is about to rise will not wait much longer.

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