The Last Man of Faith
At an oasis under a moonless sky, a guide tells you the ancient tale of Zatan'nataz: a city where priests repeatedly murder a goddess, where a hunter named Aser attempts to free her, and where a supernatural being shows him visions of catastrophic futures. As the story unfolds, the line between tale and truth blurs.
You have been traveling for days across the desert.
At a dusty way-station, you hired a guide with bright blue eyes.
He said little and moved with purpose.
Tonight, under a moonless sky, you reach a small oasis at the bottom of a valley.
A pool of clear water reflects the dark sky.
Palm trees stand like sentries around the edge.
You set up camp, collect water, and prepare the fire.
Night falls completely.
Your guide sits beside the fire and pulls out a small knife.
He begins to carve a piece of wood with deliberate, practiced movements.
His hands move as though they have done this a thousand times before.
He does not speak. He only carves and watches the fire.
The guide nods slowly, as if confirming something he already suspected. Then he begins to paint Zatan'nataz with his words.
The guide sets down his knife and looks at you directly.
His bright blue eyes seem to hold the firelight from inside.
Zatan'nataz was great and ancient. Tens of thousands lived within her walls.
At her heart stood the Tower of the Moon, tall as a mountain.
Beneath it lay the Great Crypt, sealed away from the world above.
Every new moon, when darkness was complete, the priests emerged carrying a sarcophagus.
There was a young hunter named Aser.
Every month, he climbed onto his roof to watch them pass.
Over five years, Aser noticed things that troubled him deeply.
The priests stole gold from the city's vaults and claimed it for the temple.
They took young women from their families for purposes they would not name.
Anyone who spoke against them vanished into the night.
Aser came to see them not as protectors, but as tyrants.
He lost faith in the priests. But not in faith itself.
The guide picks up his carving again.
There was an old prophecy, you see. A goddess would defeat a demon.
She would bring a true golden age to Zatan'nataz.
But the prophecy required something first. The goddess had to appear.
Which meant the demon had to be freed.
Aser came to believe the priests prevented this. Out of fear, not faith.
One day, listening near the Great Crypt, he heard a voice.
It was pleading with him. Asking him to free it.
The guide looks up from his carving and meets your eyes.
That night, Aser decided. He would act.
He would free the creature.