No hour arrives so soon as the one we dread.

Zane had always dreaded being called by someone who could whisk out his life with a snap of their finger. And it was happening right now.

The Emberlord Coin, the Priest who always learned to have a smile and a calm demeanor towards everyone, called Zane on the stage.

The appearance of Coin itself exerted something had gone wrong.

In such prayers, the Emberlord doesn’t come. Yet, he came today and asked for Zane.

The tone, the eyes, the manner of the Emberlord sent a shiver down Zane’s spine and no matter how much he wanted to hide and run, he could not.

He would certainly die if he refused the order.

As soon as Coin demanded to see Zane, Xavier and Tesla both jolted their heads at the Gutterborn.

Not many people knew who Zane was but seeing Xavier and Tesla, they also looked where these two were looking.

A scrawny boy with a white shirt and gray pants stood shivering but when they figured he was a gutterborn, their gaze softened. As if they got an understanding.

The Halocrats simply snickered and the Commoners waited to see what new would become of a Gutterborn today.

Coin had gone silent after declaring his order but his eyes gawked at Zane.

Zane’s shirt drenched in sweat, his throat went parched as air refused to come out of his lungs.

He had focused only on surviving. He used to think he was great at it. So how did it come to this? Where did he make a mistake to incur the gaze of an Emberlord on him?

"You should go."

"Just go."

"He will kill us if you don’t go."

The Gutterborns around him whispered with their heads hung low.

Each and everyone present in the Cathedral were standing on their feet but only the Gutterborns had their knees shaking.

They wanted Zane to oblige with Coin as they were afraid if the Emberlord ran out of patience he might punish the whole breed.

Zane understood their fear but more than their fear, he resonated with his fear.

He may be kind but his kindness shrunk only to himself at the face of an atrocity.

"Kid, it might not be a bad thing. Maybe he wants something else from you." Someone spoke.

Zane glanced behind him.

It was another Gutterborn but someone older than him with mud on his hands. A gardener most probably.

Zane heard the man and for some reason, it made sense to him.

The system hadn’t activated his merged skill. He felt no intent.

The dread he felt might simply be the normal pressure that a being of an Emberlord’s stature exerts.

Zane took a deep breath and averted his eyes from Coin.

He then finally stepped on the red carpet that was placed on the alleyway.

The carpet that was meant to walk towards the stage.

Breath-held silence stayed in the Cathedral as the sound of Zane walking echoed inside the hall.

He closed and opened his fists in rapid succession, his shoulders stiff and cold as his eyes remained locked at carpet.

No one spoke anything as the gutterborn walked and soon, Zane reached the metal plank.

Murmurs spread in the Cathedral as Zane raised his head.

But he didn’t look at Coin.

He looked at the lesser Priest standing at the corner of the stage.

The Priest already had his eyes on Zane and he knew what the young man wanted.

The Flamekeeper wasted no time and waved his hand, gesturing to do it.

Zane understood the priest and again focused on the carpet.

But now that he got the permission, he did it.

He raised his leg and finally crossed the metal plank made to separate the Gutterborns from the shining breed.

When authority calls, there is no division in society.

Yet, nothing changed.

He always wanted to cross the border but not like this.

Not under dread.

Not under fear.

And especially not after getting the permission.

Nevertheless, no one opposed Zane’s step but the Holocrats certainly scowled seeing him coming to their side.

Emberlord Coin watched Zane’s each move with his hands behind his back.

Xavier reached out his hand towards Zane as he crossed the commoners’ section but Tesla stopped him.

"We have no power here." He said. "We don’t even know if he is in trouble. We can only wait."

Xavier gritted his teeth and curled his hand back.

Zane went past them and reached the seats of the Holocrats.

Then he turned left and stopped in front of the stairs that would bring him to the stage.

He didn’t know what he would face. He didn’t know if he would die or live.

Milo’s smiling face flashed in front of his eyes as he guessed the reason for Emberlord’s tone.

Did he get to know I didn’t bring Milo to the prayer? How? Ugh. Who am I kidding? He is an Emberlord. He must know everything.

Zane questioned and answered himself but now he believed he knew the reason why he was being called.

He took a deep breath, stopped his shivering breath and knees and stepped on the stairs.

One by one, he climbed the four short stairs and finally arrived on the stage.

The Emberlord was in front of him in the center of the stage so he walked towards the man.

Eventually he reached Coin, but the Emberlord didn’t turn towards the boy.

He remained facing the believers.

Nevertheless, Zane did what he was asked.

He was in front of Coin.

His eyes stayed on the black shoes of the man and his hands behind his back. He won’t show pride at the moment. He would stay as meager as possible to ask for forgiveness if it was needed.

Freedom of the gutterborns would not come from his death. He might lose respect but he would stay alive to earn it back.

Silence stayed in the large Cathedral and after one more second, the Emberlord finally opened his mouth.

"People of Dwarkam," He began. "I am here for an issue that has become a tumor in our lives."

Everyone listened with patience.

"This boy beside me, Zane Atlas, is a gutterborn. He had awakened three Gleam tier skills and got the admission in the batch of Halocrats."

The Halocrats clicked their tongues.

"I knew. I knew that many of you will not like his presence around you. I was aware he will not even get entry inside our esteemed Citadel. For that, I chose to be kind. I chose to be kind towards him."

Coin peered at all eyes looking at him.

"In my kindness, I handed him a Relic. A relic of great value. A relic carved straight from the Haloheart. A relic as the token for his entry inside the Citadel despite his breed and blood inside his veins. I overlooked everything and decided to trust this boy."

Zane’s face found a frown. The issue seemed to be something else. Something different than Milo.

But what?

The Emberlord put his hand inside his robe and took out a faintly glowing coin.

It was the Relic.

He showed it to everyone, raising it in the air.

"This boy kept the relic with him for one day and today he returned it to me like he should have. Like he was bound to."

The Emberlord paused.

Everyone had only one question now.

What’s the problem?

"He did everything right. He did everything correctly. But his blood, his ancestral instincts, his greed, he couldn’t hold them back. They acted and he gave in to them."

Zane’s heart picked up pace.

Everyone waited for Coin to speak further.

"The relic I have in my hand, this faintly glowing relic you all are witnessing, let me dawn the information on all of you..."

The Emberlord’s jaw tightened and in front of all the eyes...

CRACK!

He crushed the relic with his bare hands.

Mouths went wide open.

Gasps rang out in the air.

Eyes widened.

And after such a reaction, for the first time since he began speaking, he turned his head at Zane and finally dawned the crux of his anger to the filth on the stage.

"Just like his faith in our God... This Relic is also fake."