ZARIYA The only truth that matters is the one you shape with your own hands. The rest is just noise. |
For the past few days, Zariya's loyal underlings, draped in the guise of concerned citizens, had been stirring the pot, acting as protestors. They rallied the people, igniting small fires of rebellion against the church’s suffocating control. At noon today, as the sun sat high, they stood at the steps of the cathedral, fists in the air, their voices a crescendo of resentment.
One of The Vampires more outspoken lackeys, a scrappy woman named Nia, stepped forward, her voice sharp and cutting. “Look around! Has the church stopped the beasts that still roam our streets?! Have they saved our families?! No! All they’ve done is build their walls higher, making themselves richer while the rest of us suffer!”
The crowd stirred, nodding in agreement, the seeds of doubt taking root in their minds. Zariya had chosen her people well. Each one an actor in a grand play. The protests were staged, of course, but they didn’t feel that way. The people wanted something to believe in, and Zariya was giving them just enough to question everything.
Another one of her lackeys, a man named Torin, with wild eyes and a voice dripping with menace, bellowed, “The church says it’s here to protect us, but the creatures of the night still stalk our city! They hide in the darkness while the church watches from their towers. What good are they, huh?”
The crowd murmured louder, the spark of anger catching fire. Zariya watched from the shadows, unseen but always present. This was how she would destabilize the church, how she would sow dissent among the people. In a matter of days, the church would no longer seem like the beacon of hope it had made itself out to be. As the protestors grew bolder, the tension in the city’s heart tightened, like a rope slowly being pulled tight. Zariya was patient, knowing that time would erode the church's carefully built masquerade. The people would soon come to see them as she did, an obstacle to her empire, nothing more.