Daeris

Night... Dark, thick, moonless... Yet the darkness is Deiris's greatest ally—it seethes within him, fueled by impatience and adrenaline. Passing through the manicured gardens, he glides along the snow-white walls of the Temple like a blurred shadow. He chose this hour, the darkest of them all, for a reason: just before dawn, the protections of this "holy" place are at their most vulnerable, and the priestesses themselves are at their weakest.

Scaling the marble wall with practiced ease, Des squeezes through a narrow lookout window on the ground floor. Inside the Temple, a dim twilight reigns, broken only by the occasional lamp filled with magical light flickering near the ceiling. Deiris feels the faint pull of the artifact and, as if dissolving into the shadows, slips toward the staircase leading to the basement. The darkness within Des reacts with a slight prickling in his shoulder and arm, a response to the Light of Faith permeating the Temple. It is irritating, but he has no intention of stopping. Ahead, a massive door appears, but it stands wide open.

Are these sanctimonious fools so overconfident, or just so stupid, that they don't even lock their doors? — Deiris sneers to himself, descending the stone stairs without a sound.

Deiris feels the artifact's "call" growing stronger with every step, pulsing in rhythm with his own heartbeat. Des is practically running, but the moment he clears the landing and enters the basement, he freezes: standing in the arched doorway, blocking his path, is a priestess.

Anger immediately boils within Deiris, and fed by his darkness, it erupts outward in an angry hiss:

— Leave, or fight! But know this—at this hour, the Light is weak, and the Darkness is stronger than ever! I have come for the "Heart"—the artifact your priests stole from my kin! I have searched for it for so many years, and I will not back down now!

The dark aura radiating from the stranger fills the small room with a heavy, suffocating, overwhelming wave... Even the Light that permeates the Temple walls seems like a mere faint echo of Faith, unable to withstand this fury and the flickering, violet-gold flashes of his magic.

— Well? Are you prepared to lay down your lives for something that never belonged to you? — he adds, baring his teeth.