The Grand Temple of Light – Council Assembly**
The High Priest of the Third Temple rose, breaking the sacred silence:
— "I… believe I know something about this."
The chamber fell into respectful stillness, as all turned their ears to him.
He continued, his voice solemn:
— "In this world, we act under the commandments of the Gods. No one may defy their will — a law older than our very birth. Written or unwritten, all our codes express a single truth...
— That truth is something you, I, and all of us know: Love, faith, and brotherhood — all that is good in this world is a reflection of the Gods' creation and light."
He paused.
— "But the world was not always a blank canvas. Hatred, greed, lust, sin — they have stained this canvas like black ink spilled upon purity."
His voice grew heavier.
— "Those dark-clad invaders… they are no mere group. One of them may have been among the legendary **Thirteen Dark Knights** — remembered in history not simply as heretics, but as the embodiment of sin itself."
"In the sacred scriptures of the Temple and the teachings of the Gods, they are described as 'Defiers of the Divine', 'Servants of the Lord of Shadows'. But in certain forbidden texts... they are not called servants at all — they are named as **Lords of Darkness themselves**."
"They wield unimaginable power — nearly equal to the Gods. Seven hundred years ago, they incited the Great War, dragging mankind to the brink of extinction. And just as our courage began to fail and the final flame was flickering...
**The Gods themselves descended** and ended the war."
The hall fell once more into a dense silence. Clad in heavy white robes, the High Priest of the Third Temple gently tapped the table before him.
— "But… what good is it now to speak of this?" he whispered, gazing toward the back of the royal throne. "If the surviving soldier has regained consciousness, summon him to this chamber at once."
The assembled clergy, generals, and nobles exchanged glances, saying nothing — but one question echoed silently through all their minds:
**"Could he truly know why they have returned?"**
Just then, the side door of the hall opened with a groan of iron, and a wounded soldier entered between two guards. His face was pale, his soul seemingly still trapped in the blaze of battle.
— "Name and station?" the High Priest asked with cold formality.
— "...Marcus. Guard of the Eastern Wing of the Citadel."
— "Did you see them with your own eyes?"
Marcus gave a slow nod. His vision blurred, but his voice did not tremble:
— "There were… two. One — massive, armored in black. The other — fast… cold. Like death itself."
A chill swept the council hall like a silent wind. Soft whispers of fear passed between the council members.
— "Yes..." the High Priest murmured. "They've returned…"
**Marcus continued his account:**
— "We thought they were just enemies. But we were wrong… They were too fast, too strong. One brought down a tower alone. The other broke our line in seconds. We… we couldn't stop them."
He closed his eyes, forcing the words from the depths of his chest.
— "As I descended the stairs for the counterattack… I saw it. Atop the tower… he was standing there. Not the armored giant—behind him… a boy. A boy clad in shadows, as if one of them… yet also… not."
Another wave of whispers surged through the hall. One of the King's advisors, Keeper of the Sacred Archive, stood up.
— "The boy by the Dark Knight… this may be what we've long feared."
— "What do you mean?" one of the generals barked.
— "God help us… If that child is their heir… then this is no mere assault. This is a return. The dawn of a new era."
The High Priest said nothing. He clutched a small wooden cross in his hand and began whispering a prayer. But within his heart, one truth rang clear:
— **"The Thirteenth Dark Knight… has been reborn."**
*Yet the proof of their rebirth remains incomplete…*
*Let the testimony continue.*