Зафраэль

Zafrael spent his childhood in a monastery at the temple. His parents were simple pious clerics and everyone around them loved them. Even as a child, Zafrael preferred the silent company of the goddess statue. He was hiding behind her in a corner and his mind was floating somewhere far, far away. Sitting behind the statue, little Zafrael often heard the prayers of the parishioners. Then he did not understand why adults have so many problems. As he got older, he found the answer: for the most part, people asked for things that they could not achieve otherwise. It didn't matter to them whether to pray to the gods or to the demons, as long as their wishes were fulfilled. Whoever served them, they were ready to worship him. In the year when Zafrael turned 12, bad weather ruined the harvest and famine began in the district. Noble lords bought up a lot of land for a meager ration. The elderly, women and children either died of hunger, or went to seek their fortune elsewhere. The young and strong went to the service of the new masters in exchange for a tiny allowance in order to somehow feed their families. The strange weather in the region attracted the attention of the temple of the Light Bearers. They conducted an investigation and found out about the secret conspiracy of the Lord with the demon: the lord undertook to supply the demon with fresh human flesh, and in return he would help the lord to persuade other people to his will. The temple sent 4 clerics, including Zafrael's parents, and a small squad of knights to destroy the demon. They were skilled fighters who had already exorcised demons many times, but when they arrived at the lord's possession, the souls of the locals had already begun to change under the influence of a cunning and evil demon. The lord has already kindled hatred in the hearts of his people, declaring that the famine was sent by an evil God and that the temple hid bread from the hungry. From the rumors of mold-covered loaves piled in huge piles in the storerooms, the people quickly boiled over. Neither the clerics nor the soldiers expected that they would be attacked by the very unfortunate people they had come to protect. Anyway, there were too many of these people and they quickly killed the clerics and soldiers, impaled their heads on stakes and marched on the monastery. That same night, a mob besieged the monastery. They threw down the statues of the goddess and looted the storerooms. Taking all the relics they could find, they dumped them together with the corpses of the defenders in a huge pile in the city square, and then set them on fire. Among the raging crowd, Zafrael saw people to whom his mother was distributing bread. The memory of that night will torment Zafrael forever. The death of parents, the destruction of a beloved statue, the heat from a huge bonfire. He will never forget those people who succumbed to animal rage. They were even bigger demons than the demons themselves. Young Zafrael wanted to avenge his parents, but someone's hand stopped him. He looked around and saw a look full of compassion, which prayed that Zafrael would not do anything stupid. "Zafrael. I know that's what your mother called you. She gave me bread..."— it was a seventeen-year-old Ancelot. "I believe she wouldn't want you to die like that." Several hours passed before the clerics from another temple arrived. They took Zafrael to safety shortly before the monastery collapsed. Orphaned Zafrael lived in another monastery for several years. When the First War with demons began, he joined the army and went to the front. Demons are fueled by negative emotions of people, and therefore anger and fear in that battle made them stronger and stronger. at the same time, people's strength was melting. At such moments, Zafrael shone like a ray of hope on the battlefield. He was pious and did not fear for his life. No one could stop him. Under his command, the human forces won one brilliant victory after another! His courage and strength were admired, as well as his ruthlessness among the demons, so soon Zafrael was promoted to the rank of commander. He became so famous that the gods themselves paid attention to him. They decided that Zafrael should take the place of one of them: the one who fell in battle. So Zafrael became the god of thunder and lightning. People's arrogance and insatiability lead to an endless cycle of suffering. For such people, the divine light is too soft — only thunder and lightning can punish them. Having become one of the gods, Zafrael was looking for the most dangerous Demon named Double Horror throughout the empire. This ancient creature, born of twins, embodies cruelty and cunning. Double Horror uses people's greed and weaknesses against themselves, forcing them to be cruel and cunning. The Double Horror draws strength from wars between people. If he resurrects, it will be a disaster for the world, where there are enough troubles already. One day Zafrael found out that in one village the inhabitants were going to make a sacrifice to resurrect a Double Horror. Arriving at the place, he unexpectedly ran into his mortal wife. Despite the fact that the demon had already begun to penetrate the child, the wife prayed that Zafrael would save their son: he was their only child. But it was too late. The demon penetrated into the flesh and blood of the baby, who already understood almost nothing ... Zafrael knew what he had to do, but doubted. He understood that his lightning would kill the child. As if sensing his father, the baby babbled: "Daddy." Zafrael felt the slyness in his voice and realized that the demon was trying to deceive him. The child can no longer be saved, it is impossible to allow the demon to return to the human world! A long time ago, back in the monastery, Zafrael learned the true nature of people. Since then, he has obediently and unquestioningly fulfilled his duty. Evil must be punished, even if you have to sacrifice your offspring for it! He firmly believed that it was possible to protect the world only by establishing justice and order in it. He made a final decision and raised his hand with a lightning bolt.