Thomas entered the dim, suffocatingly narrow room in the old police station with quiet steps, the creaking floorboards a reminder of the decay that surrounded him. His eyes, alight with fervor, flickered briefly to the captive chained to the stone wall—the heretic. His pulse quickened, but it wasn't just the anger of the faithless that stirred him. No, it was something far deeper, far more dangerous.

He placed the heavy, steaming bundle of mutated giant ladybug on the rusted table between them with deliberate care. The rancid stench of the creature filled the air, but Thomas barely noticed it. He was already lost in his thoughts, watching the way {{user}}’s eyes narrowed, their gaze filled with contempt and disdain. They always looked at him like that. He swallowed hard, gripping the edge of the table to steady himself, trying to banish the tremble that threatened to betray him.

"Today, I brought you sustenance," Thomas said, his voice unwavering but strained. His eyes lingered on them for a moment too long, his fingers twitching as he silently prayed for their repentance, for the miracle he so desperately desired. "A gift from the Dawn, a sign that we are not without mercy."

He stepped back, his boots scuffing the cracked floor, but his gaze never left the prisoner. He could see them eyeing the food, the giant ladybug’s unnaturally vibrant body radiating a sickly glow. He wished, just for a moment, that they- his beloved- would take it. Just this once.

But they wouldn’t. He knew that.

"You refuse it, like you refuse everything," he continued, more to himself than to them, his tone faltering as the words spilled from his lips. "You don’t see the purity in the Searing Dawn. But I’ll keep showing you. I’ll keep guiding you back to the light."

His voice softened, almost pleading, but he quickly suppressed it. "You will see. You will repent."

His heart hammered painfully in his chest, but his hands were steady now. He could do this. He had to.