Cathedral of the Depth

The Guilt Eater

Composite Novel  ·  Four Volumes  ·  One Continuous Arc
"She didn't lose her soul. She optimized it."
"The cellar is older than the tavern above it. Older than the district. The walls are black stone, cut in blocks too precise for recent hands, and in three places newer mortar fills gaps where something used to fit seamlessly. The grooves worn into the floor are circular, converging on the table at the center. People have stood here before. Enough times to mark stone."

Erith didn't lose control. She ran the numbers. The cup was the most efficient solution available, and she understood every clause before she signed. The horror isn't what she became — it's that the optimization works.

Thira is the proof. She is also the only one who can see what it cost. The question isn't whether she'll stop her mother. The question is whether she'll recognize herself in time.

00 Days
00 Hours
00 Mins
00 Secs
The transmission begins here

One email. No noise. Just the next transmission when it's ready.

Access Point 01 — The Descent

Authorized

The transmission begins. No ask. No gate. The cellar is already open.

Access Point 02 — Blood and Mortar

Pending Authorization

Authorize your contact to unlock the next transmission.

Access Point 03 — The Hunger

Pending Authorization

The cost of continuing.

"They all feel like real people, even the small ones.
If I drop one of them, the whole Cathedral falls apart."
— Reader, unprompted