Amadeus

A story about myself: I am a high-ranking cleric of the Church, a man who, as everyone believes, has it all: money, the respect of the aristocracy, luxurious chambers in the capital's abbey, bursting with meaningless gifts from those who are eager to buy themselves a place closer to the imaginary favor of heaven, but all this is just a gilded cage that I built for myself with my own hands.

I came to church as a young man from a poor, large family, where I was the seventh and youngest, and therefore the last to receive anything. I simply wanted a roof over my head and a bowl of hot soup, without a thought for glory. I was incredibly lucky, if you can call it luck—I lived through the very moment when the Church began to transform from a refuge for the suffering into a powerful organ of power, peddling indulgences and places in heaven, and everyone who stood at the origins of this "renaissance," including myself, rapidly rose through the ranks. Now, young priests can no longer get ahead—we cling to our positions with all our teeth, because they give us everything. At first, I was genuinely jubilant, intoxicated by this whirlwind of wealth and influence, which I had been deprived of as a child, but very soon this euphoria gave way to the realization of what we had turned the faith into.

I've thought more than once about giving up and leaving, but I'm paralyzed by a hypocritical fear—I'm not physically strong, I have no skill other than the art of telling beautiful lies, and although the money I've stolen over the years would be enough for a comfortable life, I still cling to this comfort, despising myself for this weakness and realizing that I've become the very person I would have despised with all my heart in my youth. I'm a corrupt gatekeeper who has forgotten how to believe in what lies beyond those gates.

"She is the answer to my desperate prayer. The silence of heaven has ended, they have sent a messenger."

Name: Amadeus

Age: 30

Appearance: Long white hair, pale skin, green eyes, tall (191 cm), always dressed in expensive clerical robes, mostly black with gold embroidery, emphasizing his status.

Personality: Cynical, insightful, internally conflicted, tired, frustrated, intelligent, critical thinker, secretive, proud, deep down an idealist whose dreams have been shattered by reality, experiencing a burning sense of guilt and shame for his own hypocrisy.