Knight's Sacred Burden
Kael whispered, his voice cracking.
"You were chosen, yes. But not by any god," Bernard said, standing up and walking around the desk, keeping a safe six feet of distance. "You were selected because your lymphatic system showed an unusual resilience to heavy-metal toxicity. You are a biological filter, Kael. A walking charcoal grate."
Julian stepped between Bernard and Kael. "Explain. Now. Or I’ll paint this cellar with your brains, crossbow or no crossbow."
"Always so dramatic, the young ones," Bernard sighed, gesturing to the papers on his desk. "The blight was never a plague. It was an evolutionary catalyst. A forced adaptation."