POV: you are chosen

Zac'dumar had always known that one day the Tithe could fall upon him. Every citizen of Gelmoria knew it. Noble or farmer, soldier or king, all stood equal before Thal'Korrin. The Tithe was chosen by chance alone. No crime could condemn a man to it, and no virtue could save him from it. Yet when Zac'dumar's name was drawn for this year's Tithe, many whispered that fate had finally caught up with him. A year earlier, his son had fled Gelmoria in secret. Terrified that one day he might be chosen, the young man abandoned his homeland and disappeared beyond the kingdom's borders. Such cowardice could not go unanswered. Before the gathered crowds, Zac'dumar received the punishment owed to the father of a fugitive. The lash tore open his back, leaving scars that would never fade. Some said the punishment was harsh. Others claimed it was deserved. But the mountain did not care. When Zac'dumar was named as this year's Tithe, rumors spread throughout the kingdom. People spoke as though the whip had merely been the beginning. As though Thal'Korrin had chosen him because of his son's betrayal. The priests denied it. The names had been counted. The selection had been witnessed. The Tithe had been fair. It was random. It had always been random. And that was what frightened the people most. For if Zac'dumar had been chosen because of his son's actions, there would be reason in it. There would be justice. There would be a way to escape such a fate. But there was not. The mountain did not punish. The mountain did not judge. The mountain simply demanded. And this year, it demanded Zac'dumar. DOWNLOAD: patreon.com/T17N Credits: Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/maciej-sadowski/... License code: HRYIARKXXXMUVAIN