Baptism of Lies

In the secluded highlands of Velaria, a disgraced education inspector, Viktor Havel, is coerced into a covert mission after a bizarre lawsuit against the Ministry of Enlightenment is classified as Miscellaneous Case. He must infiltrate the Sanctum of Pure Thought, an academy-turned-cult led by the magnetic Father Seraph. As the community prepares for a collective Purification, Viktor discovers that salvation means suicide. To survive, he must bury his identity beneath layers of deception, knowing that a single revealed truth will be a luxury that kills. In the tradition of Louise Penny, this is a story of moral shadows, psychological unravelling, and the cost of faith where the last sane man fights to rescue the innocent before the sanctuary crumbles.