Arthur adjusted his neck-tie to breathe more freely. Despite the cold temperature of the night, he was feeling some kind of heat listening to this.The woman's voice rose and fell beyond the door while another sound occasionally followed whenever she drew a sharp breath. Beneath it all, the low groan of an aged man could be heard from time to time. Arthur would never argue that the voice did not belong to Father Stone. He had listened to that priest speak often enough during prayers, punishments and sermons. There was simply no mistaking it.Inside that room was something Arthur had learned people called sin. The sin of the flesh.He was eighteen years old. He understood enough about the world to know what such sounds usually meant, and yet his confusion remained greater than his embarrassment. The priests spent their days preaching discipline, purity and sacrifice. Their disciples followed them with almost religious devotion. Yet one of those same priests was hidden behind a lock

Arthur took his time to equally stare back at Elvic. He ensured he showed no fear, even if Elvic looked like someone who deserved to be feared.This wasn't the first time Elvic was looking at him in this manner. Back at King Erunai's palace, this was the same expression the performer wore. It was difficult to know—maybe it was admiration or something else entirely.Their eye contact stretched so long that Arthur wished he could take his eyes off. But he fought back the urge. He wanted to know what Elvic was trying to look at or trying to say.A few seconds passed, and then a smile cornered Elvic's lips. It was a little surprising. His white row of teeth glimmered as he brushed his long hair from his face.Arthur found himself returning the smile just to feel eased by the situation. He watched as Elvic winked at him and somehow gestured for him to close his eyes or get caught by the priests.It was an advisable move to hearken to Elvic's words, so Arthur obeyed. He shut his eyes slowly

Muttering that spell ought to have been followed by its manifestation, but nothing actually happened to Erunai's throne. Arthur had expected the king to fall and possibly slump to death itself. Why? Because the king was so blind that he couldn't sense the three priests were involved in something devious. Religious patriots trying to starve a young girl to death; were those really good people?Arthur even wondered if the priests had been faking all along. If they had been trying to abduct rather than liberate people. They really didn't look like people who could discern wizards in Sysia. But what hurt most was the king's blindness to the horrid practices of these priests.Religious beliefs were actually vague; it was hard to tell what these priests truly were. Arthur grasped that too well. The priests' religion was an abstract concept of pure ambiguity. There was nothing so straightforward about it. Instead, these priests tended to mitigate their horrible profiles under the noble title

"What did you say, Elvic?" Arthur eventually asked, trying to gain some clarity.Elvic smiled even more. "You didn't notice I have been looking at you for some time now?" he asked back.Arthur stood there watching Elvic. It was hard to explain whether Elvic simply chose to make jest of him this way, but this performer had never been too comical as a person. Elvic was strangely reserved yet engaging as an individual."What do you mean by all these?" Arthur frowned at him."Wow," Elvic whispered. "You look even cuter narrowing those eyes." he said.Arthur realized he had had enough of this guy."Are you trying to mock me because I'm about to be executed by these strange people?" he banged against the gate. "That's just the poorest form of comedy, Elvic." he added.Elvic giggled and then pocketed his hands."Don't be afraid, dear. No one is going to touch you." he said with a smile that looked almost devious.Arthur narrowed his eyes even more. At first, he wanted to be relieved that thi

If there was one thing Arthur saw as a thrilling entrance, it was the one Elvic had just demonstrated. In all likelihood, Elvic was far more than what he seemed to be. With those yellow eyes that did not look natural and a presence that sent chills through one's body, he was more than he claimed to be. Additionally, it sounded as though he was the cause of all these problems.Ysolde could definitely be weakened by the strange ropes Stone and Wills were wielding. Arthur was unable to tell what those ropes truly were, but they were certainly not something good. And they should not have been something priests ought to be using.Everyone was now facing Elvic, who kept smiling with an unsettling grin. He looked different with those frightening eyes, adding even more dread to the bodies lying across the ground."Who are you, unclean performer?" Stone enquired.Elvic chuckled lightly."Of course you know me, Stone. There is no need for formalities. What matters is that we need to understand