Reverend Casper was Demetri's most trusted subordinate.
There was no one more loyal to the leader of the third faction than him. As such, when Demetri had given the order for all his priests to head to the palace, Casper had stayed behind.
He did not wish to shirk his master's orders, but at the same time he could not bear the thought of leaving Demetri at the church by himself without any of his faction members at such a dangerous and critical time.
Casper knew of the attacks that Demetri and his family had faced in the past. And he knew of his master's suspicions towards the young Pope.
As such, he had always been vigilant.
Unluckily for him, Casper had been in the prayer hall when the floor had exploded and collapsed. Luckily, he had been standing far enough away and managed to dodge the massive projectile that came his way.
Dread gripped him when he realized that there was a high chance Demetri was dead. After all, he had gone underground.
What's to say he wasn't crushed by the collapsing stone?
Deciding to take the risk and climb down the hole, his footsteps halted when he suddenly heard loud voices coming from the entrance.
He recognized those belonging to his brethren.
But most prominent was the voice of the king!
If they are all here, then that means news of the explosion and earth shake already reached the imperial palace.
The sound of clinking armor mixed with harsh, splashing stomps.
The king and his entourage were shocked at the state of the church!
Even before they saw the giant hole, they were alarmed by the broken earth and cracked walls of the cathedral.
Even more so, the red water spilling down the steps. Some of his cabinet members slipped and fell, dousing themselves. As it was the case with the priests, these esteemed men of nobility were thoroughly spooked to be drenched in red water.
But when they entered the main hall and saw what was before them, their fear doubled.
Though the royal knight had reported to them on what had happened, it still could not take away from the sight itself!
The large prayer hall was a complete mess. Broken, ruptured and shattered with a raging waterfall exiting from the statue of Goddess Kartata.
A massive deluge of bright red water!
When had this happened?
When did it change from a stream of red tears to a broken dam?!
The king stepped closer even as his guards cautioned him and looked down the hole. It seemed to go on forever. One could not even hear the sound of the water hitting the ground.
Up close, the red water was so sinister looking, the king couldn't help but take several steps back.
Ignoring the voices around him, he looked up at the Goddess.
What was the meaning of this?
Why was the Goddess releasing bloody tears of such volume?
And the hole! Did it have to do with the witch's curse or was it another omen?
Too many questions and absolutely no answers!
"Where is the Pope? Someone must answer for all this!" King Robert was feigning a strength he did not feel. With his son on his deathbed, he did not know how long he would be able to maintain his composure.
One of the surviving royal guards previously sent to retrieve the Pope stepped forward. "Your Highness, none of the clergymen know what is happening! Most of them have already fled believing the curse to have spread into the Goddess's temple! The Pope is believed to have been killed in the explosion as well."
"What!?" Robert snarled. "Have you found his body?"
The knight shook his head. "The journey down is dangerous and with the waterfall, countless have already fallen to their deaths. We need more men and equipment to properly climb down and investigate."
Robert snapped his fingers. "Then go! Get what you need and begin an investigation immediately! I need answers!"
The knight bowed and ran off, another three royal guards accompanying him.
Robert glanced around. Apart from the third faction, there appeared to be no other priests around.
Had they all truly fled?! At a time like this! Cowards! He ought to have them all rounded up and executed!
Reverend Casper, taking another look at the carnage around him decided it was time to speak the truth his master had confided in him weeks prior.
At this point, there was simply nothing left to loose.
Demetri had died trying to find evidence to support the truth.
Casper had to pay homage to that.
The people had to know what they were guilty of.
We are already doomed. What's wrong with stating the nature of the doom? The Goddess will not save us. Not after what we did to her Saintess.
The Cromwell family lost their ability to wield holy powers because they betrayed their ancestors oath to Goddess Kartara.
But this is so much worse!
Not only did the royal family condemn Saintess Felicia, so too did the Holy Pope.
I do not know how much time I have left. The curse may strike me down as well. After all, I also watched her burn.