The last of the supplicants left the church premises around 11:15 p.m. All the priests then retired to their respective apartments in the priest quarters, which was situated on the same expansive property as the cathedral.
The priest quarters comprised a long, ground-floor building that housed the Pope and the thirty-two clergymen who handled the affairs of the Church of Serenity. In Priest Rio's quarters, he paced restlessly around his bedroom, deeply disturbed. It was almost midnight, and he profoundly feared the consequences of both action and inaction.
Although he had earlier resolved to report the brewing chaos to the Pope, he felt a surge of fear, hence his reluctance to inform the pontiff of the insidious conspiracy. He went to the toilet and opened the tap at the sink. He then put his head directly under the tap, allowing the rushing, cool water to pour over his head.
