As summer drew to a close, the Cloud Serpent Mountain City was warm and sweltering, and the highlands were verdant and lush. Inside the temple, the water cypress stood tall and strong, its trunk bearing black and red marks as if scorched by fire and stained with blood. Outside the temple, the white oaks were bare, their bark and leaves long since consumed.
"A great fire scorches the tall trees, and the people consume the bark. Sacrifices are offered by the Divine Descendants, the idol rots and collapses… Light descends, bloodstains vanish, and all glory returns to the Chief Divine!…"
The Head Warrior, Bertade, maintained a calm demeanor as he looked at the scene inside and outside the temple. He knew all that had transpired here, and he knew about the sacrificial rite held yesterday, though he had not participated personally. He then instructed his trusted aide to summon the important participants from the sacrificial rite for final arrangements.
