The doctor's shivering lessened slightly. His breathing seemed to ease, just a fraction. The lines of pain on his face softened. But the underlying sickness remained, a deep-seated chill the light couldn't fully dispel.
"Better…" Elms whispered, his eyes clearer for a moment. "Thank you, Sister… but it's deep… magical…" He gripped Lysaria's wrist weakly. "The children… the church… they're going to perform the Rite of Cleansing… today… Noon bell… You have to stop them… It's not a cure… it's…" His voice faded into another wracking cough, his eyes rolling back slightly.
Lysaria pulled her hands back, her face pale. "Rite of Cleansing? That's not an exorcism… that's a ritual of purification by holy fire! They intend to burn them!"
Lila gasped, covering her mouth. Sherry's eyes blazed with cold fury.
"Good church of light, burning kids in the name of righteousness. It seems that I had still underestimated you in the end." Sherry muttered, looking away.
Lysaria looked at Sherry for a moment, but couldn't come up with a retort. For a brief moment, silence took over.
"Noon bell," Lila repeated, scrambling to her feet. "What time is it now?"
Sherry glanced frantically towards the sliver of light coming through the shuttered window. "The sun… it's already high! It must be close to noon!"
"We have to get to the church," Lysaria urged, her voice tight with urgency. "Now!"
The three women burst out of the apothecary, leaving the fading doctor behind, their hearts pounding as they raced through the fear-choked streets towards the heart of Vintross and the looming threat of the church.
-----------------
The main square before the Vintross temple pulsed with a nervous energy.
Townsfolk gathered at a distance, kept back by a cordon of stern-faced temple guards. Their faces were a mixture of fear, morbid curiosity, and a grim sort of satisfaction – the Church was acting, purging the 'curse' that had gripped their city.
At the center of the square, atop a raised stone dais usually reserved for sermons, stood Vestarch Elian. His silver-and-white robes seemed to gleam with an inner light, his expression serene, almost beatific.
Behind him, arranged in a horrifying tableau, were eight crudely constructed wooden posts. Tied securely to each post was a child from the orphanage, their small forms trembling, faces streaked with tears and terror. Elara, Finn, and the others Alia had named – they were all there, looking small and frail against the backdrop of the imposing temple facade.
"People of Vintross!" Elian's voice rang out, amplified by subtle magic, reaching every corner of the square. "You have suffered! A shadow has fallen upon our city, a sickness born of darkness, clinging to the most vulnerable!"
He gestured towards the terrified children. "These poor souls, tragically, became vessels for this taint! Sheltered in ignorance, they harbored a curse that now threatens us all! It is suspected," his voice lowered slightly, carrying an insidious implication, "that the source may trace back to outsiders – perhaps even the one who peddled strange, unnaturally sweet food in our square not long ago, vanishing as quickly as he appeared!"
A murmur went through the crowd. Some nodded, remembering Riku's cart, connecting the dots Elian so conveniently provided.
"But fear not!" Elian declared, raising his hands. "The Light does not abandon its faithful! Today, we perform the sacred Rite of Cleansing! With holy fire, we shall purify these vessels, burn away the curse, and restore sanctity to Vintross!"
"Sob!" one little girl cried out from her post, sobbing uncontrollably. "I want to go home!"
"Silence, child!" Elian commanded, his benevolent mask slipping for a fraction. "Your suffering purifies you!"
It was then that three figures burst through the edge of the crowd, hoods thrown back.
"Elian! Stop this madness!" Lysaria's voice cut through the air, sharp with fury and disbelief.
"This isn't cleansing! It's murder!" Lila yelled, her face flushed with anger.
Sherry said nothing, but her hands crackled faintly with dark energy, her eyes fixed on Elian with pure hatred.
Elian turned slowly, a look of mild surprise shifting into cold dismissal. "Sister Lysaria. And companions. Interfering with sacred rites?"
"Sacred?" Lysaria spat, striding forward, ignoring the guards who moved to block her. "You're using fear to justify killing children! This sickness – did you even investigate its source? Or did you simply find the easiest scapegoats?"
"The source is darkness," Elian stated calmly. "And it must be purged. Step aside, Sister. Your faith seems… clouded."
"My faith demands justice, not sacrifice!" Lysaria retorted. She drew herself up. "By the authority of the Inner Flame, I order you to release these children!"
"Oh? I would like to know what would happen if I refused?" Elian said, smiling creepily.
Sherry didn't wait for orders. With a snarl, she launched herself forward, shadows coalescing around her fists as she slammed into the nearest guard. Lila, though lacking magic, drew the dagger she always carried and moved to help.
Lysaria hesitated only a moment before joining the fray, channeling light not for healing, but for sharp bursts of force to push guards back.
But it was futile. Temple guards swarmed them – trained, armored, and numerous. Sherry's shadow strikes were parried, Lila was quickly disarmed and restrained, and Lysaria found herself facing half a dozen spears. The fight was over before it truly began.
Elian watched with cold amusement from the dais. "How disappointing, Sister Lysaria. Aligning yourself with… her," he gestured dismissively towards Sherry, who was struggling against two guards, "and interfering with the Church's holy work. Your compassion has become heresy."
He raised his voice again. "By the authority vested in me as Vestarch, I declare Sister Lysaria stripped of her rank and excommunicated from the Church of Light! She, along with these accomplices, shall face judgment after the cleansing is complete!"
Lysaria stared, stunned into silence by the swift, brutal pronouncement. Excommunicated. The word hit her harder than any physical blow.
"Now," Elian said, turning back to the crying children, his smile returning, sickeningly gentle. "Let the purification begin."