"Please leave before I call the Capital Wardens."
Riku didn't move. He simply watched Seraphina, her back rigid with furious denial. He let the silence stretch for a moment before continuing.
"I understand your loyalty to the Grand Luminar," Riku said, his voice quiet but clear. "But you have to trust me. Ask yourself—why haven't your own investigations yielded any truth?"
Seraphina remained unmoved, her eyes like chips of ice. It was clear she wouldn't listen to him any longer unless he produced undeniable proof.
"I understand your skepticism," he finally said. "But perhaps you would trust the word of a fellow member of your own Church. A Vestal of the Inner Flame, I believe."
Seraphina hesitated, turning slightly. "What are you talking about?"
"Her name is Lysaria," Riku said carefully. "We're friends. We traveled together from Vintross after she witnessed the Church's corruption there. She should be in Luxia now. Ask her. She will vouch for me."
