The priests gathered anxiously around the Grand Priest, their robes dusted with ash and the scent of fading divine magic lingering in the air.
Confusion clouded their faces, panic beginning to bubble beneath the surface.
"What now, Your Holiness? The Saintess… she's gone. Disappeared."
One of the younger acolytes asked, his voice trembling.
Another priest added.
"Without her guidance, we're lost. What if she never returns?"
Murmurs of fear spread like wildfire.
Some dropped to their knees, praying desperately. Others cast glances toward the distance, toward the village they had tried to conquer, the very place now thick with mana—mana not theirs.
A grizzled veteran stepped forward.
"Perhaps… we should surrender. Maybe they'll show mercy. We invaded their land. We won't be forgiven, but we might be spared."
The suggestion caused an uproar. Arguments broke out among the ranks—some priests nodding in agreement, others condemning the idea as heresy.
