The Grand Cathedral of the Royal Capital was a masterpiece of cold, white marble and soaring arches. But tonight, it felt like a tomb. High Priestess Elara knelt before the Great Altar, her hands folded in a perfect, practiced prayer. She was the image of divine grace—her silver-blonde hair fell in soft waves over her white silk vestments, and her skin was the color of cream, flawless and unblemished.
Usually, she would feel the presence of her husband, Kaelen, standing like a wall of iron behind her. But Kaelen was hundreds of miles away, his sword stained with the blood of border-raiders. Without him, the silence of the Cathedral felt heavy, almost suffocating.
"Goddess," she whispered, her voice echoing in the empty hall. "Guide my steps tomorrow. Let the Light within me be a beacon for those lost in the dark."
She rose and moved toward her private bathing chambers. The stress of the missing adventurers—Sarah and Marcus—was a weight on her soul. She felt a duty to find them, to bring them back to the Light. She had no idea that the "Light" she served was already being analyzed and dismantled by a mind far more cunning than any demon she had ever faced.
Inside the bathing room, the steam was thick, carrying the cloying scent of crushed lilies and enchanted jasmine. Elara stood at the edge of the sunken marble bath, her silk robes falling to the floor in a soft heap. Without her heavy vestments, she was a masterpiece of divine craftsmanship. Her breasts were full and high, tipped with pale, innocent pink, and her waist tapered into elegant, athletic hips.
She stepped into the petal-filled water, letting out a soft, lonely sigh. Her hands slid over her damp thighs, a movement born of habit, yet tonight, there was a strange, restless energy in her skin.
"Kaelen... I wish you were here," she whispered.
She had no idea that miles away, in the dark heart of the forest, the Wife-Stealing Rod was vibrating in sync with her heartbeat. Because her marriage was sanctified by the Church, it was a high-frequency bond—a beacon in the dark. To Julian, she wasn't just a woman; she was a signal. Her purity wasn't a shield; it was a map, showing him exactly where to strike.
As she closed her eyes, a strange thought flickered through her mind—a vision of a pair of violet eyes watching her from the shadows. She shivered, the warm water suddenly feeling like ice against her skin.
"The shadows... they're growing," she murmured, clutching her holy symbol. She didn't know that the shadows were already inside the walls, waiting for her to step into their embrace.