Countess

Beneath the towering, curved vaulted ceiling, the rolling sacred music finally came to an end. The twelve high priests in red robes trimmed with gold had gone pale and could barely remain standing, while attendants and junior servants hurried over to support them. These men of immense power and influence were either regional archpriests from the areas surrounding Rushta or senior scholars of the academy. Their status was distinguished and their positions exalted; one could say they ranked just below the figures Above the Holy Seat of the Temple of Flames. Their strength matched their status. Christoph, the archpriest of the Koen region, Anders, the Divine Favorite, and Sutton, the academy master, had long since reached the Side of Truth and were only one step away from the Holy Seat—the residents of Rushta habitually referred to the eleven figures Above the Holy Seat of the Temple of Flames collectively as Above the Holy Seat, and the expression had gradually spread beyond the city. Apart from those three, the other nine had also awakened the Elements. In ordinary times, people of their station rarely personally presided over sacred rites or rituals, but when they occasionally took action, it was usually effortless. They should never have ended up in such a sorry state as this.

"Truly breathtaking." The one who spoke as he watched this scene was Valachi. Those who had never seen this Supreme One would find it difficult to imagine that the man who governed the entire Temple of Flames was such a kindly-looking little old man. His beard and eyebrows had long since turned snow-white, and his body had shriveled considerably. He wore a red bishop's mantle trimmed with white fur and stood with his hands behind his back, trembling so feebly that a gust of wind seemed capable