Lessons and Practice

"All right, that's the general procedure for the Sacrificial Ritual—Cathedral Descent."

Luther tossed aside the chalk and turned around in front of the blackboard.

By now, he had covered the blackboard completely with all manner of drawings and writing. There were numerous twisted, mad emblems of evil gods, and densely packed Ancient Hermes Script laden with blasphemous and filthy meanings.

Taking up most of the blackboard were several sketches of human figures Luther had drawn: a figure tearing off its own skin as though removing its clothes, trying to put it over a scarecrow frame; a figure that had chopped off its arms and legs and reattached them backward, crawling along the ground faceup... and the last sketch Luther had drawn.

It was a simple drawing of a family of three. The figures representing the wife and child were both missing their uppermost parts, which had instead appeared on the shoulders of the figure in the middle. Three heads sat on the same body, their mouths all opened wide in exaggerated, cheerful expressions, as though praising a god's glory.

Though the blackboard held only simple sketches, they instinctively made one uncomfortable.

"So, did anyone not understand? Or... does anyone have questions?"

Luther clapped his hands to dust off the chalk as he asked.

The meeting room was silent.

The Red Gloves sat silently in their chairs, each wearing a distinctly grim expression. As seasoned Beyonders who had seen their share of things, they wouldn't show disgust or discomfort over a few simple drawings. But the absurd horror permeating the information had still made itself felt clearly in each of their hearts.

They all looked at Luther in silence, their expressions seeming to say, "Please, stop talking."

"What's going on? The atmosphere isn't very lively."

Amid the solemn atmosphere, the corners