"Lord who created the world and bestowed order upon it, please hear my confession, guide my path, and protect us as we walk the righteous road, that we may neither lose our way nor falter..."
Elizabeth knelt before the Altar, her hands clasped tightly against her chest as she murmured her prayers.
For Elizabeth, praying in the Church was the best way to calm her heart and clear her mind. Whenever she finished praying, she felt refreshed, as though she had enjoyed a full rest, and her entire body brimmed with strength.
Even kneeling before the Altar all night would not leave her tired.
But... right now, Elizabeth felt terrible.
She had been praying for a long time, yet she had not slipped into that peaceful state of mind as quickly as she usually did. Her heart kept thumping in her chest, not fast, but loudly. That strange heartbeat disrupted Elizabeth's meditation, leaving her unable to calm down no matter what she did.
Why was this happening?
Elizabeth frowned, then opened her eyes. Tonight's meditation had failed. Still, she needed some rest, or tomorrow...
Just then, Elizabeth suddenly realized something was wrong with the scene before her.
Lit candles had surrounded the entire Church hall, their flames glowing everywhere, and the campfire Li Wei had built stood in the middle of the hall. While praying earlier, she had still been able to hear the crackle of burning wood a short distance behind her.
But now...
Elizabeth instinctively turned to look behind her, and her whole body nearly froze.
Katie, who had been sleeping on a pew, was gone. So was Li Wei. The entire Church was dark, lit only by moonlight streaming through the windows into the hall before her-and a dense crowd stood in front of the pews. There