Mulan did not reach out to take the letter. Instead, he took two steps back, staring at it as a low, agitated sound rose from his throat like a beast's growl.
"Impossible. This is impossible! Evan said that place was the closest to the God of Holy Light, that it was blessed by the god. Nothing could have happened there. It couldn't!"
Mulan had always presented a calm face to others. He might not have observed every detail of the nobles' elaborate etiquette, but no one had ever considered him rude. This was the first time anyone else had seen him like this.
"Sir Jonester..."
Nisheriel reached out a little. She could feel Mulan's pain.
"Darkness and evil have been spreading all along. They even dared to extend their grasp to the Sacred Mountain. I..."
Evan's teacher was deeply agitated too, his voice even catching in his throat. He took a moment to compose himself before continuing.
"I thought another of my students would become a bishop. He was so young, so devout, so gifted... Child, take it. He wasn't allowed to contact the outside world until his baptism was complete. This was his first letter after the baptism. I never imagined it would be his last..."
"He's only missing. He isn't dead. He isn't!"
Mulan roared. The whites of his eyes were bloodshot now, and he stared at the two archbishops as though they were his enemies.
"Child, I could have lied to you, but when false hope shatters, you would only suffer all over again. As an outstanding young priest, Evan left a soul flame on the Sacred Mountain before his baptism. It has already gone out... Child, if it hurts, let yourself cry!"
Mulan stood there in a daze, utterly motionless. After a long while, his gaze