A soldier's voice echoed through the dining hall, trembling noticeably. "Sirs... we found several bodies at the edge of the Black Wood Forest... One of them was wearing a White Robe with the emblem of a crescent moon embracing a star..."
Although not everyone had seen Bishop Alberto in person, the magnificent White Robe, a symbol of high status within the Church Court, was enough to identify the deceased.
When Arthur, Luca, and Lawson hurried to the scene, they were met with an even more horrifying sight.
Bishop Alberto's body lay amidst the chaos, his magnificent White Robe stained red with blood. A wound on his chest was so deep it exposed the bone.
Even more ghastly, his eyes had been gouged out, leaving only two bloody, empty sockets.
The bodies of several Assistant Priests lay nearby, all in an equally gruesome state.
The color instantly drained from Arthur and Luca's faces, leaving them paler than the winter snows of the Northern Territory.
