"That was to protect our families!" a young Syrian shouted angrily, tears glinting in his eyes. "If we hadn't submitted, we would have died long ago! You Latins have never understood the suffering we've endured!"
"Suffering?" Eric scoffed, his gaze cutting through the air like a blade. "Suffering is no excuse for surrender! When the Heretics destroyed the Holy Sepulchre Church, what did you do? When they forbade you from ringing your bells, what did you do? When they desecrated your altars and locked your Priests in dungeons, what did you do?"
No one answered. Silence fell over the crowd like a black shroud.
"You did nothing," Eric's voice was low and steady, his gaze sweeping over every face like a judge. "You bowed your heads, obediently paid your taxes, acquiesced to their laws, and even wielded Curved Sabers in their armies, cutting down brothers who shared your faith."
He paused for a moment, then said slowly, "What makes you any different from the Israelites?"
