Cathedral of the Holy Light, Great Hall of Radiance.
Pope Saint Ivan III sat on his broad and ornate chair, a holy radiance appearing out of thin air in midair, illuminating the few meters of space around the elderly figure, while the bishops of the Church of the Holy Light arranged themselves in an arc before Saint Ivan III. Apart from them, there were no other clergymen below the rank of bishop in the Great Hall—this was clearly a high-level assembly.
It was at this moment that Veronica pushed open the grand doors, and under the gaze of the bishops, she walked to her designated position—on the right-hand side of the Pope, in that highly revered spot.
The bishops nodded in acknowledgment to Veronica; no one showed any dissatisfaction with her "lateness," at least not outwardly. Veronica smiled and nodded back to each of them, exuding a warm and gentle aura, just like every day in the past.
