The silence that followed was suffocating.
The high elder's body still smoked faintly from the divine surge that had incinerated him moments earlier.
His lifeless form slumped on the polished floor, robes charred, his expression frozen in disbelief.
For a man who had commanded the temple with unquestioned authority, the suddenness of his death struck like a lightning bolt through everyone present.
The guards stood rooted in place, wide-eyed, unable to process what they had just witnessed.
Some trembled, some averted their gazes, but none dared to move.
The oppressive aura of divine judgment lingered, searing into their hearts the truth that not even the highest of elders was safe from the goddess's will.
High Priestess Jenna was the first to recover. Her shoulders squared, her chin lifted, and the weight of authority returned to her eyes.
She glanced over the stunned soldiers, her voice sharp as a blade.
"Who will be next?"
