He moved toward Baiyu, his cane striking the floor with sharp, cracking sounds that echoed in the still air.
"It was you, Baiyu," he said, his voice cutting like stone. "You have failed in your duties as priestess. Tell me do you wish to wound the people who have placed their faith in you? Or do you intend to see this shrine fall to ruin?"
With each word, his face grew darker, shadow swallowing the last traces of light. There was not a single flicker of mercy in his eyes.
Baiyu lifted her sleeves, trying to shield the fear glimmering in her eyes. Her lips parted, struggling to speak.
"You've got it all wrong… I've done nothing… it has nothing to do with me ...."
Before she could finish, the cane struck again, thrown toward her with a sharp crack that echoed through the dim room.
Darkness clouded her vision for a fleeting second, and she found herself on her knees. When her sight returned, a warm trickle slid down from her forehead, the metallic scent of blood sharp in the air.
She muttered to herself, It's my blood… it hurts.
Then she looked up and froze. The old codger stood right in front of her, eyes cold and unreadable. With a slight movement of his fingers, a golden seal flared into existence, its surface embroidered with strange, glowing symbols. The word Sin burned at its center before it shot toward her face, sealing itself over her lips.
She tried to speak, but her voice refused to come. Her hands flew up to tear it away, yet before she could touch it, dark red ribbons of magic whipped out of the air, wrapping tight around her wrists like living shackles.
The more she struggled, the tighter the ribbons constricted, biting into her skin until it felt like they were sinking into her very bones. Her breath came in short gasps, tears slipping down her cheeks despite her will to hold them back. She could endure no more every twitch of resistance only fed the magic's merciless grip.
The old codger's voice cut through her panic, cold and without a shred of mercy.
"One who has made a mistake must repay it… and learn from it."
His gaze didn't waver, as though he was speaking a sentence that had already been carved into stone long before she arrived here.
"They are meant to be punished."
The words hung in the air, heavy and final, sinking into her chest like an anchor.
"It's best for you, Baiyu," the man said, his tone like iron wrapped in silk. "You are a vessel for the god's will. You must not do anything that brings trouble. Don't you want the shrine to flourish forever, just as it is now?"
She already had a terrible idea of what was coming next, but still she struggled. How I struggle… but it's not going to end… please, don't Only a faint, broken murmur escaped her lips, "uhh… uu…"
With a subtle flick of his fingers, the old codger conjured a ring of invisible magical mirrors that shimmered into view.
"Look, lady," his voice was low, almost a growl. "These were once priestesses who failed to fulfill their duties ...and met their end. Do you wish to share the same fate?"
His words struck Baiyu like a cold blade. For an instant, she saw in her mind Nezumi waiting for her, trusting her and the thought of leaving him alone tightened her chest.
Within the mirrors stood ghostly figures of the fallen priestesses. One was accompanied by a white shadow fox, another entwined with serpentine spirits, and another bore delicate, tattered fairy wings. All of them were blindfolded by threads of binding magic, their faces frozen in eternal silence.
Countless glowing magic circles flared to life across the floor. From each one, blades shot out like lightning, ripping into Baiyu's skin and leaving deep, bloody gashes.
"Your blood must be purified."
Her white, glowing silk turned crimson, and her pale skin was torn open, streaked with blood from countless wounds.
After a long time, the ritual seemed to come to an end. Baiyu was thrown to the ground, the ribbons vanishing into thin air. No voice followed. Her eyes, red from enduring the pain, lifted as the man presented a box before her.
Baiyu's trembling hands hovered over the box, hesitant to touch it. Its surface was dark lacquered wood, the edges engraved with intricate patterns that seemed to shift in the flickering candlelight.
The old codger's eyes bore into hers, unblinking, unmoving. "Open it," he commanded, his voice like the scrape of iron on stone. "Your path begins here."
Baiyu opened the box and found a blindfold an object that could be found nowhere else in this world, radiating with pure, divine energy.
He continued, "Closing your eyes could make your vision clearer toward gods and demis. Don't you wish to show them how sorry you are? Have you truly learned from your mistake?"
He waited for her answer, yet she was in no condition to reply. She only accepted the box that was offered to her, and with that small gesture of acceptance, he seemed satisfied. Without another word, he left the room, leaving her alone in the silence.
The old codger left the room. Outside, many saints waited for him in silence, their heads bowed. To those who did not know his true reality, he was a figure of profound reverence. To them, he was the chosen guardian, the one entrusted with tending the vessel of God.