Inside the void casted by the Shadow Sage, priests and priestesses are now scared for their dear life thinking that they are done for. Caelus looked around the whole room realizing that there are truly no way out and they are doomed for. One of the priest tries to exit but just vanishes and never return.
"Do you want to live?"
The Shadow Sage asked again, repeating his question to the saint judge. The saint judge who was calm from the beginning of the case is now lingered with fear. He was so stunned that he could not speak. Seeing this chance, Caelus went out of his comfort zone and act tough and questioned him.
"S-shadow Sage, how are you still alive?"
"...,that's not the answer I seek,"
Caelus was scared but he reassured himself and answered the Shadow Sage's question.
"Yes,"
Caelus answered on the behalf of the priests and priestesses. Caelus stares into the pitch black eyes of the Shadow Sage as if staring into a cavernous, pitch black realm where nothing existed.
"Caelus Rivondre, a high priest for 3 years, age 26 and strictly abide rules of his job, bought ice cream for a girl yesterday as a repayment despite not doing anything wrong,"
The shadow sage suddenly read Caelus's full name and mentioned informations that he never told Will. The sudden mentions sent chills down his spine. Petrified, he asked the Shadow Sage of how he knows this things.
"I d-don't think I told you any of that..."
"You never, but I know, I know everything about you,"
Is it this room he trapped us in? Does this shadow realm read our mind and secrets? Caelus thought of this as he looked around. The priests and priestesses were also petrified upon hearing their name being spoken and so as their action and vague secret.
"How do you know all of this? Does black magic allow you to read mind?"
The saint judge finally spoke after a long silence from him. The Shadow Sage just stared him dead in the eyes and answers his question.
"I know you, I know everything about you, those dark past, secrets, everything, I live in the shadow of you, I am the embodiment of shadow, those darkest moments you ever lived, I'm always there, where darkness is, I exist,"
The Shadow Sage then proceeded to speak about informations of the saint judge and his secrets.
"Zeke Fisher, the saint judge of this city who regard rank highly and abide rules strictly, rather be left alone than to group up with people, yesterday rejected a poor man by choosing not to help him despite him begging, you also stoled some beggar's money when you were a child-"
"Alright I've heard enough! Why are you telling us all of this?"
The saint judge quickly interrupted the Shadow Sage to prevent him kept on babbling on everyone's secrets.
"Don't you all realize that all of us have committed at least a single mistake? Tara was just a victim of being deceived by the SUN cult yet you want to punish her,"
"Our sins are no greater than what she has done, who know what would happen if this prolong,"
"She was just a mere victim at the age of 7, it is not her fault for getting deceived, why blame the deceived but not the deceiver?"
. They were all startled by the Shadow Sage's words.Upon hearing this, Caelus thought about it deeply and the ice cream incident that happened yesterday. The saint judge not wanting to lose, the saint judge shot back with another question.
"Who are you to teach us such things when your sins has not been atone for? You said that you are the Shadow Sage, you must have killed countless of people, how about your sins?"
"...,This is a court of holiness, it's true that I have murdered countless people feeling no remorse, hence I gave you a choice of wanting to live or die,"
The saint judge realizing that they can't beat him in this argument reluctantly gave up and asked what will he do.
"I'm a man of my words, I gave you a choice and I won't take that back, you guys chose to live and so will you,"
"We now know your secret, don't you fear that we might tell this to the higher up?"
"You won't, by the time you walked out of this room, there is nothing for you to remember,"
The surrounding shadow then started corrupting everyone by going into their minds. The memory of the past few days has been devoured as altered as the Shadow Sage wishes. A painful and disturbing sight and Caelus watches it all as his memories faded away. The last thing he saw was a devilish smile as his conscious losses itself.
A few minutes later, the shadow sphere faded away, returning to Will's shadow below his feet. Will then left the court, followed by Amethia, Tara and the Everlight party. Duro, who was just walking to the court since during the case he was busy noticed the Everlight party exited the building. He stood and watches them leave and wait for a while for Caelus and the other priests and priestesses to exit.
"So...what happened? To that girl?"
"What girl?"
"The little miss, Tara that's her name, what happened to her?"
"Who's that?"
"Stop fooling around, tell me what happened,"
"I have no time to play with you Duro, let's get going and clean up the scene,"
Duro watches Caelus getting irritated with his question and stood there in confusion.