The Cycle of Fate

Chapter 47: The Premature Sacrifice

Staring at the sheep pen, which now only contained hay and scattered droppings, Ryan furrowed his brows and asked, "Did they repair the underground altar that quickly?"

He suspected the three sheep had been taken for a sacrifice.

"Those heretical cultists might have some special abilities," Valentine responded, his face twisted in disgust.

Listening to their conversation, Lumián suddenly recalled the faint bleating he had heard last night.

Could it have been one of them being sacrificed? With this thought in mind, he shared his suspicions with Ryan and Valentine.

"That's unlikely," Ryan shook his head. "The church is several hundred meters away from your home, and the altar is underground."

He meant that even with enhanced hearing, as granted by the "Hunter," it would be impossible to catch a sound coming from beneath the church.

Lumián agreed but was left puzzled as to why he had heard the bleating. Moreover, at the same time, he had felt a distinct burning sensation in his chest, and the black thorn symbol had partially activated.

There was no faking that!

The burning sensation... Lumián suddenly remembered something the mysterious lady had mentioned: *Pray to me... the principle of proximity...* He also recalled that during the ritual to invoke the power of the "Dancer," the black thorn symbol on his chest had also emerged. This led to a new hypothesis: his ability to hear the bleating during the sacrifice might be due to an occult connection!

In simple terms, when the parish priest and his followers conducted the ritual and prayed to that hidden entity, the principle of proximity caused it to also resonate with the corruption within Lumián, partially activating the black thorn symbol. That's why he was able to faintly hear the bleating from such a distance.

Since he did not respond, nor knew how to, given that the corruption was sealed by the owner of the cyan-black pattern, the parish priest's ritual ultimately connected with that hidden entity instead.

Once the ritual ended, the burning sensation in Lumián's chest naturally subsided.

This suggested that nothing strange or intangible had infiltrated Aurore's room last night; it was merely that the anomaly within him had been partially triggered by the parish priest's ritual. Lumián felt he had mostly figured out the sequence of events.

At this point, Ryan cautioned his companions, "It seems our exploration of the church's underground has made the parish priest and his followers feel a strong sense of crisis. They've likely managed to repair the altar and have prematurely prayed for power.

"From now on, we must be extra cautious. Don't assume the situation will only become dangerous near Lent."

"If it weren't for the risk of a restart, I would've dealt with them long ago!" Valentine muttered bitterly, then added sullenly, "Can we stop calling that heretical servant the parish priest? He doesn't deserve the title!"

Why would someone unworthy become a parish priest in the first place? Lumián didn't dare voice his thoughts. It wasn't out of fear but rather to maintain his image in Valentine's eyes. After all, he might need to persuade this fervent believer to do certain things later, like verifying the nature of the loop through suicide.

Ryan nodded. "Let's hurry to visit Madame Pualis, gather food and water, and then stay indoors as much as possible."

Lumián didn't say more and turned to leave the back door of Shepherd Pierre Berry's house, heading towards the hill where the castle stood.