The chapel was devoid of movement or sound for some time. Plus, Karen had disappeared along with any signs of her previous presence.
"We have to find her," Leon muttered, squinting as he searched the shadows.
Paul agreed, but as anticipation grew, so did fears of the unknown. Karen's presence was still evident, but what she'd become remained a mystery.
Meanwhile, several shrines experienced strange symbolic variations. Extinguished tapers now burned with renewed warmth and vibrancy. The atmosphere, once stagnant, now felt pure and renewing.
Paul and Leon didn't know what to expect. But, they soon found Karen crouched before an emblem of the sacred union. They'd seen inexplicable displays of magic time and again. Yet, this defied even the laws of enchantment.
Karen adopted ritual insignias of the sacred sect. Earrings, bracelets and a large pendant missing its central stone. Leon and Paul retreated as the figure turned toward them with piercing intent.
"Nemesis?" Leon whispered.
"And you are?" she retorted, her voice sultry and distorted.
"Forgive us, Your Majesty. I'm Bishop Luen..."
"And I'm Sovereign Steele," Paul added.
Nemesis no longer embodied Karen's former innocence. So, Leon and Paul remained cautious under the goddess's perpetual gaze.
"Are you responsible for this?" she inquired.
"Yes," Paul admitted, stepping back.
"Did Karen survive?" Leon questioned.
The goddess smiled.
"She did. Now we are one."
"Karen's only a child," Paul emphasized. "Inexperienced and vulnerable."
The goddess scowled.
"She is an ancestress and ascending elder. That's why you chose her, is it not?"
"It is," Paul confirmed. "In which case, you now know everything?"
She sneered.
"If you're referring to the covens' rebellion, impending war, and the Morgans' return, then yes."
"What happens now?" Paul whispered.
Nemesis felt conflicted as her consciousness shaped Karen's behavior. However, they couldn't exist apart and would perish during any forced separation. Thus, Leon and Paul subjected Karen to an inescapable fate.
Yet Nemesis was a ruthless warrior and protector of her people. Thus, Karen inherited powerful safeguards. Luckily, Leon and Paul's questions were straightforward, so the goddess responded in kind.
"The cult will fall and its remnants, absorbed into a new collective," she explained.
"You'll need the jewel," Paul announced.
"I know."
YOU ARE READING
The Dark Society
Misterio / SuspensoA powerful family of occultists unexpectedly disappear and for the next twenty years they live within society like normal people. However, as the eldest daughter reaches her 18th birthday the curse of a forgotten bloodline returns, along with the me...
