Royal Swinery, Kingdom of Castile
The Interloper was still in the body of the swine that he occupied when Lumina's Dome was transferred to the Priest's residence. He felt the searing heat from outside of the stable where he hid. The golden shower of dust emitted when the Crann Bethadh forcefully entered the path of his rebirth undermined his power over the place. He felt his strength deplete and the place where the Crann Bethadh's essence fell, was purified.
The Interloper let out a groan and whimpered as he curled further into the shadows. "The infernal light workers, it seems that a heavenly warrior went down this time. We never want to keep them in the dark forever. The more they interfere, the better. At least, more rifts from the veil protecting this world will open, later on, his brethren can come and go freely." He thought to himself.
For now, his priority was to regain his strength and make contact with his people. He will wait for the night where, under the protection of the moon and darkness, he can roam around freely. Patience is what he had in plenty.
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The One-Eyed Society Lair, Outskirts, Kingdom of Castile
It was the middle of the day, and Regina enjoyed the gloomy weather brought by the presence of their summoned Fallen Lord. Epidemics also started to spread inside the Kingdom walls. Her captive insects also became stronger, and the dark rituals that they perform are also more effective and deadly.
Regina stayed up the previous night as she prepared the ritual to allow her to travel to Kaidadalman. She wanted a specific plant there to craft a poison that was instructed by their summoned fallen. She had no worries as their plan was progressing smoothly.
Every night in her dreams, the Fallen has visited her, giving her instructions on what to do and what needs to be done to prepare this realm for the coming of the son of The Great Tenebrio.
She happily undertook the task given to her and she performed earnestly. Although she knew that she was unfit to bear the child of The Great Tenebrio, she harbored intentions that one of her descendants would be the one to bring forth this child.
To prepare herself for another harrowing night of deadly rituals, she took her mid-day nap and was woken by a constricting feeling in her chest. Being the high priestess of the One-Eyed Society, she has some strength in her. She was able to barely resist the time manipulation by a celestial being.
Living on the outskirts of the Kingdom also had its perks as the coercion was diluted. Her dark wards, traps, and barrier, however, bore the brunt of the celestial power that engulfed the Kingdom. The air grew charged with electricity as a flash appeared on top of the hill where the Fallen Lord was.
As much as she wants to, Regina cannot rush towards the scene, the inverted cross in her chest where her heart is located burned. She wanted to crumple down the floor. She could hear her brothers and sister wailing on the floors beneath her.
Their kept Nightcrawlers howled and raged in their cages. The insects from Kaidadalman and Hell were twisting and pulsing before they enlarged and burst in their jars.
Regina cannot take her eyes off the hill. Try as she might to divert her gaze away from the blinding light, her head remained transfixed to the blinding light. Her retinas burned but she cannot do anything. Her vision slowly turned dark, but the heat of the purification of the Crann Bethadh still hit them with full force.
The creatures beneath the Priest's residence cannot withstand the airborne essence of the Crann Bethadh and are immediately reduced to dust. The members of the One-Eyed Society imprisoned in the basement dried up before the inverted cross in their chests lit up and burned them.
The people where the Fallen Lord implanted his soldiers suddenly collapsed, they too dried up and disintegrated into dust as the black wisps of smoke also evaporated into nothingness. The week-long effort of the Fallen Lord all crumbled just because he was too eager to seize power.
When everything settled down, only Regina and the Fallen Lord were able to resist the purification. The Fallen Lord, unconscious and inside the body of the swine, Regina on the other hand turned blind and was bleeding out from every orifice. The inverted cross in her chest burned and pulsated.
She crawled to the altar in her room. Everything was destroyed, the table where many rituals were made was now broken in half, and the deities placed on the altar were now ablaze. She knew that she too would die, but before The Great Tenebrio claimed her soul, she needed to send a message to other members of their organization.
She knelt in front of the altar and took the still-hot dagger from her waist. She then pierced both of her palms letting the blood flow out freely. Then, she carved an inverted cross on her forehead, welcoming the pain. She poured the blood into the medallion that hung from her neck. It glowed an eerie red color, the sigils lit up and swallowed Regina.
When she disappeared, a sulfuric smell remained and that day, news came of a widowed noble's residence burning down. No one survived, not even their prized guard dogs. Everyone had no idea as to why the place burned down.
Another strange phenomenon also occurred, it seems that some people mysteriously disappeared. No one knew where they went.
To curb the growing tension because of the mysterious disappearances and a noble's death, the Palace released news that the people who disappeared were part of a mercenary organization that infiltrated the noble's home. The constables and soldiers are now upping their efforts to prevent their loved ones from being recruited and poisoned by these outlandish ideas.
This announcement of course appeased the people, but it caused alarm from among the ranks of the nobles. They tightened their security and secretly recruited people to build their own private army. All these, just to protect their wealth and progeny.
On the other hand, as things slowly calmed down in Castille, Regina's desolate appearance caused chaos in the ranks of the One-Eyed Society.