After a week of careful manipulation, Elara's efforts to destabilize The Divine Order begin to take effect. The setting opens in The Luminaries Temple during the daily sermon.
As the faithful gather, there's a noticeable change in the atmosphere. Elara stands quietly among the crowd, playing her part as a devout follower while observing the ripple effect she's caused.
The High Priestess, Mother Aveline, leads the sermon from the central platform with her usual gentle tone, surrounded by her closest Council of the Blessed members.
The temple guardian stands guard along the temple walls, scanning the faithful for any signs of unrest, while the low-level priests and priestesses manage the outer edges of the gathering. Tension fills the room as Mother Aveline begins her daily blessing:
"May the light of truth cleanse us all from doubt, may your faith never waver…"
However, as her words echo through the grand hall, whispers ripple through the congregation. A small group of faithful, those Elara has carefully targeted, start murmuring to each other. One of them, an older man named Marcel, openly voices his doubt, disrupting the sermon:
"But why must we place our trust in this light, when so much of what we see is hidden from us?"
This statement immediately catches the attention of the Priests, especially Priestess Evelyne, who steps forward to address the disruption. The Priests, standing lower in rank than the high-level priests, handle the daily interactions with the faithful and try to quell the growing unrest.
Priestess Evelyne: "You must not question the light. Faith does not demand sight but trust, dear brother."
However, Marcel refuses to back down, and more voices join him, spurred on by Elara's discreet influence over the past week. Another follower, Leonie, who had also been manipulated, chimes in:
"Yes, why does Mother Aveline never explain the full workings of the light? If the light is so powerful, why are we not shown its full truth?"
Tension rises, and the more devout members, led by Gregor, a staunch believer who prides himself on his unwavering faith, lash out at the doubters:
Gregor: "How dare you question The Divine Order! This is blasphemy! You are all tainted by doubt, unworthy of the light's blessings!"
Gregor's words ignite a verbal confrontation, with the doubtful faithful pushing back. Illuminated Inquisitors start moving closer to quell the argument, their intimidating presence helping to calm some of the noise, but the divide is clear.
Marcel, Leonie, and a few others challenge the temple's teachings, while the devoted, like Gregor, defend the Order with vehemence.
Throughout this, Elara watches silently, remaining out of the conflict while mentally calculating the success of her subtle manipulations. No one notices her quiet presence as chaos begins to swirl.
The scene ends with High Priestess Aveline maintaining her serene facade as she signals for the Council of the Blessed to address the rising tension. But behind her gentle smile, there is clear rage and concern. The unrest is real, and it is spreading.
The Council of the Blessed members stepped up to calm the faithful, half of the members using some spells to strengthen the illusions inside the hall. While the other half of the members influenced the unrest faithful's mind which seems to take effect as they managed to restore the peaceful moment as if nothing has happened.
Elara watched the various energies streamed to those whom she has influenced in the past week. Her fist clenched tightly to her side, "I knew it, the current temple is too strong to be shaken."
Her mind suddenly take turns, what about The Order behind them? How powerful are they?. When this thought flashed by, she suddenly become unsure whether she can fight them or not.
Elara closed her eyes and take a deep breath, when she opened her eyes again, they filled with fiery determination. "No matter how many obstacle there are, or how powerful they are, I will destroy them at all cost." She swore to herself.
"I'm not alone in this." Elara said softly. Yes, she had Lucian by her side. As for Kael... She would find some time to gauge his reaction to The Order.