The chamber was cold and silent, save for the flickering of blue mana torches lining its vast walls. Inquisitor Ashley knelt before the towering statue of the All-Knowing Mother, her head bowed, her black armor scuffed from the retreat she had been forced to make. Above her, the statue's lifeless stone face gazed down with an expression of serene omnipotence, its gaze unyielding, its hands holding a staff of knowledge and a blade of judgment.
From the walls, the voices of the Scriptures filled the chamber, their collective tones as haunting as they were authoritative. They spoke in unison, their ethereal voices resonating in Ashley's mind and body.
"Ashley, daughter of the Mother's will," the voices intoned, "do you know why you kneel here today?"
Ashley didn't respond. She kept her head low, her lips pressed tightly together. Words wouldn't save her here. Nothing she could say would justify her failure.
