Kapitel 124: The Pained Goddess

Cassian felt a twinge of annoyance at Russella's religious fanaticism, but once she fell asleep the previous night, he quietly left her room. The night had yielded a trove of new information about the case, yet it also brought more mysteries than before.

He was certain the pastor was connected to the murders, but he still couldn't understand why one member of each family had been spared. And those portraits left behind in the houses—haunting and enigmatic—remained a puzzle he had yet to solve.

The sickening motive behind the pastor's actions gnawed at Cassian's mind as he drifted into an uneasy sleep. The next morning, a little later than planned, he found himself standing in front of the village church of Surock, its walls adorned with the symbol of clasped hands. Cassian was accompanied by Dallas, Cassandra, and Russella, who had chosen to come along as a mediator between them and the surviving member of the Wan family.