If they have never been tortured, or locked up and verbally threatened, then in the first violent kick, anyone would confess to something they had not done.

The woman with the glasses had said something that brought Zane back to life.

He had turned numb seeing the hatred but the woman awakened Zane’s heart simply by a phrase.

The Emberlord was dead set on killing Zane and so were the people present in the Cathedral.

All of them wanted to see him take his last breaths.

Xavier had tried to stretch the execution by mentioning that they had to find the original relic before killing Zane.

But Coin had refused the idea as the Emberlord said he had means of finding the relic even after Zane’s death.

There was nothing left anymore.

But then a hand was raised.

The hand belonged to the woman who had allotted Zane his room.

She had also asked him if he had someone with him.

He had mentioned a maid and the woman remembered that.

A gutterborn having a maid for himself was suspicious but at that time the woman had let it go as Zane had given an excuse.

But that lie of Zane came back to bite him in the throat.

The Emberlord asked the woman why she raised her hand and she said she knew where they could find the original relic.

Zane’s heart found dread as he knew where this was going.

The Emberlord sensed Zane’s fear so he pressed the woman to speak what she knew.

And she did.

To find where Zane had kept the original relic the woman suggested:

"We should capture his maid and force the location of the Relic out of her mouth."

Silence engulfed once more in the Cathedral but the next second...

"Yess!"

"Bring his maid!"

"Kill the maid!"

The Emberlord remained silent as he heard the shouts of the people.

Then he looked over to his shoulder, at the priest who stood at the corner of the stage.

The Priest flinched seeing the gaze of Coin as he darted his head down.

But the Emberlord wasn’t interested in the priest at the moment.

He wanted something else.

"Where is his maid?"

Coin asked the question the people were waiting for and the Priest raised his head right away.

"She must be here, sire. Everyone in the Citadel is present here. I will find her in a minute." The Priest said and by his words, Zane’s knees went weak. They became mud. Clay.

Never in his life did he think she would get in trouble because of him.

Whom these people called his maid, she was everything for Zane.

She was his reason for fighting and surviving.

She was his only family.

She was his sister.

She was Milo.

The Priest looked around the church, mostly in the Gutterborn section and the more he looked, the more Zane found the urge to disappear.

Milo wasn’t in the Cathedral.

He hadn’t brought her today.

The whole Citadel was here and yet, he didn’t bring Milo here.

As if the current problem wasn’t enough, another one would arrive any moment now.

The Priest looked around some more but then he stopped looking.

Not because he found Milo.

He stopped looking because someone raised their hand.

Zane’s head hung low, his forehead dripping blood but he couldn’t care less about blood anymore.

He couldn’t care less about his life anymore.

His eyes bulged, no one could see his face but if they did, they would go silent and call for an exorcist.

Zane didn’t know who had raised their hand, he didn’t even know someone had raised their hand in the first place.

But the Priest and everyone else present in the Cathedral knew who raised their hand.

It was an Enforcer.

Someone Zane knew very well.

The man with a bird shaped scar.

"What is it, Kairon?" Emberlord asked as the Enforcer was none other than Kairon.

The Priest went shut as now that Coin decided to talk to Kairon then he should be the only one doing it. He wouldn’t like someone else joining the conversation.

Kairon stood at the side of the door and bowed his head.

He bowed to show respect but also to hide the smile he had on his face.

He was the happiest man present in the Cathedral right now.

"Speak." Emberlord pressed.

Kairon raised his head, his smile vanished as he finally said what he wanted to say.

"That filth had entered inside the Cathedral alone, sire. He had no maid with him. And if the lady is right about him having a maid, then she is still inside his room. She didn’t come to the prayer. She skipped the prayer of our First Flame. That is all the proof we need. In fact, she is as sinful as him. And the fact she didn’t come here means she has something to hide. And that something might be the Relic we are looking for. If I may say..."

Kairon paused and stared at Zane.

"She deserves to die too."

Zane’s entire body trembled.

He shot his head up, glaring right inside Kairon’s soul.

Kairon flinched by those black eyes but he soon calmed down.

Zane, however, went deep in his grief.

Milo dying?

Milo deserving to die?

He had lied about her being his maid for her safety and this is what became of that lie?

The lie had made Milo cry and this is what she got for her tears?

"Yess!"

"Bring his maid!"

"Kill that bitch!"

"She is a sinner!"

"Cleanse the filth!"

"Strip her naked and burn her alive!"

"Infidels!"

"Infidels!"

"Infidels!"

Chants rang out in the Cathedral once more.

Now for Milo as well.

Zane darted his eyes at every mouth that wished for Milo’s death.

Meanwhile, the Priest left the stage and went to a door that was on the right side.

In a second, he came out.

But he wasn’t alone.

With him, he brought...

CLANK!

Thick, rusted, and heavy metallic chains.

All heads moved there including the Emberlord.

Seeing the chains, Coin smiled and nodded.

The Priest returned the nod and handed the chains to Coin.

Coin took them and in a matter of seconds, he wrapped Zane in the chains.

The chains hugged Zane’s neck and hands but the Gutterborn only felt the coldness of the people present in the Cathedral.

Xavier held his chest as if controlling his wincing heart.

Tesla patted Xavier, giving him courage and a shoulder.

After chaining the filth, Coin again stood in the center of the stage facing the audience.

"You all were saying something?" He said and with his words, the chants arose once more.

"Yess!"

"Kill that bitch!"

"Burn both of them alive!"

"Bring that infidel whore here!"

"Kill her!"

"Burn her!"

"Strip her naked!"

Zane watched everyone wishing for Milo’s death closely with his blood shot eyes, his face now covered in his own blood and people’s spit.

The Emberlord raised his hand.

Silence happened.

"I hear all of you. I understand all of you. As the protector of the faith, I will oblige to all your wishes."

"Kairon," Coin looked at the Enforcer and Zane knew his next words. "Drag that infidel maid in front of me right this instan—"

"I..."

Coin paused.

Someone spoke.

"I..."

The same voice arrived again and this time, they found the source.

All eyes gawked at the person speaking.

"I..."

Xavier’s eyes widened and Coin jolted his head beside him.

The person who spoke, the person who interrupted the Emberlord was none other than...

"I am Zane Atlas...."

The sinner himself.

"And I..."

Zane’s lips trembled with each word but that didn’t stop him.

He got the attention of everyone present in the Cathedral but he only looked at one person.

He only jerked his head at the person responsible for everything.

He peered right inside the Emberlord Coin’s blue eyes and with no fear, with his head raised high, he bellowed:

"I wish to confess."