It had taken the Red Priest six hours to contain his fright. He'd witnessed not one but two young men channel Gods. Young men old enough to be his sons, young men he'd been given the task to kill. He knew not what had happened to his companion, the old man had been punched through two tents, if he was now alive then the Goddess Meena must have granted him the resilience of one with the Jojoh Meena. Why do I use Meena in metaphors and sayings? There are more Gods!
He'd been lied to. All his life he'd fashioned himself to fit the ideals required of a Red priest. He'd partaken in the soul burn without question, he'd watched as thirty Kolotian fingers burned in unison to usher in the rebirth of the self. A Flame Seer had deemed him worthy of his priesthood. "Meena favors you, you are her chosen one, Licon." The Flame Seer had said while peering into the flames. Licon's chest had swelled with pride regardless of the fact that the same words were uttered about the other Priests in waiting. To be chosen by the only Goddess was not a matter to be taken lightly. Now he knew that Meena wasn't the only deity, that there are more. He'd been lied to.
Licon stumbled into the Red priests' main tent, his hair a white disarray and his green eyes bloodshot. The tent was reserved for worship and had been created to house all two hundred Red priests. He knew the time the Priests were to gather and sure enough he found them crammed into that one large tent, kneeling on a large red carpet before the Chief Red Priest with their lips mumbling prayers to a Goddess they'd been nurtured to serve under the pretense that no other deity existed and to even insinuate otherwise was to spell death. It was all lies. The Chief Red Priest stood beside an alter decorated with numerous red candles that were all lit and an image of Meena curved in wood acted as its center piece.
The Chief Red Priest was dressed in his rich red robes and his entire head was covered in a red translucent veil. The Red veil was a metaphor to Meena's face, always hidden but always observing. Another piece of bullshit. The Chief Red priest nodded at Licon and indicated with a hand a position before him where Licon was to kneel and join in prayer. A place where he'd be easily interrogated from concerning the mission he'd been sent on once everyone else departed.
Licon pointed a finger at the Chief Red Priest. "YOU INSOLENT EXCUSE OF A SHEEP'S ANUS!" He shouted. All the priests kneeling around turned to face him. "You sent me to kill the Talisi young one for worshipping Nielda, a deity you claimed did not exist." There wasn't much of a surprise from the gathered Red priests. Deep down they all knew the step taken whenever one of the flock strayed from the red path. Culling.
"If the God the Talisi young man led us all to worship, Nielda, does not exist. Then why did the boy's eyes glow blue as I held a knife above him?" Licon asked. The Red priests erupted all around him. "Liar!"
"Delusion!"
"Blasphemy!"
"There is only one God! Meena!"
They shouted at Licon but his voice carried above theirs. "WHY DID HIS EYES GLOW BLUE?"
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The Red priests grabbed Licon, some punched at his midriff others clawed at his face but the hands upon his red garments dragged him to the front where the Chief Red Priest stood. He was dropped before the Chief, his face scratched with blood welling in streaks. His eyes maintained their bloodshot ferocity that echoed what he felt inside as he stared up at the Chief Red Priest whose head was tilted towards him within its veil. The shouts continued all around, the Priests crying outrage at Licon's blasphemy and demanding justice. A culling.
The Chief Red Priest raised his hands and all was silent. "The Goddess Meena put me in this position after the one before me lost his life in the hands of the Kolotian who turned out to be a chosen one of Meena. I have led according to her will and I have stood next to the Kolotian and haven't suffered the fate of the former Chief Red Priest. My judgment is sound, Licon, and I am disappointed in your actions today." He turned to the Red priest. "There is only one deity, and that is the Goddess Meena!" The Red priests erupted into cheers and clapping. The Chief Red Priest raised his hands and silence enveloped them once more. He turned his head to Licon's position on the ground. "What do you have to say for yourself? I can grant you mercy for your sin today other than death. Meena is after all a forgiving Goddess."
"What color is the Kings of Binoria's eyes whenever they channel the Goddess Meena?" Licon asked while sitting up. Murmurs were heard around him from the other priests and for eleven seconds the Chief Red Priest said nothing. Licon clapped his hands twice. "WHAT COLOR IS THEIR EYES?"
Silence, answered his question. Licon stood up and glared into the veil upon the Chief Red Priest's face. "Their eyes-" Licon coughed mid-sentence "are red."
"Common knowledge." The Chief Red Priest said much to the amusement of the surrounding Priests.
"The Kolotian's eyes glow amber." Licon said. Immediately he said so a sharp pain erupted at his back as a blade sunk in to its hilt and was twisted and removed before being plunged in once more. He screamed and as the sound emanated from his mouth he became aware that it had been exactly seven seconds since he'd coughed. Licon dropped to the floor, unable to move a limb as he bled out.
Everything happened slowly around him, he saw as the Chief Red Priest backtracked while saying something about the dangers of going against the red path. He saw as the Chief Red Priest tripped on his own feet and fall into the alter that had been put in place, his Red garments caught flames that quickly spread over his entire body causing him to scream in pain.
Someone coughed and around him Red priests started to drop dead, from what? He could not tell. Licon could only witness as life flowed out of him from where he lay. Two claps sounded from behind him and he saw two Red priests stab continuously at each other with short blades and their faces contorted in a murderous rage. How did they come to that altercation? He had no idea. Those who went to help the screaming Chief Red priest were themselves engulfed in flames, they in turn spread the flames within the tent and upon it as they ran around screaming and collapsing onto others. Fire licked at the tent walls and the red carpet upon the ground. Some Priests grabbed at their chests, clawing at them with the aim of reaching their hearts, shortly after they collapsed and stared out with sightless eyes, their hearts supposedly having failed them at the same time. Many fell as they sought to exit the tent, they were trampled and died. Others went around sinking blades into midriffs while laughing hysterically. Licon closed his eyes from where he lay, he understood, somehow, all that was going on. Part of him knew what was happening though he could not string said explanation into coherence. All he knew was that not a single Red Priest will depart the tent alive, time would not allow it.