The grand cathedral of Sanctum, the holiest city in the human territories, gleamed under the midday sun. Its white marble spires reached toward the heavens like fingers grasping for divine blessing, each one carved with intricate scenes of heroes triumphant over demonic hordes. Stained glass windows depicting the seven great virtues cast rainbow patterns across the polished floors, and the air itself seemed to hum with residual holy magic that had accumulated over centuries of worship and prayer.
Inside the throne room—a space that managed to be both a place of worship and political power—two figures sat in positions of authority that had been carefully designed to appear equal while subtly asserting their respective domains.
