Episode: 6Episodes: 50
Alistair Ravenscroft forces Seraphina Sangreal to submit to the Rite of Purity inside the cathedral. Priestesses strip away her black cloak on the altar dais. The high priest tests her with a glowing crystal and confirms she has no dark magic or broken fidelity. Alistair tries to approach her after the verdict. Seraphina cuts him off, ends their relationship, and walks outside into the bright sunlight alone.
Alistair Ravenscroft forces Seraphina to face the Rite of Purity before an audience of priests and knights. He wants proof that she never betrayed him. He demands that she submit to the ritual before he considers releasing her.
Seraphina steps up onto the altar dais. Attending priestesses remove her dark cloak, leaving her standing in a plain white gown. She grieves internally as she confronts Alistair's complete absence of trust in her honor.
The high priest conducts the holy examination using a glowing crystal over Seraphina. He announces that her soul is untainted. The ritual confirms that she carries no dark magic and has committed no acts of broken fidelity.
Alistair walks toward Seraphina after the high priest delivers his verdict. Seraphina refuses his advance. She coldly tells him that their bond is over today, turns her back on him, and prepares to exit the cathedral.
Seraphina exits to the cathedral colonnade. She pauses by a stone pillar to steady her breath and regain her composure. Without glancing back at the Grand Duke, she strides away into the bright open sunlight on her own.
“If you have not betrayed me, then the ritual will prove it. After that, I may consider letting you leave. Prove it to me, Seraphina!”
“Whatever hope I still had for you died here, in this light.”
“Your Grace, the Rite is complete. The examinee's soul is untainted. Her body bears no trace of dark magic, and no sign of broken fidelity.”
“Whatever stood between us ends today. I leave now.”
Seraphina walks out into the cathedral colonnade, pauses against a pillar to gather her strength, and steps into the daylight alone. The public trial cleared her name, but it shattered any future with Alistair. Will the Grand Duke let her leave the territory in peace, or will he find another way to force her back?