Chapter 2— Buried Truth The church was too quiet that night.Pope Gabriel stood in the dim corridor, his breath shallow, knowing something terrible was coming. Brother Matthias had been trembling earlier, his fear visible in every word, every look. And fear—he knew—could make a person dangerous.Elara felt it too. “He’s going to talk,” she whispered, her eyes fixed on the staircase leading to the lower crypts. “Even if he promised silence… he’ll break.”Gabriel hated the truth of her words. Matthias was young, emotional, easily swayed. If he confessed to anyone in the clergy, the consequences would spread like fire. Their secret