"More than 200 lives! And they were children! When you sleep at night, do their restless souls never come to haunt you?" Felix's voice boomed, each word sharp as a blade.

Yates staggered back several steps, his face pale as a sheet. His gaze swept across the fallen sect members, none of whom dared meet his eyes.

Only the sect leader, overwhelmed with guilt, broke into sobs as he choked out an explanation. "W-We did it to save the sect! Ten years ago, something crippled all of Polaris' businesses. We barely had enough money to keep the sect running for six months.

"Without resorting to desperate measures, Polaris would have crumbled. We had no other choice!"

Yates closed his eyes tightly as tears streaked down his face, his heart breaking at the revelation. For years, he had focused solely on his martial pursuits, oblivious to the horrors hidden beneath the surface.

Titus, Uzziah, and Thaddeus were equally stunned. None of them could have imagined that a prestigious sect like Po