[She listens intently, thumb crossing her lower lip a few times as she does. Her tongue is feeling very raw.]

You do already know how I feel about senseless sacrifice, Solomon, so I should hope you've thought carefully about this.

[If he tries to reply or take her words as an answer right away, Cantarella will hold her hand aloft, gently, because she's still speaking.]

For three dozen generations, the Fisalia have safeguarded Imperator's legacy, as the divine being They were before the dark abyss assimilated Them and spread its spiritual plague in the guise of faiths, seeding absolute control and paranoia in Rinascita's people. [Does the latter sound familiar? Hopefully, he follows.]

To achieve this, generations of their girls underwent torturous trials. A necessary sacrifice. These trials... [The pause is brief, but it's the pause of someone navigating something unspeakable or something that should be but is not there.] ... ended when I became matriarch, and as long as I am matriarch, they will not exist again.

Do you intend the many to include the many who would come after us?