Acknowledge the action itself before your brothers, sisters and elders

Forsake the things that bind you, bare your flesh for all to see

Endure the consequences of your actions and receive Erideth's punishment with pride

Cleanse your vessel and return to your purest form

Pray to Erideth for another chance to serve her will

Now onto The 'cleansing' itself….

The subject has to endure a full body scrub inside a hot bath as the priestesses force you to recite and reject your sins which can happen several times a day if you are caught engaging in sin of any kind. Depending on the severity of the sin itself, it can range from prayer, the usual cleansing to actual torment and mutilation.

Qai is experiencing adulthood on his own with no guidance outside of the books he's read, so he's constantly plagued with sinful thoughts and feelings like any adult would be. There has been times where he has been caught in the act of self pleasure out of his own curiosity, loneliness and desire to be touched which didn't end well for him. Not only did he have to endure the ritual but he was forced to recite the prayer of Erideth for hours in a cold, dark room on his knees and given several lashes across the hands. In their minds, any force placed upon the body by their hand is a direct punishment from Erideth herself so they get away with a lot. Even after enduring it for so long, it's still a process he hasn't gotten used to and it has caused lots of trauma he'll never fully heal from.