Oh good good good. I had a running theory that the thing everyone was there at the cathedral to attend was some kind of ritualistic sacrifice of Aster. Everyone was super quiet about it, and they kept being like "if you aren't aware, I shouldn't be the one to tell you". It was freaking me out. I went, like, 40 minutes of gameplay without anyone saying
anything
about Aster's whereabouts, or how he was doing.
But here he is. We're fiiiiine.