Gallia 100 C.D

‘Our son will be immortal, Maya. The entire world will know of his valour, his power, his indomitable spirit. People will bow to him, kings will touch his feet, bards will sing his legend. He will be a God to them.’ Maya remembered what her husband had told her as the red glow began to deepen in front of her.

‘But for his glory to begin, we must pay the price with our life. The ritual will someone the spirit for his vessel for that to be successful we need powerful sacrifices. This army gives us the perfect opportunity to do just that’ Maya felt a shiver going down her spine as she remembered the crazed expression of Ayu the night he told her of his plan.

She knew something had changed in her husband after he had first held their child. Ayu had started to act bolder unnerving was his attitude in sacrificing so many lives. Yet Maya could not bring him to do; otherwise, Ayu had decided, and he would see it through.

“Waaaaaahhhhh”, her son had begun to cry, feeling the ominous aura around them. The blood had collected into a sphere at the centre of the alchemic circle. It was being compressed into the highest possible density. Maya started to cradle her baby as she watched everything happen around her. “It's alright, sweetie mommy is here; nothing will happen to you”, as she pulled her child to calm him down, Emmanuel started to rage.

“Ayu, what have you done…summoning of spirits isn’t something to be taken lightly. Such a grave measure for a mere war” Emmanuel was afraid, his body trembling, he tried to walk towards Ayu. Rivalries were of no point now. They all stood equals in the face of certain death.

“War, pfft… this isn’t because of the war Emmanuel, this is a divine opportunity that God has granted me. This sacrifice is the beginning of something much greater than you and I could ever imagine” the crazed look had returned to Ayu’s eyes.

Marcus and Jeeva finally arrived at the spot Emmanuel and Ayu stood at. Marcus was in shock, for he understood far too well what was to happen.

‘Jeeva I’m going to ask something of you that would go beyond just life and death.'

‘What is it?’

‘Eternal sacrifice Jeeva…Samadhi’

‘What!!! Have you lost it, Ayu? Do you even know the consequences of a sacrifice at such a level? It won’t end well, for us brother; it won’t end well for anyone.'

‘You think I don’t know that. You don’t understand Jeeva, I saw it…my son is a God reincarnated. When I held him, he gave me a vision of him towering over his opponents. He is special, Jeeva; he is the hope of our people. It matters not to sacrifice such lives if it can aid in his journey. I understand your reservation on the matter, but this is beyond us, Jeeva. This is divine, and before it, we must humble ourselves.’

Jeeva had nodded along then, but now his feelings on the matter began to resurface. He could see that his brother had done something drastic. It was too little too late to stop it now. Yet, the image of his wife and children began to outweigh his loyalty towards his brother.

*stab*

“Ugh…”

Everyone looked at Jeeva at this moment. All their eyes held the same expression without a shred of difference, shock.

“JEEEEVAAA”, Maya shouted at the top of her lungs as he husband was stabbed by his own brother. She was powerless to do anything; despite her immense heartbreak, she could not leave her child to save her husband. As something inside her broke, tears started to flow from her eyes, falling on the baby as he began to cry. There was only emptiness in her eyes as she stood there watching. Unable to deal with the shock, she fell on her knees, holding her baby.

“Jeeva…” Ayu looked at his brother with pain and regret mixed in them. Jeeva, too looked at his brother. The man he had loved and cared for his entire life, someone he was willing to lay down his life for. Yet today, in the hour of his brother’s greatest need, he had failed him.

Tears welled up in Jeeva’s eyes as he held his brother in his arms. “Forgive me if you can, Ayu but…but I…just couldn’t bring myself to leave my family. I am so sorry, brother, but this is the only way I could stop it.”

Ayu smiled as hard as he could at this moment, “I know…I knew from the moment I told you that you wouldn’t be able to do it. But it's too late now, Jeeva; even with my death, the ritual cannot be stopped.”

Jeeva was jolted back to reality with this declaration. He, too, had read the books about the ritual and knew that killing the creator of the alchemy circle leads to the ritual ending abruptly. It was the whole reason he had committed such a heinous act, yet it was all to no avail.

Listening in on the conversation, Marc and Emmanuel were also grieved by the revelation. At this moment, the three remaining people in the ritual had a look of desperation on their faces. They had gone through fear, relief and back to fear again. There was no way out for them now.

“You always were cunning, Ayu, forgive me in this life or the next” Jeeva stabbed himself in the heart with the same blade he had stabbed his brother. His body immediately went limp and fell beside Ayu.

Ayu looked at his brother as his eyes lost all colour. With the last strength left in his body, Ayu looked at his wife, “Do IT, MAYA”. Those were Ayu’s last words as he too went limp, and the embers of his existence were flushed out.

“NOOOO…Ayu Ayu Ayuuuuuu” Maya began to cry.

“You! You are the creator, aren’t you? Maya, listen to me; you need to let us out! I I I promise I won’t harm you. I won't let any harm come to you. Please just let us out! I will leave here and never return the Veraxes can keep the Gallic region for themselves, but just let me go, Pleeeaseee Maya, I beg of you.”

Listening to Emmanuel grovel and beg for her mercy, Maya was brought out of her state of grief. As she looked at the once-mighty Lord bow his head to her, a flame was lit in her will. She looked at Emmanuel and Marc with contempt.

“Let you go…and what of my husband’s sacrifice. You think too highly of yourself, fool. Nothing can stop this NOTHING” Maya had firmed her resolve; she would see through to her husband’s last acts at any cost. A side of her wanted to end this, but then Ayu’s face brought her mind back to reality.

At this moment, the concentrated blob of blood had absorbed both Ayu and Jeeva. However, it wanted more, so it moved towards Marc and Emmanuel. Marc stepped in front of Emmanuel, blocking the mass of blood. Using his strength as a Quintus, Marc started to slash at the blood coagulate with aura strikes. However, his attempts were futile as the mass of blood absorbed all the strikes and began to shine.

“HMM…DEEP…SLUMBER…WHO…SUMMONS…THIS…HONOURABLE…ONE”

The mass of blood resonated into a voice as it floated towards Maya identifying her as the summoner.

“SUMMONER…THE…SACRIFICE…IS…INSUFFICIENT…MORE…MORE”

The mass of blood demanded more. Even the thousands of men were not enough for it. Maya could feel the hunger in its voice. “Illustrious one, you may consume the two standing over there. They shall satisfy your hunger”, Maya brought Emmanuel and Marc to the being’s attention.

“N…NO NO, you can’t! Oh, great illustrious one I…I am prepared to offer you anything if you spare my life…Anything you need only ask…I beg you, GREAT ONE.”

“INTRIGUING…THIS…ONE…GRANTS…YOUR…PLEA…THIS…ONE…SHALL…BIND…YOU…TO…THAT…CLAIM”

As the being said, a drop of blood glided from the mass and was inserted right into the forehead of Emmanuel. “AAAAAGGHHH”, Emmanuel writhed in pain as he felt the drop of blood slowly travel from his physical body to his soul and settling down. He knew what this meant; he had been bound. Now, if Emmanuel fails to keep up his promise, the drop of blood will burn his soul. This did not mean that Emmanuel was now the being’s slave, but he would have to offer it a requisite price after which the contract so created would cease.

Maya saw all of this play out from beyond the alchemic circle. She gasped at the prospect of seeing a being so powerful that it could ignore the wishes of the summoner.

“SUMMONER…THIS…ONE…NEEDS…SACRIFICES”

Maya understood the meaning in its words. She would have to give her life to see it through. There was simply no other option. “My baby…mommy is so sorry to leave you so soon,” Maya said that she placed her child on the ground, took out her knife, plunged it in her heart and let the blood fall on the child.

“Listen to me, my son; you will now have unimaginable power. Mommy will make sure you are protected from now on. But she will not be able to see you grow up, your first words, your first steps. Mommy will miss all of it. But remember, little one, I will always be with you in spirit and soul. Find loved ones, cry, laugh, love, be happy, my cherubim.”

Maya used her blood to draw a symbol on the baby’s forehead, “Aatman”. At Maya’s last words, golden chains flung out of the baby’s forehead heading straight for the entity of blood.

“NOOO…THIS…WASN’T…SUPPOSED…TO…HAPPEN…YOU…DO…SOMETHING…”

Emmanuel just looked on as he realized that he might be rid of his newfound enemy so soon. As the entity was dragged into the child’s forehead, it tried to resist, yet the golden chains were far too strong. With an ear-piercing scream and blinding light, everything went dead silent at that moment.

…

Gallia 100 C.D

Emmanuel opened his eyes, waking up after fainting from seeing that flash of light. ‘I survived, even in the face of death I…I survived…Hahahaha’ Emmanuel felt an immense sense of relief wash over him as he lay on the ground laughing. He slowly stood up and looked around, soon he spotted Marc sitting in a corner with a baby in his hands. ‘That child…Ayu’s son, it’s the root of all this torment’ Emmanuel found the source of his worries and immediately made up his mind to kill it.

“Kill him, Marc. It is a pest we should not keep around.”

Marc nodded at Emmanuel’s command.

As Marc took out his knife to stab the kid, blood started to ooze out from the boy’s eyes and then the boy who had been sleeping ever so soundly suddenly opened his eyes. His left eye was red, and his right eye was blue. The blood had seeped from the red-eye as the light in the boy’s left eye began to brighten. Marc felt pressure crushing upon him as if a mountain.

He fell to his knees as the baby began to float in the air. Emmanuel, who stood a little farther, was no different.

“HAHA…THIS…CHILD…HAHA,” the voice of the entity began to sound from the baby. Emmanuel and Marc had ghastly expressions as they assumed the worst.

“UNFAITHFUL…ONE…YOU…HAVE…BROKEN…A…VOW…YOU…MUST…PAY”

As the entity voiced its discontent through the child, the blood in Emmanuel’s soul lit up. Emmanuel felt an unsurmountable pain and agony seep through his entire being as blood was let out from all his orifices. His eyes became redder as seconds passed by, and his face began to contort while his veins bulged. It looked as if he was being squeezed to death. As soon as it had come, the pain instantly vanished.

Emmanuel fainted on the spot leaving only Marc prostrated.

“YOU…TAKE…THIS…CHILD…WITH…YOU…RAISE…HIM…TELL…THE…FOOLISH…ONE…NOT…TO…MAKE…THE…SAME…MISTAKE…AGAIN”

“Ye…Yes…Yes, Illustrious one”, the pressure Marc felt went away as he saw the child float down towards the ground, still asleep. Marc looked around him then moved to pick up the child and Emmanuel. After he had both of them in each of his arms, heaving a sigh, Marc began to walk towards Junia.