Night. Rod stood on a terrace framed by an elaborate parapet. He felt the cold of the night. He waited for the first rays of the sun to warm him. He was looking forward to the morning. His blood was boiling in his veins. He didn't want to sleep, and to pass the time, he started replaying his own memories in his head.

I remember how my father Velez asked me to live in harmony and understanding when Mokosh and I were children. Who would have thought that after his death, she would decide to separate from me, to reject what nature has given her, namely the predisposition to war. My family could not understand why we should always serve the suzerains of Alaval, not even try to fight against them for our future and for the future of our people. This is the policy of a weak leader, unworthy. It was necessary to change something, so I decided.

Mokosh decided to follow her ideas and principles to the end. They also led her to spend the last year of her life behind bars, carrying my son in her womb. I had no idea, who will raise Avoneru. And he grew up taking on a heavy burden, he made us think, that he became a fool, but in reality he became truly wise (1). And no one saw it. Nobody. It wasn't until now that I found out. And I will no longer be ashamed of having a child.

I couldn't let her live. I couldn't. The people at that time were soft-hearted. They were afraid to change anything, to move forward. I'm sorry, Mokosh, I think you knew what this was all about. I wanted to cover up the murder, I destroyed Fryad; only ruins are left. Who would have thought that the land shall drink her fill of blood, and the ashes of her followers spread over the land, and the soil shall be gorged with their fat (2). And blood from her blood will find notes I didn't even know about. Notes – just small pieces of paper that store the writer's memories, suddenly changed everything.

Maybe I might guess, my son Avoneru was free to go where he wants and I could not bind him. Yes, and I was busy with the war. We were winning. We are the strongest. I will say that war is never pleasant, but it is a forced measure. Everything was on fire... but at these moments, each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done (3). Someone will stand, and his work will live, and someone will burn and will fall in the oblivion. We've conquered enough worlds. Alaval might not have been subdued, but it was a relic of a long gone past, and time had scattered its ashes. There are more than a hundred planets in my kingdom right now. No one has ever achieved this before, and I don't think anyone will do it again.

We then teleported to different worlds and not all the battles were brief. Many resisted as best they could. I used to go back to Rety once or twice every ten years. People didn't like it, and who would? But I couldn't do anything about it. When I returned with another victory, I felt more and more like «a fugitive and a wanderer» in my homeland and returned back to the battlefield.

But in the end, it was all over. There was peace and quiet on Rety. People became happy. For the first time in a long time, my entire community felt confident in the future. But I just couldn't find a place for myself. I still have the feeling that I live somewhere between a world where light shines brightly and a world filled with fire. But this is not important, because none of the indigenous population has committed a single crime. Except us - Supreme authority.

The authorities are obliged to commit crimes under the cover of night, for the benefit of everyone else. Yes, we raised these descendants of monkeys in Tuhinmua. But only so that they can sacrifice themselves to prolong our lives. And we, in turn, would have kept what we built. For we got these spheres for a reason. Fate, not otherwise. And it was the spheres and runes of the alchemists that gave us the opportunity to transplant the organs of slaves to ourselves, and then to the indigenous population. We all live forever if we want to. What other ruler can bestow such gifts to his people? I've never heard of them. So, I believe that what I did and am doing is the right thing.

Someone had to take responsibility for all these sinful deeds, carry them inside themselves like a heavy load. I was the leader and I have to carry this burden. If I need to wander in a world of dark sins without redemption in order for my people to find happiness, I am ready. And I won't make excuses to anyone.

For more than three thousand years, people have enjoyed what I created. And everyone was happy in their own way. But for some reason I didn't get that feeling. I remember how long I sat and thought about it, turning it all over in my head. And what stupid conclusions I came to. Yes, my body was aging, I was losing my former strength and greatness. I think it's hard for anyone to admit that their body is becoming a burnt tree and will soon collapse. I wanted to remind the world that Rod was still capable of something.

I went to Perun and told him that I would be away for a year or two to check on our properties. He agreed. And this was my last outing. Last fight. I have determined the coordinates of a planet that has been the subject of so many legends and myths. A world where there is no light and which is not tied to any star. This is the world that does not stand still and forever wanders through the expanses of space and somehow miraculously retains heat. The ideal sacrifice that will turn my perishable state into an imperishable one, and my desire will come true and light will triumph over the darkness.

He raised a trembling hand and touched the blindfold. The cold enveloped his body.

I remember how I got into that incomprehensible world. I expected to hear people moaning, the ground shaking, screams, chaos. And I met an idyll that I never dreamed of. But there were some things I didn't consider. I mistakenly thought that defeating the blind was a Piece of cake. I have conquered hundreds of planets and worlds. But people there saw more than sighted people in the light. And the sphere refused to work in the dark, which I also didn't expect.

I was caught like a rabbit by the wolves. They deprived me of my eyes, and marked my empty eye sockets with a sign consisting of three symbols of an incomprehensible language. Then I heard them talking and was able to translate it: «And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth» (4). A year later, for some unknown reason, they let me go back to Rety. But I was neither alive nor dead at that time.

I remember everyone asking what happened to me, who did it? They wanted to take revenge, to punish them. But I didn't care. I only wanted to die. Even before leaving, I imagined how I will celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth (5); and now, stricken, I exist in the desert, surrounded by dunes. I no longer used the gifts that Irin-Ajo brought. My conscious choice. But for some reason I couldn't die. It's probably that sign. That’s exactly it…

The sun was rising on the horizon. Rod felt warm at last. He took a deep breath of air. Relaxed. But this did not last long, behind his back someone said:

“Lord Rod. Irin-Ajo will start soon. People gathered in the square.”

He turned to the voice, and the man saw what not everyone is given to see, namely the sign in the eye sockets "Oth":

“Then it's time to start.”

***

One of the guards opened the door to the room where Malum was and led him into the great hall, where all the children were already gathered. Then they were divided into pairs. Several guards stood around the group, watching each one closely. A guide came, who turned out to be the commander-in-chief of the mercenaries, and whom Malum had already memorized, he gave the order to move. They moved forward, went down under the ground in another tunnel. There were sounds of rapid water flowing. Malum looked closely and found that the tunnels were constructed by a drainage system. The air was humid. He took an injection from the inhaler and quickly put it in his pocket. Next to him was a girl who had always looked at him during the trip through the desert and started talking, but this time there was nothing like that.

The group, accompanied by guards, swerved to the right and left along the endless corridors. Sometimes they went up a little, sometimes they went down. No one said anything. After a while, the wild sounds of people shouting were heard. The crowd was probably waiting for the show. The guards quickened their pace. The time is 10: 17.

After underground tunnels, they got into a maze located under a building. The group moved through a vast array of arches, turning behind guards at cross-shaped intersections, and in about fifteen minutes entered a small room. There was a grate in front of them. The guide informed them that the first pair would enter when portcullis were raised, then the second pair would enter when they were told. Everyone nodded in agreement. The crowd's shouts became deafening.

Malum came a little closer to the bars and saw a huge empty arena in the form of an ellipse. Around it were concentric rings with seats for the audience, which were, by the way, countless. The arena itself was surrounded by walls about three times the height of a man, and at the top was an artfully stretched velarium, protecting the audience from the scorching sun rays. On the lower level, closest to the arena, on the podium, separated from the rest by a high parapet, was the local nobility, in the person of Perun, Jarilo, Jehuti, Svarog, Veles. Spheres of different colors flew around each of them. On a raised seat sat Rod, who even from a distance looked like a giant to Malum. His eyes are bright blue. There was a two-meter-long sword under his right hand, but the others were not much smaller, at least three meters tall, or so Malum judged, and his eyesight was good. In the center of the arena stood a girl, short in stature, dressed in a dress of iron and covered with animal fur, with a bright yellow sphere. Malum smiled, because he didn't understand the point of dressing up like this in the heat. Security said the girl's name was Devana and she should be treated with special respect. They also added that they will start leaving in five minutes, but for now they will explain what everyone will need to do:

“You will enter the arena and drink a small elixir, which is on the block, next to the girl. It can, in case of success, transform your body to the level of the indigenous population. Then Devana will reward you for this and the next group will go.”

“In case of success?” Malum asked.

"Yes” they answered.

“What happens if you won’t succeed?”

The children looked at the guards questioningly, but they said nothing. Then the guards nodded at Devana, she raised her hand. Portcullis, with pointed ends, began to rise up through special grooves. People screamed even harder. The first couple of children came out. They smiled; bowed in the direction of Rod and his entourage, then in the direction of Devana, and at the end only to the audience. They went to the block, which looked more like a stump, took a flask with a purple elixir and drank it in one gulp. The audience began to beat the floor with their feet in time, in addition to shouting something similar to "O-O-O". The children looked at each other, once again examined everyone, and after one of them, and then the second, suddenly took hold of the throat, began to writhe in pain, the neck swelled, they fell to their knees; they tried to scream, but there was clearly no access to air. Devana looked at Rod, who nodded back, and she took a small sword from her back and touched it to the sphere, and it burst into flame. Then the girl swung and a second later the heads fell to the ground.

Seeing what was happening, Malum staggered and almost fainted from shock. Then he ran to the corner of the room and threw up. His arms, legs, and entire body were paralyzed. He bent over and stood there for a minute or more. Then he looked at the time 11:40.

"This is bad," Malum said to himself in a hurried voice, "very bad, damn bad. Lord has mercy! Holy shit. Fuck! This is what Pitris told me. He knew about all of this and didn't tell to anyone. Oh, my God!”

He turned and saw the look of confused children who turned their heads so as not to see what was happening in the arena. Malum vomited once more. He felt a chill going through his back. He approached the closed portcullis and saw how two men in black coats were carrying the bodies somewhere. He looked at the guards, at the closed front door; realized that he could not get out of there; tried teleporting, but it still didn't work.

Get a grip of yourself, God! How can you get a grip of yourself after this? I still have an hour. There are 20 of us, 18 already. Admit. Each execution takes about five minutes. 18 people will go out in two pairs. 9 more pairs. Nine by five, think, I can't, think, it will be forty-five minutes! Hell, I'm dead, this time I'm fucking dead!

A girl came up to him stunned by what was happening and said:

“I didn't know it was possible to fail the exam.”

Malum replied as calmly as possible:

"Yes, I didn't know either.”

"Do you think we'll get through?"

Malum looked at the arena. The heads were left untouched. The crowd screamed.

"I doubt it very much," Malum said faintly.

"Don't shake," the girl said, putting her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure we'll get through."

But Malum didn't say anything. He watched as Devana nodded, and the metal portcullis rose again. The two young men didn't want to come out, but they had swords pointed to their backs and pushed into the arena. There were more bangs and hoots.

The next seven pairs also failed the test. Their bodies were taken somewhere. Malum huddled in a corner of the room, no longer caring what anyone thought of him. He stared at the ground and shivered. The girl was standing next to him. The time was 12: 15.

Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Well, why is time so slow? Come on, Malum, think. You can talk them out and then disappear and forget everything like a nightmare.

12: 23; a guide came up to Malum and said they were next. He didn't react. The portcullis creaked open again. He was picked up and thrown into the arena. Malum looked at the girl. She was standing next to him, clearly worried, but she could walk. He crawled, for his legs would not obey him at all.

“This is not how I planned it, God, this is not how I planned it!” He kept repeating to himself.

The crowd started laughing, and the girl helped him up. 12: 25... Tick-tick, tick, tick…