Borin blinked his eyes as his blurry eyes tried to adapt to the dark surrounding. The cold and damp air filled his lungs in a rough breath.

“Ugh… where is this?” Borin grimaced in pain at the tiger claw marks on his back. With all his might, he tried to lift his heavy head. His eyes wandered around to find that he was locked in a cell with iron bars.

“Mr. Ramos?” Borin was surprised to see someone—he used to serve every day—was now so different. He looked so thin and disheveled.

“Miss Gladys?” The noble girl who used to be so beautiful and clean now looks like a tramp full of bruises. Her previously long and beautiful hair looked so dirty and unkempt. Her gaze was empty with no enthusiasm. It was certain that something terrible had happened to both of them.

“What happened to you guys?” asked Borin. His eyes looked so sad.

For a few moments, he got no answer. Only the deafening silence made Borin feel very uneasy.

“We’re all going to die,” said Ramos in a whispering voice. He sat in the room’s corner, hugging his knees. His eyes looked so frightened. Something that Borin had never seen from his master. He—who used to be so arrogant and have nothing to fear—now looked like a rabbit ready to be pounced on.

“No sir, we can definitely find a way out of here,” said Borin, trying to cheer up Ramos and Gladys.

“There’s no escape… only death,” said Ramos while showing his clipped little finger. “He cut it off when I was trying to escape.”

“He’s a pure evil,” said Gladys with a shaking voice.

“But I’m sure Peter and the others will come to our rescue.” Borin still wanted to trust his friends. The hope is still there.

“You can’t beat him. He can create huge tigers out of empty air, and there are tons of crocodile monsters.” Ramos’ restless body swayed back and forth.

“We’ve killed that tiger before. We can do it again,” said Borin not wanting to give up just yet.

“Well… hopefully, they’ll make it in time,” said Gladys in a very soft voice. She found it hard to believe that she may still escape. After what she went through with Ramos, the slightest hope seemed to be lost.

Borin muted, and the uncomfortable silence burst again, suffocating his lung. However, in that darkest despair, he still observed further to evaluate the situation. The cell was inside a giant cave. Stone was its wall, and the ceiling was high. There was an altar table made of rough stone in the center of the cave. It was covered with the dried blood of the previous sacrifices.

After a moment of torturous silence, a man in black with long sleeves turned up. His nose was hooked and his hair was sparsely silver. There were four kobolds with him. They were communicating with each other by making sounds like dogs barking.

“He’s coming,” Ramos hissed in fear. The young man inched deeper and deeper into the corner of the room, as if wishing that his body could sink into the solid wall behind him.

The old man came nearby the cell with a grin. His tongue protruded once in a while. “Take the boy out!” He ordered the four kobolds standing before him.

The half-crocodile creature then came closer and took the key. There was a loud rattling sound when they opened the large lock that hung on the iron chain. A moment later, the trellis door swung outward with an uncomfortable creaking sound. It all sounded like a death symphony to Ramos.

Swiftly, the kobolds grabbed Ramos’ arm.

“NO! PLEASE! DON’T! STOP!” Ramos was full of despair. He was kicking randomly with all his might. However, his frail body couldn’t match the strength of the four kobolds. They were dragging him by force like a sack of grain.

Borin tried to help his master by pulling the body of a kobold. However, a hard slash of the scaly tail threw his fat body back into place.

“LET HIM GO!” Borin bounced back, only to be hit hard by the metal trellis door. It slammed hard into his face. The child could only groan in pain while holding his bleeding nose.

Ramos continued to struggle as the kobolds lay him on the altar table in the center of the room. They then bound his hands and feet in a supine position. It was so tight that Ramos couldn’t move anymore.

“He… help me…” Ramos cried in fear.

Gladys, who had been curled up for a while, could only sob. Although her relationship with Ramos is not the best, he was the brother she grew up with. His temper was harsh, but Ramos was always trying to protect Gladys—in his own way.

After confirming that the sacrifice was immobile, the old man ordered the kobolds to leave. He then took out a knife with a red ruby stuck to the hilt.

“Please… don’t… My father will give you whatever you want,” said Ramos as he wished the sharp object was taken away from his sight.

“You think I kept you captive all this time just to free you now? Do you think I’m that stupid?” The old man grinned. His tongue protruded once in a while like a snake. While his right hand gripped the knife, his left palm was facing downwards—about 20 cm above Ramos’ chest.

“Das amorte aksebilli farcies.” The man then chanted a line of incantations. A black shadow seemed to emerge from his left palm, entering Ramos’ body. After that, he raised his hand high with a drawn knife, ready to stab it into Ramos’ heart.

“Please have mercy, Master. Don’t kill him.” It was Borin who begged for Ramos. Even though he didn’t really like Ramos’ attitude, he never expected his master’s death. Especially after he tried to change.

“You really want him alive?” asked the old man with a sly grin. “Would you like to replace him as a sacrifice?”

Borin was silent to hear the question. Although he wished Ramos could live, but to trade it for his own life? It wasn’t an option, for sure.

The old man laughed hard as he knew Borin wouldn’t dare to give up his life. He then made an offering. “Let’s play then. I have one question. Answer it honestly, and I’ll let him live. I’ll know if you’re lying.”

“Okay,” said Borin. At least there was a glimmer of hope he could try.

“You have a mage friend who is a healer, don’t you?”

“Y-yes,” said Borin doubtfully.

“Can she bring the dead back to life?” asked the old man with a serious face.

Borin was confused. Although he knew that the old man was referring to Anna, he didn’t know to what extent the girl’s abilities were. He also wondered how that old man knew he had befriended a healing mage.

“I don’t know,” said Borin honestly as he didn’t dare to violate the conditions stated by the silver-haired old man.

The person laughed again and then said, “Then let’s find out.” After saying it, he immediately raised his hand and stabbed the knife directly into Ramos’ heart.

The boy didn’t have time to react when the dagger pierced his chest cavity. His body jerked slightly as he groaned. Then, followed by a soft gurgling sound, blood flowing through his mouth. At that very moment, Ramos breathed his last. His eyes turned white and closed.

His blood seeped all over the altar table and dripped onto the ground. The ruby that was attached to the knife hilt glowed brightly, showing that it got the sacrifice. A black shadow came out of Ramos’ body—and, as if being sucked in—entered the mage’s nostrils.

Gladys, who saw her brother being killed so viciously, screamed loudly and then fell unconscious. Meanwhile, Borin was shaking the metal lattice door while shouting in a hoarse voice, “NO! DON’T! YOU LIE! YOU LIAR!!”

“Oops… Sorry, I forgot my promise to you. But, worry not. I’ll go find your mage friend and bring her here. I really want to know if she can resurrect the dead. You want to know too, don’t you?” said the old man, grinning irritably while licking the blood stuck to his knife.

Very disgusting.

Borin sat languidly in his place. “Who exactly are you? Why do you have to be so evil by?”

“You want to know who I am? I’ll tell you, fat boy. My name is Victor Aldren and I am a mage. I need human sacrifices to carry out the ritual of eternal life,” he said with eyes bulging.

“You are so selfish! You sacrificed other people just for your personal gain!”

“Hahaha…. Well, maybe I’ve been living alone for too long to think about other people’s interests. But, just so you know, I really don’t want to continue doing this kind of ritual either. If only I could make your mage friend a sacrifice.” said Victor. He smirked while glancing slyly at Borin.

“If I can get her, I will become an immortal, and my army will be stronger. After that, I will attack the village and conquer Ethardos,” said Victor. He then chuckled at his own thought of sitting on the throne as king.

“Don’t you dare hurt her!” said Borin desperately. Even though he knew the mage’s evil intentions, he couldn’t do anything about it.

“You better shut up or I’ll make you food for the kobolds! You’ll see, I’ll catch your mage friend.” The old man sat cross-legged on the floor and closed his eyes. He put his palms open on his knees and chanted an incantation.

Another miracle appeared. A bluish flame seemed to emerge from his chest. A moment later, it flew out through the wall, leaving Victor’s body frozen in place.

***

Meanwhile, Susan returned to Pogna’s house. It was very modest with no furniture inside. All activities were carried out on the ground with a mat made from dried leaves as a ground covering.

Susan had stayed with the Pogna family since her grandmother died last year. As a teenager, she really had a terrible past. Her mother died giving birth, while her father disappeared sixteen years ago. Susan was all alone ever since. Luckily, Pogna’s parents—Abe and Sara—were very nice to her. They treated Susan like their own child.

Up to this point, Pogna never actually told his parents about Susan’s plan to stop the sacrificial rite. He wasn’t so sure that they would support that idea. But that night, he eventually told his dad that he went to the forbidden forest with Susan. He didn’t tell anything about Peter and the rest.

“Don’t be so reckless. It’s dangerous over there,” said Abe, warning his son. “Your mom will be scared to death if she heard about this.”

“Yeah, I’m quite lucky to be back alive,” Pogna answered with a grin. “It’s maybe better not to tell mom.”

To be honest, Pogna himself had no ambition to end the sacrificial ceremony. He only followed Susan’s wishes because of his love for her. However, after passing through the dangers in the forbidden forest, he wavered. The risk seemed too high.

That night, after having dinner together with Pogna’s parents, Susan planned to visit Peter and Anna in the cave. Nighttime was the best time to leave without arousing suspicion.

“Let’s go,” Susan woke Pogna up from his slumber.

“Are you sure you want to go back to the forbidden forest?” asked Pogna with his sleepy eyes.

“Of course! They will all die without us.”

Despite his reluctance, Pogna got up. Susan’s stubbornness left him no choice. Both of them sneaked as they left the house. The night sky was clear and a bit windy. If it hadn’t been Susan who asked, Pogna wouldn’t be going.

They just walked a few steps when Susan noticed something strange. A bluish flame seemed to hover in the air. The girl grabbed Pogna’s arm to hide behind a bush.

“That’s the god’s form as seen by the tribal chief,” said Susan. They then walked on tiptoe, following the strange phenomenon.

The flame then flew through the wall of the tribal chief’s hut. Susan and Pogna crouched under the window and peered into the house through the cracks in the planks. Soon, they heard a sound. “Find a pale-skinned girl with shoulder-length brown hair and make her a sacrifice for me.”

“The god wants Anna,” whispered Susan.

“But we have just sent two sacrifices yesterday.” The tribal chief answered the god in the form of a flame.

“She’s a special person. If you can get her, there will be no more sacrifices,” said the god. After that, the flame flew out through the plank walls and left the village.

Susan and Pogna silenced for a moment to digest what they had just heard. Susan then asked Pogna who seemed speechless. “You weren’t thinking about giving up Anna, were you?”

“N-no. But I think we need to consider it,” said Pogna. “In my opinion, the offer is fair enough. If we do that, all the other villagers don’t have to worry about being sacrificed again.”

Hearing Pogna, Susan widened her eyes in disbelief. “Are you kidding? Do you really want to hand Anna over? She saved my life and treated our wounds! How can you still think about sacrificing her? It turns out that I’ve misjudged you.” Although getting angry, Susan spoke in a muffled voice so as not to cause a scene. She was disappointed in Pogna. Her hands clenched as she stared at Pogna intently.

“I have to tell Peter and Anna right now,” said Susan. She snorted harshly and hurried away, leaving Pogna sitting alone in silence.

To be honest, Pogna also didn’t want to sacrifice Anna. However, if that means there will be no need for more sacrifices, wasn’t that worth it? That was actually the goal of their struggle. After a few moments of silence, he went home with a troubled heart.

Meanwhile, Susan hurried into the woods to reach the cave where Peter and Anna were. She got there when the two of them were asleep.

“Wake up.” Susan shook Peter’s body.

“Ugh… what’s wrong?” Peter seemed struggling just to open his eyes.

“There’s something I need to say.”

Peter then sat leaning against the wall of the cave, rubbing his eyes.

“Tomorrow, the tribesmen will start looking for her.” Susan turned to Anna, who was still asleep. She looked a lot better now. Her skin wasn’t so pale as yesterday.

“How did they know? This place is safe. No one has ever been here but you and Pogna.” Peter was sure that no villagers knew of his whereabouts with Anna.

“The god knows. He knows Anna has healing powers. He orders the tribal chief to find her and make her a sacrifice. If he gets her, he promises never to ask for another sacrifice.” Susan explained what she had just heard. “I think the big tiger we killed yesterday was his creation. He saw through the tiger when Anna healed my wound.”

“No! I would never give her up. I’d rather die than sacrifice Anna.” Peter totally disagreed.

“Yeah, I don’t want to give her up either. Do you remember? I owe him my life. But Pogna…” Susan didn’t finish her sentence.

“You mean Pogna wants to give Anna up?” Peter was surprised at the explanation he had just heard. He demanded the completion of Susan’s sentence.

“Yeah… it seems so.” Susan nodded.

“This is crazy! We’ve lost Borin and now Pogna is betraying us!” Peter couldn’t control his emotions.

“What’s all this fuss about?” Anna woke up to Peter’s loud voice. “Susan? You’re here.”

“Looks like we have to get out of here soon. This cave isn’t safe anymore.” Susan shared her concerns. If Pogna were to reveal their hiding place, the villagers would catch Anna easily.

“Why do they want me?” asked Anna as she didn’t get the full explanation earlier.

“The god wants you and he said there will be no more sacrifice after.” Susan re-informed her finding.

“If that’s the case, Isn’t it better if I sacrifice myself?” said Anna, making Peter and Susan surprised.

“No… I won’t let you!” Peter reacted strongly.

“I won’t give you up either! I still owe you my life. Besides, we can’t be really sure that the god will keep his word.” Susan agreed with Peter.

“Then what should we do?” asked Anna.

“We need to get back to the river. If we stay here, eventually they will find us. If that’s the case, things will get even more complex.”

“Are you strong enough to walk?” Peter asked Anna, as he wasn’t sure she had fully recovered.

“Yeah, Never been better. All thanks to your care.” Anna smiled at Peter and stood up. “Let’s go!”

That night, Peter, Anna, and Susan walked back to the river. They had to be careful because it was already dark. The soft rays of the moon shone among trees, creating silhouettes and making the atmosphere quite tense. Luckily, Susan—who was very familiar with the forest could lead her friends. She gave warnings to Anna and Peter if there were any low branches or roots that might get stuck in their feet.

They finally arrived at the riverbank at midnight.

“We must cross now.” Susan jumped into the boat and then helped Peter and Anna. This time, Peter, as the only man, took the initiative to row. The boat glided slowly on the water. Reflected moonlight appears to sway on the river surface.

Peter felt his heart was very upset as so many obstacles came into his life. One difficulty hadn’t been overcome, and yet, another obstacle—that was even more severe—appeared. When his intention to help Anna save Gladys has yet to be successful, his best friend was captured. Pogna’s betrayal also made his hopes of leaving the island safely dwindle. Currently, nowhere is truly safe for them. Enemies were on both sides of the river.

After a while, they finally arrived at the side of the forbidden forest. “I think we should rest first and continue tomorrow. This is too dark and I’m not familiar with this side of the forest,” said Susan.

As the other agreed, they lay against a tree and fell asleep a moment later. They were too tired just to think about the dangers awaiting.