Chapter 402: Offerings. (CONTENT WARNING:This Chapter contains depictions of ritualistic violence and harm to infants. Reader discretion is advised.)

‎Aider and all the ringleaders entered the hall, wearing black cloaks and hoods that covered their identities. They wore black masks to hide their faces, and they weren’t the only ones who wore those. Everyone at the hall wore the same costume, making it impossible to recognize each other.

‎Aider sat on the long bench in the middle row, looking at the people around him, but he couldn’t differentiate between men and women. He chose to separate himself from the group, in case the ringleaders were being targeted, he could blend in with the crowds easily and run.

‎He looked over his shoulder and noticed the people that entered the altar, they came from different directions. He had suspected that the cave might have countless entrances. He wondered if those entrances spread across the Sun City or if the cave was big enough that it connected cities and towns.

‎When the last three people entered the altar, the stone door closed on its own. The altar became quiet in an instant when everyone was seated on the benches, and everyone stared at the statue of an angel holding a sword and a scale. It felt eerie for Aider and the other ringleaders because they didn’t know what was happening.

‎One figure slowly got up from the bench from the first row. The person walked toward the altar, slowly but with such an atmosphere around them. However, Aider could tell by the way that person walked, the width of their shoulders, and the atmosphere around them, it was Orlean Xerxes.

‎”My peers, my brethren…” Orlean’s voice echoed throughout the hall. “Today, we have welcomed more people, people that have proven themselves worthy to be a part of us, so please stand up…” He said as he looked at the dozens of people sitting on the bench.

‎Aider narrowed his eyes, realizing his plan to separate himself from the other ringleaders to be useless. He slowly got up, and to his surprise, the other ringleaders thought the same way. They all sat on different benches, away from each other to blend in with the crowd, making them harder to trace.

‎All eyes were on them, the eyes that tried to see the faces underneath those masks. It was eerie and disturbing, even for Aider who couldn’t help but grin beneath the mask. Whoever those people were behind those masks, some of them harbored something that didn’t feel like human beings.

“It’s getting thicker down there,” Rasmus muttered as he ate his breakfast with Rullein in the annex building where Orlean’s butler lived.

“Hmm, yes. I’m glad that I didn’t choose to switch places with Aider. I don’t know what’s down there, but we know someone powerful is down there, similar to the Prime Lord that I devoured back then,” Rullein nodded in agreement, eating the bread dipped in tomato soup. “And thankfully you chose to replace Aris with me because she might get easily detected here,” she added.

Rasmus nodded in agreement, wondering what was happening down there.

“Whatever is happening down there, looks like it’s getting started,” Rasmus said under his breath and took a bite of the crispy, freshly baked bread.

Aider sat down after Orlean forced them to introduce themselves, and thankfully, nobody bothered to stare at them anymore, they were focused on Orlean in front of the altar.

“Today will be the 583rd annual of the offering ceremony. Our numbers have decreased in the past few years, but this year will be the worst because the world is at war. But that won’t change our faith in our Lord!” Orlean said loudly. “Our Lord will descend soon enough! Guiding us like how they used to guide us!” He added as he raised his left hand, preaching the Lord’s name.

“For the Lord of Salvation!” Orlean said, clenching his left fist.

“For the Lord of Salvation…” All the people in the hall muttered in unison.

Aider glanced left and right, feeling the enthusiasm in those mutters, something eerie. He wondered who the Lord they were speaking about as he looked at the statue, Angel Michael was what Rasmus said. He narrowed his eyes, couldn’t believe that an Angel had followers of people who surrounded themselves with demons, embracing them like allies and saviors.

“Now! Shall we begin?” Orlean asked with his arms spread open.

Slowly everyone raised their left hand, pointing their thumb, index, and middle fingers at ten o’clock. Aider and the ringleaders had no choice but to follow those people, pointing their hands and fingers like the others.

There were faint cries coming from behind the wall next to the altar where there was a wooden door. Aider’s eyes twitched when he heard those cries, the high-pitched cries of babies. He already had bad feelings about this, his guts told him, screamed at him to not stay. However, he knew he couldn’t leave because death would be guaranteed if he chose to even get up.

When the door opened, Aider saw babies covered in black cloths being carried by people that wore black masks and cloaks. There were a total of 7 babies being held and they were still covered in black cloths.

“These children of demons, they will die for the sins to satisfy our Lord!” Orlean said as he clasped his hand together.

The people that held the babies slowly pulled the black cloths from their arms, revealing the disturbing reality. All the ringleaders averted their gazes except Aider when they saw the babies had a reddish skin color as if they had just been born, but what made them disturbing was their eyes. The babies’ eyes were all red, blood red, and their saliva looked like blood.

They ones that carried the babies slowly walked toward the altar, placing the babies on the altar, leaving the babies cries and wiggled weakly. Orlean stood behind the altar, staring at all the babies that were placed on the cold table stone in front of him. He slowly raised his right hand, revealing an ice pick-like dagger in his hand, the blade a bit thicker than the thickest needle.

“Let these impurities, these corrupted beings to be banished from this world…” Orlean said as he walked toward the first baby, pointing the tip of the ice pick right at the baby’s heart.

Aider and the others listened to the cries of the baby that grew louder but slowly began to weaker and quieter until there was nothing else coming‎ from the baby. It was sickening, even for Aider, he wanted to puke, he wanted to rip his eyes out, scratch his skin, peel it off as if it was still better than having to witness such cruelty, someone coming from him, the man who skinned people alive.

There were only 7 babies, and it felt like eternity for Aider and the ringleaders who had just witnessed the offering ceremony for the first time. Their bodies lost their strength, and the fact the other attendees, the old members watched everything unfold with their eyes wide open without blinking once, it was enough to say those people were sick, worse than them.

The hall became quiet, eerily quiet after Orlean just did something that not a single person dared to do. To kill one was already sickening, but seven? That was when Aider knew, these people in the hall, they weren’t humans anymore.

Mira and the other ringleaders began to vomit, they couldn’t hold it anymore. However, there was no judgmental gaze toward them, everyone was aware that they were like that back then. However, slowly but surely, the gaze turned toward Aider, the only newcomer that didn’t vomit, even Orlean found it fascinating.

Aider didn’t move a muscle, not even looking around at the curious gazes pointed at him. He both had to maintain his emotions, his character as Krus, and maintain his cool both for himself and Krus. However, when they heard a loud thudding from the statue, everyone immediately looked up, seeing the scale on the statue move.

“Ah! The Lord has accepted our offerings! The Lord is pleased!” Orlean said with wide eyes, staring at the statue of Angel Michael. “We have fulfilled our annual offering ceremony, we should celebrate!” He revealed as he turned around at the cult members.

Everyone stood up and did that same gesture again, their left hands and fingers pointed at 10 o’clock.

Rasmus and Rullein were waiting at the end of the hallway when they saw Aider and the other ringleaders coming out of the parlor. They could see the pale in their faces except for Aider since the skin that he wore couldn’t change its color, but they could see in his eyes, the horror even for a mad Jester.

They followed Aider back to their chamber without saying a word, and as soon as they were inside, Aider removed Krus’ face and went to the bathroom. Rasmus and Rullein could hear him vomiting, both forcefully and unwillingly.

“What did he see?” Rasmus asked Rullein.

Rullein simply offered her hand to Rasmus so he could see what Aider had seen down there. Rasmus placed his hand, and immediately saw what Aider saw. His expression was unfazed, unchanging, not even a flinch or discomfort.

“If he had seen Hell… this wouldn’t even bother him,” Rasmus said as he watched Aider’s face on the toilet.

“I think it’s you that’s not normal. Anyone would go crazy for witnessing hell, but you didn’t. You’re a human, a mere human, and yet you’re not even find Hell that terrifying, not even affecting you to this day,” Rullein said, narrowing her eyes.

“You’re not wrong,” Rasmus said with a stoic expression.

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