The air was thick with the stench of iron as a figure stood upon a stone altar, wielding a blade in his hand. Beneath him, a slow river of blood spilled over the edge, snaking down the steps before pooling into the cracked floor below.
Drip! Drip!
Crimson liquid dripped from his blade while his chest rose and fell in slow, deliberate breaths.
He cast a glance at the beheaded corpse before him. Fresh blood gushed forth from its neck, creating a puddle underneath.
Then his gaze fell upon the head of the elf he had just beheaded. The face of the elf revealed extreme fright, its expression frozen as if it had seen something horrible before death.
However, there wasn't a hint of pleasure or grief in Lucien's gaze, just plain indifference.
It was as if he were looking at an ant he had just squashed.
The other elves who were held captive shrank into a corner, their faces revealing extreme fright. There were both male and female elves.
Their complexion looked paler than paper, and most of them were shuddering.
However, none dared to make a sound.
It seemed as if these elves were even afraid to utter a word.
Step! Step! Step!
Just then, the sounds of footsteps echoed through the chamber. Then, from within the entrance, a figure emerged.
Upon sensing the presence of this new member, the frightened elves squeezed even tighter as if to avoid this person. Their heart pounded, threatening to jump out of their chest.
The old Leo-kin cast an indifferent gaze at the captives before proceeding to the altar.
He avoided the river of blood like a disease, as if just stepping onto it would contaminate him.
The young Leo-kin had sensed him. However, he didn't react. He just stood there staring at the expression on the now beheaded head.
"It's done, my lord!"
The old Leo-kin said as he knelt.
Lucien, the new ruler of the Proud Leo-kin, took the news with calmness before tilting his head at the ceiling of the chamber.
Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply, the stench of blood assaulting his nose.
He felt calm as he inhaled.
Then he slowly rolled his gaze toward the old Leo-kin behind him.
Swish!
He swung his blade, the blood dripping onto the face of the old Leo-kin kneeling before him.
"How can you be disgusted by blood, Garrick?" He said in a serious tone.
Garrick could have dodged the incoming blood. But he didn't for it would be considered disrespectful.
He just remained there kneeling.
"Don't forget, blood is the very foundation of our existence. We wouldn't be where we are without spilling blood."
Lucien spoke, his voice commanding obedience.
"Yes, my lord. I understand."
Garrick responded obediently.
"Now then, toss me other sacrifices!" Lucien commanded.
Garrick lowered his head further, raising his hands on his chest. Then he stood and proceeded towards the groups of elves.
The elves held their breath as they saw him moving towards them, their face ashen, their breathing heavy, while they tried to step back, only to be met with a cold stone wall blocking their path of escape.
Garrick rolled his eyes indifferently before fixing on one.
He raised his veiny arms to grab one of the elves.
It was a young female elf with sapphire pupils and flowing golden locks. The young elf looked at him with a gaze that screamed mercy and fear.
The other elves, now helpless, covered their eyes and ears as they shrank into a corner while shuddering.
Resistance could be seen.
However, Garrick remained unbudgeable like a mountain. The young elf's fingers dug deep into his hands as she struggled to break free, while her expression revealed extreme pain.
Garrick had grabbed her head, digging his finger deep into her head to the extent that blood was seeping out of it.
It was as if he were squeezing a watermelon.
The young elf, however, couldn't even scream for her tongue had been cut. Tears streamed down her face like a monsoon downpour, staining the earthy soil beneath.
While she struggled in pain, Garrick, however, didn't even flinch.
There wasn't even a hint of satisfaction or hatred in his glowing golden beads.
"Be gentle, Garrick. I don't want you damaging them before I sacrifice them."
While Garrick was lifting the young elf by her head, Lucien reminded him to loosen his grip.
**** ****
"Do you even remember the path?" Thran asked as he cut through the vines blocking his path.
Right now, Thran and some other wolf-kin were inside a dense forest. Dense vegetation sprouted all over, blocking the path if there was any.
The trees were humongous, and the bushes thicker than blood.
There wasn't a single path in sight, except the never-ending sight of greens.
"I know we passed through this forest before…"
Valen, who was in charge of guiding the wolf-kin, said as he looked around. He remembered he had passed through a dense forest, but he couldn't be sure if it was the one he had passed through.
Well, considering the situation, it was hard enough to survive, let alone keep track of their directions. Hence, it was only natural for him to find it difficult to trace the location of his village.
Valen, nonetheless, had a keen sense of direction.
"Can we even trust this elf?"
"What's Kael even thinking about?"
"What if it's a trap?"
Though Thran swallowed his hatred because of Kael, the same couldn't be said about others.
Most of them were still skeptical of the elves, still hateful.
Thran himself couldn't bring himself to trust the elves.
Sure, whatever happened to their group was depressing, but there was still a slim possibility of it being a made-up story.
Hence, even though he didn't criticize them like the others in the group, he still couldn't bring himself to lower his guard.
Having a keen sense of hearing, Valen could hear their murmurs of distrust. But he couldn't blame them either.
If he were in their spot, he would have had the same suspicion.
However, that didn't mean he wasn't annoyed.