Sacrifice

The scale of this sewer system was immense. In Duncan's eyes, it had far surpassed what was necessary for the single function of "urban drainage." The rune-etched gas lamps scattered throughout the tunnels, along with reinforced structures sturdy enough to serve as bomb shelters, gave him plenty of reasons to speculate about the true purpose of this underground facility.

But whatever ideas its builders had intended it to carry when it was first designed, one fact was obvious: deep within this vast complex, beyond the gaze of the surface world, this dark and frigid place had become a nursery for some evil force.

A cult that claimed to worship the sun, yet inspired nothing but coldness.

Where several sewer corridors met lay a broad underground chamber. Solid concrete pillars supported a brickwork dome, while cast-metal pipes crisscrossed beneath it like a spiderweb. Bright gas lamps illuminated the entire space—and the crowd gathered at this "junction."

At a glance, there were at least several hundred black-robed figures gathered in the filthy, damp place. In their midst stood a raised platform, upon which stood a tall figure also clad in black robes. He was clearly the highest-ranking person among them.

Unlike the others, the person standing on the platform wore no hood. Instead, he wore a golden mask. Its design was strange, like a disk radiating endless flames in all directions, yet its surface was also covered in countless fractured cracks.

Behind the masked figure stood an unusual totem atop the platform—a tall wooden post with a blazing fireball fixed to its top. The core of that fireball appeared to be some sort of metal, riddled with small holes from which flames poured forth.

When Duncan was "escorted" here, this was the scene that greeted him.

The black-robed figures gathered in the assembly hall noticed him as well.

"We caught a Sacrifice trying to escape on our way to the assembly hall!" One of the black-robed figures who had escorted him stepped forward and respectfully addressed the "leader" on the platform, unable to hide the desire for recognition in his voice. "This Sacrifice has spent too long in the darkness, and his mind has become somewhat confused. May you display your divine power and allow Our Lord's radiance to descend upon this pitiful body!"

The cult leader wearing the Golden Mask turned and stared intently at the expressionless Duncan, surprise and chill in his voice. "An escaped Sacrifice?"

Duncan did not react at all. He merely curiously observed the place, including the golden mask on the cult leader's face and the fireball totem behind him.

Perhaps these symbols would have seemed bizarre and uncanny to ordinary people in this world, but Duncan had recognized them almost immediately.

They were imitating the sun.

Not the "orb of light" currently hanging in the sky, bound by streams of flame and two Rune Rings, but the blazing sun Duncan knew—the one that radiated boundless light.

These people truly worshipped the sun. They worshipped a sun that seemed to have "fallen" in some ancient age, and they worshipped it as a god.

Duncan raised his head and calmly looked at the black-robed priest gazing down at him from the platform. Yet perhaps because his facial muscles had necrosed, that calm expression looked more like the numbness of a mindless creature in the other man's eyes.

The priest in the Golden Mask met Duncan's gaze for less than two seconds before turning to instruct someone standing beside the platform. "Go inspect the place where the Sacrifices are held. Be quick."

After giving the order, he nodded to the black-robed figures who had "escorted" the Sacrifice back, a trace of praise in his voice. "You have done well. Even if this is but a minor contribution to Our Lord, it shall become your eternal glory once sunlight shines upon all things again."

It was merely a bland, routine compliment, but the few black-robed figures seemed enormously encouraged. They grew excited, praising the "True Sun God" as they pushed Duncan before the platform. Only then did the masked priest speak to him. "Pitiful one who has strayed from the path... have you felt the deep cold amid the lightless rocks and soil?"

Duncan had no idea what this charlatan was talking about and could only remain silent. The priest clearly did not care what reaction the "Sacrifice" might have. His words were not meant for Duncan, but rather for the believers around him—and for the "Sun God" in whom he so firmly believed:

"Cold and darkness are the suffering the false sun has inflicted upon this world. Under the false sun's rule, the deep, dark sea ravages the world, leaving only fragmented scraps of land for living things to barely survive upon. Yet even on those shattered lands, people cannot escape suffering. The shadows of old lurk underground, their man-eating minions writhing through lightless caves. Hatred and conflict fill the surface, and the pure souls of humanity are tainted by the breath exhaled by evil gods...

"How can we endure this endless suffering? How can we endure this twisted, absurd world brought by the false sun?

"We cannot endure it. We desire only Our Lord's return. We desire only for the True Sun God to descend upon the earth once more, blazing amid blood and fire, restoring order and prosperity to the mortal world!"

Stirred by the Masked Priest's highly rousing tone, Duncan could clearly feel the atmosphere in the assembly hall shift. The black-robed believers grew excited one after another. At first, they merely echoed him, but those echoes soon turned into fervent cries: "May the True Sun God descend upon the earth once more! May he blaze amid blood and fire!" "May the True Sun God descend upon the earth once more! May he blaze amid blood and fire!"

"May the True Sun God descend upon the earth once more," the priest on the platform declared loudly. Then he pointed at Duncan. "And today, Our Lord shall awaken further from his slumber—the blood of the lost shall soothe the wounds left by the sun's shattering!

"Bring up the Sacrifice!"

Several black-robed figures rushed over from the side, but Duncan was faster than they were—he did not even need anyone to push him as he flipped himself up onto the altar.

This body might not work very well, but it could still climb a platform.

Once he climbed up, he stood before the Masked Priest. The latter was still maintaining the majestic, mysterious pose he had held while giving his order just moments ago. The change had happened so suddenly, in a manner wholly outside his previous experience, that the cult leader failed to react for a moment. He and Duncan stared at each other through the golden mask, while an eerie silence abruptly fell around the altar.

Duncan, however, seemed completely unaware of the change in atmosphere. He merely felt that he had gathered more intelligence about this world, and eagerly wondered whether he might witness anything even more unusual before this temporary body was "scrapped."

"Um," Duncan said, rubbing his hands together with an inquisitive look of anticipation. "And then? What happens next?"

Masked Priest: "..."

"Didn't hear me?" Duncan frowned—but his facial muscles did not work well enough for the frown to form. "I said, what am I supposed to do next?"

Only then did the priest finally react. Though his face was hidden behind a mask, a flicker of confusion was obvious in his eyes. He quickly lowered his voice and spoke. "The shadows in the darkness have indeed affected your mind. But do not worry. The most exalted and sacred sun shall end your suffering... Bring the Sacrifice before the totem!"

Two black-robed figures immediately stepped onto the platform from the side, grabbed Duncan by the arms, and led him toward the Totem Pole crowned with a fireball. Duncan did not understand this step, so he could not "cooperate in advance," but he still did not resist. He obediently allowed the two black-robed figures to restrain him beneath the blazing fireball.

Though Duncan showed no sign of resistance, the two black-robed figures gripping his arms still used tremendous force, as if terrified that the Sacrifice would struggle free at the last moment. Their strength was extraordinary. Duncan could even feel the bones of this temporary body gradually cracking apart, which made him cast the two black-robed figures a surprised glance.

Then the masked priest approached again.

Duncan's attention was immediately drawn to him. He watched as the priest pulled a strangely shaped dagger from his robes. It was curved and grotesque, like a dry, twisted finger joint. Its blade was black as though forged from Obsidian, while its surface reflected the firelight from the totem, making it look exceptionally eerie.

Duncan silently prepared to sever the soul projection. He knew this temporary body had probably gathered all the intelligence it could.

The cult priest's prayer rang out across the platform:

"O most exalted and sacred Sun God! Please accept this Sacrifice upon the altar! I offer you this Sacrifice's heart, that you may return amid blood and fire!"

Duncan immediately stopped himself from severing the soul projection and looked at the cult priest as if he were an idiot.

(Good grief!)