A Sacrifice Needed To Be Made

Nedeira's hands were careful as she dressed the old dolls she'd kept since childhood when the sorcerer found her.

Her heart was heavy, but she knew she had to follow through with Karyan's plan.

 She worked quietly in her room, away from prying eyes, making sure each doll looked like a child from afar. "This is for the best," she whispered to herself, trying to banish the guilt that gnawed at her.

"Karyan will save those children," she tried to comfort herself,

Outside, children with golden tickets laughed and played, unaware of everything. 

They entered the grand entertainment house, their faces were bright from all of the excitement.

Karyan watched them, many seemed to be homeless and poor, but he couldn't exactly understand what power they had for the sorcerer to want them.

As the children took their seats, Nedeira sneaked onto the stage, her eyes scanned for the perfect moment. 

With the coast clear, she placed the dolls in position. 

She worked quickly, her movements were perfectly practiced from years of being under the sorcerer's control.

Backstage, Karyan gave Sin a nod. "It's time," he said. Sin's eyes narrowed, understanding his job. He watched Nedeira, waiting for the right moment to act.

Nedeira's part was almost done. 

She danced as she always did, her butterflies fluttered around her. 

But tonight, they didn't land on children; they landed on the dolls she had placed, 'everyone will be safe,' she thought to herself as she performed..

As the butterflies settled, Nedeira's eyes glazed over, a white fog clouded her vision, blinding her even more. 

She performed, not knowing that her actions were harmless this time.

Karyan struck a match and tossed it onto a pile of flammable material he'd gathered earlier. 

The flame caught instantly, spreading across the ground.

"Fire!"

"Fire!"

 Panic filled the room as the flames grew.

Sin moved through the thickening smoke with ease, his demonic form was resistant to the flames somehow. 

He reached Nedeira, who was still entranced on stage, and scooped her up. "Let's go," he growled, carrying her through the back exit.

Outside, Karyan waited calmly. Sin came with Nedeira, and Karyan nodded. "Good work, now let's get away from here."

Nedeira was still in a trans, and didn't resist as Sin carried her to safety. 

The fire raged behind them, "you really let those kids die?"

"Yes. They had no purpose or home anyway, it's for their best."

As they put distance between themselves and the entertainment house, Nedeira's vision cleared. "Did it work?" she asked, her voice was shaky.

"Yes," Karyan replied. "The children are safe, and the sorcerer's ritual was a failure."

Nedeira felt a weight lift off her shoulders, "Thank you," she whispered.

"Don't thank me yet," Karyan said. "We've only just begun."

Sin grunted in agreement. "We've struck a blow, but the sorcerer won't forget this…"

"I hope so," Karyan said with confidence. "How does he absorb their powers anyway? I was thinking and it didn't make much of a sense to me."

"Through my dagger, every time this dagger cuts someone's throat, the blood reaches the demon."

"I see, so we can't technically get rid of the dagger because his demon would know?"

"Yes…"

Nedeira looked at the two unlikely allies, a demon and a man with his own dark secrets, and wondered at the strange turn her life had taken.

 But for the first time in a long time, she felt like she was on the right side of a fight.

As they disappeared into the night, the flames burned as brightly as the daily sun. 

~

The morning light was just beginning to peek through the curtains when Karyan was forced to awake by the sound of Nedeira's cries. 

He lay still for a moment, listening as the sharp crack of a stick and her sobs filled the air.

"You useless girl!" the manager's voice boomed with anger and frustration. "Do you have any idea what you've done? The master will have my head for this!"

Karyan heard another whack followed by a pained yelp. 

He could tell from the sound that Nedeira was offering no resistance, absorbing the punishment the manager doled out.

"You were supposed to control the ritual, make sure everything went smoothly!" the manager continued, his voice rose with each word. "And what happened? Chaos! A fire! Disgrace!"

Nedeira's voice was weak between the strikes. "I'm sorry, I didn't—"

"Sorry doesn't fix this mess!" the manager cut her off, his fury burning. "The sorcerer is furious, and it's all because of your incompetence!"

Karyan remained in his room, motionless.

 He knew he could easily stop the manager, but he also understood that intervening could reveal the careful plans he had in place. 

His mind was clear, focused on the end goal, and he would not be swayed by emotion.

The beating continued, each thud of the stick against flesh stark was like a reminder of the cruel world they lived in. 

Nedeira's cries lessened, turning into soft whimpers. 

"You'll pay for this, girl," the manager spat out. "The sorcerer will want retribution, and I'll make sure it's you who suffers for it!"

The room fell silent except for Nedeira's quiet sobbing. 

Karyan could sense the manager's presence, as if waiting for an acknowledgment of his authority before he finally stormed away, leaving Nedeira alone on the floor.

Karyan waited until he was sure the manager was gone before he even considered getting up. 

He sighed, a part of him at odds with the cold strategy he was playing. But he knew that any misstep could ruin everything.

After a while, he heard Nedeira's shuffling movements, the sound of someone trying to pick themselves up after being knocked down. 

Karyan knew the day ahead would be difficult for her, for all of them. But his plans and most importantly, his revenge required sacrifice, and for now, he was willing to make those hard choices.

He finally rose from his bed, "call for Sera, next time he beats you up."

Nedeira's pain was a necessary evil, "why didn't you tell me that you burnt those children alive, Karyan?" She struggled.