13 The madness of the full moon
The stars were subdued and dominated by the glowing sphere of the full blood-red moon in the night sky.
This was a night of madness and horrors in Melekar city…
All the blame for this perverse insanity could be laid on the shoulders of the Manroe family.
In the courtyard of the Black Ghost Castle, a gruesome occultic ritual was taking place. Five dark pits circumscribed a massive bronze statue of a man-shaped creature with the head of a bull.
The gigantic statue depicted the bull-headed man with his arms raised as if in surrender ironically contrasting with the cold merciless expression on his horned head. The statue's eyes glowed blood-red, exponentially compounding its menacing aura.
The pits and the statue were joined together with intricate channels flowing with bright red blood, forming a sprawling five-pointed-star polygon. This shape, known as the 'blood-red pentagram', was the dreaded sacred insignia of the 'Pantheon of Devil-Lords' in Gaia.
At the periphery of the five dark pits, women and young children wailed and screamed out, begging for their lives to be spared.
The 'sacrifices' cried out to all the deities they believed in, and even some they didn't, pleading for deliverance from the horrific fate that awaited them; all this studiously ignored by their impervious captors.
The members of the Manroe household continued the gruesome task of slitting their captives' throats and mutilating the bodies which were steadily dropped in the huge dark pits surrounding the statue.
Their actions were dexterous and smooth indicating a proficiency that could only be ascribed to experience. …This was not the first time they had taken part in such a sacrificial ritual…
Every full moon, they offered human sacrifices to please the Devil-Lords. The deific patrons would then release a flood of demonic-mana from the underworld granting more power to the heartless faithful.
Even if they murdered hundreds of children and women for personal gain, who would dare question them? Who would go against them?
Why would the cries of the hapless victims matter? They'd just have to accept their fate as offerings to the great pantheon of the Devil-Lords.
Damn! They were one of the great ancient families of the Eastern Continent. They made the rules of this godforsaken place.
Within the perimeter formed by the pits stood the elders of the Manroe family. Dressed in fine blood-red cloaks, they observed the proceedings with detached cold expressions. The pentagram insignia woven in gold thread on the backs of their red cloaks glittered in the moonlight.
"The sacrificial pentagram of our great Lord Moloch has been completed. Let's initiate the main ceremony." Count Monte Manroe instructed.
Five of the six mystic kings of the Manroe family moved to position themselves near the dark pits in preparation.
"Maria! It's your turn to conduct the ceremony. You can start." Count Monte commanded in an authoritative voice when he saw the mystic queen hesitating to move towards the statue.
Because summoning a Devil-Lord was occasionally hazardous, the six elders of the Manroe family took turns conducting the ceremony on different full moons.
Mystic-Queen Maria took a deep breath to steel herself before moving towards the bronze bull-headed statue. The statue was hollow, with a door twice her height leading into its interior. However, in comparison to the 10-meter tall statue, the entrance was minuscule.
The Mystic-Queen took the flight of steps and ascended to the circular platform where the imposing statue had its base. She prostrated herself before the huge bronze statue while chanting a small prayer.
"Oh our Lord Moloch… Please grant us your presence."
"Oh our Lord Moloch, we request for an audience"
After prostrating herself twice to the statue, she stood up and looked back at the members of the Manroe family standing outside of the blood-red pentagram.
The five pits were already filled with the dismembered body parts of the sacrifices. The 'chosen' of the Manroe family were now looking at the mystic-queen with expectation and excitement.
This was a night that could change their destiny.
Maria nodded at Count Monte and the other mystic kings before starting to speak in a solemn voice.
"Chosen of the Manroe family…"
"This is the night you become either a powerhouse or forever be damned as trash of the Manroe family."
"The Manroe family doesn't keep trash…"
"The Manroe family doesn't feed useless members."
"Here is your chance. We have prepared only the best sacrifices for the Great Lord."
"Whether you can advance to the realm of mystic-king or queen is up to you."
"Let's start the ceremony. Chosen, enter the pentagram. Do not step on the blood channels or sit near the sacrificial pits."
"Just remember, this is a golden opportunity to advance your soul. Do all you can communicate with the Great Lord and your wish will be met."
Mystic-queen, Maria looked around again and after confirming that everything was in place, she continued with the ceremony.
"She conjured a wand out of thin air and chanted…
"Nataka moto nyekundu wa ulimwengu huu…"
A blazing red fire formed at the tip of the wand… She then extended her arm and the fire descended into the entrance of the bull-headed statue. Only a few seconds later, the fire had grown into a blazing inferno in the hollow interior of the statue giving it a reddish hot luster.
"'Manroes'! It is time. Present yourselves in your pristine forms. We shall dance and sing without hiding anything from our Lord."
Even before she finished, the Manroe family members save for the chosen and mystics within the pentagram started stripping off their clothing,… and the sound of drums started booming from the background lending a mystical atmosphere to the whole courtyard.
The now fully nude Manroes started dancing, jumping, and singing while moving in a circle around the blood-red pentagram.
"Lord Moloch, grant us your presence."
"Lord Moloch, you're the personification of true power."
"Lord Moloch, you're the keeper of sorrow and the warden of shadows."
"Lord Moloch, accept the sacrifices of your humble servants."
They sang in their birthday suits with a variety of voices - some hoarse, some high-pitched, and, some youthful.
They formed a disharmony between sounds at the start, however, with the progression of the singing, an evil chime of music begun to enthrall all the living beings in the courtyard… slowly dispelling any discord.
At this moment, the Black Ghost Castle behind the bull-headed statue seemed to come alive shimmering with a dark sheen.
A malevolent presence pervaded the whole courtyard of the Manroe's Black Ghost Castle.
The five mystic-kings near the pits watched the progression for a few minutes before turning to examine the now blazing-hot statue of Moloch. They nodded at each other before manifesting a dark mass of purplish fire and throwing it into the dark pits.
"Bring over the core sacrifices," Maria commanded from her position near the statue.
Rows of muscular shadow guards brought out the infants, pregnant women, and slaves that the Manroe family had prepared.
The mature 'sacrifices' appeared to be in a trance and moved voluntarily into the fire within Moloch's statue, while the babies were received by Maria and hurled into the fire amidst their painful cries.
The whole atmosphere was perverse, sickening, and evil. However, the other members of the Manroe family continued their nude dancing and singing around the blood-red pentagram without a care for the world around them.
The blood-red pentagram started turning brighter and brighter until it seemed to resonate with the full blood-moon in the sky.
A blood-red glow covered the whole courtyard magnifying the malevolent and creepy atmosphere.
At this moment, the blood-red eyes of the statue trembled and opened… They projected a suffocating and savage pressure that forced all the Manroe family members to their knees.
"I like your sacrifices… You have asked and I have answered." A deep ancient mellifluous voice reverberating as though originating in the depths of a bottomless cavern spoke.
"Our Lord Moloch… we implore you to help our chosen advance to the kingship realm of mysticism. They will forever be the apostles of sorrow and the shepherds of your sacrifices." Maria answered, her voice a rising crescendo.
"There are not enough sacrifices. Your request cannot be granted." Moloch's voice boomed.
"Our Lord! We have also marked more sacrifices with the blood-red curse. You should be able to sense them across the whole of the Eastern continent." Maria's voice replied. She was now covered with sweat as a result of being under Moloch's attention.
Moloch's voice was silent for a few breaths…
"Indeed I can feel several sacrifices across the continent. But you will also have to die as a sacrifice for making your Lord toil in your stead." Moloch declared.
Mystic-queen Maria's eyes widened and her expression showed her horror.
Before she could react, her feet started withering, then her arms, lower body, and finally her head. She only managed to let out one wheezing cry before fully turning into a lamp of gray mass floating towards the statue's entrance.
"I will help the chosen. But they have to take the sacred oath of Evil."
The expressions of the five other mystic-kings finally loosened.
"Lord Moloch", you're the personification of true power."
"We swear that we will forever be your apostles and shepherds of your faith."
The voices of the few men and women seated within the pentagram were heard for the first time in this event.
"Enter the sanctification pits. You will receive the power you want. Whether you succeed or fail is entirely up to you."
The pits started burning with a black flame that pervaded the whole area with a greater form of wickedness.
The 'chosen' looked at each other and the statue with fear and worry. However, after moments of consideration, they steeled their hearts and jumped into the dark pits.
Very soon painful grunts could be heard coming from the pits.
****
Dandarah Town…
The savage roars of beasts could be heard from beyond the walls of Dandarah fortress.
Military officers atop the watchtowers and the fortress' wall tersely shouted out commands and instructions to soldiers.
Banging sounds emanated from the four gates of the fortress as a result of the attempts of the calamity beasts besieging the outer-walls to break into the town.
However, all this commotion had nothing to do with the baby soundly sleeping within a room in one of Dandarah's inns.
In young Hugo's dreamworld…
A wicked creature with the head of a bull but the body of a man coalesced in the formless gray expanse.
Hugo felt himself drowning in a suffocating wicked aura similar to the one he felt being scattered from his body by the green energy when he first arrived in this world.
His heart was palpitating, giving rise to waves of panic deep in his mental world. Hugo could feel nothing but blind terror envelop his consciousness… and slowly it started to erode his sense of self as a precursor of his impending doom.
Hugo once again felt the same vulnerability that was so familiar yet foreign. He felt his futility and inadequacy in the world when he faced the bull-headed man-creature.
"Hahaha… I like this sacrifice very much. The descendants of Augustus have done well this time. A violet-grade talent and a powerful soul. What a sumptuous catch." He heard an ancient booming voice that threatened to shatter his mind.
He felt himself sinking in a familiar feeling of fatigue before death.
It was at this time, that the familiar and ancient melodic voice sounded…
It was not rumbling preprogrammed questions, but spoke directly within his formless gray dream world.
"An evil spirit posing as a god has the gall to run rampant in my domain. But alas, thank you for the good meal." The voice boomed.
As the voice sounded, a golden light exploded and flooded the whole gray expanse. A feeling of euphoria started engulfing the body and the mind of the young Hugo. He felt light-headed and once again in harmony with the world.
"Who are you? …Where do you come from? …Where are you going? …And what is your greatest wish?" The voice whispered with a sigh.
