Prologue : The Sacrifice

[ TW : Torture, Violence, Blood ]

It's excruciating.

Every sensation was an agony. A relentless burning seared through every fiber of Soren's being, each nerve ending alight with torments.

The hand clenching Soren's hair tightened its grip, the fingers digging into his scalp like cruel talons, threatening to tear his very essence apart.

"Why..." Soren managed to choke out the word, his voice a mere whisper amidst the torrents of pain that enveloped him. His once bright blue eyes now appeared dull and lifeless, one of them sealed shut by blood, the other clouded with anguish.

He couldn't fathom why the villagers had suddenly turned to torture him. It felt like an endless nightmare from which he couldn't wake.

Part of him desperately clung to the hope that this was all just a horrendous dream, but the searing pain coursing through his body relentlessly reminded him of the grim reality, each agonizing moment stretching into eternity.

Summoning whatever remnants of strength remained, he struggled against the hands that brutally yanked at his platinum locks, each tug sending waves of agony coursing through his battered form.

"Village chief! He's resisting again!" the man restraining Soren's hair bellowed, his voice laced with frustration and malice, a sinister undertone that chilled the very air around them.

An elderly figure draped in robes, obscuring most of his frame, observed Soren's futile struggles with an icy demeanor. "Sever his limbs. Don't let him flee," the chief's voice sliced through the air like a blade, piercing Soren's very soul with its cold, merciless intent.

For a fleeting moment, Soren stood frozen in shock and disbelief, the realization of betrayal crashing over him like a tidal wave. Could this truly be the same village chief who had once showered him with kindness? The man he had regarded as a surrogate father now ordered the dismemberment of his limbs, a twisted act of cruelty that defied comprehension.

"You might as well end my life here!" Soren's voice regained strength, fueled by a surge of adrenaline upon hearing the chief's chilling decree. "What have I done to deserve this? I've never harmed any of you! Why have you turned against me?" he pleaded, tears welling in his remaining eye.

The village chief retrieved an axe from a nearby villager and advanced toward Soren with unwavering resolve, as though prepared to commit the most heinous of acts without a hint of remorse.

"You, Soren, you're with no flaws," the elder remarked coldly as he swung the axe, severing Soren's leg above the knee.

Soren's agonized screams rent the air, mingling with the rustle of leaves in the darkened forest. A crimson pool formed beneath his writhing form.

"Perfection invites calamity. To safeguard our village, I regretfully must offer you as a sacrifice to the Demon King," the chief declared, swinging the axe once more, this time targeting Soren's arm. "In hopes that he will spare our village from his wrath."

Soren's left hand was swiftly severed, yet his cries now fell silent, replaced by labored breaths and the thud of his heartbeat.

"Leave him upon the altar, and let us depart," the village chief commanded, casting aside the bloodstained axe as the villager who had restrained Soren hoisted him roughly.

With callous indifference, they deposited Soren's mutilated body upon a stone altar adorned with ancient glyphs.

As Soren's lifeblood ebbed away, his consciousness began to slip into darkness.

The chill of impending death gripped his limbs, numbing his senses. The world around him faded into oblivion.

Abandoned upon the altar, Soren's eyelids drooped, but one word reverberated incessantly in his fading consciousness.

Why? Why? Why? WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY?!!

Just as Soren's eyes threatened to close for the final time, a figure emerged from the mist – a man of imposing stature.

With tender reverence, he cradled Soren's broken form and bore him deeper into the forest, disappearing into the veil of mist.