{This book is dedicated to my friend JY, for the idea and for being the idiot you always are.}

"No, please!" A woman's voice screamed as the Sacrificial Master approached the stake slowly, a lit torch in his hand. His face was shadowed by a hood, and a cloak as red as blood was draped around his shoulders. A rather fitting colour for such a morbid event.

The woman was still pleading and screaming, begging to be spared. Still, the Master kept his steps even. He arrived at the woman's side and sighed softly. In his long life, he had seen many Sacrifices. It was almost normal to him now, however depressing that fact was.

He bent down, his cloak collecting dirt from the dusty cobblestone floor. The fire from his torch caught into the dry kindling at the woman's feet, smoke rising quickly. The woman's attempts at escaping increased tenfold. She squirmed and shouted and cried until her throat turned raw. But the chains held her fast.

The Master stepped back and watched as the tendrils of flame crept up the woman's body. Her screams slowly drained out, but not before one last blood curling scream ripped through the air.

After what seemed like an eternity, the flames finished the job. The stench of burning flesh mixed with smoke lingered in the air, making the Master want to gag. He needed to get out of here.

He turned and faced the ever-silent public. These ceremonies always rendered the crowds silent. The Master lifted his hood, revealing an aged face with greying hair. He scanned the crowd until he saw a child. He had blonde hair, and eyes as silver as the moon. A scared expression adorned his facial features. The Master prayed that the young ones would never be sacrificed.

"People of Instopia, the Sacrifice has been concluded," the Master said in a ceremonious voice. "May our powerful and wise god above bless us with good fortune and harvest!"

The crowd cheered, but there was a depressing side to it. Raindrops started falling, as if the god that lived above them was crying at the barbaric ritual that had just taken place.

But of course, that wasn't possible. This was Devorantem, after all.