Kara sat with her legs folded underneath her, blood spread freely from where it was splattered on her thick cloak. It soaked through the material and congealed there, stinking of death and wrongness. More blood dripped from the altar that stood before the collapsed Kara. In her hand, Kara held a dull knife loosely. It gleamed in the dim light of the Sacrifical Chamber with blood. The only other person in the room stood on the opposite side of the altar, unable to see the dull expression on Kara's face.
The shocked girl watched as blood slowly puddled at the bottom of the altar. The regret and pain were visble on her face. If not for the cloak hiding her facial expressions, the other members would have been able to see the aprehension in her young face.
"Stand up," the man in the room ordered.
Kara obeyed quickly but took time to stand up. A sickening feeling settled in her stomach as the top of the altar came into view. The girl fought the urge to vomit as the grotesque sight was once again revealed to her. The smell of blood and feces smoldered together attacked her nostrils. The dismembered body screamed silently at the girl, taunting her as if it were still alive. It screamed injustice and murder. Kara dropped the knife nosily to the floor where it clattered several times before becoming mute again. Whatever flesh was on the altar had once been it was no longer recognizable. The semblence of a torso appeared to be four different sacs of flesh. An arm and leg were barely distinguishable. It was a crime against human dignity. It was an atrocity. And it was all of Kara's doing.
"You did well today," the man stated with no intonation of praise.
But how could this be a good thing? How could be killing this man and stripping him of life result in anything good? To Kara, it felt like it was the exact opposite. What had she gotten herself into? Doubt seemed to swim through every crevice of her mind and stain Kara with regret, its closest cousin. Did she really believe in justice so much that she was willing to kill for it?
"I know it seems difficult to understand at first," the man said never moving his gaze from Kara's. "But it is what must be done. You did a good thing today." He paused for a moment. "This man raped his two daughters and then killed his family, including a two-year old son."
Kara looked at the speaking man with shock. Disgust had replaced whatever doubt that had intruded her mind and whatever guilt Kara had been harboring had now floated away. The bitter taste of anger washed over Kara. The man didn't deserve what Kara had done to him. He deserved worse.
What kind of man would do such evil things to his family? What did he have to gain out of it except the guilt that would follow him for life? Kara despised the mutilated corpse on the table. Kara felt wrong for feeling such violent feelings towards the now deceased man but she felt that those feelings were well deserved.
The man chuckled as if he felt Kara slowly changing. "You will make a great Aecha."
"Aecha?" Kara asked speaking for the first time.
The man's lips curved into an evil smile. "You have so much to learn my dearest, Kara."
Kara stared at the man from behind the shadow of her cloak, pondering the man's words. The two stood staring at each other without words. The man observed Kara and Kara observed the man.
"Do you know who I am, Kara?" He asked.
Kara was quiet for some time and then she answered him. "You are Eran, one of The Four."
Eran continued to smile at Kara, "Very good. As of tomorrow, you are my e'iant. Your training begins now. Clean up the mess you have created."
Kara watched as Eran turned to leave, his broad shoulders were stiff as he carried himself silently out of the Sacrificial Chamber. Suddenly, the room seemed a bit more brighter. The smell of the dead tissue on the altar no longer stung and Kara felt as if one of her burdens had been lifted off of her shoulders. Kara gazed in at the flesh on the table, still amazed she had comitted something so gruesome.
"Aecha," Kara whispered to herself.
