EIGHTH BLOOD
Chapter 56: The Devoured
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Asuka's tenth birthday had coincided with the day of the Devouring.
The Devouring occurred every year on the summer solstice, when the sun was at its highest point. It was a tradition that had existed since ancient times, and their village was one of the few that still practised it. A child under thirteen was randomly selected by the village elders to be presented as a sacrifice to the Radiant One, who was the guardian deity of their region.
The Radiant One was a being of pure light who had driven away a dark god called the Shadow. Although the former was ultimately victorious, the battle had depleted much of its power, so in order to replenish its strength, the Radiant One required the soul of a child.
A child's soul was the purest source of energy in existence, and when given willingly, the amount of energy was doubled. Therefore, the founders of the village happily offered up their children in exchange for the Radiant One's blessing.
This year, it was Asuka's turn to be sacrificed.
Her friends had all congratulated her and her family couldn't have been prouder. It was a great honour to be chosen, and Asuka had been pleased to have finally made the cut . . . until she overheard her parents talking the night before the Devouring.
She couldn't make out what they were saying through the wall that separated her room and theirs, but it sounded like they were crying. It wasn't unheard of for parents to cry when their children were chosen, but the tears were usually reserved for once the Devouring had been completed. To do so before would be incredibly selfish. Their lives belonged to the Radiant One. They weren't theirs to mourn. It had been that way for centuries, and if they wanted their village to keep flourishing, it would remain that way for many more.
Asuka's mother had been all smiles the next morning as she helped her get dressed for the ceremony. Asuka wore a collection of white and gold kimonos layered on top of each other, as well as a large headpiece with tassels and a purple crystal at the forefront. She looked like a bride. She felt like one, too, only once the ceremony was done, her husband was going to eat her alive.
"You look beautiful," her mother said whilst powdering her face.
"Thank you, Mama."
She pulled Asuka into a hug. The headpiece came loose and sagged sideways, but Asuka's mother simply hugged her tighter. "We love you," she whispered, letting go and refitting the headpiece. "Don't forget us."
Asuka smiled. "I won't," she promised.
She spent the rest of the morning being paraded around the village in a golden palanquin, before being taken to the Old Temple. The priests carried her up the stone steps and set the palanquin down in front of the entrance. There, they escorted her inside, where the crowd that had followed them could no longer see her, as it was forbidden for anyone who wasn't a servant of the Radiant One to enter the Old Temple. The New Temple, on the other hand, was open to all, whereas the old one was reserved for private rituals. The Devouring was one of those rituals.
The priests led Asuka to the heart of the temple, where a statue of the Radiant One loomed over them like a giant. It was larger than the one in the New Temple, and there were a couple of details that weren't present on the other statue – the most noticeable change being the eyes. This statue's eyes were purple and crystalline. Asuka was so startled by them that she did what her parents had taught her never to do . . . She met the Radiant One's stare.
Mortified, she quickly looked away.
Fortunately, the statue didn't pry its sharp talons from the dais and use them to strike her down.
It stayed frozen on its stand.
As the priests began their chanting, Asuka found the strength to sneak another peek at the statue's face. To a stranger, the Radiant One might look more like a monster than a deity. Its huge jaws and long snout often reminded Asuka of a dragon, however, the feathered wings were undisputedly bird-like. The priests and elders all claimed that it had once been an angel.
A boy stepped out from behind the statue and walked towards her slowly. He was wearing a similar junihitoe to Asuka, except the lower half of his face was covered by a glittering golden veil. The chanting grew louder as the boy stopped in front of Asuka, who was trembling now.
A wind blew in from behind her, pushing her towards him.
Asuka looked past the boy and saw a strange hole in the air that hadn't been there a moment ago. Its edges were frayed and the hole itself moved like a flame.
It was pulling them in.
"No!" she shouted, tearing her gaze away from the boy's.
His eyes widened in shock.
The priests carried on chanting. Either they hadn't heard her, or they knew it was too late to stop.
She'd see about that.
Asuka picked up her kimonos and bolted. The pull of the hole was strong, but her desire to survive was stronger. She ran out of the temple and down the stone steps, where the crowd at the bottom blocked her exit. Everyone in the crowd fell silent when they saw her. Somehow, that was worse than what had happened inside the temple.
She felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw that the boy had followed her. Tears burned in her eyes as he offered her his hand and said, "Come with me."
The crowd waited below with bated breath.
Asuka gazed into the boy's pale green eyes and sniffed. She slid her hand into his and let him lead her back up the stone steps. Her vision was still blurred by tears, so she stumbled a few times, but the boy made sure that she never fell. When they arrived at the top, instead of taking her straight to the entrance, he let her sit and catch her breath.
"What's your name?" he asked, sitting next to her.
"Asuka," she answered between sobs.
"How old are you, Asuka?"
"I turned ten this morning."
"Cool. I won't be ten for another four months."
She tried to steady her breathing, but she couldn't stop crying. "I don't want to die," she sniffled. "I thought I was ready, but I'm not. I want to go home . . . I don't want to be devoured!"
The boy closed his eyes and sighed. When he reopened them, they had a peculiar spark in them.
"Do you want to know a secret, Asuka?"
She nodded.
"You're not going to die," he whispered.
Her quivering mouth curved into a frown. "You don't have to lie," she snapped, her tears forgotten. "Of course I am. I'm not stupid. It happens every year."
"No. It doesn't."
Although she couldn't see his whole face, he looked so earnest. There was no way he was oblivious. He was obviously lying to get her to come back and complete the ritual.
"You don't know what you're talking about," she said bitterly.
His eyes softened. "What can I do to convince you?"
She ignored him and focused on stopping her tears. Meanwhile, the boy untied the left side of his veil and let it fall, exposing the lower half of his face.
Asuka stifled a gasp.
His face and neck were badly scarred. The long, vertical lines on his cheeks reminded her of claw marks, whereas the pinpricks on his throat made her wonder if he'd been bitten by something.
"How did—"
"I fell through the schism five years ago," he explained. "Or rather, I was dragged. I got these scars from a demon that once served the Shadow. They're called the ngea. They live in the darkness between dimensions."
"How did you get away?" she croaked.
"I can't really remember. Divine intervention, I suppose."
He shuffled closer and used his thumb to wipe away her tears.
"Who are you?" Asuka breathed.
"A friend," he answered.
"A friend wouldn't send me to a place where there are monsters."
"You won't be alone."
She paused. "I won't?"
The boy shook his head. "You'll need someone to show you the way."
She eyed his scars before muttering, "Aren't you scared to go back there?"
He smiled. "Not anymore."
Asuka watched him retie the veil that hid his face.
She wondered why the priests kept him a secret from the rest of the village. He hadn't appeared at any of the masses that were hosted in the New Temple, and none of the priests had mentioned him to her before she arrived at the Old Temple. If he was to be her guide through a strange hole in the air as opposed to her executioner, why hadn't they just told her?
You'll need someone to show you the way.
"Where are we going?" she asked him.
The boy rose to his feet. "You'll see."
He helped her to her feet and escorted her back into the temple. The hole in the air was still there, held intact by the priests' archaic chanting. Asuka stole a glimpse at the boy and saw his pale green eyes locked on the strange anomaly before them.
If he wasn't afraid of the monsters in there, then neither was she.
They approached the schism calmly and gazed at the vast sea of darkness within. The boy grabbed her hand and looked at her, waiting for her to give the signal. She nodded. Finally, after tilting her head up to meet the statue's eyes one final time, Asuka and the boy entered the schism. It closed behind them, and, like the rest of the Devoured, she never returned.
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"You're right on time."
Octavia flinched at the sound of Asuka's voice.
She'd stumbled upon the clearing mere minutes before daybreak. Asuka was standing between her and a horde of sleeping children. The little bear hanyou, Haru, was among them. Octavia's shoulders sagged in relief when she saw him, which made Asuka smirk.
"Hello again, Hametsuhana," she greeted.
Octavia didn't give her the satisfaction of arguing with her.
Asuka frowned slightly and planted her hands on her hips. "You know, for a moment there, I was worried you weren't coming. I don't like killing kids."
Octavia's stomach turned. "Do you do that a lot or . . ."
Asuka shrugged. "Not really."
Octavia shifted her attention to the children. The sound of voices hadn't roused them. They hardly moved, and if they did, they seemed pained. Were they hurt?
"Well," Octavia started, clearing her throat. "I did what you asked."
"Show it to me," Asuka said.
Octavia pulled the box out of her pocket and held it up for her to see.
Asuka beamed. "Perfect. Now give it to me."
Octavia hesitated. "Let them go first."
"I will as soon as you give it to me."
"That wasn't the deal."
"You're in no position to negotiate. Give me the box and I promise I'll let them go."
"What's inside it?"
"How should I know?"
"I thought you were second-in-command. It sounds to me like you're just a lackey."
Asuka's smile vanished. "I won't ask you again."
Octavia's eyes flitted back and forth between Asuka and the box. If the woman did try anything, Octavia felt confident that she'd be able to stop her. She'd already beaten her once. The image of Asuka struggling beneath her was permanently ingrained into her memory.
Don't play dumb with me. You mean the world to him. He'll never forgive me after he finds out what I've done.
Unless I bring you back with me.
"Who am I to you?" Octavia asked. "Why am I so important?"
"You're the same," Asuka replied, as if it was obvious. "You and the Commander . . . You even look like him. It's freaky."
"What are you talking about?"
"You'll see. Once you meet him, everything will make sense. Now, hand over the box so we can get out of here. It'll take us at least a day to reach the sandbar."
Still hesitant, Octavia whispered, "Where are we going?"
"Home," Asuka said, and Octavia's heart pounded in her chest.
Don't you want to go home?
Wherever they were going, it certainly wasn't that.
She walked over to Asuka and begrudgingly gave her the box. Asuka wrapped it in a cloth that she produced from her robes and carefully tucked it under her arm. Octavia watched as she strode over one of the children and headed towards the edge of the glade.
"Come along, Hana," she said. "We don't want to keep him waiting."
Octavia didn't budge. "We can't just leave them here. You promised—"
"Oh, don't worry about them. The spell has already broken. They'll awaken soon. But if you try anything, I'll send someone to put them to sleep for good."
To Asuka's credit, they were showing signs of stirring.
Octavia knelt beside Haru and massaged one of his ears. His nose twitched and he mumbled something unintelligible. "I'm sorry I couldn't do more for you," she murmured softly, hoping he could hear her. "Nagisa is with Sesshoumaru. Find them. They'll protect you."
She stood and met Asuka's flinty stare.
"For the record, my name isn't Hana. It's Octavia."
Asuka arched a brow. "Is that right? In that case, follow me . . . Octavia."
They travelled south. Eventually, the trees thinned, and they reached a secret bay, where a small sailboat was moored to a pier.
The Dressmaker raised her head from her fabrics and aimed her puce eyes at Octavia. "You found the box," she said, smiling brightly. "How lovely. I wonder which one you'll break."
Octavia's brow pinched.
"Ignore her," Asuka muttered. "She's always spouting vague nonsense like that."
The Dressmaker patted the seat beside her. As Octavia climbed into the boat, the other woman suddenly reached out and caught a piece of her hair, then twirled it around her bony finger. "What a pickle," she mumbled. "Gold won't suit you at all. Black, on the other hand—"
"She's not wearing black," Asuka argued.
The Dressmaker sighed. "You commoners have no taste."
Asuka untied the boat and jumped in. She placed the cloth containing the box inside a basket full of supplies and covered it with a lid. Instead of reaching for the paddles, she opened the sail and secured it firmly in place. Octavia wondered how Asuka expected any wind to reach them in a bay this sheltered, but her musings were cut short when the Dressmaker plucked a hairpin from under her hood and used it to draw a strange symbol in the air.
The symbol glowed lilac as the Dressmaker used the palm of her other hand to shove it towards the sail, where it seemingly vanished.
Octavia jolted as a powerful gust of wind pushed against the sail and propelled the boat forwards. Asuka steered them away from the bay and out onto the open sea. The water was a perfect turquoise and there wasn't a cloud in sight. Still, Octavia clutched the sides of the boat in terror.
The Dressmaker giggled and slid the hairpin back under her hood. Mercifully, the boat slowed down enough for Octavia to loosen her grip and look back over her shoulder at the swiftly shrinking land.
Sleep claimed her faster than a wave swallowing a ship, and she collapsed in the back of the boat, entering the land of dreams.
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