The Sacrifice of Innocence

"Is he dead?" Ru, the great ruler, shocked, the only prisoner of the Crystal Tower.

"Yes, Dad, we tried to save Little Ru, but to no avail," the queen-crowned girl said, appearing on the surface of one of the crystals.

Ru freaked out: "Oh no! This can't happen! I can't create another pearl, and even if I could, it wouldn't be ready in time. The apocalypse will begin before the next Ru matures. Damn it, how am I going to get out of this damn place?"

The wires holding Ru trembled with his rising voice and sudden movements. The discordant music he produced resembled an electric guitar solo. It was so piercing that it caused some of the crystals to break.

"You will find a way, Dad," the queen-crowned girl said.

"Yes, you will," the glasses girl supported his sister.

"What the hell are you talking about? How can I include a child who can't hold their urine in any apocaliptic challenge? Are you insane?" Ru yelled, further intensifying the vibrations. Some of the crystals turned red in resistance to the sound waves.

Ru stopped and began to think. There were very few people he could turn to for help, and each of these people was extremely dangerous. Still, one name stood out in his mind.

A witch...

"It might work. Risky, but it could work," Ru said, raising his head and looking at the star clusters beyond the crystals. He would have to make many sacrifices for the witch. He glanced at the tiny lights twinkling within the crystals.

Ru began snapping his fingers rhythmically. Then he twisted his neck and turned to face them. "I don't care. Everyone is unimportant to me. I need to get my clone ready before the doomsday comes. I need to consume all this energy to free myself from this captivity. The only thing that matters is me."

"Are we unimportant?" asked the girl who appeared in a bubble, causing others to rush up to her to silence her.

"Of course you're important," Ru said with faked affection, looking at them condescendingly. Then he looked at his reflection and adjusted his hair as if it needed fixing. "But not as important as me."

The faces of most of the girls were filled with sadness, but there was nothing they could do about it. What their father had said had always been true. Even the slightest acknowledgment from their father brought a sense of satisfaction to the girls.

Ru was seated on his throne to list his directives.

"Your task is to uncover a cursed artifact on my behalf. I concealed this artifact in a well located in the garden of a long-lost temple, which existed in a mysterious dimension featuring an entrance but no exit."

Finally, they obeyed their father's orders and made their way into the dusty tunnels of the ancient world to retrieve an object of the utmost danger. Sisters embarked on a grueling sea voyage, riding on seagulls. At the end of this journey, they arrived at an ominous, desolate island of black rock known as the Miserable Isle.

The Miserable Isle constantly bled, turning the sea red. Carnivorous flies buzzed around hunting for carcasses and flesh to eat. For passage, the girls sacrificed their seagulls. Monster fly swarms attacked the birds, making them shriek. The insects ripped birds apart in seconds. Girls had to fight their consciences to overlook birds dismemberment. They reached the evil well in Miserable Isle's center after passing the flies.

Sisters gathered around the well, where the dimension's shadow fell. The murky water mirrored their corrupt essence. They tried not to see or know and prepared with icy determination to carry out the dreadful ceremony known as the "blood pact."

The girls began chanting a forbidden spell in unison, their delicate voices shaking the deserted island with a chilling melody.

"In shadows deep, whispers creep,

Through the night, the demons leap.

In moonlit dance, their secrets are kept,

Children beware, for they don't sleep."

As the ritual deepened, the girls presented grim offerings. A doll crafted from the skin of innocent babies, suffocated by the very hair of their mothers, was just the beginning.

At the queen-crowned girl command, thirteen girls stepped forward and sat on their knees. Then they closed their eyes. Then thirteen more girls came forward and stood behind those who were sitting.

"Offer and kill," the queen-crowned girl said, sounding determined.

The girls obeyed her coldbloodedly. They slit their own sisters' throats. Another group quickly poured their sisters' blood into seashells that served as bowls. The next group carried the blood-filled bowls. The last group bathed the doll in their sisters' blood and gave it life.

"Welcome, baby," the queen-crowned girl said with a voice full of tenderness.

A disturbing giggle came from the doll. It was so disturbing that it caused bloodthirsty swarms of flies to suddenly scatter.

The queen-crowned girl commanded, "Throw it in the well!"

Sisters swarmed over the baby, picked it up, and threw it into the well.

Eerie giggles turned into a terrible cry, then drowned out by the sound of echoing water. Splashing, buzzing, and rapidly rising water...

The queen-crowned girl knew the things that would happen next, so she ordered them to retreat.

The water churned and bubbled, its surface glowing with an unseen energy. A stench, reminiscent of spoiled milk, permeated the air, enveloping the scene in a nauseating haze.

Now the well emitted an ominous vibration. This was a harbinger of impending horror. A dark force hidden deep within the forbidden dimension was awakening.

"I hope we summoned the right person," the glasses girl said suspiciously.

"One more needs to be sacrificed," the queen-crowned girl said in a cold voice.

No girl wanted to go into that well.

"For our father," Queen added.

Still, no girl stepped forward.

"As you wish," the Queen responded, her face betraying no hint of feeling.

Everyone thought she was going to point at someone, and everyone was trying to hide behind someone else to avoid being the person pointed at.

Queen unexpectedly stepped up to the edge of the well.

Bloody water gushed out from the well and took the shape of a huge snake as it overflowed. Its scales glowed a deep crimson, matching the color of water. The blood serpent moved with incredible speed, catching the queen in its jaws and devouring her in a single gulp.

"Fool," the glasses girl said.

Despite digesting its first victim, the serpent's hunger remained unsatisfied. It reproduced like a hydra, and as it fed, fresh heads sprouted from its bent body. With gluttony, its heads grabbed the surrounding girls one by one and consumed them all in one bite.