The Mark of Ashura

Ken had to kill everyone in the town. He had made a deal. So, he started.

First, he killed the priest. This was the man who said Ken should be beheaded. Next was the old woman. She had cheered the loudest. Then came his friends and neighbors. He also killed the schoolteacher. She had acted like she didn't see what was happening.

With each death, a glowing mark appeared on Ken's chest. Each scream made a shadow behind a curtain grow stronger.

But things felt wrong.

As Ken killed more people, the world around him started to break apart. Reality seemed to glitch. When he looked in a mirror, his reflection didn't move with him. The stars in the sky changed their positions. They formed an eye that just stared.

Then came the final sacrifice, the last living soul: his mother.