The heat awoke Leo as it always did. Sunlight pushed its way through the hide walls, causing them to glow with a warm light. As he stirred, Leo was reminded of his tenuous reality. He attempted to drift back into the sedation of sleep, but the heat and the sun refused his retreat. Time pushed him ever forward. It was time to get up.

  Something about today felt strange, Leo felt it immediately upon opening his eyes. In truth, something had felt strange before he was even conscious of noticing it. A sliver of a scarlet stained dream came back to him as he sat on his bed, and he shuddered violently.

  Leo tried to stretch the feeling away. As he did, he was reminded of a different sort of pain. His whole life, he had been teased for sleeping in contorted, unnatural positions. It was involuntary. In his sleep he would stretch his spine to one side and his legs to the other, one arm pushed up above his head and the other protruding at a sharp angle from his chest. When he awoke he would feel his body’s screams from the torture he had just put it through.

  Motivated with a burst of sweat stained will, he hoisted himself up off his pad. His body responded to him well. Despite the aches, he felt strong. His muscles had grown rapidly since he began his occupation in earnest. Working out was fun with an axe. He flexed his bicep and grinned. He would be a man soon. A man… If nothing else, he would come close.

  Leo wondered if his father had noticed his changing physique as he got up to his feet. He looked around the stagnant, cramped space. Tavr was gone. Likely he had woken up with the sunrise, as usual. He never spent much time in the turge. Only after the moon came out in full did he grace their home with his presence, long after Leo had gone to sleep. He expected his father would be in the Pride Hall, looking after his duties with the other four elders.

  There was near silence outside. All that could be heard was the droning of the flying insects boring through their walls. Why did the birds not chirp this morn? Usually their choir was in full swing by now. Leo’s breath stuck in his chest. The sunny day felt trapped in time. He drew the entrance and walked outside into the harsh daylight.

  And there he was. Tavr sat where Leo last saw him, sitting on his log, staring at the entrance of the turge as Leo came through.

  The reality struck Leo immediately. His muscles tensed hard enough for one of his legs to start cramping. “Dad… what are you still doing here?” He did not need to ask, he doesn’t know why he did.

  His father’s forehead was wrinkled into strained knots. His red eyes sunk underneath his bushy eyebrows. “I received the vision last night”, Tavr said. “The time has come, son.”

  Leo’s heart beat out of control. His lungs still could take in no air. A ringing filled his ears to alleviate the silence between them that followed. After twenty rapid heartbeats, he gave one tense nod of his head.

  Then, he walked away, away from the rising sun. He had to find Pait.

  Everyone in the village expected it, of course. It was that time of year. The sun was out in full force during these late summer days, and the long rains were on the horizon. It had become a simple question of which coming night the blood moon would come. In some layer deep inside him, Leo had been waiting for the relief of the vision’s arrival. There was nothing else to wait for. Life could not be enjoyed until his Communion had passed. Perhaps he should simply feel an appreciation for the pleasures that remained. Oh, perhaps. But, these days held not the time for happiness. He was as of yet undeserving.

  Only the elders received the nightly vision. They would not tell anyone what they saw, only that they saw something. They would have begun to tell the first few members of the pride. It would easily spread from there, fathers and mothers rushing to break their children’s warm ignorance. But, Pait and his family lived in the hills, with the milk-beasts and the fur-beasts. His family would be among the last to know.

  Leo dreaded telling him. He dreaded seeing his face upon hearing the words. But, he needed to know. The time for playing around was over. They must prepare.

  As he walked in the direction of the pastured hills, past the turges that made up the outskirts of the village, his pridesmates bowed their heads at his crossing. They did not try to make their usual conversation with him, allowing him his peace and mental preparation. His desire for connection should be directed to Rathanni. But, he could feel them. They were anxious and proud, excited and fearful. One caught Leo’s pace and silently offered him some bread. Leo took it and thanked him, he had not even thought to eat before he rushed off.

  Leo stared up at the behemoth Bulwarks as he walked towards the hills that they dwarfed, munching on his warm bread. Their white spires melted down to a smooth, gray wall of rock. He walked for thousands of heartbeats. After some time on the path, he remembered something that made him wince. There will be a Bloodletting tonight. He would have to walk this distance back to the village before the sun had set.

  The droning of the flying insects slowly faded out. The rich, warm yellow of the wild-wheat gradually faded to a more immature green, and the air filled with a grassy fragrance. The alpine wild-wheat up in the Bulwarks’ foothills grew more slowly. As he walked steadily upwards into the thinner mountain air, it felt as if he was walking back in time, back to the easy spring.

  As he hiked up a steep green slope, he noticed two human figures shining darkly at the top. They were sitting with one another, hands entwined. He didn’t expect any Grangari to be out here. His red eyes narrowed. They weren’t moving. All bodies should be taken to the Pit of Reincarnation at the Blood Temple. What were these doing here?

  As he got closer a smell answered his curiosity. Flecks of rancid, black ash swept down the hill with the wind. These must have been the bodies of Jorn and Laci. The damned. Disgraceful. They must have come here together to die. Rathanni cursed them with illness for their transgression of the sacred partnership. Leo passed Jorn’s cracked, ashy body and spat. Once you mate, it’s for life, as it should be. Unless there's a Pride War, there’s no room for more than one love in a man’s life. The putrid odor pushed Leo to quicken his pace towards the pasture. He wanted to find Pait. Walking pushed his thoughts upon him, and it had long become undesirable.

  Upon reaching the pasture, Leo found Pait by the sound of a herd of milk-beasts. They bleated with a grating hoarseness. He found these beasts to be insufferable. They lacked the dignity of the diner-beasts, the grit of the labor-beasts, and the strength of the Lions. But, of course, nothing aside from Grangari could compare to the Lions.

  As Leo crested one final hill he saw Pait and his flock in the distance. Pait turned his head towards him. The bleating beasts gave him away, their tone changing to one more urgent as they smelled his approach. They did not like Leo either, Pait constantly voiced his amusement of this. He’d tell him “You think too little of them, Leo, and they know it. But, the beasts are pure. They live more pleasantly than us.” He could tell that Pait was jealous of their stupidity.

  By the time that Leo finally made his way to Pait and his herd, he was breathing heavily from the many inclines and declines. His face was flushed. He usually didn’t have to walk this far without the help of a labor-beast.

  “Leo,” Pait said with a grin. “Come to repay yesterday’s favor? Unlike you, I’m afraid I don’t see any beautiful girls on the job. Hope you didn’t get your hopes up.” The lanky milk-beast at Pait’s side bleated in objection.

  He clearly had no conception of the day he found himself in. Was it not constantly on his mind? Leo loved Pait like a brother, but he couldn’t understand him.

  Leo idled. Instead of responding, he broke eye contact with Pait to look at the rolling hills below. From this vantage, he could see the Divine Lake and the steaming Founding Fragment. Far in the distance, the shimmering lake extended to the horizon. It was so vast. Rising up in the middle of it, the Founding Fragment’s omni colored stardust glittered white, yellow, and obsidian above the still, cerulean water. Rathanni lay dormant in the star, but they were told that he remained conscious in the land, watching his subjects.

  He looked back at his friend and exhaled. “Pait, listen. My dad received the vision last night. We have two days left.”

  To Leo’s shock, Pait’s face remained placid. “Hm. Yes, well, we all knew it was coming. Nevertheless, work still needs to be done. Now, come on Leo, help me with the beasts.” Pait turned his back and focused upon his herd.

  Leo shook his head and frowned. This isn’t what they should be doing on what could be nearly their final day. They should be preparing, training. Somebody else, Paits father or someone from the village, would happily handle their day's work.

  Before he could speak, Pait looked back at him and spoke. There was a gentle glow in his eyes. “You will have your time to train, Leo. But right now, you should be reminded of what’s worth fighting for.”

  As he looked upon Pait’s gentle face, his drive was defused. Maybe he could hold his reality at bay for a while longer. For one last, certain morning he would try to enjoy life, to exist in these beautiful green mountains, with his dear friend.

  The two spent a long stretch of the day watching over the flock. Despite the emerald mountain’s wistful beauty, their work was not as relaxing as he had hoped. Herding was not physically exhausting, but it took another sort of toll on Leo. The herd was loud and unruly. At any given moment, a milk-beast was threatening to break off from the herd, prone to be swiftly snatched up by a pack of sneer–beasts in waiting. Leo and Pait never saw the orange spotted sneer-beasts, but they knew they were there. They could hear the wretched predators whining and cackling behind neighboring hill slopes as they led the herd to fresh pasture. One consolation; the herd was safe from Lions so long as the milk-beasts each had a blessed, scarlet tipped twig around their neck. The blood priests specially graced these twigs with offered vigor. Lions would never attack a beast bestowed with Grangari blood. And what a blessing it was. Sneer-beasts could be handled with bravery and a sharp crook, but Lions…

  Pait wore his own sprigged collar around a meager neck, giving him a limited control over the herd. When necessary, he would thrust his crook into the air while staring at a wandering milk-beast to command its movement back into the herd. Vigilance was Pait’s strength, he always kept a close watch on his flock.

  Leo did not have such influence on the inept beasts. Any direction he walked, the milk-beasts walked in the opposite, dragging their long floppy ears with them. He got in the habit of insulting them whenever he got the chance, much to Pait’s vexation. He’d even begun to name some of the particularly mindless ones. “Dust Brain” and “Drooly” were his favorites to mock.

  After Leo had spent a series of moments attempting to chase Drooly off a steep ridge, Pait called after him. “Leo, this isn’t exactly what I envisioned when I asked for your help. You’re only making this more difficult.”

  Leo turned around, releasing Drooly from her torment, and cocked his head. “What do you expect from me, Pait. I’m not a herder for a reason.”

  As Leo walked back to Pait and the herd he realized something. He was smiling. These dolts were frustrating to corral, but they were mildly entertaining. They took his mind off of the impending Communion. He looked at Pait’s placid face, framed by the setting sun atop a hill behind him, and realized something else: Pait had been nothing except distracted.

  Suddenly, the sneer-beasts quieted. A large, mature Sol appeared in front of the sun crowned hilltop, blotting out the light. Leo’s breath caught in his throat. Pait turned around to look at whatever had captured Leo’s expression. They watched as the Lion slowly strode down the hill.

  The pair’s eyes were locked onto it. As it drew closer, the pair observed its divine form. It was noble, but wretched. Its long, pale face was violently unsettling. Two blood red eyes stared searchingly over its land and its subjects. Its muscly, bony chest drooped below its shoulders, ribcage quivering with each slow breath it took. Lions often had an unbothered look upon their face. But this one, it had the caustic look of depravity. It was hungry. It began its slow descent down the hill, compelled by the herd of animals it walked into. The milk-beasts began to bleat anxiously. The Lion walked up to the closest one and sniffed it. The milk-beast shook its twig adorned neck quickly and the Lion recoiled from the smell, striding on further into the valley.

  The Sol slowly came ever closer to the Grangari. Its long, yellow mane shimmered in the sun. It breathed heavily with deep, gravelly snorts. Its breaths had an edge to them that the labor-beasts didn’t, as if its voice itself had claws. As it walked, the two observed its powerful, muscled arms ripple across its fur. It had more strength than any Grangari could ever hope to attain, weighing more than double the largest man.

  Leo looked back from the Lion to Pait’s face to see that his placid expression had melted away into one of fear and agony. He turned to Leo, looking at him for answers he knew he didn’t have. “How… how are we supposed to fight that thing? Pait began to shake, then he began to whimper as the lion passed next to him. “Leo, look at me! Take the smallest Sol out there and put it in that pit with me, I still don’t stand a chance!. Fuck man, I can’t even stand to fight a girl!” Pait’s voice broke. “Leo, I’m going to die. I’m going to fucking die!” He gripped Leo’s arms and stared directly into his face, tears drowning his eyes. “Leo, damn it, I don’t want to be mauled! I don't want to disappear! I want to live to see my brother grow older. I want to know what it’s like to have a partner, to raise our kids. But, what can I do! I’ve never seen someone as small as me enter that pit. I can’t bear the weight of a Lion, it’ll take me however it wants! My sides will be split open and my throat will be ripped open. This isn’t the fate that I deserve, do you understand! I wasn’t born to fight!” Pait lifted a thin arm off of Leo’s shoulder and threw it in front of his face. “Why would Rathanni give me a body like this?” What fucking purpose could there be for this? I’m just a cruel joke. Oh no, no, damn it…” Pait voice choked and trailed off as he dropped to the ground, sobbing.

  “Pait, stop, please. Rathanni gave us our lives for a reason, you’re not a joke. We’re all given a chance. I know it’s hard, but we can…”

  Pait raised his voice to a shrieking tenor. “Oh shut up Leo! You think there’s a reason for this? Do you know what the damn reason is? Communion is just the way that Rathanni culls the weak. You and I, we’re just fodder. I’ve always been too small, you’ve always been too stupid, too uncoordinated! I’ll be crushed and you’ll be eviscerated! You know it just as well as I do. Rathanni is taking away our right to exist, that’s what Communion is.

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  Leo’s breathing quickened as he endured Pait’s verbal barrage. The weight on his chest cracked his ribs, crushing his heart and collapsing his lungs. The force of it all was overwhelming. The cold water surged past and drowned him. He’s right damn it. I’m too clumsy, too slow. My own father doesn’t even believe in me. I can’t do this. Ulni died, Sier died, and I will die. He’ll watch his last child be sent to slaughter. Leo imagined his dad watching him fall to the Sol, his neck in its jaws. He imagined him crying like he did last year. He could not remember his dad crying any other time in his life. The steady man, brought low. Tavr wouldn’t survive next year.

  No, damn it. This isn’t alright. Darkness began to creep through the corners of his eyes and his head spinned. The image of Tavr crying the night of Sier’s death imprinted in his brain.

  In the distance, Leo watched the Sol stumble on a small rock. A jolt of lightning hit his failing heart, and he felt a flash of anger. If he would die, he didn’t want to go out crying and screaming. His father had raised him with that much strength, at least. He coughed up a sharp, unsteady breath, like a shallow gasp. The blackness was encroaching upon the center of his vision. He needs to breathe. He lifted his head and hit his chest with a hard fist. Breathe! One deep breath, then another. Focus on the chest as the lungs grow and fall.

  The sun and the heat came back to him suddenly. Reality was made material once again. The blackness faded away to reveal a groveling figure on the ground. His anger grew. “Pait! Get up!” Leo grabbed his sniveling friend by the shoulders and hoisted him up to his level.

  Pait refused to balance his legs, staring dejectedly at the ground. “Oh please, please Leo. What…” Pait broke off into sobbing tears once again.

  Leo’s blood boiled. He closed his fist and punched Pait with force in the gut. Pait let out a sharp, shocked cry.

  Leo lifted his friend up again and shouted into his bowed head. “What the fuck do you expect this to accomplish Pait! Yes, we’re faced with terror and death. Maybe we will get mauled, mauled like my mother and Sier did. But, damn it, try to be a man for once in your life! Our family did it, our ancestors did it, so don’t tell me that you’re incapable, that you’re the end of the line. Did your parents survive Communion all those times just to watch you give up? Get up, support yourself with your own two legs”

  Leo let go, and Pait stumbled back down, holding himself up weakly at the knees. “You’ve seen them Leo. You’ve seen what they do. You and I, we’re not strong enough. What makes you think we have any right to fight such a thing? We’re doomed. Don’t trick yourself into thinking we have a chance.”

  Leo grit his teeth and his eyes dilated as he stood before Pait groveling on his knees. He shoved Pait down to the ground. “You’re doomed Pait, not me! I can handle myself, damn it! But you, you’re not going to last a second in the pit if you can’t get control of yourself! I don’t care that you’re scared! Nobody fucking cares! Nobody’s going to save you, do you understand that! All crying will do is humiliate yourself in front of Rathanni and your family. Don’t you care how you go out of this world! Rathanni’s not going to allow a whining weakling like you to reincarnate. If you’re going to die, then fine! You’ll die and come back in the next life. But, die with some damn nobility!”

  Leo stood over Pait, glaring at him as he lay on the ground. As he stood over him, visions of Pait as a boy appeared in his mind. Compassion for his lifetime friend flooded back and his red eyes began to soften. “Pait. I don’t want to see you die tomorrow. We can do this. Find some courage and get yourself up.” Leo exhaled sharply and turned his back. He began to walk away, but after a few paces he turned back around. Pait had gotten up and was wiping his eyes.

  “Alright Leo. I get it.” Pait rubbed his stomach and winced. “Thank you.”

  Off in the distance, in the direction of the village, a deep booming sound resounded. The sound echoed through the hills and raised the hair on Leo’s arms. The milk-beasts stopped moving. Their heads turned to Pait in unison.

  Pait sighed. “Great.” He looked like he was about to cry again, but instead he took Leo’s lead and took a deep breath, before fixing the collar of twigs on his neck and motioning at the milk-beasts to follow him. Leo looked back at the Sol as it disappeared over a hill. He shook his head slowly, before turning and following Pait’s descent back home. The herd would be left near his turge. The Grangari had been summoned to the temple. No one dared refuse the blood call.

  Neither Pait nor Leo said a word to each other on the long walk back to the village. They’d said enough to each other. They walked at a brisk pace, encouraged by the long descents back down from the foothills. The wild-wheat gradually yellowed on their way down, and the air was once again filled with the nutty scent of late summer.

  Upon reaching the village, they were pulled to the towering black ziggurat. By the time that they arrived at the base of the blood temple there was already a line of people leading from the high chamber down to the ground. They crowded the narrow black steps, standing rigidly in place. Few talked to one another. It seemed that Leo and Pait were already in the right mood.

  As Leo and Pait found their way to the back of the line, a series of cold, metal gates built into the side of the temple before the blackrock canals began to creak. The gates opened, releasing a torrent of viscous red liquid. The liquid oozed out with force, flooding the canals and gliding effortlessly along the length of the blackstone. The liquid seemed averse to any surface aside from the blackstone of the canals. If a section happened to overflow at any point, it would quickly be pulled back into the red flood. The vigor flowed down the canals. Some traveled to Ajan’s forge, while some flowed along the roads of the village out into the fields beyond. The flow of vigor was controlled by the elders. It would help forge the hardened bones of the pride’s tools and make ash for the ankh fires. It would form pools for the yaw stalks, essential for brewing greef, and fertilize their fields of korel trees. Most importantly, one Lion for each Grangari participating in Communion would drink from the canals tonight. Partaking in the vigor, they selected themselves for the pit. The Pride could not function without vigor. Participating in the creation of it was a sacred and honorable duty, a symbol of fealty to Rathanni’s divinity.

  Leo had always dreaded these ceremonies, ever since his tenth year. But now, as he stood in line, the unease was buried by the greater weight placed upon his chest. The outcome of this night was certain, he would be safe. He could hear Pait fidgeting nervously with his hands from behind.

  The line crept forward slowly. Leo could see in the line nearly everyone he knew who remained living. The whole pride had to participate, so long as they were older than ten years. As Leo and Pait moved slowly upwards, up towards the lofty High Chamber of Sacrifice, Grangari who had fulfilled their duty walked downwards. They all wore smiles upon their faces, with a glimmer of contentedness in their eyes.

  In the golden light of the early evening, Leo was struck with sudden power. He had been so scared and he was sick of it. Anger, indignation washed over him as he beat his fear down. His heart beat well. He was worthy of living. This was his chance to prove it.

  Leo held this silent anger inside of himself for many heartbeats as the line slowly moved upwards. His determination was built high. It was hardened and strong. Finally, as the sun was beginning to set, he reached the top of the temple’s stairs. He walked inside the dark chamber as the sky lit up with orange.

  Leo’s eyes normalized to the dark chamber as he walked inside. The black walls were lit up by red torchlight, highlighting the eyes of blood priests inside. The floor of the small chamber was littered with a series of black altars. One sharp spike protruded from each of the altars, nearly a third of the way down from the headrests at the tops. At the far end of the chamber, the torchlight was drowned by a deep void.

  Grath smiled and silently motioned Leo towards the far pit. From out of a shadow stepped Aella, wearing the black robes of a blood priest. Leo was surprised, this must have been the first time that Aella was allowed to facilitate the sacrifice as one of the blood priests. She walked up to Leo and smiled.

  “So, you get to skip the action this time huh? You must feel lucky,” Leo said.

  Aella’s smile disappeared. “I would gladly contribute if I wasn’t beholden to my duties.” She looked at him piercingly and gave a slight tilt of her head. “Do you resent your chance to see the Beast-God then, Leo?”

  Leo frowned sheepishly. “No, no. I’m sorry, I was only joking.” Leo’s frown disappeared. “Aella, I am taking this seriously. I know I need to.”

  Aella responded with a cold stare from her large eyes, before looking past him. “Give a lot of blood tonight.” She grabbed him by the arm and led him up to Grath, who was standing before the inky pit.

  With long, greying hair and a patchy beard, Grath looked somewhat bestial. Usually, a dour man, he had a rather chipper demeanor tonight. He was clearly elated to have been chosen by the elders to guide the ceremony. It was easy to see where Aella got her zeal from.

  Grax looked at Leo with an eerie kindness in his scarlet eyes. “This is a big day for you. I’d suggest, for your own sake, that you try to last longer than you have in the past. I’ll hold your wrist for fifty heartbeats, as usual. The rest is up to you.” Grath looked deeply into Leo’s eyes and smiled. Then he looked away and presented an open palm over the pit.

  Leo shuffled towards the ledge and offered his arm to the hand. Aella came up behind Leo and held his sides firmly, anchoring him to the cold stone floor below. In his coming agony, Leo had to be kept steady. He could not be allowed to fall into the pit after the bloodletting was done. Grath clasped his wrist with a precise rigidity. Then, he looked up to the onyx ceiling above and began to speak in a harrowing, guttural voice. “Leo offers his blood to the land, as Rathanni offered his brother’s and sister’s. Let Granger reclaim his vigor, allowing it to provide him with warmth and food. Let Rathanni recognize Leo’s eternal gratitude for the land that the Beast-God has given him. Let Solarri recognize Leo’s eternal gratitude for the life with which he has been blessed.”

  Leo stared into the cold, black void. It extended for countless paces down to a shrouded reservoir at the base of the ziggurat. He closed his eyes, allowing another layer of black to shroud his vision. A sharp, gliding sound, tingled in his ears as two symmetrical blades swept across soft fabric. Grath must have uncovered the cutting implement from within his robes. fifty heartbeats. Leo had always tried to go longer than the mandate, but had never been able to go past seventy-five. I can do better. This time, I can do better. He gritted his teeth and pushed his back further into Aella’s chest, readying himself.

  With a swift motion, Leo’s hand was separated from his wrist. It fell down into the pit without a sound. The blackness of Leo’s vision spattered to one of crimson red. He opened his eyes to see a stream of blood spurt out from a gaping hole in his wrist where his hand used to be. And then the pain came. A harsh throbbing traveled up Leo’s arm from his open wrist. It traveled up his neck and pounded at his skull. Time began to crawl. He tried to count the heartbeats that his bloody wrist was before the pit, but he lost his count. His vision must have been fading, but he couldn’t tell in the darkness. A painful, bloody haze grew before his eyes, throwing needles at his skin. Aella held him from behind, grabbing his body as it convulsed before the pit. She held on with tenacity, breathing quickly.

  Finally, Grath released Leo’s hand. Leo looked once again at his free, hemorrhaging wrist. His body yelled, it was time to go! Leo tried to clench his jaw, to hold firm against his base instincts. But the pain was so intense. His body betrayed him and he began to scream. Just give it up!

  Leo narrowed his eyes and forced an image to cut through the haze. More blood was coming. Fangs and claws would shred his body like a cut of meat. His wrist would just be the first to go. His sides would bleed, his torso, his legs, his neck. Skin is opened so easily. It will happen. So, embrace it. Leo felt an energy build up in his chest, then his arms. Then, take it damn it. Take it! Leo shook his bleeding wrist violently over the pit. He imagined himself gritting the hand he no longer had. Spatters of scarlet blood flew up and down through the obsidian void. He pounded his jaw down upon his screaming mouth, crushing his tongue, filling his mouth with blood. Its overwhelming iron stench fueled him. Aella grabbed him tighter, her breasts pushing against his back.

  Leo’s conception of his existence faded. His thoughts blackened and he felt as if he were falling into a wet, bloody dream. He stood there for an eternity, losing all coherence. He forgot where he was. All he could conceive of was the red haze. It taunted him to push further into it, and he did. As he embraced the red eternity, he came to find a bliss in the pain. Then, he felt as if he was moving, floating away. He was pulled away from the haze. Then, he crashed back down to earth.

  His body hit hard against an altar and a spike pierced his heart. The force knocked the life back into him and rejuvenating air flooded his lungs. He felt a warm, numbing steam travel from his pierced heart to his wrist and head. It pushed against clotted blood before exploding out of his wrist with pressure into the chamber. His mouth filled with steam, and he began to feel his tongue once again. Then, the inky black ceiling of the chamber faded into white.

  A floral scent filled his mind, and he suddenly realized that he was no longer laying upon an altar. He was sitting. The white sharpened to reveal a field of white flowers within a cloud of warm mist. He looked over to his side to see a royal beast sitting next to him. A massive, white haired chest rested powerfully above a long lean torso.The beast towered high over Leo. He had to crane his neck to see the divine being’s face. A long, powdery white mane flowed into the mist. A prominent snout lay below two warm red eyes. Rathanni.

  Rathanni looked at Leo with a divine glimmer in his red eyes and gave a faint smile. Leo had never felt so proud. He had entered into the void, embraced it. And he survived it. He felt something he’d never felt before, a sureness in his chest. He felt confident, powerful. At peace. As he looked upon Rathanni’s exalted smile, he realized something. He was special. He would survive.

  Leo melted into the misty tranquility. It lasted for what felt like a whole night. He and the Beast-God never spoke. Speaking seemed to be painful in this state. It seemed as though it would simply distract them from the sublime.

  Eventually, the mist, along with Rathanni’s flowing form, began to dissipate. And once again, Leo found himself lying upon a cold slab. After spending some futile moments attempting to journey back to the warm misty field of flowers, coldness forced him to open his eyes. When he opened his eyes he saw Aella standing over him, smiling with a sanguine sweetness.

  “That was impressive”, she said as she offered him her hand.

  Leo grabbed her hand and got up off the altar. “Thanks. I saw him, he smiled at me! I’ve never felt so honored.”

  Aella let out a small gasp and looked to the side. “He smiled at… you? He’s never even looked at me. Damn, damn. I’ll be up to give blood next Sacrifice.” She looked back at Leo with vigor. “I can do what you did. I’ll go longer. I’ll make them hold me over the pit even after I’ve fainted.

  Leo gave a cringed smile. “I don’t think the blood priests will allow that, especially not Grath.”

  Aella looked back to the side with a sobered expression. She muttered under her breath, “Grath’s the only one who would allow it.” Before Leo could respond, she interrupted, “Anyways, enough of that. Congratulations! You have his blessing, and you have mine. I hope you go before me tomorrow night. I want to see your fight before I win mine.”

  For once, Leo felt excitement for Communion instead of dread.”I’ll make you proud.” Leo felt a pleasant tension take hold of his body. If he survived, he had a chance with her. There didn’t seem to be any other boys capable of competing with him for her partnership. He looked around in the red din. “Where’s Pait? He was behind me, hasn’t he given his sacrifice?"

  “Oh, he’s gone.” Aella snickered. “The boy barely lasted the fifty heartbeats. I practically had to force him from running back to an altar before his time had finished. He’s long gone, had a quick recovery. Everyone’s left for the Ankh Fire. You’re the last one left here, besides me.”

  “Ah, then, would you like to go with me? I need some greef after that. To celebrate, I mean.”

  Aella blushed. “I… I would. But, I’ve got to go change out of these robes and wash myself.” She held up a sleeve of her black robes. Even in the dim scarlet light, Leo saw the splotches of dried blood.

  “Right, ok. I’ll see you when you get there then.”

  “Yes! See you soon, Leo. I’ll go bathe in the river. There shouldn’t be any prying eyes with everyone at the Ankh Fire.” Aella turned and walked briskly out of the chamber.

  Leo’s head swam. Was that an invitation? He shook his head. There may be time for that tomorrow night. Suddenly, a yellow glow exploded outside of the chamber entrance. The sound reverberated off the chamber walls, an ear splitting pop. Leo walked to the entrance and looked out from the top of the ziggurat to see a shimmering orb of streaming yellow lines. The streams danced with the stars in the night sky. The massive red flame of the Ankh Fire blazed off in the distance, dwarfing the turges below. The tip of scarlet flame reached nearly to the same level as the ziggurat. Leo was drawn towards the flame.

  Once he reached the bottom of the ziggurat, he heard the throaty snarl of a Lion. A collection of them, three Sols and two Umbras, were crouching by the side of the ziggurat. They lapped up blood from the river of vigor. An elder, perhaps Tavr, may choose one of these Sols for Leo. He wondered if Tavr would pick a small one for his only son.