For a moment Lumen held her gaze, eyes bright and strange, then turned away. He lowered himself to the dirt, claws scraping across his foreleg until skin split and blood welled up. Heavy drops spattered the ground as he dragged them into lines, his paw moving with practiced precision, as though this was far from the first time.
Through the haze, Yao Yao saw the ground beneath him. Faint brown stains marked the soil, flaking, half-hidden. Old blood. The same place. The same pattern. And now his blood traced over it again.
Her breath shivered, chest tight. It wasn't just a circle. It was a reminder of what had already been done to the toad, and what waited for her.
Oh shit. Oh shit oh shit oh shit….I'm so screwed. She tried to twist her body, to drag her arms free, but the strength she had left slipped away like water through her fingers. All she could do was watch.
When he finished, he dragged the toad's body out of sight. A moment later something hit the ground behind her with a heavy thump. Then he was back, padding into view, calm, almost reassuring as he sat in front of her. "You're gonna be fine," he murmured. "I promise."
But his eyes sank darker, and the next word slipped out. "A sacrifice."
Behind her came a sharp crack. The toad's body crumbled, collapsing into ash that drifted across the floor.
The circle flared alive. Earth lifted grain by grain, dirt rising weightless, swirling until it felt like they sat in the heart of a storm. Wind tore at her hair, strands whipping against her cheeks.
Lumen's pupils narrowed as his gaze locked onto her. "Blood." The word trembled with hunger.
Something tugged at her temple and a drop of blood slipped free, hanging in the air between them. Another twisted loose, then another, until the droplets swelled together into a pulsing red orb, bright as a jewel.
Stop. Stop. HHer body wouldn't obey, yet every fiber of her screamed as though her soul itself was being dragged into that sphere.
Lumen's paw lifted. His eyes widened, the wild gleam burning hotter. "There. You see?" His voice shook, both triumphant and unhinged. "Only a little."
He whispered a word she didn't know, and the circle answered. Dark mist appeared from the ritual lines, curling upward, coiling around the blood-orb like smoke around flame. With another word, sharper, the mist thickened until the sphere was swallowed whole.
The orb dissolved into shadow. The mist shuddered, then surged into him, sinking beneath his fur as though the ritual itself had chosen him. His claws trembled, shoulders tight—then his body jolted. A sharp hitch tore from his throat, fur rippling as his eyes flew wide before narrowing in a shudder of ecstasy, a faint smile tugging at his muzzle.
"I can feel it…" he whispered. "It's strong. So strong…"
His gaze snapped back to his tails. They lashed violently, sparks scattering against stone as he craned his neck, waiting for another tail to sprout.
Nothing came.
The smile vanished. Panting, he stumbled, claws gouging lines into the dirt as the black mist thickened, crawling up the walls until the chamber itself seemed to drown in it.
"Why…?" His voice cracked, eyes darted to her, wild and confused. "You're human—no, more than human. You're ancient! Just a little should be enough... that's what the book said!"
The mist pressed tighter, winding closer around him. His breath grew ragged, almost a growl. "The stronger the blood, the greater the power." His claws dug deep, trembling. "It can't be…!"
He snapped back toward her, words spilling without thought, his voice half snarl, half plea. "Blood."
The circle pulsed. Another drop flowed, dragged out of her, the wound at her temple throbbing as though a claw had hooked inside, pulling from within.
"Ghh…"
Lumen's eyes flared. "Yes…" He seized the mist before it even moved, dragging it into his palm. A grin split across his face. "More."
Still no tail.
His gaze darted wildly between her, the book, the ground behind him. His voice broke into disbelief. "Where is it?! It should be here! It can't be—" His ears flattened, panic spreading across his face. "What went wrong… You're supposed to be strong…"
His voice dropped, trembling now, words spilling more to himself than to her. "Was it the sacrifice? Was it not enough…?" His eyes found her again, almost desperate. "No… I don't want to kill you. Not again…"
The circle blazed brighter. Dark mist thickened until it pressed into her chest like a weight. The pull deepened, her blood streaming endlessly now, as though yanked thread by thread from her veins. Her necklace shivered faintly against her chest, but it did nothing to stop the flow.
Her head sagged sideways, vision blurring at the edges. … if you needed a blood donation, you could've just asked… nicely…
Not that she would've said yes, but still. Being forcefully taken and willingly given were two different things.
Then—
… a sound?
It brushed faintly at her thoughts, like a lullaby carried from a distance. A melody, gentle and soft, sung by a woman's voice.
Who…?
Warmth spread inside her. For one fragile moment, it was all she wanted—something to reach for, to hold onto. And so she reached, without knowing.
Her vision blurred, and everything went black.
For a heartbeat, there was silence.
Then—
Something cracked open inside her. Darkness spilled from her skin, heavier than smoke, weighing on the air in thick, curling waves.
The Abyssal Darkness.
The abyssal power caught on the blood she had already shed, threading through it, riding the stream as it poured into him.
His muzzle snapped open. "W-what—"
It struck him like fire in his veins. His head tilted unnaturally, his face contorting, lips twisting into a crooked almost-smile—half joy, half madness. His body trembled as the surge spread, and then—
Behind him, a fourth tail burst free.
The air thickened immediately.
Lumen shuddered, his gaze flaring brighter with each wave of magic that poured into him. Blood and abyssal power tangled together, driving deeper into his chest, his fur bristling until every hair stood on end. His panting came fast and ragged, but his eyes—wild—never left her. "I knew it…" His voice broke into a rasp. "You're special…"
The darkness no longer moved in one direction. It spilled from her into him, then from him back into her, a storm raging between them, forcing him to take more and her to give more.
His eyes widened. Delight flickered for only a moment before it twisted into panic. "No… stop… stop it. It's enough—!"
His voice trembled, but the ritual didn't stop. The abyssal was never his to command. His body convulsed as he tried to fight it, tried to stop the pull, even reached a trembling paw toward her.
But then—a fifth tail ripped free behind him.
The chamber shook with the force of it. Still the abyssal poured in, more and more, devouring him from within. It did not care about limits. It did not care about him.
Then came the sixth tail. It tore free and lashed the air in violent tremors, his wide eyes glowing with a frantic mix of power and terror as the abyssal dragged him deeper, pulling him further from himself until even awareness began to fray.
His gaze wavered, unfocused—until it found her.
The small body lay still, face pale, a faint frown lingering as though the pain had not left even in that stillness.
Something inside him broke.
His breath hitched, ears flat as tears welled in his eyes. "No…" His voice cracked. "I didn't want this. No…"
He staggered back, his tail lashing the air before he brought it down in a fierce sweep. The circle shattered with the blow, sigils bursting into dust as the ritual collapsed.
Lumen gave one last look—eyes wide with panic and grief—before he turned and fled into the dark.
Silence fell.
But the abyssal did not vanish. It lingered—thick and heavy—coating the chamber like liquid in the air.
Yao Yao lay where she had fallen, unconscious. From her chest, a black stain began to seep beneath her skin, spreading through her veins, creeping up her throat and down her arms.
Something cold, dark, slipped through her veins as though it had always been there.