It's cold.
I don't feel my feet nor my hand anymore —they've turned numb. But despite the numbness from the cold, I could still feel my entire body shaking. Shaking with every step I take in these pile of snow.
"Faster!" The man covered in a thick, warm winter coat shouted as he pulled the end rope which connects to the ones tightly tied unto our hands; making us stumble through our steps.
"I can't...anymore," my sister, Nerisse, weakly muttered beside me. Her eyes bloodshot and her pale, innocent face covered with sinful bruises trickling blood.
I felt a tug in my chest looking at her situation. Between the two of us, she was the one with the most wounds, scars from all the torment they put us through.
For six days, they made our lives a living hell: feeding us raw, spoiled meat, giving us dirty, unfiltered water, and even going as far as forcing us to drink their disgusting urine and vile 'pleasures'—as if we were nothing, worthless in their eyes. They punished us everytime we resisted their lustful touches.
Six damned days in a disgusting hell.
"I said, walk faster!" The man shouted again and harshly pulled the rope he was holding. Making us get pulled while on the ground.
Despite the numbness in my hand, I felt the rope tightening in my already swollen, bloody hand. I forced myself to stand up and helped my sister to stand up.
"Just a bit more. We'll find a way out of here. I'll find a way."
I knew my words carried no certainty, but I had to believe… I had to hope there was still a way to escape before we were dragged to the altar for sacrifice.
"No... There's no way out of here. Syraeth, I'm tired." A tear slipped from her weary eyes.
"There is," I lied. "There must be." I prayed it was true.
"Just… just hold on a little longer, please. We'll get out of here."
She said nothing, only stared into my eyes. There was a sadness there, a hopelessness I could feel in my own chest. But I needed to believe that we could still escape this. That there was a way—I didn't know how, but I had to believe there was.
She didn't say another word, nor did she argue. I held her hands as tightly as I could while we continued forward.
Dozens of escape plans filled my mind, but each one crumbled before I could even act on it. I stood no chance against this powerful group of taboo-wielding witches. I couldn't fight them alone—especially not in my current state. This weak, useless body…
Not long after, any remaining hope of escape slipped even further from our grasp as we were led deeper into the densest part of this snowy forest.
"Here they are. My sweet, little hybrids," Adante spoke as he walked toward Nerrisse. He caressed her face gently. "Beautiful." His fingers slid through her hair as he leaned in to sniff it, then he angled her neck to the side and licked her skin. "Sweet."
"Don't you dare!" I didn't shout, but my words came out firm and sharp as I shoved him away from my sister.
He let out a low, amused laugh and turned his gaze toward me. His eyes gleamed with something dark, a wicked plan flickering in their depths.
"Jealous, are we?" he taunted, stepping closer.
I pulled my sister into my arms, shielding her from this dangerous man.
"Don't worry," he murmured, leaning in, tucking a loose strand of my hair behind my ear. My breath hitched when his calloused, filthy hand slid from my back, slowly trailing down to my butt. "After we're done with your sweet, little sister…" he whispered against my ear, squeezing me hard, "we'll have all the sweet time in the world."
I pushed him away with all the strength I had.
"You're disgusting," I spat through gritted teeth.
He only laughed and barked an order to his men. "Clean them up and dress them in the white gowns over there."
The men assigned to the task were all too eager, grinning as they grabbed us and dragged us toward an old, decaying cabin.
Moments later, after enduring the filthy hands of those men, my sister and I found ourselves bound once more—but this time with white cloths, tied so tightly it bit into our skin.
We were forced to kneel before the statue of a woman. Adante's men stood lined up behind us, silent and watchful.
"Are the offerings ready?"
An unfamiliar male voice rose from the shadows, low and ancient, dripping with malice.
I was about to lift my head, desperate to see the source, when Nerrisse—silent until now—let out a whimper of pain.
"Nerrisse? What happened? What's wrong?" I brushed aside the hair covering her face, only to freeze in horror.
Her eyes were crying crimson tears. The whites of her eyes were slowly being consumed by red.
"Syraeth… Syraeth, I can't see. I can't see!" Her voice shook with terror as her hands clawed helplessly at the air.
I couldn't move. My mind refused to understand. What's happening to my sister?
"Syraeth, I can't see! I'm burning inside! Syraeth, it hurts!" she screamed before vomiting blood, staining the white cloth and her pale hair a deep, violent red.
I pulled her into my arms, sobbing. My heart shattered at the sight of her pain.
"What are you doing to her?!" I roared at the old man, whipping around in rage. But he didn't answer—none of them did.
The elder and Adante's entire group were bowing, chanting in a language I couldn't comprehend.
"Answer me!" I screamed again, but they remained unmoved, their prayers drowning out my desperation.
Frustrated and terrified, I hugged my sister tightly and tried to lift us both to our feet, stumbling backward step by step.
"What's happening to you?" My voice cracked as I wept. I knew she didn't have the answer, yet I asked anyway, clinging to any shred of hope.
"Syraeth… it hurts. It hurts so much…" Nerrisse's frail voice broke as she collapsed to her knees once more.
This time, she vomited a thick, black liquid that splattered across the pristine snow.
"It's time," the old man's voice boomed like a death knell. "Get the girl."
"No!" I screamed, as two men strode forward and seized my sister's trembling shoulders, forcing her upright.
"Please, let go of her!" I begged, clawing at their arms, trying to pull her back, but they were far stronger than me.
"Take me instead! Please, I beg you! Don't take my sister!" I wept as I clung to Nerrisse, but Adante ripped me away with brutal strength.
"Let me go! My sister!" I struggled, fought, screamed until my throat burned, but it was useless.
I could only watch as they dragged her toward the statue, binding her tightly in front of it like an offering. Torches flared to life around her, the flames creeping upward, devouring the wood, the snow, and then her gown.
I collapsed onto the frozen ground, my strength draining from me as I watched the fire climb her small, frail body.
"Nerrisse…" I whispered, my voice breaking as the inferno consumed her.
And then, as the flames reached her face, the heavens themselves seemed to cry out. A sudden, violent downpour crashed from the snowy sky, accompanied by deafening thunder and blinding lightning that struck the towering trees around us.
The storm extinguished the fire instantly.
Drenched, trembling, and desperate, I crawled toward the charred remains of my twin, hoping—praying—that I could touch her one last time.
But before I could reach her, agony exploded through me. It was as if lightning had struck me directly: searing pain tore through my body, freezing my blood, splintering my bones. My vision blurred, consciousness slipping away as I crumpled onto the ice-cold ground.
Just before the darkness swallowed me whole, a voice echoed in my ears—ancient, venomous, and final:
"…the gates of hell are now open; a soul for a sin has been claimed. The covenant is sealed in blood."