After Tomoko's death, Masami was consumed by a quiet, searing rage. She vowed revenge, not just on Kilo, but on all of humanity. Using her dark magic, she escaped from Kilo's stronghold on a stormy night.
Tomoko had always told her stories of the Raven Sisters; ancient witches trusted by the gods, guardians of a mystical bowl that held divine powers. The stories said they used human blood for their sacrifices, foretelling the future in its crimson depths. They were neither good nor evil, helping those who came with a willing sacrifice, for they were said to be cannibals. Until now, Masami had dismissed it all as a bedtime story, but to get her revenge on Kilo, she knew she had to find them.
The legend claimed the Raven Sisters resided between realms, a void of time and distance, making them impossible to find. Because of this, most people dismissed them as mere fairytales or myths. But Masami was determined. She traveled for days until she stumbled upon a small village. In this village lived an old woman whom people mocked as crazy, for she claimed to have had an encounter with the Raven Sisters. Masami started her search there.
"Raven Sisters? They're just stories," a shopkeeper scoffed, not even looking up.
"Myths! Poppycock! Fairytales!" another mocked, laughter trailing after his words.
"You're wasting your time, young lady," a third person said, a note of patronizing pity in his voice. "The Raven Sisters are just stories used to scare naughty children."
Just as Masami was about to give up, the old woman approached her, whimpering and wringing her hands. "Don't look for them, I pray you," she pleaded, before turning and running away.
"She's crazy, I tell you," a man from a nearby store said with a snort. "Can you imagine she actually believes she had an encounter with a myth?"
"Crazy old hag," another man spat, but Masami paid them no mind. She walked to the corner where the old woman was huddled, trembling.
"I heard you know the Raven Sisters," Masami said softly.
The woman shrieked and grabbed Masami's arm, her eyes wide with a frantic terror. "Don't say their cursed name!" she whispered, her voice a reedy rasp. "The Raven Sisters… four of them, lost in time and space… they're evil, I tell you!"
"What happened to you?" Masami asked.
"Two years ago, I went to look for my daughter. I stumbled on a river that flowed upwards instead of down. I wanted to turn back… I wanted to… but I heard my daughter's screams, saw her face, so I walked in. And there they were… the sisters. Four terrifying shadows, their long talons digging… digging into my daughter." She shook violently, her face a mask of tears and horror.
The passersby began to laugh. "If you believe that lunatic's story, you're as crazy as she is," one sneered, but Masami didn't waver.
"Where is this river?" she asked.
"Don't go. Please, don't go," the woman begged.
"Tell me," Masami insisted, her voice firm.
"West… where the sun kisses the earth. But be warned, those who go don't always come back."
"I won't worry about that, ma'am," Masami said, a cold finality in her voice. With that, she left the village just as the crowd turned on the old woman, brutally stoning her to death. Masami traveled west, across a great desert and a vast, churning sea, until she came upon the river just as the old woman had described. She took a deep breath, stepped into the water, and instead of the Raven Sisters, she found herself face-to-face with Tomoko.
"Go back," Tomoko warned, her form shimmering like heat haze.
"Mother," Masami gasped, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"My child." Tomoko's face was filled with a gentle sadness.
"I couldn't save you… I was weak." Masami choked on her words.
"No, my dear. My time on this earth had expired. There was nothing you could do."
"Why are you here?" Masami asked, her hand trembling as she wiped the tears from her face.
"To warn you. The step you are about to take will throw the universe out of balance."
"As long as Kilo bleeds," Masami said, her voice hard and unwavering.
"You are blinded by rage. You can't see reason," Tomoko pleaded, her expression pained. "Have you considered the price?"
"I am prepared to pay whatever is demanded of me." Masami's resolve was as solid as stone.
"Please, Masami. You didn't listen to me when I was alive. Please listen to me now… don't do this."
"I'm sorry, Mother. My mind is made up. We shall meet again in a better place." Tomoko's form dissolved like smoke, and Masami found herself in a dark, cavernous space.
"Welcome, Masami," a voice echoed through the shadows. "Most powerful and brave."
Four figures emerged from the gloom, all clad in black hooded robes.
"It's real," Masami breathed out in stunned disbelief.
"Yes, everything," the first one said, her voice dry as dead leaves.
"The stories," the second added.
"The songs," the third chimed in.
"The legend," the fourth finished.
"All have been and will be," they chorused in an eerie, unified voice.
"How did you know my name?" Masami asked, her eyes wide with a mix of awe and trepidation.
"We have been watching you from the bowl," one said, a hint of ancient sorrow in her tone.
"How tragic," another whispered.
"Revenge is all I can see," the third said, tilting her head.
"Bitterness… rage," the fourth added.
"How terrible," they sang out in a haunting, mournful harmony.
"I want Kilo to pay!" Masami cried, her voice cracking with raw emotion.
"Ah, yes. The evil tyrant," one of the sisters said, a dark amusement in her voice.
"I want his blood. I want revenge," Masami declared, a burning light in her eyes.
"Revenge is not free. Are you ready to pay the price?" they asked in unison.
"Whatever it takes. Come what may" Masami said, a hint of finality solidifying her voice.
"Come, child. Look into the bowl," the first sister instructed.
"The sacrifice you ask for is dangerous, but most importantly, it will bring your enemies to their knees," the second sister said.
"Are you ready?" the third asked.
"Yes! Whatever it takes!" Masami cried.
The sisters beckoned for Masami to lie down on an ancient, carved stone covered in intricate markings, and she obeyed. They stood at each of the four sides of the stone.
"In order for the sacrifice to be a success, we need to wipe out Veneria," the fourth sister leaned in, her voice a low conspiratorial hiss. "Because only a venerian witch can break the cursr"
"Should we proceed?" they asked. Masami's mind flashed to her life in Veneria; her friends, her family. She would save them from the harsh and ruthless world. She hoped they would understand.
"Whatever it takes," she breathed out.
The sisters joined hands and chanted an ancient incantation. A ceremonial knife was brought in, its blade glinting in the dark. Masami spoke her peace before the knife was brought down three times, each cut a deep, ritualistic gash. Her blood flowed from the wounds, soaking into the carvings and touching the ground.
"It is done," the sisters sighed in unison, a sound of profound relief.
A great rumbling shook the cavern as Veneria was torn in two. Everything within it; plants, animals, and people, perished. The realms merged into one, creating chaos as a consequence of Masami's sacrifice. Millions died. A big crack formed at the earth's core, a leak into the underworld, and out of it, the Rapsites; creatures of dark magic, breathed fresh air. They were creatures that could disguise themselves as their prey, feeding on fear. All kinds of beasts escaped from hell: Forlocks, spirits of time that trapped lost souls; parasites that fed on human flesh; and Phaltom, night creatures loyal to their master, who was imprisoned in the underworld.
"Woe to the earth on this day! There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth as these creatures attack the people of the earth. Woe to the earth, for the troubles are yet to come!" the Raven Sisters shrieked, their voices echoing with a terrible glee.
It wasn't long before the impact of Masami's actions affected Kilo's empire.
"Masami! I see her hand in this!" Cedilla, panicked, her eyes wide with terror.
"You could have killed her when you had the chance, and now we are all doomed!" She paced restlessly, her hands fluttering in the air.
"How so, Cedilla?" Kilo asked, an unsettling calm in his voice.
"How so?! Those things will wipe us out! I didn't sign up for this!"
"But this is an opportunity for me. Remember what the old hag said? 'A deal with the devil.'"
"No," Cedilla said, her voice filled with dread.
"Yes! I shall journey to him at once!" Kilo declared.
"How do you even get to the crack? We'll die before we reach the veil," Cedilla asked, her concern laced with desperation.
"That's where you come in… queen of black magic."
Kilo sought the counsel of the devil, the ruler of the underworld, in exchange for godhood. The price? A seed. The only seed that could destroy him, the seed that could seal the leak and destroy him, but which could also be used to free him from the underworld. If Kilo could find this seed, it wouldn't just make him immortal, but powerful beyond imagination. Weeks later, the news of the reward spread. People and beasts alike battled to find the seed, but to no avail. They gave up on ever finding it… until…