Staring at the tall white ceiling of the dome, Yimir couldnt help but smile. She was living the life, and she loved it. She was lying naked on a small bench, with her four acolytes surrounding her. They were massaging her legs and arms with fragrant essential oils. And she was loving every second of this life.
Yimir, come down. She heard and immediately sat up. Her acolyte, taken aback, moved away from her.
"I have to pray to Lord Leh. Go out, now." They needed to be told twice and immediately scurried away, with the door of the dome sealing behind them.
She then fixed her hair and went to the fireplace of the dome. Thereby, with the skull of a Watsumono, she pushed a button, and a staircase leading downstairs appeared. Without a second thought, she started hurrying downstairs, nearly tripping in the dark hallways.
The Laboratory was this huge place, thrice the size of the dome in terms of size and width. It was filled with things that Yimir dosent understand. There were various pots which were made with a material as hard as a rock, but somehow one could see through it. Herbs, parts of beasts, and not to mention many Essence stones lying around the place. She didnt understand anything in this place, so she didnt even dare to touch anything.
As fast as her legs could carry her, she eventually got to the middle of the room, where beside the ominous black glowing sphere, her lord was standing. The sphere was made of several rings of iron, each etched with Runes that she didnt understand. These rings were creating a barrier, containing the black smoke-like creatures, whose origin was beyond her.
Yimir got on her knees and bowed to the man before her. "Lord Leh," she said. "Your servant is here for your command."
The man turned around, standing tall at 6 feet. The man was a rather lanky fellow. He had pale white skin, with hair as if they have basked in moonlight. The strange color of the man's hair was not due to his age, but was due to the power that he commanded. The man's red eyes always fill her with dread, while the Vita that he radiates always makes her skin crawl.
"Has the time of the festival arrived?" He asked in an emotionless voice.
"Yes, my lord," she said, still bowing, not having the guts to look him up in his eyes.
The man started walking around, working around the benches. "Did you happen to notice any anomaly among the Heks? Whispers about anyone or something beyond the understanding of Heks? Something otherworldly?"
"No, my lord. But if you command, I will order my soldiers and acolyte to investigate the matter," she said.
She didntget any answer from her lord at once, but after a few seconds he commanded, "Look up,"
She did as she was asked. Her Lord was standing on the other end of the room. "What do you see in the sphere?" He asked.
Yimir stared at the sphere, trying to decipher what it was like, something she had done countless times. Still, she didnt understand what it was made of, and what it was holding. But now she was looking at it, she found something amiss there.
The creatures inside the sphere are made of black smoke and leave a trail of smoke behind when they move around. But now, as she was looking at it, she felt that the amount of black smoke in the sphere had diminished. More specifically, the amount of smoke that creatures were emitting has diminished. Also, last time she checked, there were 5 such creatures trapped inside. But now there were only four.
"The number of creatures," she said, "has diminished."
Her lord nodded, "Correct. And the question that has been bugging me is… where did it go?"
She moved closer to the sphere, looking at the creature closely, "Their strength has diminished significantly. Maybe the fifth one died,"
The man nodded, "Maybe.. Or maybe it escaped when someone made a mistake during the regular dome maintenance." Yimir shuddered. She knew that her lord didn't accuse; he declared.
Immediately, she knelt down on her knees, "If this lowly servant apologizes for her incompetence. She is very sorry and would give everything to appease the lord."
"Appease me?" the man said. "You have done anything but appease me, girl. I am only tolerating you because you are one of the good ones, a good pawn to keep around. Nothing more, nothing less,"
Yimir didnt look up, but her body couldnt stop shuddering. She knew what the man was capable of, and for him, she was way too easily replaceable. "Stand up," he said firmly.
She did as she was told. The man came and stopped before her, "Yimir. I need to call a grand meeting. Call every tribe under us. I want everyone in the Heks to attend this meeting, whether it is children, adults, or the elderly. No one would be left behind,"
She nodded; she knew better than to ask questions in such situations. Then her lord further added, "From now onwards, you are walking on thin ice, Yimir. One mistake, and like the rest of Heks, you would also be devoured."
Chills ran down Yimir's spine. "My lord," she couldnt help but ask. "Are you planning to.."
She didnt have to complete her sentence; the glare from the man was enough. But he still answered, "Yes. I am going to devour the whole Heks."
There was no running away, Yimir knew it. Her lord had said, which means that he will do it. But what she couldnt understand was why? Like her, all the Grand Priestesses or Priests before her knew that their god was a corrupted cannibal. He eats people to sustain himself, and he keeps the Heks under his control like livestock. But even such a man knows that it is very unwise to reap everything at once.
So, why was he doing it? What could have prompted him to take such actions?
Yimir could not understand anything. She did the only thing that she could do. She bowed one last time to her lord and went upstairs. She had to make a lot of preparations…