Now, all of the pieces are on the board

Swerans could be my favorite living person in the world right now. Talking with someone who does not withhold answers is a balm for my pain.

And not only because they did sneak in a balm that they used for the cuts in my chest when they started hurting. That was only a plus, one that I promise I’ll eventually repay them.

We spoke for hours, getting up to date as well as we could with her shoddy english, but it was a very productive time even then. I was so sorry that I could not tell her anything about what had happened to the village. I omitted the part of my escape, but I did tell them what I had heard before I got captured.

Her face scrunched in worry. After that, she reunited again in the back with the other two, talking in their language about things they probably didn’t want me to hear.

I allowed them that little privacy, as I resumed my training and started going over everything again in my mind.

First things first, Howard was summoned into this world just as I was around two decades ago.

At the start I only thought about how much of an idiot I was for not figuring it out and talking to him about it, but it proved an even more important point that I had not considered.

He had been summoned as a sacrifice, but he’s still alive. Why?

Swerans could not answer me. Apparently, she only met him as a guard after his life had already been spared and he did not share those details with her. But regardless of how little information I have, the fact that he is alive proves that it’s possible to live in society without being sacrificed for everyone. How did he do it? That's what I got to figure out.

The second most important point is that any living person, including this world’s people, are possible candidates for the sacrifice. She told me that people from my world give better results than when they sacrifice their own, but any person can do the ritual they were preparing me to do.

What I understood from this is that it is not a matter of necessity, it is a matter of the lesser evil. They summon people from earth in order to get a good result that prevents them from sacrificing their own people. Nothing more, nothing less.

Quite ruthless if I may say, especially when I’m the one they want to throw into the oven. Swerans almost refused to tell me the rest when she saw the disgust her explanation was causing me. I want to punch Euryce in the face for summoning me here, now that I know that she conducted my summoning.

Third and finally, apparently, I’m an incomplete sacrifice candidate. A sacrifice candidate needs to know how to handle both light and darkness, create veils, and channel the light into themselves. As she explained to me, with enough training, anyone can do this, and with light control, it’s possible to boost one’s physical abilities. Strength, speed, stamina, you name it.

Memories of how Lyra moved back in the forest, or the enormous jump these three did when attacked by the tentacles returned to my mind. I had thought people around here were just freakishly strong, but if I had been prepared adequately, I could have been like them.

Why am I not? Why did Howard refuse to tell me about the training, until Euryce explained it to me when it was too late?

I swear, I’ll punch both of them in the face as hard as I can if I ever get to see them again. To think that I could have escaped from the village with super speed… Goddammit.

Every answer gave me more questions. But at the very least, now I know what to do… and that’s to sit on the ground and train my ass off until I get the grasp of light. Once I do, I’ll be a complete sacrifice candidate, but I also will have more tools to defend myself and escape.

I’ll add that scarred asshole who cut my chest to the list of people that I have to punch in the face. With a light enhanced super fist, preferably.

While I was kneeling in my ground, practicing how to grab the darkness that coursed through the land, I was startled by the sudden noise of the cell’s door opening.

“Guess what, sacrifice? Someone wants to see you.” Said the ever punchable voice of the scarred asshole.

I looked at him and rose up. I considered the possibility of punching him right there, but I didn’t want a third cut in my chest, so I held back.

He smiled, looking at my eyes.

“Looks like you do have some spirit after all.” He said, nearing me. “But I don’t like you looking at me like that. How about I do something about it.” He said, grabbing my face with one hand and nearing the knife to my face.

The men who were in the cell with me, Caspio and Lasan, rose up, starting to scream to the scarred man in their language. The scarred man turned and screamed at them in their language too, pointing his knife at them before doing what seemed to be a threat to behead them. Fortunately, doing that meant that he had to let me go.

Frustrated with the interruption, he put the knife away back into its sheath, and looked at me with disdain.

“Follow me.” He said, not even looking back to make sure I was following him.

I considered not doing it for a moment… but then decided to obey. I noticed through the slit that the strip of light still had not fallen into the ground. Even if they wanted to sacrifice me, they could not do it yet. Even without considering that I’m not an apt candidate.

So, I’ll play nice, until the time to strike arrives.

I followed him a while, through dark corridors, until we reached what seemed to be the roof of the prison I was in. There, I saw someone who I hadn’t expected to see again.

“I see you brought the little lamb.” Said the man on the roof.

He had white hair, blue eyes, and a crooked grin accompanied his unnerving face. The whole appearance gave the impression as if he wasn’t human, but some being that was very closely imitating one, and got it just slightly wrong. Just enough to bother me when I look at him, but not enough to actually say what’s so wrong about him.

He was also wearing a pure black cloak, the same one he was wearing when he met me back in the pond a while back.

“Here he is. Want me to rough him up a bit for ya?” Asked the scarred man, grabbing me by my hair forcefully.

“No. Actually, I want you to leave us alone. Go back to your little litter, lapdog” The man in the cloak spoke, with the most condescending tone I had ever heard.

The scarred man turned to him and pointed his knife to him for a moment… but stopped himself, thought of it for a second longer, and put it away. He was gritting his teeth in anger, before kicking the roof’s door and going downstairs, fuming.

The man in the cloak smiled when he saw him go away. He even let out a dry laugh for a second.

“I hate seeing a pathetic man feigning to be strong. Isn’t it funny to see how he lashes out every time someone bruises his ego? It's hilarious!” He said, still grinning. Then he turned and looked at me. “You are also pathetic, but at least you know that you are.”

After that, he walked towards me and put his hand on my shoulder.

“I didn’t think I would see you here, Pole. When I told you to be out of the village, I meant for you to go away, not to land yourself in the single worst place possible for you”

Following my thoughts from earlier I wondered if I should include him in the list of people to punch in the face. I decided not to, out of self preservation.

“I… did not get here on purpose.”

I felt ashamed of myself for not coming up with anything better to say, to be honest. The man looked very unimpressed too.

“Yeah, I could guess. I don’t think that bloody x in your chest is a fashion statement.” He said, pointing at me. “Even then, I guess that means that we are able to have that conversation I promised you last time. So, anything you want to ask?”

I opened my mouth, and immediately came out empty handed. Thing is, almost everything I wanted to know I managed to get solved by Swerans, so I had no idea where to start. I’m ashamed at my lack of forethought for this scenario. Still I had to say something, quick.

“Who are you?”

Again, shame. I think I’m too tired for this right now.

The man gave a single dry laugh, looked at me like I was stupid, but then spoke.

“You can call me… the guest, no, no, the visitor. Yeah, that works. The visitor.” The man said, putting his hand on his chin as if he was really proud of it.

Suddenly, I felt better, maybe I’m not the only fool here.

“The visitor then… is that your name?” I asked.

“You don’t deserve my name you idiot. I’ll think about giving it to you when you become someone.” He said, still smiling proud of the surname he came up with.

“Okay, That’s fine. But… what are you doing here in… Nochitlan?” I asked, unsure about how to pronounce the name of the city, but knowing full well that I had butchered it.

“I am visiting, that’s why I’m the visitor.” he said, starting to pace around me. “But if you are asking what I want to do here… then let me tell you a secret. Come here.”

The man grabbed me by the shoulder and pushed me towards him. Before telling me something very closely in my ear.

“You see, I’m doing an experiment. I’m trying to see if I can manage to destroy this whole city. How about it, huh?”

I suddenly looked at him, I tried to see if he was messing with me.

But seeing his wide eyes I knew that he was not joking, and by looking at his smile, I knew that he was taking pleasure in what he was trying to do here.