He gulped.

He ended up swallowing the barf and the meat, all in one go. His mouth was now fighting against their hands for dear life and they let go finally when they were satisfied he would not throw up.

He fell forward face front onto the ground, taking deep breaths and his lungs clawed for air. His forehead was lying in Daniyal’s sticky congealed blood and the smell of the blood was revolting but all he could think of was breathing first. When he had taken his fill of oxygen, he felt someone clasp onto his hair and pull him up with it. It was Khalid and he had something glinting in his hand next to his head. It was the knife glinting from the fires burning all around them.

“I’ve wanted to do this to you for a long time,” he said. “The sins that you have committed, especially with that whore blasphemer Hina. Don’t worry, I’ll give you a quick death but your girlfriend on the other hand, I’m going to make sure she begs me for it.”

Faizan felt an anger unlike anything he had ever felt and his teeth gritted as he fought against the knots around his wrists.

“I’ll kill you!” he began screaming. “I’ll fucking kill you. I’ll send you up to that fucking precious god of yours.”

Everyone in the area gasped and the maulvi began to chant incantations asking God for forgiveness. It had hit a nerve with Khalid who looked outraged. He pulled back Faizan’s hair revealing his neck to him. He placed the knife on his neck, and a small cut had already formed because of how sharp it was.

“How dare you insult him like this?! How dare you insult the God who created you? Just you wait until he burns you in the pits of Hell.”

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Faizan was still cursing frantically, the energy building up inside him until he felt the surge of the unholy energy suddenly flow through his body again. He heard a voice, Hina’s beautiful voice, yell loudly in his brain.

Now sisters! Lend us your strength to the vessel so that the coven may be saved!

The energy continued to rise within him until everything was moving in slow motion for him. He could sense Khalid’s arm muscles slowly tensing as he began to slide the knife against his throat. His mouth was moving too as he prepared to say the holy words before slaughter.

He realised the source of the energy came from behind him towards the right. He turned his neck towards it and saw that it was the witches tied to the piers, no longer under attack by their captors who had been distracted by the commotion he had caused. Their aura was starting to glow more prominently and he felt himself being filled with unfathomable energy. He felt the energy lift his spirits and give him purpose, until he realised he felt something deep within his soul.

It was like a portal.

He guided all the energy inside him towards the portal, which felt like it had always been part of his body. The portal swallowed the energy, slowly opening up more and more until it burst open.

Faizan roared.

The energy he now felt was unlike anything he had experienced before. He felt like a God as it flowed through his veins and his muscles, hardening and strengthening them.

You have found your strength, vessel.

Thank you, Hina.

Now free yourselves and save us all.

Anything for you, my darling.

Real time returned and Faizan felt the knife slash against his neck, so fast that all he saw was the glint of it. All the villagemen cheered as they saw the general slay the sinner from the city.

But Faizan felt nothing.

The cheering died down just as quick when they realised that he was fine. Khalid bent over to look at Faizan’s neck and saw that it was unscathed. He was furious.

“What kind of magic is this?” asked Khalid, his voice stuttering a bit. He was embarrassed by his failure to commit a simple slaughter. He began to slash the neck again and again, forgetting to say the holy words but no damage was being done. Some of the villagemen, who had been jealous of his appointment as general, were now laughing at him and whispering among themselves.

Can’t even do a simple thing like cut someone’s neck.

I’ve slaughtered hundreds of people like this.

He’s weak because he’s from the city.

How is he going to lead us in the war?