Prehistory, Earth

In a time long ago, there was a kingdom, now nameless and forgotten. Wealthy and peaceful, it was threatened by the savages that molested its borders. The barbaric nomads saw the farmers and herdsmen of the kingdom as easy meat and attacked without mercy. And meeting this challenge at the head of the nameless kingdom was the nameless king, a man who was stern yet benevolent, loved and respected by his people. Great armies were raised under the banner of the nameless king and sent forward to battle the savages.

To no avail.

The war was fierce and devastated the very land that it was fought on. Farms were razed by the marauding armies and livestock were left to fend for themselves as their owners were conscripted to join the never ending war. As the years passed, the kingdom's borders began to shrink, like a boulder being worn away by the tide. The nameless king was at a loss, for no matter how many warriors and generals were thrown into the fray, nothing seemed to be able to stop the inexorable force of decline. In desperation, the nameless king turned to his advisors for a solution.

"What can be done? Is this our end?" the nameless king demanded.

"You need allies, my king." an old, bent over priest told the king, "The nomads are too much for us to stop by ourselves."

"What allies?" the king screamed in frustration, "There's no one left! The nomads slaughter everything in their path!"

"Do not put your faith in the strength of men, my liege." the priest coughs, his voice cracking, "But in the true master of this world."

The nameless king eyes the wooden cross hanging loose from the rope belt tied around the priest's black cassock and waves the old man away tiredly.

"We will send scented candles and incense to the temple, priest." the nameless king sighs, "Pray to the Lamb God for our survival."

"Not the Lamb God, my liege." the priest says, his voice growing serious, "But the true master, the Perfect Being."

"Perfect Being?" the nameless king asks, annoyed by the Priest's insinuations, "We do not have the gold or meat to spare for one of your fancy rituals. Leave us."

"The Perfect Being does not desire such things." the Priest shakes his head solemnly, "Merely proof of my lord's sincerity."

"Sincerity?" the king repeats, his curiosity piqued.

"Indeed." the priest nods, "What is the most valuable thing a man has?"

......

And so at the priest's urging, the nameless king ordered the most beautiful maids and most handsome footmen to be gathered within the innermost chambers of the palace. As the flower of the kingdom's youth was led into the chamber under the watch of the palace guard, the king's ministers tugged at their sleeves and begged him to reconsider. There had to be another way they said. But the protests were ignored because the nameless king knew the truth. That there was no other way, not if he wanted the kingdom to survive. The king set his jaw in a grim line and signaled the priest to begin the ceremony.

As the priest assumes his place on a raised dais in the center of the chamber, the palace guards begin binding the youths to wooden stakes. Rough cloth is shoved into their mouths, securely gagging them. The priest impassively watches, his eyes as cold as ice. Once the guards have finished their work, the priest raises a withered hand, his voice ringing out as clear as a bell.

"Hear us, Perfect Being, hear us in our time of need." the priest intones. A pair of guards stand respectfully behind the priest, each holding a goblet made out of solid gold. The trio begin a slow march towards one of the captives, a young serving boy.

"We call upon you to bless us." the nameless king utters, sweat running down his back.

In a single motion the priest tears of the trousers of the boy, revealing the servant's naked crotch. A third guard runs up to the priest and kneels, presenting a ritual knife laid out on a silver tray.

"Bless us in our time of need." the priest drones sonorously, "Scour the weakness of separation from our flesh, return us to the greatness of unity."

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

The priest grabs the boy's penis with wiry strength, twisting the organ hard causing the boy's eyes to bulge.

"Accept this humble sacrifice." the priest chants, his voice rolling off the walls of the chamber.

The blade glints in the light of the torches, and flashes downward, slicing off the boy's penis in a crescent arc. There's a muffled scream from the gagged boy and blood rushes outward from the ragged wound. The priest gently places the severed organ on the silver tray as one of the guards extends his arms outward, collecting the blood gushing out of the mutilated crotch with his gold goblet. The ministers turn their faces away from this scene, disgusted and ashamed.

The priest then walks up to a bound girl, who turns her head away from him, whimpering for mercy.

"Bless us in our time of need." the priest continues, "Deliver us from the mark of imperfection, return us to the purity of unity."

"We call upon you to bless us." the nameless king chokes out, as if his throat had been stuffed with molasses.

"Accept this humble sacrifice." the priest utters with damning finality.

The guards roughly tear off the girl's top and the priest grabs one of her breasts. The tip of the blade is plunged into the pale flesh of the young woman, and the priest saws away with dogged determination, finally managing to pry the breast off. Once again the organ is placed on the silver tray and the guards begin collecting blood from the fresh wound. The priest puts the knife away and returns to the dais, where a roaring brazier had been set up.

"Man." the priest pronounces and the goblet filled with the boy's blood is poured into the brazier with a hiss.

"Woman." the next command is said, and the girl's blood is dumped in as well. Smoke begins to rise from the fires as a cold wind blows through the enclosed chamber.

"Let none put asunder what was always meant to be together." the priest concludes, "Now, say the name."

"Xir." the nameless king whispers.

"Say the name." the priest demands as the guards draw their swords.

"XIR!" the nameless king bleats, his heart pounding at the obscenity he had become part of.

"SAY THE NAME!" the priest howls with inhuman strength.

"GREAT XIR!" the king yells, a craven sound, born out of fear and cowardice. The guards charge forward, their swords cutting apart the human sacrifices. Blood flows all over the floor, seeping into the king's shoes and staining his feet.

The guards carry the silver tray forward, handing it to the king. The priest nods and places a comforting hand on his liege's shoulders. The bloody organs of both man and woman glisten in the torchlight almost invitingly.

"Now my lord, you must partake."

And partake the nameless king did.

...

And so the kingdom was saved.

Under the command of the nameless king, his armies became a force of nature, smashing apart the barbarians and driving their numberless hordes back. Once on the brink of death, the kingdom roared back into the fight, taking back not only its lost territory, but soon expanding beyond its former limits. What was once a mere kingdom had become an empire, strong enough to stand eternal. But there remained one problem.

"Priest." the nameless king growls, "Tell us the secret of unending time."

"Something only the Perfect Being possesses my Liege." the Priest bows deeply, "Mortals can only reach so far."

"We have become perfect!" the king snaps, feeling his mutilated crotch, "Yet everyday we age! We cannot leave this world, not while our empire still needs us."

"I fully understand." the priest murmurs, his hands clasped in prayer.

"What must we sacrifice this time?" the king demands, "Whatever shows of sincerity the Perfect Being wants, we will provide!"

"You merely need to become perfect my liege." the priest explains patiently.

"How?" the king asks, perplexed.

"Blood calls to blood." the priest answers, "My liege needs to reclaim the flesh of his flesh, the proof of his once imperfect nature."

"You mean ..." the king muses.

"Yes, my liege." the priest confirms, "the Prince and Princess."

"They must become one with you. As they should be."