Felici expected Lima to take her to the Dernewts household, being Hilma's maid, but they hurried past it. She wanted to ask where they were headed, but the mushrooms were taking effect. Feeling lightheaded, she began blacking out, barely able to feel her legs. If not for Lima pulling her along, she would have collapsed. Soon, she fainted.

She woke hours later in a familiar room. The smell reminded her of attending Council meetings with her father—over-fermented palmwine and mutton. She spotted Lima talking to an old man preparing something. Before she could process it, the man was feeding her a mysterious mixture while Lima held her mouth open. The liquid slid down her throat easily.

Felici jolted awake, drenched in sweat and hyperventilating. Feeling nauseous, she reached for a nearby bucket and vomited, recognizing parts of the mushrooms in her puke. "This is beneath me," she sighed, falling back on a pillow. That’s when she realized she was on a bed, in a room, and nearly naked. "Ah? My clothes!" she screamed, discovering only her undergarments beneath the blanket, and they weren’t hers. A knock on the door startled her.

"May I come in?" a male voice asked.

"Of course not!" she shouted, searching for her clothes. She saw them hung out to dry, her undergarments included. "Who are you?" she demanded.

"It's annoying you don't remember after all the trouble you've caused. I'm—"

"Elder Giovanna?!" Felici interrupted.

"Ah, you do remember."

"Why am I here? And why am I naked? Are you a pervert?!"

"That’s disrespectful!" Elder Giovanna snapped. "Lima undressed you. I only brewed the herb to neutralize the mushrooms. Why would you take your life so lightly?"

Felici didn’t answer. "Whose undergarments am I wearing?"

"They belonged to my wife."

"Your wife? You're married?"

"I was. She passed."

"Oh. May her soul rest in peace."

"I hope it doesn't."

"What?! Why?!"

"She was horrible."

"Don't speak ill of the dead!"

"She was my wife; I can say what I want!" He hit the floor with his walking stick. "You're infuriating!"

"Why?" Felici thought, "Why would this man so strongly wish for his wife to suffer, even in death. Someone he claimed to love." She knew he won't give her answers if she asked now, so she decided to soften him up first. "For what it's worth, she had really good clothes." Felici crossed her legs.

"She always had the best clothes. Those undergarments are top-grade silk. Take them off before you leave."

Felici chuckled. "I'll think about it. So what happened between you?"

"It’s a long story."

"I’m not going anywhere." She still couldn't feel her legs.

"That’s just a side effect of the drug. It’ll wear off soon."

"Oh, Alright. So-"

"Hmm," he sighed. "When I was young, this village was very poor. People got sick all the time. The men were weak and the women were just as frail. The children they begot were no different. Very few people were born healthy, but no one was lucky enough to get the assurance of a good life. Crime and all sorts of despicable acts ran high as people were willing to do whatever it took to survive. At first, it was just the flesh being sacrificed but soon, some people found a way to sacrifice their souls. It was the birth of witchcraft."

"Witchcraft?" Felici asked absentmindedly.

"Yes, a ritual performed to summon demons and other ethereal beings. This sudden power caused a massive imbalance in the village. Ethics, Vitality, Conscience, Morality, Love, Loyalty. Everything was put to the test. My parents who were burdened with the task of leading such a vile village, trained me well enough to pass those tests and grow up with peace of mind, but they weren't as lucky. They gave their souls to give me a better life and the strength to lead the village in their stead. They died few years later."

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

"A parent's love," Felici thought.

"Years later, I met my wife. We fell in love. But she fell ill. Unlike me, she wasn't born with a healthy body. She needed help, but I couldn't help her. No amount of gold and silver coins could heal her. But, my soul could." Elder Giovanna clasped tightly unto his walking stick with both hands. "Since I couldn't make it happen with my own power, I summoned a demon and offered my soul. But instead of selfishly asking that my wife got a healthier body, I asked for something much more, I asked that this village should prosper. I asked that sickness, poverty and witchcraft disappear with the flow of time. And the demon accepted the exchange, on the condition that once every year, a new born child of his choosing be fed to him."

"What?!"

"That wasn't all, he also asked for all my seed, that I may not bear any children throughout my lifetime."

"And you agreed?"

"What choice did I have? Now that I think about it, he also made me swear to grant his own wish."

"What wish?"

"It doesn't matter."

"What about your wife?"

"We tried making a child several times but it was to no avail. At some point she thought something was wrong with her womb. I assured her that there wasn't. Since everyone in the village had forgotten about witchcraft, I couldn't tell my wife about the demon and our contract and risk it circulating again."

"So?"

"Eventually she got tired of the insults from the villagers and ran away with another man."

Felici gasped.

"I was so frustrated that I suggested breaking off the contract with the demon. It was hesitant at first but it decided to remind me of the horror that used to thrive within the village. So for five years, all sorts of illness ran rampant in the village and evil began to reign again. During that period, people began to leave the village at an alarming rate. I knew if I didn't do something the village would be empty in less than a decade. So I adopted a load of orphans and began training them with the sole purpose of putting a stop to the constant desertion from the village."

"The Baale," Felici realized.

"Yes."

"Lady Ursula told me."

Elder Giovanna hesitated, "Come to think of it, that was how I met Ursula."

"Huh?"

"She was an orphan. I took her in alongside other children but she was different. Something about her was different. So I raised her in secret as my daughter."

"What?! Lady Ursula is your daughter?!"

Not biological, but yes. I am. Although she didn't really accept me as her father. She was a grumpy and stubborn child. But she was exceptionally brilliant and gifted. She tried to run away several times but she was caught. Although she did manage to escape once, but she came right back. Nevertheless she didn't come back home, she stayed on the streets and made a life for herself soon after."

"Why are you telling me all this? Do you plan to sacrifice me?"

"No, nothing like that. It's only but the ramblings of a dying old man. I just wanted someone to listen to me before I go."

"You're dying?!"

"Yes. The demon says my time is up."

"What do you even mean?! What will happen to do village after you're gone?! Are we going to start suffering again?!"

"Not in the least, everything will go on as they are."

"How?"

"I renewed my contract with the demon. Except when I'm gone, Peter Jon will oversee the contract in my stead."

"Peter?! Peter knows about this?!"

"Yes, he's known for a really long time. I personally made his father an Elder so I'll be able to relate properly with him. He's been coming here since he was just a toddler, preparing to take over from me."

"Why would you do that?! That's horrible!"

"It's a necessary evil. In exchange, I promised his father that there family will never suffer, and when the time was right, he'd have more wealth than he could dream of."

"You mean the demon promised him."

Elder Giovanna looked at his palms, "There isn't much difference between us now anyways.

"No wonder he's so arrogant and immoral. You made him believe that he could get and do whatever he wanted in the village and get away with it." Felici lamented.

Suddenly, the front door opened.

"Father! I'm back!" Lima called.

"Father?!" Felici was shocked.

"Yes, just like Ursula, she's my daughter. So are Irin, Sade, Asa, and others."

"Asa?" She gasped. "Lady Ursula's maid?"

"Indeed."

"You put each of them in the homes of each Elder."

"Indeed. I needed to be aware of everything that was going on within the village. I couldn't afford to condone any rebellious attitudes that could lead to mishaps."

So you decided to spy on everyone?!"

"I've done worse."

"You've done better! Why do you keep stooping to such lows?"

"Because if I don't no one else will."

"I'm coming in", Lima announced then opened the door. She was with a plate of food. "Here, eat", She said then dropped it on a stool beside Felici.

"How did it go?" Elder Giovanna asked Lima.

"Pretty good, everyone is rioting now and are currently headed towards the Dernewts household." Lima replied. "I should probably be headed back there before Hilma gets suspicious."

"Indeed." Pleased, Elder Giovanna agreed with her.

"Wait Rioting?The Dernewts household?! What do you mean?!" Felici leaned forward.

"I asked Lima to go spread rumors of the planned desertion of Jerome Dernewt and his pregnant wife Ravea Semira, who's child has been chosen as this year's tribute."

"Are you insane?! They could kill them!"

"Jerome probably, but I doubt they'll lay a finger on Ravea. Besides, if it stops them from leaving, then so be it." Elder Giovanna turned and walked away.

Felici immediately tried to come down from the bed but she fell down. She still couldn't feel much of her legs.

"That's not good", Lima said then helped her back unto the bed. "Just eat and rest, at this point, there's nothing you can do."

Felici was so infuriated. Her blood felt like it'd start evaporating if she got any angrier than she already was. She reached for the bucket beside her bed and threw it at Lima, covering her with mushroom puke.

Lima screamed and immediately ran out of the room to clean herself.

Elder Giovanna hurried into the room after he heard her scream. Meanwhile Felici who had managed to crawl behind the door, dumped the hot food on Elder Giovanna, snatched his walking stick and jabbed him hard in the stomach with it.

"You insolent child!" He screamed as she hurried away.

"Please let me make it in time, please", Felici prayed in her heart.