Sacrifice is the greatest love a parent shows their child.

~Mother Danu, The Primordial Goddess of Nature

Crow tried to catch all these details as they sped by him at high speed. Strangely, he was fascinated by his grandfather’s story. It was beyond his expectation, and he didn’t know what to feel. Pity was the only word that came to mind, but it still couldn’t quench his hate. No matter what the man went through, he was still a tyrant and would massacre anyone that touched what belonged to him. It explained partly why the man took away Cia. Either way, no matter how bleak the situation, Crow couldn’t find it in him to show the man sympathy. Those were choices Gideon made out of cowardice.

Time passed so fast that Crow couldn’t even try to see what was happening, and he found himself back where it started… the room with the Blood Embers. Gideon and his men were older and more hardened. Crow knew this was his grandfather, the man he met when he was three. There was still the same scent of blood and death on him, and his clothes were expertly tailored.

A woman’s voice entered Crow’s head.

“The man lived a pathetic life and an unfair one. Luck was supposed to turn for him, but… you’ll understand soon why you need to see this.”

“Who are you?”

“We’ll meet soon,” the woman laughed, and Crow felt the darkness from what he’d witnessed getting dispelled from his soul. One word jumped into his mind—primordial. “I must apologize ahead of time. There are things I cannot let you know yet. So if they come up, I’ll need to block your senses.”

“What? Why?” Crow felt cagey and uneasy.

“Do you believe there is some knowledge in this world that, once learned, will harm you?”

“I do,” Crow sighed. It felt like he was being scolded by an elder or his father. Knowing some things too early will disrupt the mind. It may even create a temptation to cheat. These were his father’s words, and this strange woman was throwing them back at him.

“Then you have your answer. Please do pay attention now.”

***

Gideon stepped over the bodies, careful not to step in any blood. Silence settled over the chamber as he took his seat on the throne. He’d always felt a throne was tacky—a way for an impotent man to feel powerful, but sitting down, he finally understood.

The expectant gazes of those who followed him, the dreaded gazes of those that didn’t—this was prestige, his prestige. It was the accumulation of his power for all to see. This throne was the core of his power, and it would force those that entered this room to kneel. Even if they didn’t want to, the throne was a power that carried its own pressure independent of the man sitting in it. That was the power of ritual and prestige.

Besnik had people drag the Blood Saint Trio to kneel before Gideon and forced their knees onto the blood and corpses of men that remained loyal to them. Biter was missing his eyes because his accuracy with ranged combat was too scary. Larro had his legs and arms crippled because his strength was nothing to scoff at.

Jeram was the one that would succumb to his injuries first, and by the looks of it, he’d bleed out in minutes. Gideon begrudgingly admitted that Jeram was a formidable opponent and wouldn’t have minded having him as one of his generals. But their fight was too brutal, and Gideon sustained too many serious injuries to capture him. Desperation forced him to deal a mortal blow to the strongest opponent he’d fought to date.

“Barrow, get to work,” Gideon commanded. “Start with Jeram, as he doesn’t have long to live. And… treat him dignity—a warrior like him deserves this bit of mercy.”

“Yes, sire. I’ll take care of master first. I’ll do as you say, but he may try to expedite his death so his soul can escape. If he tries, then you cannot blame me for what happens.”

“Agreed. Do it,” Gideon grinned, watching the three brothers struggling vainly. Now they knew the true meaning of karma. While they lacked the capability of showing regret, they at least understood their own stupidity.

Gideon was ecstatic, but his cruel grin made his enemies shudder in revulsion. No one took what belonged to him, and now he was finally taking back his dignity. And more than that, he discovered a way to absorb the vitality and luck from a freshly made Blood Ember. More precisely, it was Barrow who figured it out. The problem was the person had to have higher cultivation, or it was pointless.

“Traitor.” Jeram hissed, and blood bubbled out of his mouth.

Hours later, Barrow had turned the Blood Saint Trio and its loyal members into Blood Embers.

Their intelligence was vital, and everyone that supported the trio was turned—they did not spare those with questionable leanings either. The transition of power was smooth after that. Only when Gideon cleared a spot on the wall to place the Blood Embers of the trio did he breathe a sigh and relief. In a rare show of goodwill, he allowed his men to raid the sect and take treasures. Dogs only remained loyal to their masters when they were rewarded, a lesson the Blood Saints should have learned long ago.

Gideon stood up and went to the door behind the throne. It was the living chambers of the brothers, and his men refused to enter before him. Crow was watching all this and felt the tug of the Hag Stone leading him toward those rooms.

Looking through Biter and Larro’s room, Gideon found nothing worthy of his attention. But in Jeram’s room was a locked chamber, and taking the key Barrow had given him, he opened the door to find a workshop inside. Several men followed him in case there was trouble, but other than a large chamber filled with strange equipment, there was nothing except another door.

Unlatching it, he found a raven-haired beauty that had no equal. Gideon felt like goddesses couldn’t even compare to this woman. The act of sex disgusted him, and since the time he was raped, he hadn’t even been able to get an erection. Even the thought of intimacy and physical touch would cause him to shudder. He knew his people joked behind his back and called him a eunuch, but it was one insult that never bothered him.

Still, his revulsion to carnal acts might have been his one redeeming quality in Crow’s eyes.

At least until this moment, he’d never entertained the thought of being with a woman. Even the useless appendage between his legs stirred, which he found ludicrous. While his cock bounced in his pants, his men were gasping, and he could feel their eager breath filling the room. Even his cock couldn’t help but respond, and what he thought of as a useless appendage finally stirred. Even unbathed in disheveled clothes, she was a beauty that kingdoms would go to war for.

“She’s mine,” Gideon loudly declared, and all the admiring sounds stopped immediately. Even Besnik struggled to look away. He’d stood beside Gideon the longest and had never seen the man react to any woman. They paraded thousands and thousands in front of him, but he always remained disinterested. Instead, he gave them over to his men so they could rut like dogs. Besnik even noticed that his boss’s cock, and could only smile bitterly.

“Who are you?” the woman asked.

“Gideon.”

“My name is Lauren, and you need to return me to my coven.”

Crow suddenly knew this woman was his grandmother. A beautiful name fitting of the woman that wore it. He couldn’t help but feel emotional upon seeing her, and he thought about how his own mother had suffered. It angered him, thinking about how this man had driven his kind-hearted grandmother to her grave.

“A witch?”

“Yes.”

“I’m afraid that won’t happen. I’ve claimed you.”

“I belong to my coven, not you!” Lauren spat out vehemently, but Gideon’s hand grabbed her face with a rock-hard grip. The bones creaked as if they wanted to shatter, but the woman initially stared at her assailant defiantly.

Flesh to flesh contact triggered part of Lauren’s ability, and she shuddered, feeling a misalignment in both their karma. Lauren’s eyes turned black, and within the abyss of those dark orbs was a spark of starlight. Vision after vision assaulted the woman, and Crow watched as a few strands of her hair turned white. Out of everyone present, other than Crow, Gideon and Besnik both noticed the results.

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The visions were burning away her vitality. Crow already knew this, but seeing the slow rate at which it happened, he knew that little bit could have been cured with the right pills. It made little sense why Gideon would neglect her to the point of death.

“What did you see?” Gideon asked after her eyes returned to normal.

“Our daughter,” Lauren replied, and because of what she saw, there was no way to resist the man any further. This was her fate.

Suddenly, Crow saw and felt his grandmother stare at him from across time and space. It was disconcerting and even crazier was that he could hear her thoughts.

*I am pained in my heart, knowing how you will struggle, knowing that I won’t be able to hold and comfort my grandchild. I’m sorry that you are about to witness the loss of my dignity and pride as a powerful witch, mother, and grandmother. This won’t make it easier for you, but I’m choosing this path for you. I sacrifice to give you the best chance of survival and do so willingly. You don’t need to pity me. My actions are out of love, and as long as you hold it in your heart, then I’ll be with you always. There is no escaping my fate. Ciara must be born, or Gideon will never lose his power.*

Crow felt an inexplicable sadness. Why did it have to be this way?

That night, she let Gideon take her. The man wasn’t cruel, but his lovemaking was cold and heartless. He refused to kiss or touch her with his hands. He made her lay at the edge of the bed, and he entered her in a domineering fashion. The only part of him that touched her was his cock and hips. His mechanical thrusting was dull and lifeless, but it was enough to get him to ejaculate.

Immediately after he finished, he went and bathed. He repeated these actions every two days. It was like clockwork, and Crow’s grandmother knew when to be ready. It only made Crow angrier, witnessing his jackass of a grandfather.

It took a month before she got pregnant, two to three months before she realized it.

Time flowed on once more, and Crow found himself in a beautiful courtyard filled with vibrant and colorful flowers. A little girl ran around the yard, and Crow knew he was looking at his own mother as a child. However, it was his grandmother that caught most of his attention. She had aged tremendously in a few short years. Her hair had turned white, and her bright eyes were now dull and cloudy.

*If you are listening, my death is near. I carry two bloodlines—*

A small jump in time occurred, and a faint voice whispered to him, “You can’t know that yet. It’ll continue in a moment.”

*—so beware of the upper realms.* Crow sighed internally, knowing that something vital was blocked from his view. *Grandson… I can see your beautiful face and inquisitive mind. I’ve ignored Gideon’s wishes and used my vision to see how you and my daughter grow. Oddly, I feel closer to you than my daughter.* Crow noticed Lauren, his grandmother, was silently crying so that her daughter wouldn’t notice. Inconspicuously, she wiped away her tears. *Thank you. Whatever allowed you to see this moment also gave me the chance to know you are alive and well. Remember, grandma will always love you with all my heart. So you must live bravely and freely for my sake. My death is near, and now I don’t feel as sad. Tell my daughter I’m sorry I couldn’t give her a life of love and smiles as I promised, but maybe her son can.*

Crow bawled his eyes out. He knew it wasn’t just his grandma, but everything he’d seen had drained him physically and mentally. All his life, his father taught him to hold family above all else. Although he never met his grandmother, she did too much for him for the sake of familial love. He couldn’t repay these debts in three lifetimes, much less this one.

There was an overwhelming sense of loss, grief that shook his soul. Crow howled out in pain, and it carried so much anguish that it surpassed all the combined suffering he’d experienced in his seventeen years of life.

“I love you too, ma-ma,” he whispered hoarsely and reached out to touch the tears on her cheek. His hands went through her face, but his grandmother reached up at the same time as if feeling his tender touch.

Lauren said nothing more but a smile gave life to her eyes once more.

Gideon stormed into the courtyard, and just by the set of his face, Crow knew the man was beyond angry. It was the same look he had when he took Ciara away. It was his selfishness—unwilling to give up what he claimed as his.

“Tell me,” Gideon said through grit teeth. “What did you do to me?”

“Does it matter? What is done is done, but ironically, I wasn’t the one that severed your karma. You did. I just helped repurpose what you abandoned. Your karma, luck, and possibly your power and vitality, they all existed out there, waiting.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Gideon asked, and Crow, still numb with emotions, also perked up.

“All the things you suffered over the years… don’t you think it odd you never caught a single lucky break? Sure, you claimed this sect and became one of the strongest in the tower. But you fought against all odds to do it. Did you ever wonder why? How could a smart man like you never notice?”

“I won’t ask again.” Gideon’s calm, warm voice was scarier than his cold, evil one.

“Karma is about balance—this is something every kid knows. You suffer calamity after calamity, and it would grant you a chance to reverse that fate. Your luck takes over, and things go your way. Or maybe you were inordinately lucky—at some point, karma takes it back. This is the great balance, and that Truth can’t be refuted. However, there is another truth: we can make sacrifices which can subvert the balance.”

Gideon’s cold eyes narrowed. “You gave it to our daughter.”

“Wrong,” she said. “But at least your brain works correctly. A sacrifice can only pass to a blood relative. In reality, I didn’t have to do anything. You already sacrificed your karma—do you remember when?” Lauren grinned cheekily, and Crow suddenly remembered something important.

“You lie. What is mine will always be mine.”

“No, you lost what was yours the night dozens and dozens of men raped you,” Lauren laughed in his face, taunting him with a look full of disgust.

Gideon lost control and grabbed his woman by the throat and slammed her against the courtyard wall. His hand squeezed, wanting to vent his rage and humiliation by tearing her throat out. It was only through his insane willpower that his fingers stopped pressing into that soft flesh. “Bitch, I’ll fucking murder your child in front of you.”

“Bad daddy!” Ciara screamed and kicked Gideon in the shin. He backhanded the little girl, sending Cia tumbling until she laid still on the grass, unmoving.

Lauren laughed, despite having her throat crushed. There was no fear or worry in her eyes, and Crow felt sure that her confidence stemmed from his presence. Gideon loosened his grip. The dark rage lightened, but he couldn’t stop his lips from twitching—they bounced between a thin white line to baring his teeth in a snarl.

“Who has it?” He hissed.

“I don’t know who has it. Maybe an aunt or an uncle, or a future descendent. Either way, it is out of your reach. You’ll be dead long before you can reclaim it.”

“Who gave you the right to take what belonged to me?” Gideon’s flat, dead voice demanded an answer.

“I’ve already told you—” Cough! “—it wasn’t me that set that in motion—you did. I just gave it a nudge.”

That was the day that Gideon spiraled out of control in a fit of desperation. His sect raided everyone and everything, seeking an answer and prolonging his life. He found some methods, but they weren’t enough.

Every morning, he came to Lauren’s room and grabbed her by the throat until she’d scry for him. Crow watched the montage of his grandmother’s decline into death. By the end, he was numb and could only stare at the frail woman who died with a smile on her face. Her eyes were staring right at Crow.

The Sluagh appeared, and it was part of that history and also not. Unlike his grandmother, he knew the Sluagh was here to talk to him from the past.

*Do not worry, young one. We didn’t take her soul to join the Great Hunt. Consider it an act of kindness from us to you. She died with a great vengeance in her heart, but we will consider this your first favor for us. Avenge her.*

“You know I fucking will. I’ll tear that bastard’s heart out with my god damned teeth,” Crow said through grit teeth.

Caw-caw-caw! Sluagh laughed and flew off, disappearing as it does.

The only consolation Crow had was that other than the time he slapped Ciara, he mostly left her alone. Crow’s mom was lucky because she showed no talent in scrying, so her father couldn’t use her like he did Lauren.

That and Crow realized how cunning his grandmother was. Watching the days pass by, he realized that Gideon, in his mad rush for answers, forgot the lesson Lauren had taught him. Everything should be done in balance. She toyed with his emotions and blinded him by inciting his rage. It worked, and he fell into another trap of her devising.

Even if Gideon didn’t participate, he commanded his sect to raid, pillage, rape, and murder. Every atrocious action his men made in service to him impacted his karma, forcing it to act against him in greater force. It was Lauren’s last gift to Ciara and Crow because it would ensure Gideon didn’t get what he wanted.

***

Crow’s eyes snapped open, and he stepped back from the stone table.

The Hag Stone disappeared into Crow’s Soulscape, and he fell to the ground and curled up into a ball. Everything he witnessed crashed into him like the waterfall outside, and it wrecked him. His body shook, and he couldn’t stop it, and even an occasional sob escaped.

Nin grabbed him and hugged him to her chest. Lily sat on his shoulder and hugged his neck. They didn’t know what he’d gone through and weren’t sure how to console him, so they said nothing. Crow fell asleep in their arms, but they didn’t move. Nin could feel he had soaked her clothes with tears, and she cried without knowing why. The pain in his soul was something she could feel, and it suddenly reminded her of her own mother.

Hours later, he woke up but remained despondent.

“You okay?” Nin broke the silence, unable to take it.

“I will be. Just give me some time to myself,” Crow said and disappeared into one of the small dead-end tunnels. He knew Nin and Lily were concerned, but it was too raw and painful. He couldn’t talk about it. Hell, he wasn’t sure how he felt.

A woman he never met gave up everything to make sure he lived. How do I take that?

It was too much. No one should have to suffer that much for another, especially someone that hadn’t been born yet. Crow was sure she had also severed her own karma to give to him as well, and he was sure it all had to do with him being unfated. Soul Burn was never his true curse because it wouldn’t have happened without his unfated status—that was the real curse.

“Ma-ma, thank you,” Crow whispered and vowed to live a life worth living. “Father Oak, please bear witness. By limb and root, I make this vow. Grandmother Lauren, I will take up your promise to give your daughter a lifetime of love and smiles. And I will make sure you have many great-grandchildren who will also live their lifetimes full of love and smiles. By root and limb, I freely make this vow.”

Lily and Nin, who had secretly been spying on him, heard his vow and backed away with tears and smiles on their faces. Both knew Crow went through something awful, but hearing his promise, they felt the vow affecting them, too. In a way, he was promising to make sure they were happy as well. It was a vow worth making, and Nin swore in her heart that she’d help him achieve it—no matter the cost.