"The Old Belief is a rot," the Lamb’s voice rang out, devoid of its former innocence. "And I am the blade that prunes it."

"And if I do not return, Great Leader?" Eligos asked, his voice shaking.

As the Lamb walked away, the bell atop the temple tolled—not for a wedding, and not for a feast. It tolled for the hunt. Eligos looked at his hands and realized he wasn't a follower anymore. He was a resource.

Deep in the woods of Darkwood, a young follower named Eligos watched from the treeline. He remembered the Lamb as the one who saved him from the sacrificial pyre of Leshy. He had loved the Lamb for their mercy. But lately, the mercy had been replaced by a cold, calculating efficiency. The "Sacrifice of the Flesh" was no longer a whispered myth; it was a weekly occurrence.