The Priestess of Darkness ✔~ trixya

Chapter 32: Time For Sacrifices

Ezerishin removed the barrier from the cell, the wall of water coming down and revealing the tied up demon.
There were few demons that were more feared by the Gods than the woman in front of him, the hag Dziwozona and The High Priestess Yekaterina were perhaps the only ones.

Dziwozona and the tied up demon had in common that both were child-eaters. Dziwozona was an ugly old-looking swamp demon who kidnapped children and replaced them with her own.
They were foul creatures, demon spawn who would cause tragedy upon their human parents. The kidnapped children were usually babies, and if not saved in time by their mothers performing a specific ritual, their soul would be devoured by the old hag. Devouring the souls of children was how Dziwozona remained strong, and this demon was no different in that sense.

The tied up demon in front of him however was especially dangerous because she herself did not see that she was causing harm. She believed wholeheartedly that she was saving the kids who's souls she took, however she too fed by capturing their souls. The demon was so good at deception that she had convinced herself that she was a deity. She also did not look very different from a Goddess, she had pale perfectly smooth skin, a tiny waist, and absolutely beautiful facial features. The only thing that gave her away were her sharp eyebrows and her regular use of makeup, as most deities would not rely much on human inventions to improve their beauty.

"Hello Ezerishin, it's been a while." The woman said as she lifted her head. She was worn out and weak, having not been fed for decades, but her confidence remained. 

"It is your lucky day, the council requests your help." Ezerishin told her.

"The council? Well, I would be honored to help. I hope this means that our little misunderstanding is over, after all we both know that I do not belong here." The demon said. 

"I think we still disagree on that actually, however we have deemed this more important than your crimes, in fact we need your power." 

"You disappoint, Ezri. But anything is better than remaining here I suppose, I do also long to help my poor lonely children. They must have felt so abandoned without my stories." The woman said as she rolled her head from side to side, longing for her arms to be freed. 

"You know better than to call me that. I am a council member now after all." Ezerishin said in annoyance, cursing himself for ever falling victim to the girl's beauty.

"You weren't the last time I saw you, Ezri. You even felt sorry for me back then. You showed me mercy, remember?" 

"That was a long time ago, I now see you for what you are. I spent weeks trying to find and free all of your children, as you call them." The man told her harshly.

"They were already free. They were happy and safe. You just sent them back to a world that does not love them." The demon responded, a fire growing in her eyes from anger.

"Again, we will have to disagree. But we need your power now, so you will get to save another child. There is a young woman who has the soul of a lonely child. She is the destined partner of Yekaterina, and we need to stop her from traveling to the Realm of Darkness with the High Priestess." Ezerishin told her, trying to get on the demon's good side again.

"Yekaterina? You think she's the true heir?"

"Yes, which is why we need your help. Yekaterina is too strong and with that power she could cause an awful prophecy to come true. The girl is an innocent in all of this, forced into a cruel fate by the hands of destiny, but one of your stories could save her." The diety told the demon.

"Well, I'd hate to see Yekaterina tied down, and I'm always available to save a broken child. I'll do it." The woman told him.

"Good." Ezerishin said before removing the ropes that chained the demon to the cell. The woman rolled her wrists and stretched, having not felt freedom in 200 years.

"Ah, that feels so much better." She said before fashioning herself a new outfit out of thin air. "So, where do I find this child?"

"I'll take you to her. We need her to doubt Yekaterina's affection first, and the word of a God is likely more convincing than your word. Also, this temporary freedom is still a gift from us. We can not risk you running off on your own, Violet."