Chapter 62: The Theater (6)
Everly was grateful for her past meditation training, which had given her a strong heart. Even in such an urgent situation, she was able to think clearly and calmly.
She asked, “Rebecca, I have a question—according to you, when a sacrificial magic circle is activated, it automatically draws life from nearby living beings. If that’s the case, why aren’t the masked people caught in it? How can they survive the sacrifices—what protects them?”
“Good question!” Rebecca snapped her fingers and then explained to Everly that sacrificial rituals generally fall into two types.
The first type is a sacrifice with a fixed range. This is more common. Before the sacrifice, people use runes, Hebrew letters, or alchemical symbols in the magic circle to define that the sacrifice is limited to the people or objects inside the circle. During the ritual, as long as one stands outside the circle, one’s safety is guaranteed.
The second type is a sacrifice with an unfixed range. This is rarer because it carries the risk of harming the organizers themselves.
To protect themselves during such rituals, the organizers usually need a strong enough faith so that the deity can clearly distinguish between the worshippers and the sacrificial victims. If the deity is an evil god, multiple steps to “please the deity” are usually required, because evil gods are often capricious and unpredictable. If they’re in a bad mood or simply entertained, even the lives of their most devoted followers can be taken without distinction. If the worshippers do not perform actions to please the deity beforehand, they might be indiscriminately attacked.
“These masked people clearly worship an evil god. In the theater, they go on a rampage, killing indiscriminately. First, this terrifies the survivors, making them too afraid to resist. Second, it satisfies their twisted, perverse pleasure in killing. Third, it’s an attempt to please their god. The more fear, pain, and despair they create, the more pleased their god is, and the higher their chances of survival.”
“I see.” Everly felt a bit disappointed.
Earlier, she had speculated that perhaps these masked people held something that could identify them—like talismans or totem badges—that protected them from the effects of the sacrificial ritual. If such things really existed, she and Old John could plan an ambush in a secluded spot, take a few of the masked people’s items, and use them for protection.