Chapter 236
Carynne lives again.
Just like Catherine.
After Dullan swore to assist the weeping Catherine, she taught him many things. From history and theology to cooking. Catherine never mentioned how many years she had lived, but it was clear she had lived much longer than she appeared.
And so had her mother. And her mother’s mother. They had enjoyed far more time than others, accumulating vast knowledge and sharing it with their descendants. The stories Catherine told were related to her history and the stories of saintly sacrifices. These were stories not found in history books, but theology as recounted by the sacrificial victims themselves.
But those memories would no longer be passed down. Carynne’s memories would be completely erased. And she would be isolated from the world.
That is what Catherine wanted. She loathed the fate imposed upon her.
“These stories are no longer necessary. Carynne is not livestock—she is to find love. Not to bear children… but to choose true love only.”
Dullan thought of the animals he had killed as he looked at Catherine. She had eyes like those of a cow. It wasn’t just the eyes. Their essence was no different from that of cows or sheep.
They were flawless sacrifices given to humanity by the gods. Their personalities were mere accessories. What mattered was their perpetuity, their repeated deaths.
She reviled it.
Catherine loathed her recurring fate. God had bound them in a cycle of repeated deaths. The only way to escape this cycle was to give life to the next generation of sacrifices.