As Iris scrubbed her whole body clean from dirt and grime, she thought about the ring her father had given her. It was an onyx stone embedded in a pure gold ring and was said to be the Scarborough's family heirloom that was passed down to the firstborns of their family from generation to generation. She had recently lost the ring and was worried that she wouldn't be able to find it.
'I need to find it soon.' Iris chided herself for being neglectful.
The ring was her most prized possession—not only because it was given to her by her father, but also because it was the only thing she had that was once owned by him. No matter how hard their life was, Iris had never once thought of selling it or pawning it. Even her siblings refused to entertain such ideas, much to her relief.
When Iris stepped out of her room, now dressed in a set of clean clothes with a slightly damp towel on her head, she found her mother and siblings, seated on the floor near the fireplace, talking in low voices.
"What's going on?" She asked as she pulled the old wooden chair. Its legs made a screeching sound against the floor before Iris took a seat.
She then started to eat the almost stale bread and the soup Junifer heated for her earlier. As the warm meal reached her stomach, she was reminded of how hungry she really was. After having a small breakfast before sunrise, the only thing that passed her lips the whole day was the water she had collected before venturing out into the woods with her friends.
As she glanced at her siblings, Iris marveled at how fast time had flown by. Junifer was only two years younger than her, but her sister had seemed to become a peerless beauty overnight, with her long straight pale blonde hair and hazel eyes, she was capable of catching anyone's heart with a smile.
Meanwhile, their youngest sibling was growing up too fast. Ren would need a lot of nourishment as he just hit his puberty years and it was Iris's responsibility to look after him.
Her mother and Junifer cast Iris a worried look while Ren lowered his gaze, his hand clenching tightly over his lap. The smile on his face that graced Iris upon her return earlier was nowhere in sight.
"It's almost time for the Selection, Iris." Her mother said and Iris understood the problem at once.
Iris had never been fond of the royal family and their court. Aside from the fact that they had actively persecuted any maguses they were able to find, mingling amongst humans, she found it absurd that those people were always ready to sacrifice one of their own kind, in order to fulfill the deal they made with the darklings.
Those villages and towns near the border, including Calaren Town, were obliged to select a virgin maiden to sacrifice to the people of Asnar.
They were supposed to be young women aged between seventeen to twenty five years old. Hence, ever since she and Junifer hit the age of seventeen, their mother had always been wary and feeling dreadful that one of them, or worse, both would be chosen as the next sacrifice to the darklings.
For Iris and the rest of their townsfolk, being chosen might as well mean being sent to their death.
"Why do they need virgin maidens anyway?" Junifer frowned. "I doubt that they are lacking women on the other side."
Ren glanced at her, then to Iris.
"I asked Reverend Carmichael the same question." He said with a distraught look.
"And what did he say?" Junifer's sharp tone made Iris realize that she wasn't the only one who didn't seem to like this Reverend Carmichael whom their brother seemed to be fond of.
"He said that nothing could be done about it, and that those young women who were and would be selected should feel honored. He said that they were the unsung heroes that would keep humanity safe for the coming decades."
"You don't look like you agree with your teacher's disposition." Iris pointed out, which was surprising considering how Ren had been praising the priest to the heavens for weeks since he started attending the school for young boys that was run by the church.
"I just think it's unfair. There must be a logical reason why they ask for virgin maidens, so I kept inquiring about it until he gave me a satisfying answer."
"And that is?" Junifer probed.
Ren seemed to be hesitating to answer, but answered nevertheless. He dropped his eyes as if the answer his idol had given wasn't as good as Iris expected it to be.
"He said that the blood of those virgin maidens were being tested for impurity and magic. Those who pass the test would eventually become a bride or a concubine of one of the demon lords. If that's really the case, I find this tradition that started a millenia ago, unfair and sickening at the same time. I cannot bear to think that I could lose you and Jun because of it."
Junifer's face turned ashen. Being in a relationship with Luca, Iris thought that her sister couldn't imagine being married to darkling, much more a nefarious demon lord.
"I'm pretty sure that you aren't the only one who thinks that way, Ren." Iris commented. She forced herself to finish her food despite how unappetizing it was. Beggars like her couldn't be choosers. It was better than dying from starvation.
"The royal family is as cruel and as bad as the darklings." Junifer chimed in. "They are hypocrites!"
"Junifer!" Their mother warned her with a pointed look.
"What?" Junifer said in defiance. "I'm merely stating the facts. The Kingdom of Dravial has been hunting 'The Chosen Ones' out of fear that they cannot control them. It's clear that everyone despises the darklings and yet, one treaty was enough to leave them comforted by the safety, not noticing that we are caging ourselves."