"Great Sisk, deity of the skies and sea, we offer to you this sacrifice as our ancestors and their ancestors have promised." 

I watched helplessly as a tear appeared to slice the very atmosphere a deep red. The clouds became tumultuous, blocking out the oranges and yellows of sunrise. The rope binding my wrists and ankles to the wooden sacrificial post dug into my skin as I tried to free myself. What could I do if I somehow managed it? There was no chance of escaping a creature powerful enough to make the sky look like that. My instincts refused to allow me to sit idly, regardless. 

Rumbling shook the very earth, filling the air with a sound that sent terror down to the cells in those present's bodies. Hundreds of citizens from the mining town of Mecrosia stood a great distance away from the sacred plateau. Priestess Dayanara forbade the people from approaching lest they intervene with the rites. The warning wasn't necessary due to the stifling thickness of terror keeping them at bay. 

"Please…." I whispered, pleading with the priestess. Her voice rose as the blood-hued slice in the sky began to spread, revealing more and more of whatever realm she and her council had summoned, "Please! Don't do this!" 

"There is no other way, Nelle. Believe me, this!" Daya's voice lacked any evident emotion.

Desperate wails came from my sister, Asa, who was being restrained by Finch and his mother. If she were to ruin this ceremony, the townsfolk would stone her to death for treason. That was if whatever monster had been accidentally summoned didn't devour her, and the others, first. Meddling with the likes of Gods and adjacent realms was something most believed in and even worshiped, but I considered myth. 

Winds more powerful than that of a storm blew my about, stinging my face. Dirt and dust filled the air. It stung my eyes as I watched the tear in the sky continue to widen. Adrenaline prickled roughly at my chest, like tiny knives trying to cut themselves free. The hum of our realm being breached became deafening to the point that I was sure my ears would bleed. 

One moment, I was inwardly cursing the city I'd grown up in while accepting I was to die, and in the next, all was silent except a feathery, serpentine voice. It was as soft as a whisper. "Do not cry, Ytra. That which appears unseemly only does so because it's new to your verdant gaze. You shall adjust." 

A strange comfort washed over me, then. I blinked, tears slowly running down my cheeks both from fear and from the wind that'd so quickly ceased. No longer was the sacrificial post on the plateau's edge. Instead, it was in a never-ending field of what appeared to be the ash of a freshly subdued fire. My chest heaved as I tried to gather my composure. Words refused to form as I searched the gore-colored atmosphere for the source of the voice. It appeared I was all alone in a place that resembled hell.

"I am here if you'll only look at me," the voice came again. 

This time, when I blinked, my surroundings changed. Lush fields of flowers I'd never seen waved softly with the sweet-smelling breeze. The sky remained red, but the dark, evil aura of it had disappeared. The post was now atop a great hill overlooking a fantastical city. More importantly, a person with tousled yellow hair stood nearby. There were no whites in his eyes, making their color resemble that of a moonless night. His clothing was dark and layered, leaving his build up to the imagination, but an odd, red tattoo snaked around his neck like a choker before licking his jawline and left cheek. 

He was easily the strangest creature I'd ever encountered. Something didn't seem earthly about him. Perhaps he belonged to a race of which I'd never been taught. 

"Hello, Ytra," his soft voice interrupted my gawking. A small grin tugged at his pale lips, "The shift suits you well." 

Shift?

Finally, I snapped out of my stupor, "Where am I? Who are you?" 

A warm chuckle shook his chest. He tilted his head amusedly, "The priestess summoned me by name, did she not? Do I strike you as one who would neglect the mortals?" 

No. No, that was impossible. This….This man couldn't be Sisk. Deities and the like weren't real. They were things of myth and fairytales.

I shook my head in disbelief, becoming angry at being lied to by this stranger, "This isn't funny. What is your true name?" Did his strange eyes not see how terrified I was? If he was to kill me, one way or another, I'd rather he get on with it rather than tease me like this.

His grin widened. He paused to ponder something before making an odd, vibrating sound. It was something expected of an animal, not a man. 

In my confusion, I nearly toppled to the ground because he snapped his fingers and the binds around my wrists and ankles disappeared. 

"Some call me Halsteyn. Halsteyn Ennes. Welcome to the Chovian realm, Ytra." 

I bristled when he placed three fingers of his left hand to his forehead with closed eyes, only to open them while allowing his hand to lower until it was palm-up as though offering it to me in greeting. Rather than do so, I cautiously took a step back, "My name isn't Ytra. It's Nelle. Nelle Talleye of Mecrosia." 

Halsteyn didn't attempt to shorten the distance between us, instead watching me closely. I stared back, the lack of white in his eyes making it difficult to read his expression. "Yes, of the Grise realm." 

"Grise realm…?" 

"There are four realms in total, Ytra of Mecrosia. The humans reside in the Grise realm." The man gestured around them with an air of pride and nostalgia as he took in their surroundings, "This is the Chovian realm, home to those belonging to the Ligo race, like me." 

"So, you're not a deity?" I bit her tongue with a frown. I hadn't meant to let the question slip. 

Halsteyn hummed warmly, facing me once more, "To a pitiful race such as yours, maybe that is a fitting description, but affecting the mortal realms isn't something out of the ordinary for the great families." 

Where he'd previously brought an odd, calming sensation over me, it suddenly turned into fear. Granted his words were true, this was a being strong enough to save or destroy everything I'd ever known, and he was saying there were entire families made up of beings like this? My own irrelevance had become increasingly clear. Despite having an overall pessimistic attitude toward the situation, I couldn't stop my sense of self-preservation. I backed away further, slowly, and watched for any sign of movement. 

"As for your name, well," Halsteyn seemed unaffected by my sudden caution, "Ytra is a…title of sorts, not a derogatory term." 

He gestured casually for me to follow as he turned and began walking in the direction of the massive town below, "Come along. I'm sure you're exhausted from all of this excitement. We'll speak more once you've had a meal and some rest." 

Something deep inside me said not to move a muscle. If I followed him, I'd surely regret it. My instincts had never let me down before, so I rooted myself. With wide eyes, I watched the strange man walk for a few moments before noticing my absence. Then, he turned. With a field of violet and fuschia flowers between us, our eyes met. Ice sent shivers down my spine, freezing my body in place. Nothing Halsteyn had said or done was harmful thus far, so why did it feel like I was staring into the eyes of an apex predator? 

Before I could even bring myself to inhale again, a great cracking sound filled the air, like a whip breaking the sound barrier. The amusement in the yellow-haired Ligo disappeared. His neck snapped to the side, eyes narrowing threateningly. Something thin and black shot through the sky to wrap around his wrist, which he then tugged on. The reddish tattoo on his pale skin seemed to glow. He snapped, like when he made my bindings disappear, but nothing happened.

Like earlier, during my sacrifice, wind whipped my hair around my shoulders and face. The distinct scent of blood met my nose as I looked around for the source of the sudden madness. Then, I felt it: pain. I cried out, looking down to see a barbed wire of sorts wrapped around my ankle. Tugging at it, cutting up my palms along the way, I followed the lead back to its owner. 

A wild-looking man with a mane of messy orange hair was running in our direction. His lips were slightly parted in a grimace, revealing sharp canines. It looked almost as though he was smiling, but there was no joy or humor in it. 

I looked between the handle in his grasp and back to my bleeding ankle before putting two and two together. I lifted her hands defensively, crying out, "N-No, wait! Don't-" A second whip wrapped around the wrist of my raised hand. 

"You dare trespass on this realm!" Halysten barked over the howling wind. 

I looked in his direction in surprise, only for my captured wrist and ankle to be pulled. Stumbling forward, I tried to remain upright, tugging in an attempt to free myself, only to be yanked more decidedly. The beautiful flowers stung my skin as I was unceremoniously dragged toward the wild man. 

It hurt. I was already heartbroken at being chosen as my town's sacrifice to Sisk, confused that I'd appeared to have genuinely been taken to a different realm, and now I was in pain from being attacked by strange looking beast men. So, with nothing left but my instincts, I trembled and shook, but I also fought to free myself with tears blurring my vision. 

There were three additional men other than the redheaded one in the process of trying to subdue me, but they paid me no mind and instead focused on Halsteyn. There was too much going on for me to focus on them when my own life seemed to be on the line. 

"Filthy Ligo!" 

Large, calloused hands with what seemed to be claws wrapped around my wrists as the attacker began pinning me to the ground. I kicked and fought with all my might. It did nothing against the strong man. 

Explosively enraged, amber-colored eyes glared down into mine. Then, as though paralyzed, my body stopped obeying me and became still. 

Panting for breath, I searched the mysterious man's face, stunned. His hair was tousled and messy, long enough to almost fall into his eyes, but not quite. It was a distinct shade of orange that bordered on red, like the flames of the fireplace keeping a home warm in a desolate winter. His lashes were long and thick, framing his eyes beautifully and brushing against his lightly freckled cheekbones. 

It became difficult to form a coherent thought. Did he do something to make me like this? Why couldn't I look away from his angry face. 

He snarled like a feral animal, "What have you done with the sacrifice?" His voice was low and gravelly, and it sent terror down my spine. 

I tried to speak, but no words would come out. All I could do was stare as he became increasingly agitated. It felt as though I'd seen him before, somewhere, but that was impossible. Surely, if I'd laid eyes on such a creature, I'd recall it with ease. 

"Nassor!" 

The redhead looked up at whoever had yelled, but I couldn't tear my gaze from him. Instead, I listened as the other three men approached. It became easier because the windstorm was gradually slowing. 

"The Red Death escaped. Xaran is injured. We should retreat for now." 

Amber eyes burnt into mine once more, causing my breath to hitch in fear. "We'll interrogate this one, then." 

Bewildered, I had no choice but to allow myself to be bound and tossed over the man's shoulder. Even if I wasn't injured, I stood no chance against even one of these four powerful, beastlike men. 

(Halsteyn- Hal-Steen)

(Ennes- En-Es)

(Chovian- Ch-oh-vee-in)

(Mecrosia- Meh-crow-shuh/Meh-crow-see-uh)

(Ligo- Lee-go)

(Grise- Gr-eyes)

(Ytra- Ee-truh)