Four years later, Cineris and the Priestess walked through the dining area. Cineris's cloak was down, exposing her white, silky long hair and fox-like ears, though both women wore the same white cloaks adorned with red stripes along the edges. The tables were placed by the wall, stacked on each other, the room cleared for the ceremony.
Every fox-kin villager. Man, woman, and child—knelt before the path of a red carpet, a pathed way to the praying room. The villagers murmured prayers as the Priestess and Cineris walked by.
Two men standing by the doors to the praying room grabbed the handles and opened them, the armor of the Winter Knight stood watch, lifelessly, as they walked in.
Before the lifeless armor, a circle had been drawn on the floor, and within it, a five-point star—both etched in blood.
Behind them walked four cloaked villagers in white robes adorned with red stripes along the edges, covering their faces with a hood.
They carried four rare beasts: a Snow Killing Snake, a White Mosaic Fox, a White Mosaic Bird, and an Albino Salamander.
The Snow Killing Snake, its pure white skin with blood-red patches along its spine and white eyes, was wrapped around a villager.
The White Mosaic Fox, his fur porcelain white as well as his eyes, lay on his back in a villager's arms; from his paws emanated a chilly mist.
The White Mosaic Bird was held calmly in arms, his grey reflective feathers shimmering. His eyes were red as blood, and his beak was closed with a metal muzzle, for his voice would immobilize everyone in the room within seconds of its ring.
And the Albino Salamander lay on the back of a villager, his feet and mouth tied with rope, his pure white scales and red eyes watching. His breath spewed blue flames.
Those four beasts were exceptionally rare; an entire year had taken to gather them for the ceremony. The priestess and Cineris knelt down before their holy armor. The priestess placed her cane to the side and clasped her hands together, saying, "Oh great lady… we have come before you to offer these offerings for your resurrection to the creator."
"Oh great creator… we offer you these four rare beasts… We have come to offer them as an atonement for our lady… so please, we'd like to please you with their sacrifice… so that you would release our lady to us, once again."
Using the cane to anchor her weight, the priestess stood up, her back arched. She pointed her cane at the beasts, saying, "Please place them in the cages… and leave us alone here…"
The four villagers bowed and walked towards the cages, placing the beasts inside. They came back to the doors, bowed again, and walked out, closing the doors behind them.
The priestess turned towards Cineris. "It's a shame you can't talk here yet… not yet. I'd love to give you the priestess job… but you're not sixteen yet…"
"Watch closely what I do… and say… so you'll be able to do it yourself next time you can."
Cineris nodded as she turned her head towards the armor's boots.
"Then, bring me the white mosaic fox to the sacrificial painting… please."
Cineris nodded and walked up to the cage which held the white mosaic fox. She slowly opened the cage and took it out; it calmly stayed in her arms as she carried him to the sacrificial place.
The priestess walked up to the bloody drawing and exhaled. She reached under her cloak and pulled out a dagger—a golden dagger adorned with two diamonds on the front and back of the hilt. Its blade was adorned with the following words: "Oh great creator, please forgive our Lady, please resurrect her, for we are in need of serving her."
The priestess knelt before the white mosaic fox and groaned in pain. "Now listen carefully… and please remember it."
Cineris smiled, her tail and ears wagging vigorously as she nodded, listening and memorizing every word.
The priestess inhaled and spoke: "Oh great Creator… we are here to offer you this rare mosaic fox for you… to please your being. We beg you to accept it and hear our pleas. Please… we plead that you'd resurrect our Lady, our greatest Winter Knight… for we are in need of serving her. Please heed our pleas. We have continuously sacrificed every year for nine hundred and eighty-four years… sacrificing to you without any fault."
The priestess gripped the sacrificial dagger in both of her hands and extended it over her head, saying, "Please accept our sacrifice yet again!" She thrusted the dagger into the white mosaic fox's neck. It shrieked and thrashed in pain violently as Cineris held it down, blood gushing down into the five-star painting.
The fox immediately went limp, its eyes rolling up into its eyelids, its life withering instantly.
As it died, the star glowed with a red light and the blood and the fox disappeared.
The priestess exhaled and looked down at the dagger, smiling. With her half-blind eyes, she longingly looked at the star, saying, "Thank you, our great creator, thank you for accepting our sacrifice."
Cineris watched as the priestess exhaled; her eyes glimmered as she swallowed her saliva. She watched every move and listened to every word, knowing she wanted to be like her.
"Now… child, bring me the rest of them… one by one."