The Sacrifice Web was quiet that night—too quiet for a place built on rituals, echoes, and ancient heartbeat-like chants. The air inside the citadel felt thick, holding the metallic scent of dried blood and incense. The floors were polished stone covered in carvings that shimmered whenever someone walked over them, as if the symbols recognized who belonged there.
Yuki walked through the Grand Hall alone.
Her steps were nearly soundless, her new aura pressing down on the space around her like a soft gravity. She wasn't used to the hallways yet—their strange curves, spiral arches, and floating lanterns that reacted to emotion—but she was learning more every day. The Sacrifice Web wasn't a place you survived by being weak.
It demanded strength.
It demanded obedience.
It demanded evolution.
Yuki gave all three.
But tonight, something felt… off.
The air shifted. A faint breeze brushed the back of her neck, cool and sweet smelling—like wilted flowers soaked in moonlight.
Then a voice behind her:
"You must be Yuki. The ascended one."
Yuki turned.
A girl stepped from the shadows with the grace of someone who had practiced entrances her whole life. Her footsteps did not echo. Her pale skin made her glow in the dim hall, and her thick, bright purple hair spilled over her shoulders like cosmic silk. Her eyes were a chilling, fiery red, burning with secrets.
She smiled—a slow, deliberate smile.
"My name is Sakura."
Yuki froze.
That name.
Her chest tightened, her heart thudding once—hard—like something deep inside her had been hit. She stared at the girl, searching her face for familiarity, but this Sakura looked nothing like the one she knew.
Nothing like the Sakura who grew up beside her.
Nothing like the Sakura who protected her.
Nothing like the Sakura who left her body and rose into the Star Web.
This Sakura was older—more polished, elegant, and dangerously calm.
"You… your name is Sakura?" Yuki whispered.
The purple-haired girl tilted her head, amused by the reaction. "Yes. Something wrong with that?"
Yuki swallowed. Her voice came out quieter. "I knew someone with that name."
"Ah," Sakura said softly. "A memory. How sweet."
But her smile didn't reach her eyes.
---
They walked together through the hall, passing the floating lanterns that flickered with strange intelligence. As they approached the inner sanctum, Sakura glided closer to Yuki, her aura brushing like icy fingers along Yuki's arm.
"You performed well in the ascension ritual," Sakura said. "Your power is… admirable."
Yuki kept her distance. "Thank you."
"You don't sound certain."
"It doesn't matter how I sound."
"Oh, but here it does," Sakura whispered. "Everything in the Sacrifice Web is built on intention. Desire. Instinct."
Yuki didn't answer. Her eyes kept drifting over Sakura's face, her hair, the curve of her red pupils. But nothing matched her Sakura.
Nothing at all.
---
They stepped into the crystalline chamber, where glowing webs of energy traced along the walls. The center of the room was filled with a massive pool of reflective liquid—something between water and broken starlight—used for visions, rituals, and sacred vows.
Sakura approached the pool and knelt, her fingers grazing the surface. Ripples rolled outward, glowing faintly purple like her hair.
"You know what I find fascinating about you, Yuki?"
Sakura's voice echoed slightly.
"You don't know how powerful you are. Yet."
Yuki's gaze hardened. "If you brought me here to test me—don't. I'm not interested."
Sakura laughed—a soft, cruel sound.
"Test you? No. I don't want to fight you."
Then her tone dropped, almost whisper-soft.
"I want your help."
Yuki blinked. "My help?"
Sakura looked up at her, eyes gleaming.
"There is someone in your old world who has caught my attention."
Yuki's body tensed immediately.
Zero.
Even the thought of his name caused a painful twist in her stomach—memories of his voice, his concern, the way he looked at her with fear and hope tangled together.
Sakura said the next words slowly.
Hungrily.
"He's handsome. Strong. Loyal. He carries the aura of a protector. A survivor. Rare qualities for a human."
A chill ran down Yuki's spine.
"What do you want with him?" Yuki asked sharply.
Sakura stood and walked toward her. "In the Sacrifice Web, power is gained through offerings. And this man… Zero…"
She smiled.
"A soul like his would make a magnificent offering."
Yuki felt her pulse spike. "No."
"Oh? You sound certain."
"He's not someone you can touch."
Sakura stepped close—too close. "Why? Because you were close to him?"
The reflection of Yuki's black eyes glimmered in Sakura's red ones.
Yuki inhaled sharply but stayed silent.
Sakura laughed again, softer this time.
"I don't want him because of you, Yuki. Understand this—your emotional attachments mean nothing to me. I want him because he is… exquisite."
Her voice rolled like silk dripping with venom.
"His aura is ripe. He's suffered. He's fought. He's loved… deeply. Those kinds of souls make the strongest sacrifices."
Yuki felt heat rising in her chest—anger or fear, she couldn't tell.
"You will stay away from him," Yuki warned. "If you touch Zero—"
Sakura's eyes narrowed in amusement.
"You'll do what? Kill me?"
Silence folded between them.
---
FLASHBACK — The Sacrifice Web Before Yuki Arrived
The first time Yuki had glimpsed the higher-ranking sacrifice ghouls, she was still adjusting to her new form. She hadn't yet mastered how to hide her aura or how to read the shifting lights woven through the halls.
She had wandered into a training room.
Chants filled the air—deep, rhythmic, vibrating through bone and soul. Older sacrifice ghouls stood in circles, performing silent rituals while their bodies glowed with marks that looked alive.
Yuki watched them with awe and fear.
Back then she still had anger.
Fear.
Confusion.
Human fragments clinging to the edges of her mind.
She had felt small.
And that day, she had seen the purple-haired Sakura from a distance, seated on a high platform like a queen surveying her subjects.
Even then, Sakura's presence made the room shift.
Ghouls bowed as she passed.
Her aura shimmered like a blade dipped in moonlight.
She was powerful.
And she was dangerous.
---
BACK TO PRESENT
Sakura's voice broke Yuki's memory.
"You're protective of him. Interesting."
"I owe him," Yuki said quietly. "He protected me when no one else did."
Sakura smiled with teeth this time. "Then I can't wait to take him."
Yuki's expression darkened. "I won't let that happen."
"Oh, Yuki…" Sakura whispered, touching Yuki's chin, lifting it slightly.
"You think you get to choose?"
Yuki shoved her hand away.
Sakura only laughed harder.
---
Footsteps echoed outside. The doors to the chamber slid open and two elder sacrifice ghouls entered. Their robes shimmered with silver threads, their faces hidden behind ceremonial veils.
"Yuki," one of them spoke, voice ancient and echoing, "your presence is requested in the Arsenal Chamber."
"And Sakura," said the second, "the High Web Mistress wishes to see you. Now."
Sakura rolled her eyes dramatically but bowed.
"Yes, yes. I obey."
She looked back at Yuki, her expression hungry.
"Don't worry. I'll meet him soon."
Then she walked away, hips swaying, red eyes burning with excitement.