The glow of the Heavenfire Sea lit the sky, making it nearly as red as blood. It definitely felt inauspicious. However, the sky was so far away from the sea that the light which reached it was faint. The darkness swallowed up everything else, making everything gloomy. The ground beneath the cages was so dark that the blood which dripped onto it didn’t register.6

The caravan left a trail of blood behind it. Surrounding the cages were members of the Twofold Alliance, who had greedy expressions on their faces as they licked their lips and eyed the cages. As far as they were concerned, the humans locked in the cages were delicious morsels of food. At the same time, they were sacrificial offerings, live food that could be offered to the cathedral for safety going forward. Arrangements such as this had existed in ancient times, and they still did now.3

It wasn’t just humans who found themselves in such a plight. Throughout this part of the Moonrite Region, lesser species were all suffering the same fate. They either became food to other species, or they became sacrificial offerings. The weak are the prey of the strong. That maxim was more true here than anywhere else on the outside.3

However, there are some...4