Lowly Ascent

Standing in the blood of two people, Isaac was silent as James patted him on the back.

"Great job! I've already heard from the Warden we were able to capture the other groups, however, the Greed Council member died, and we only have the prisoner called Dravo. Although this isn't the best-case scenario, the Warden has a plan. Doctor Lyns is the one who first proposed it. You know him right, the big werewolf?"

Isaac's brow perked. "Oh? What's this plan?"

James smiled, "A plan that will allow the Bureau to learn the secret to the Path of Sacrifice!"

He added, "Oh, by the way, I was given this book by the guards who went to search the areas the council might've hidden." He handed Isaac a book, "Here, this was in Lance's cell hidden behind the wall."

Isaac took hold of the book and read its title aloud. "Sin of Gluttony, a Path that Results in Overkill." Intrigued, he flipped through the book and skimmed through the pages.

'It's the same story as the one of Envy, only this one goes over Gluttony and has some minor changes. It also mentions Sloth as the Book of Envy mentions Greed. Did the author mean to mention the other Sins as a way to go forward? Or was it to show how the Sins were all connected....'

Unfortunately, Isaac would never know, the other books relating to the sins were never found.

'It seems I can only walk Envy for now, Gluttony will take up too much of my time.'

"Good?" James asked.

Isaac got out of his stupor, "Yes, It is a good gift. Thank you."

The guard commander grinned and led Isaac to the Warden.

Following an already-known path to him, Isaac entered the same lab where he first met Brandon Lyns, the massive werewolf scientist.

There, he saw countless prisoners lined up.

"These are the remaining ones?"

James smiled, "Yep, they have their use now. Our main project had been completed, that is if this last experiment is successful."

As James finished his sentence, Isaac felt the ground shake a little and turned to see Lyns walking over with jubilation all over his face.

"I'm so glad the prisoners finally revolted! It's been such a long wait! Ah, Mr. Burs, I'm glad you could make it, the data I got from you helped with some minute calculations. Currently, I'm 90% certain the sacrifice will allow us to open a wormhole to the direct location of the Sacred One!"

Isaac raised a brow, "Sacrifice? Sacred One?"

"Yes, yes! Don't you remember? It's the being beyond the portal that you saw! Through decades of research, I found the coordinates to where they are held! With a great sacrifice, we can open the way to that place!"

Brandon went on in eccentricity, "That place is special, I believe the Sacred One is trapped there, and its powers are not its own but that place's! In return for eternal imprisonment, the Sacred One gets to oversee the Path of Sacrifice and take from the sacrificer! If we can free the Sacred One, the Bureau can have someone take its place and we'll control one of the Main Paths!"

Lyns' voice was loud, he wasn't human after all. Every prisoner in the room shook with fear hearing his crazed words. They all knew who the Doctor was, and although he was crazy, he was a genius. If he was confident in taking over a path, there was at least a possibility.

"Now, let us begin! Commence the uncovering of Sacrifice's Truth!"

The guards began to funnel the prisoners up some stairs and onto the catwalk right above the massive tank in the center of the room.

"Change the tank's mode to sacrifice!"

A scientist at a control console pressed a button and a long blade popped out from the bottom of the tank, it then unfolded. The empty tank became an empty blender.

Isaac finally knew what was happening, or at least he acknowledged it. He couldn't deny something that was occurring before him.

'T-This....are they sure sacrificing prisoners will be enough?!' He worried about the probability of gaining anything from such a paltry bunch.

Luckily, Lyns' next words let Isaac sigh in relief.

"Dump in the materials! Remember, not an ounce should be left behind! My calculations were done down to the last decimal!" His eyes popped from his eyes as buckets of different materials fell into the tank along with the first batch of prisoners.

"Good! Remember, we must do this a total of seven times in an hour! Keep everything moving!"

The prisoners in the tank began to yell and beg, but their voices disappeared as a lid was lowered and sealed the tank from the outside world.

'And so the climax begins.' Isaac watched with interest.

Lyns began the sacrifice.

"Oh, great one! Herald of the way of loss! I beseech thee! Open the path to your prison, let us gaze upon your flesh and free you from your chains!"

As the sacrifice continued, James nudged Isaac, "Don't you wonder why the Path of Sacrifice and the Cults Sacrifices aren't the same thing?"

Isaac was thrown off by the sudden question, "Isn't it because the Path is for personal power, and the Gods are for religious purposes?"

"No no, not at all." James got close to his ear, "Even the gods have to get permission to encroach on the Path of Sacrifice and use it for their tunnel to the mortal world. It's just they haven't needed permission for a while since the one with power over the Path is trapped, caged by all of the gods, and something more. Do you wonder about this?"

James's whispers were like calls in Isaac's ears, he couldn't help but mutter, "Of course."

"Then follow the path of stars, follow the Kaiser, the Shepherd of Man, and the One Who Walks Among the Stars. Do not be afraid, for he was once man, and is just as curious as you and I."

'Kaiser....' Isaac's face warped, but James put his hand on his shoulder and caused any signs of strangeness to disappear.

"Just wait, you will understand all I said is true, all I know is from the mouth of god and his speaker."

Isaac was stuck in place, his thoughts in disarray.

'The Kaiser?! That cult? Why do they want me?!' He was reminded of the time in the hospital.

James seemed to read Isaac's thoughts and smiled, "The Kaiser's abilities are towards understanding his herd. He knows all of humanity and of his subjects, he knows all of you. With this, I also give a warning straight from God, "Beware the Raven, for he has lost his way from the Ancestor."

Even with James somehow suppressing his tells, Isaac's eyes dilated to a point his pupils almost disappeared from his eyes.

'Who is this God?! How does he know about me?! How does he know of the Ancestor!? What do I do?! Why should I fear a raven?!'

Isaac didn't even notice that 4 batches had already undergone sacrifice, blood dripped from the tank and collected at the bottom as Lyns continued to speak incantations and prayers. He was treating the existence of the Sacred One almost like a god.

Then, Isaac came too and saw Isabelle on the other side of the tank, her hand pressed up against the glass. She was crying.

'Oh...she survived?' For some odd reason, tears gathered in Isaac's eyes.

VRMM!

The blender started, and Isaac watched Isabelle disappear from the other side, yet her hand stayed attached to the side, left untouched but without its body, still waiting to be saved.

'Oh....' Isaac was having an internal mental breakdown. His brain felt like it was melting, too much was happening for him to deal with in time. Overstimulation on all accounts. Unlike Cain, Isaac still had a normal mind and soul, he could not fathom everything happening. 

Nothing slowed down for him, and it all continued, up until the last sacrifice was completed and the tank of blood warped black and began to defy gravity. The black blood gathered into a circular object that stretched into a wormhole.

Lyns was on the verge of crying, but he did not wish for his sight to be blocked.

"Yes! YES! This is it, my life's work!" He laughed madly.

Isaac tilted his head up, he watched as the Bureau got their way.