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5 YEARS IN THE PAST

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❝ The Scarlet Church was her family. ❞

JYN HAD NOT BEEN ABLE to swallow anything during souper. Her own apprehension was reinforced by the excitement of her demon. She looked at herself one last time in the mirror of her little room: her braid wrapped at the back of her head revealed her neck. She was wearing a simple shirt and pants, as well as her hunting boots. If it had been any other day, one would have thought that the young woman was simply leaving for a trip to the forest.

But it wasn't just any day ─ and she was not just any young woman.

Her demon remained silent, full of victorious anticipation. Jyn put on her patched coat, then left the room with a brisk step. She did not feel ready for fusion, but she knew that the Church had put their hopes in her, and she did not want to let them down.

She didn't want to disappoint her new family.

Hiding her apprehension behind a mask of determination, Jyn crossed the white expanse that led to the temple, behind the Church. The snow was squealing under her boots. It was the only sound that broke the deafening silence of the night. When she looked up, the young woman realized that the moon was full ─ she shivered.

Once she arrived at the door, Jyn did not hesitate. She pushed past it and entered the temple. The impressive number of candles, as well as the reddish light that lit up the large room, made her hesitate for an instant.

"Jyn", called Priestess Ava.

She was standing at the back of the room, on a raised slab. The other members of the church were also standing, but lined up on both sides of the room. Jyn started at the clear path leading to Ava.

She advanced. Behind her, Priestesses gathered, blocking her access to the exit.

"Kar'ak?" she whispered without stopping.

The demon did not answer. However, she felt him gloating inside her mind. Jyn finally arrived in front of Ava. In her long red dress, her face painted red in a complicated drawing, the Priestess resembled the scarlet goddess depicted on the paintings.

"Kneel here, child."

Jyn did so. She had never disobeyed an order from the woman who had raised her. Ava leaned over her, a sharp dagger in her hand, and grabbed her wrist. The young woman didn't flinch  when the knife cut into the palm of her hand. Jyn closed her fist, ignoring the pain, and dropped a few drops of scarlet blood into a small container.

"Close your eyes," said Priestess Ava.

With her eyelids closed, Jyn could hear her own heart beating quickly. She tried to relax. A cold touch on her face: the woman's fingers drew intertwined lines on her forehead, on her cheeks. Once a couple of  final lines were drawn around her eyes, the contact broke. She opened her eyes.

The Priestess glanced at the rest of the room. Silent, about fifteen members of the Church watched the scene attentively; some prayed silently to the goddess Scarlet. Jyn noticed from the corner of her eye that each of the Priestesses was dressed only in fine white robes ─ and their hair was loose. That never happened.

Ava grabbed her chin to get her attention. 

"Repeat after me."

She began to recite a litany in a language unknown to Jyn. At the end of each sentence, she tried to repeat the strange words without mispronoucing them. Her mind seemed to blur, but the cold contact of the marble floor through the fabric of her trousers grounded her in reality.

Finaly, the Priestess fell silent. Uncomfortable, Jyn also remained silent for a few long seconds.

"Dékum kai koms emqupié, Kar'ak", concluded Ava.

The Jyn's irises instantly turned red. A smile stretched her lips as she stood on her legs. She dusted her pants, cracked the joints of her neck. Her red, piercing eyes rested on the Priestess facing her.

"Kar'ak," Ava bowed. "Can Jyn hear us?"

"No."

The voice that resonated was not Jyn's. It was deep, vibrant. Not human. The Priestess shuddered in spite of herself ─ the demon's smile spread.

"We think her body is ready for fusion," she went on. "She has all the characteristics you described to us."

Jyn ─ or rather, the demon ─ nodded slowly. He had only taken possession of the girl's body once in the past: when the Scarlet Priestesses had found her, in the midst of the two corpses and a pool of blood. It was the only time they had communicated without Jyn's presence ─ but that was enough. The Church had, under his orders, prepared Jyn's body for fusion.

"We are ready," murmured Ava.

She raised her hand and the others began to sing the strange litany with their eyes closed. Very slowly, the demon rolled up the sleeves of his ─ or rather, Jyn's ─ shirt. 

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Jyn returned to herself. Still kneeling on the marble, her gaze met that of Priestess Ava. What had happened? Had she fainted? She swore she'd lost consciousness, but she didn't know for how long.

Ava was holding a knife.

"This is the last step, my child. Close your eyes."

But something was wrong ─ why were the priestesses' eyes red and puffy, as if she were holding back her tears? Jyn looked at the knife. Ava's hands were shaking and her fingers were still covered in the blood that she had used to draw on her face.

No. There were too much of it. Jyn looked down: she was kneeling in a pool of blood. Instinctively, she rose in a flash, and turned to sweep the room with her eyes.

There were only corpses left. The scarlet liquid splashed on the ground, the walls, the pews of marbles. The faces of the Priestesses were frozen in an expression of infinite terror. Jyn was startled when Ava laid her hand on her cheek, gently, in an almost maternal way. Their eyes crossed.

"Ava..." she whispered, paralyzed.

"Shh, Jyn. We have to finish the ritual."

The knife was still shaking between her fingers.

"No!" Jyn retreated, vacillating. "Who did this? What... what happened?"

"Kar'ak has gained strength. He's powerful enough, now... kneel down."

For the second time in her life, Jyn did not obey. She observed her own hands covered in blood: it was she who had done this. The massacre. It was her. With a short breath, the young woman retreated a few steps. She forgot to walk and failed to fall back. The floor, covered with the scarlet liquid, was slippery. But Jyn caught up to a stone column, cold and reassuring contact, and tried to regain her spirits.

What was the purpose of the knife? What was the last step?

Jyn did not have the opportunity to think about it very long. Without her realizing it, the Priestess had slipped towards her. A piercing pain ─ Jyn released a small hiccup.

Ava had just stabbed her in the stomach.

"Shh..." whispered the Priestess, holding her in her arms. "This is the last time, Jyn. The last time you suffer. The last time you die."

Something awoke in the young woman's mind. The last time? She coughed: blood splashed on Ava's Carmine dress. She could feel her strength slowly leaving her, as it did every time she died by stabbing. Her voice was no more than a faint whisper:

"Wh... what?"

Ava stroked her cheek once again. The last time someone was so sweet to her, Jyn was still with her family.

Her family.

The Scarlet Church was her family.

"Your body and Kar'ak are finally strong enough to merge. He will take possession of it. You have nothing to fear, my child... you're gonna join your brothers and sisters", explained the Priestess.

Jyn's eyes widened. As all her energy seemed to leave her, her irises turned red. Ava dropped the young woman's body on the ground.

"Kar'ak?" she called.

But Jyn blinked, and her irises returned to normal. She coughed again. The demon was fighting to take possession of her spirit, she felt it. But she couldn't let it happen ─ she didn't want to die. Strange, if you thought about it. Jyn had already died countless times by this point. 

She stood up. Around her, the ground was strewn with red and death. 

The demon had done this, not her. And if Jyn let him take her body... the mountains of corpses would continue to pile up. She could not ─ she would not ─ let him do it. With a sharp gesture, the young woman removed the knife from her belly and let out a cry. She pressed one hand against the open wound, then rose with difficulty.

Priestess Ava watched her through her tears.

"Don't fight! Don't destroy everything we have sacrificed..."

Don't fight.

Jyn raised her head resolutely. If Kar'ak spoke to her by thought, it was because he had not yet the full control. She turned to Ava.

"Kar'ak's forces will weaken, won't they? If I hold out until then... the merge won't happen?"

The Priestess remained silent for a moment. Then, without letting go of her gaze, she replied:

"There's no point in fighting fate, Jyn. You're his. And you're bleeding out."

The young woman put more pressure against her wound. The Scarlet Church had prepared her body to be strong for years: now, she bore pain better than anyone. The wound was not that deep. She could survive ─ at least until the demon lost the forces he had gained through the massacre.

Jyn crossed the Priestess's gaze one last time. One last silent goodbye. Then she rushed to the entrance of the temple. Outside, a snowstorm was raging.

Luck's not on your side, Jyn. Just give up.

The young woman shook her head. If only she could use her magic to heal herself... She advanced a few steps, but her forces deserted her for a moment: she fell into the snow. The snow became stained with blood. Jyn's hand, still pressing against her belly, was shaking.

Let me win this!

The demon was getting angry. It meant that she frightened him. Suddenly, a thud made her turn towards the temple. Jyn opened her eyes and watched flames devour the walls. Behind a window, Ava's silhouette stared at her with a sad look. Then, her carmine dress slowly went up in flames.

"Ava..."

What did she do?

She sacrifices herself to me. Like the other Priestesses... as it is your duty to do as well.

A tear fell down Jyn's cheek. She squeezed the snow between her fingers, then rose.

"Shut up," she ordered in a dark voice.

The young woman took a few steps in the snow. She quickly reached the ramparts. The wind, in the hollow of the mountains, was blowing louder and louder.

Let it go. It'll be over soon ─ you don't have to suffer unnecessarily.

"Since when do you care about the suffering of others?" she replied.

Jyn walked along the void, towards the forest. Her legs were weak ─ her steps, uninsured.

Give up.

"No."

The snowstorm was pushing her back.

Let me take control!

"No!" she cried.

Her cry resounded through the snowstorm. She screamed, as loud as her lungs allowed, despite the pain that clouded her vision. A blinding light shined around her.

"Leave me alone!" she cried again.

The light faded slowly. But the storm was still raging, and Jyn was getting weaker and weaker. She walked, one step at the time, her determination never weakening.

"I'll survive, you hear me? And you'll be a prisoner. Forever," she whispered.

But since her heartbreaking cry, the demon was silent. She barely felt his presence, weakened, in her mind. Jyn continued walking, entered the forest.

The Scarlet Church was not her family. She had no family. 

All of her training hadn't been for nothing, and Jyn was strong ─ she was not giving up. She would survive.