The red knight handed the leash to Alexander, and ordered.
"Get her in line".
Alexander wasn't about to disobey, the hall was being secured by two orderly rows of knights in red armor like the one that escorted them.
The sacrifice didn't try to resist, she even led Alexander as she got on her knees.
"Now or never".
Her voice once more rang into his head, this time cold and detached, it was like she was preparing to do something crazy.
Alexander didn't think deeply into it.
"What do you want me to do exactly?".
"I want you to drop your defenses, and grant me access to your soul".
"Really, we just met, don't you think it's too soon".
Alexander didn't see, but the sacrifice lady rolled her eyes.
"My essence is sealed, and I need access to yours".
"OK, we could do that, except I don't have any essence, I'm not even a caller yet".
The lady furrowed lightly, her confusion evident.
"Why do you use terms I do not understand?".
Alexander didn't know how to explain to her that he was from a future where humanity is about to be extinguished by an entity they do not understand, and have to rely on a mystic construct to cultivate powers that break reality in order to survive.
"Forget it... I just don't have any essence".
The sacrifice lady went silent, Alexander didn't know what she was thinking about, that was until she spoke.
"Your soul sea seemed to have just been opened, and whoever did it definitely wasn't gentle with it... If you relax and trust me, I can show you how to use essence".
As soon as she finished, Alexander recalled what happened the moment he entered the tower.
So that was the tower opening my soul sea, old man Jerry did mention something like that, apparently it's the source of a pathseekers powers.
"How do I know you won't try to hurt me?".
The lady slightly turned her head, not enough for Alexander to see her complete facial features, but enough to see her sincerity.
"I can swear a soul contract with you, it will make me your slave, but considering how weak you are, it won't really affect me much... but I need you to promise to set me free".
Alexander and the sacrifice lady kept their eyes locked, that was until Alexander responded.
"Sure, let's do it".
... ...
The soldiers erupted into a furry, they began to smash their spears onto the ground in a rhythmic pattern.
Alexander's guard rose, he lifted his head, and from an alternative route, another open corridor a few meters above the ground.
Four figures wearing crowns walked out of the shadows, Alexander couldn't see them, but from their body shape, three of them were men and the one in the middle was a woman.
Alexander suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, he brought his head down, the sacrifice lady was emitting a cold aura that sent shivers through his very soul.
Her eyes were directed at the woman wearing a crown, such hatred, Alexander hated lots of people, heck he hates most of the people he knows.
But this was different, it was a hatred that spelled, you die or I die, one of us can't live in this world with the other still in it.
Alexander felt the gaze of the woman land on him for a split second before it fell down to the sacrifice, the next moment.
She spoke.
"My child, it pains me when you look upon me with such hate filled eyes... If you promise to tell the truth, and tell me where you hid my codex, then I may grant you mercy".
Before the sacrifice lady could respond, another of the shadowy figures wearing a crown spoke up, disdain dripping from his mouth.
"Your codex? You and your daughters stole my most prized possession, and you dare to claim it as your own, even in my presence... your shame knows no bounds".
The other two shadows chuckled lightly, the female monarch went silent for a moment, then she spoke once more.
"Let's not focus on the minor details, we have a greater cause to pursue, isn't that right Carl Arthorne".
Carl Arthorne snorted.
Alexander lowered his head further.
"Carl Arthorne, the pale scholar, is known to be the most knowledgeable of the five monarchs of humanity at the time, he also owned a legendary book called the codex, apparently it held the knowledge of anything and everything in the world...
Alexander glanced at the back of the sacrifice lady's head.
... The pale scholar also forbade the black tongue, even though he was hailed as the greatest master of it, now in our present world, it's considered impossible to use its sorcery".
Alexander still felt cautious, he didn't completely trust the sacrifice lady, nor did he want to take his chances with the monarchs.
And to make matters worse, he still hadn't figured out what was happening, there was never any mention of a ritual sacrifice orchestrated by the monarchs, nor did any pathseeker ever come across a mystery relating to a sacrifice girl with such hatred for the monarch of the void.
In the tower of mysteries, ignorance leads to death.
Alexander allowed himself to calm down, he needed to plant his seed, just in case.
"You can go ahead and use my soul essence, but you better keep your word".
The lady glanced at him, before a beautiful smile spread across her face.
The next moment, Alexander felt the weight of a consciousness surge into his head, the pressure was so intense, his knees almost went limp.
Meanwhile, the monarch of the void, after seeing the sacrifice lady close eyes, she stepped forward, her voice cold and audible.
"Let us begin".
The next moment the guards suddenly stopped pounding their spears, and raised their heads.
The other guards standing behind sacrifices raised their spears, seeing so, Alexander quickly imitated them.
"Anytime now".
"Your soul, it's... a little".
"A little what?".
"A little too big".
"What?".
The lady didn't answer, because the next moment, a mouthful of blood sprayed from her mouth.
The guards and the red knights paused. The monarchs didn't particularly react, except for the void Queen.
She spoke once more.
"Is something wrong, my child?".