Spare Me

1094

The gods need to be appeased. The quickest way is a sacrifice. Not your time, not your money, but a human life. Hawks found this out the hard way.

A fire ravaged the forest, forcing animals and people from their homes. The burning blaze was too much for one winged man to handle. Trees collapsed and pinned animals under them. Black smoke filled the blue sky. It was hell on earth.

Hawks knew he had to do something and fast. The people were dying due to smoke inhalation. Their livestock cooked alive and burned to a crisp. A flurry of questions ran through his mind.

How do I put out the fire? Water is scarce here. Is the fire god upset with us? Did somebody not pray to him?

The fire god, Dabi, is known for being temperamental. Out of all the gods he's the one nobody wants to disappoint. So why was he upset now? He provides them with warmth, power, light. Beauty dances in his blue flames, evil trembles when hearing his name. He's the protector of the island. The chosen God by the people.

Hawks ran a hand through his blond hair, desperately trying to think of some way to appease this beast that was rearing its ugly head. The forest fire crackled, engulfing more vegetation in red and orange flames. It hungered for something more. A blast of hot air ruffled his bright red wings and almost instantaneously an idea sprung to mind. A human sacrifice. That's why the flames ate everything they touched.

The realization of what he needed to do almost made the young man double over and heave. He needed to choose somebody from his village, from his family, to be tossed into a burning inferno with no chance at survival. It would have to be done in secret. Nobody could know. As if this wasn't bad enough, he already had a candidate in mind.

Tsunagu Hakamata. The village's resident denim diva. Last year he has suffered a collapsed lung from a horrible work accident and hasn't been able to open his shop since. He's been laying in bed, letting himself rot away. Back in his old days, he was a big help to the community. All of that was gone now, he was nothing more than a nuisance; a symbol of what you shouldn't be.

His feet seemed to move by themselves, dragging his body towards Tsunaga's hut. The sleeping body wasn't easy to move, much less haul over his shoulder. Luckily it wasn't a long trek back to the burning forest. By now the blue sky had turned pitch black with the smoke from the blaze. Heat seeped into Hawks's body and the smell of burning bodies filled the air. The raging fire seemed to pause, sensing the intent to make a sacrifice.

"Dabi, God of the flame. Please accept this offering to cease your destruction!" Hawks yelled into the flames, tossing Tsunaga's body with all his might.

The body was quickly swallowed in the flames. A black figure made its way over to where the body landed. It grabbed the collar of the body and began dragging it. A glowing blue smile formed in the flames and dissipated as quick as it came. The fire died down, retracting into the center. It seemed that the body had appeased the God and saved the town. Hawks let out a sigh of relief. The life of one man had saved the lives of hundreds of others. But now the guilt was on his hands.

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Name: Jay

Fav Character: Denki Kaminari, everyone's favorite knockoff Thor. He's my favorite because honestly? Crackhead solidarity.

Why I want to : I enjoy interacting with other writers. Writing is one of my favorite hobbies, one if my only hobbies if I'm being honest lmao.

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