ELLA

As she spoke, the scenery became distorted for a split second, then changed completely. We were back in the field filled with bloody puddles, and I watched the moment when she made the sacrifice replay.

She had started by cutting her wrists and making specific incisions in different parts of her body.

She had dropped her other weapons and begun walking toward the enemy. The pack members who were still alive saw what she was doing; they thought she had gone insane from the trauma of losing her family and didn’t try to pull her back.

But they heard the chant and joined her. The atmosphere intensified, and I...