What's the most humane form of ritual sacrifice? [closed]

Question

Not sure if this is off-topic, sorry. I'm writing a cult ritual to summon a powerful entity. The ritual must include: 1. A willing sacrifice 2. Them being stabbed in the heart 3. Their death taking place during the ritual.

But they don't have to die of the stabbing specifically. I was wondering if it would be more in line with my cult's motivation if they drugged the sacrifice or something? They care about this person's comfort and it's as consensual as a killing can be.

How can one die comfortably while being stabbed?

Answer 1

Since death is not actually required from the stabbing, taking all possible precautions to avoid the sacrifice's permanent death is by definition the most humane method.

1. Start by training a skilled cardiac surgeon as the ritual leader.
2. Perform the ritual in a sterile cardiac surgical theater.
3. Obtain access to the sacrifice's heart using sterile surgical tools, making as small an incision as necessary while the patient is fully sedated.
4. Prick the outer edge of the heart muscle with the ritual dagger, just deep enough to draw blood. That will have to suffice as a "stabbing".
5. Sew the patient up still very much alive and put them in an ice bath with a blood-ox pump hooked up in standby mode.
6. Use cardiac paddles to stop the heart, immediately turning on the blood-ox pump to keep the icy corpse fresh while the surgeon finishes the ritual's incantations and liturgy.
7. Have some other members of the cult escort the summonsed powerful entity out of the theater.
8. Pull the corpse out of the ice bath and use the paddles again to restart the heart.
9. Pay the sacrifice $1,000,000.00 for their participation and give them a free ticket to anywhere the powerful entity is not likely to go.

Congratulate yourself! You are now a successful demon summoner without having killed anyone. That is a very exclusive club!