Reeva glanced at the two figures looming behind Wanr—the rchant, Landlong, and the man he now knew as the mayor. His mind raced, trying to keep up with the depth of their infiltration. The city was on lockdown, controlled from the inside by this cult. Not only that, but the church, which should have been their strongest ally, seed to be compromised.
Reeva clenched his fists, his thoughts spinning. How deep does this go? The mayor’s calm deanor was unnerving, especially as he spoke about death as if it were a gift.
"Nice to et you, Mayor," Reeva said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He needed to buy ti, but the tension in the room was thick enough to cut.
"The honor is all mine, young one," Wanr replied with a serene smile as if Reeva’s attitude ant nothing to him. "I’m glad we could et before this place becos a paradise. It’s unfortunate you can’t see the truth."
"Your paradise is just death." Reeva shot back, the disgust evident in his voice.
Wanr’s smile didn’t waver. "Is that such a bad fate?" he asked, as though genuinely curious. "Even gods seek death."
Reeva’s brows furrowed. "What do you an?"
The mayor took a step closer, like a preacher ready to deliver his sermon. "Let enlighten you. Before the Circle, there was an existence—so powerful it could create a thousand worlds like ours. Yet even that existence fell. Even the strongest gods cannot escape death. So why fight it?
What’s the point?"
Reeva raised an eyebrow, his mind scrambling to put the pieces together. "Have you seen this existence yourself?"
Wanr chuckled, the sound dry and hollow. "No, but our god has revealed its fate to . A tragic end for sothing so vast, so beyond our comprehension. You don’t have to believe , but you’ve seen the universe from our perspective, haven’t you? It’s all suffering. And that’s enough for our cause."
God is everything... and nothing. The realization hit Reeva like a hamr. The void entity, the cult, the talk of inevitable decay—it was all connected. And it wasn’t just an idea, it was a full-blown movent, pulling in the powerful and the desperate alike.
Wanr’s voice broke through his thoughts. "Let ask you one last ti—will you join us? The offer extends to all of you here." His eyes flicked over to Hilda and Theia, who stood tense and ready beside Reeva.
Reeva locked eyes with Wanr, then glanced at Hilda and Theia. He could feel the weight of the decision pressing on him, like a vice closing in around his chest. Joining them ant power and understanding, but also submission to this twisted worldview. Rejecting them would an a fight against not just a cult, but an entire city controlled by these maniacs.
What do I do?
Wanr waved his hand toward Hilda as well, but she didn’t react to his gesture. The only word that mattered here was her master’s, and she knew exactly what he was going to say.
"No, your world makes sick."
That joyless place filled with nothing but grey and doom, where every movent is pain and even existence is a burden. It couldn’t be further from his dream—a dream of happiness and life. A world where everyone lives together in joy.
"Such a pity. There’s no need for more talk."
Wanr’s eyes shifted from the serious expression of a mayor to the cold glare of a killer.
"DOOM!"
He shouted the word, and as he did, it materialized, forming letters that flew toward Reeva. Reeva’s eyes widened as he managed to dodge just in ti.
"What the hell was that?"
Reeva couldn’t help but curse. The word that had co out of Wanr’s mouth beca a reality, attacking them with a straight, destructive force. It crashed into the wall, crumbling the structure. Had there been a room behind it, it would have been exposed.
"KILL!"
The voice echoed again, sending another attack toward Reeva. By now, he understood how the attacks worked and dodged again. Yet, monts later, Reeva felt the impact of the words strike him.
"Master!"
Hilda’s voice cracked with worry as she watched Reeva, who had seemingly just stood still, taking the blow. Reeva, confused, had no idea how the attack hit when he was sure he’d dodged it. Another word flew at him, and though he dodged it again, it hit him a second later, landing square in his chest.
"Master, dodge it!"
Hilda called out before throwing her knife at Wanr. The blade flew through the air, aiming directly at Wanr’s neck. She activated her power, intending to make him feel the pain. But once again, the attack appeared to miss.
From Reeva’s perspective, Hilda’s aim was slightly off, which was strange. Normally, she never missed shots like this, but it seed as if she had deliberately thrown wide. Wiping the blood from his mouth, Reeva stood and scanned the room.
There had to be a factor he wasn’t considering, and Reeva identified two possibilities: Landlong and Lola. Lola was doing sothing at the altar—Reeva knew it couldn’t be good, but his attention wasn’t fully on him.
Landlong, however, was staring at Hilda with wide eyes, unblinking, like a man srized by a great performance. It clicked for Reeva—there was sothing going on with him.
Without hesitation, Reeva let his power surge. But this ti, he controlled it, ensuring it didn’t overwhelm his mind. He dashed forward with his half-demon speed, moving at an insane pace. In seconds, he was across the room, reaching Landlong. His fist swung with all the force his demon form could muster.
But a mont later, his strike hit nothing but the ground.
He was seeing sothing different from what was really happening.
"Illusions?"
"Smart," Landlong confird, no longer bothering to hide it now that Reeva had figured it out. "Most people fall for my tricks and never realize what’s going on," he said, casually brandishing his sword.
"You’re fine with telling your secret?"
"It won’t matter either way." And with those words, Landlong charged, deceptively fast for a man of his build.
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