: Cult

As we approach the city I feel a frequency of power that is familiar to me, not of an individual but of a group, whose one I have a history of resentment, I felt just a few of them in the city, but I don't want to risk anyone announcing it to the world. that I'm still alive, not so soon.

I jump over the wall, I don't want to deal with bureaucracy before I know what they're doing here, I grab the other side of the wall and quickly jump to the house with the nearest roof and keep going until I jump straight into a deserted alley.

Well, not exactly deserted, since five people were in it, but other than that, a secluded, deserted alley.

They were five men, the clothes were nothing special, if you don't know what to look for all five wore a ring on their middle finger with a red stone inlaid and carved to resemble dancing flames, the work is of good quality the flames seemed to almost come out of the rings, the problem is the stones on which the carvings were made.

Lapis stones, I'm not talking lapis lazuli, I mean the kind that would have lowered Baha's torture count by one. Lapis stones can recreate the sensation of an energy or phenomenon, basically they are the painless entry into the world of Synchroners.

What this tells me is that this group only has Synchroners ranging from stage one to stage three, I don't think I have anything to worry about if I take out such an insignificant group other than spoiling the Gray Flame Cult's plans. It's simply the best way to get back on track.

Thinking about it, I almost move so as to rip the head off one of these bastards with my bare hands, the scene unfolding in my mind is enough to make me smile like never before in the last decade, but that same decade and a few more have taught me how to restrain myself, so I haven't separated their heads from their necks yet because I'm going to use them before I get rid of them.

I've just found sparring partners for my non-disciples, I think about it with a smile almost as big as if I'd beheaded the cultists.

Gray Flame Cult I wasn't going to look for you guys anytime soon, but since you showed up of your own volition, I obviously have to give back some of the suffering you put Old Star and I through.

The same way I got here I jump into another deserted alley, with no one this time, and then I return to the normal streets and head to the first tavern I find.

I need some alcohol to take my mind off the emotions of a crowded city.

Said tavern was on a corner, it has two floors with the first being used to serve customers, the second is probably the owner's residence, the interior has nothing special, I go to the counter and sit on one of the five benches arranged in the front of it, and knock twice on the wood of the counter.

Not long after I hear firm footsteps, probably descending the steps of a ladder, the tone I hear changes, probably a change in the material of the floor. From the door behind the counter a man pulls back a curtain of wooden strings, he appears to be in his early thirties has a short black beard and thick, equally short hair and wore a reddish brown apron.

"Usually people don't come to mumble about their lives until a couple of hours from now, dear customer, so I ask you to forgive me for not being answered promptly."

The likely owner of the place says this in a jovial, calm tone. I wonder if in medieval times back on Earth all professionals in areas that required constant interaction with clients also served as therapists?

Probably not, but maybe the kindest ones.

"Fine, I'll just consider myself lucky just because the place is open, which is why it's open at this time of day, not to lose a random customer who can come here only once in a lifetime?" I ask, doing my best to speak in a tone as calm as his.

"Everyone has bills to pay, so an extra customer who came in here simply because the doors were open even if they never come back as long as they pay is still a profit." The owner answers me without much thought.

"Well, if so, I'll give you some profit, bring me a glass of vodka." Alcohol to my throat finally.

"Yes sir." He responds as he takes a bottle from under the counter and a small glass, which he fills with vodka and pushes it to me.

"Here it is."

"Thanks."

We exchange basic pleasantries and I tip the glass in my mouth without thinking too much, I just want to not think about the constant noise in my mind for a while.

"Another one please."

"Okay, just take it easy buddy." The owner speaks with audible concern, glad kindness isn't one of the emotions I sync, I definitely don't need more noises in my head.

Another glass comes to my hand, this time I take the liqueur in small sips, let's see if the cheating bastards or the cultists missed something because they thought no one in the masses would notice.

"So, I'm new in town, is there somewhere everyone here should avoid at all costs?" I ask casually? I don't know, usually I can just break it down until I have an answer.

"Um, let's see, I don't think other than things that would go wrong in any city, there's nothing of note here." He replies "Not to mention the friend is more intimidating than most bad guys."

This one has good eyes.

I can be worse if necessary.

"Not even a new group that has heightened tension between the authorities and local criminals?" I ask again.

"Um, tension between the local criminals and the authorities?" He asks himself with one of his hands supporting his chin " I don't know if it's the kind of tension the friend is referring to, but there's a group selling some incense that supposedly comes from the Eternal Dawn, so far it's just an exotic product, but according to rumors, everyone who used these incense began to preach about purifying themselves in burning coals and letting the black smoke wash away the impurities of our souls."

Okay, that was more obvious than I expected.

"This is exactly what I was looking for. Can I take the whole bottle?" I ask as soon as the realization of the neglect that the cult has with the local authorities passes.

"As long as you pay." The owner responds, in the same tone as usual.

I know there was nothing special about our conversation, but is this guy by any chance chronically calm?

So jealous.

"Done deal." Chronically calm or not, I need to slow my thoughts down a bit. "Out of curiosity, please answer me: do you ever ask for the names of your customers?"

"The friend clearly doesn't intend to come back, and if he does, I ask for his name while I pour him drinks, not to mention the friend stinks of trouble." Wow, how straightforward and practical.

I say goodbye to the owner without ever asking each other's names, while I'm drinking the vodka straight from the bottle, I've obviously paid. Now, time to find the brats.

Not that it's difficult, especially Mingten, red hair and unique energy, it must have been hell having to hide her Yanan, good job.

I spread my senses like a sound wave, I'm looking for a man with Fire Ki and a girl with Wind Ki plus an energy that resembles fission, that part still bothers me.

I found them.

Well, I've risked enough with the exaggerated entrance, I'll go to the brats walking slowly, mostly to enjoy the drink.

Twenty minutes later, with the bottle empty, I arrive at a simple inn, exchange a few words with the owner of the place, an exchange that came dangerously close to becoming a battle of insults, luckily, I managed to contain myself.

After this episode, I head to the room the brats supposedly rented for me, the same as the last inn, only everything is a little older. I should have added two more insults to that decrepit old man.

Well, fuck it, I'm going to torment the brats to see if my mood improves.

I still remember their energy, and following that information I go to the room opposite mine, and knock on the door, normally, without trying to destroy anything.

"What's it?" Baha answers the door with the face of someone who has just woken up.

"Special training session." I say with a smile, which, without a doubt, does not hide how much I enjoy their suffering.

He pinches his cheek, then lets out a sigh of resignation, drags a hand down his face, and gestures for me to enter.

"Goes into." He says "Nightmare from Hell" the last part in barely audible whispers.

Keep it up Baha, one day you will start talking in infrasound frequencies, and I will finally not hear your grumbles.

"You remember how you became a Synchroner don't you?" I ask abruptly.

"Yes, of course I remember" He says, with a bit of the resentment of what happened dripping from his lips. "You two made the occasion unnecessarily memorable, in the worst way of course."

In fact you could have quite easily forgotten Baha, trauma. Had he never heard of it? Well, whatever, I'm not here to talk about that.

"Memorable, huh?" I talk to the juggler again "Nice way to put it on, but that's not usually how you wake up a Synchroner, the usual method involves using a special stone to not put everyone who tries to become a Synchroner within half an inch of death."

"Are you saying I suffered for nothing then?" he asks raising an eyebrow, which in turn distorts the tattoo next to it.

"Well not for nothing." I start talking, and like many other times I don't care if the listener really understands what I say "It was to save time, and because I don't have that kind of stone with me and more importantly it would be a lesson if you survived: shortcuts usually come with of extreme pain."

"Like the training you put us through." This is neither a mystery nor a novelty, Baha. "And I almost died because you didn't want to waste a few hours?"

"Not hours, months." It's gotten too tangential. "None of that matters now, what matters is that you brats are going to get one of these rocks tomorrow."

From the look on the juggler's face, I don't think I could completely hide my excitement.

"What kind of hell are you thinking of throwing us into, Kaz?" Baha asks with concern written all over his face.

Not the best of tattoos.

"Hell? I don't think it's going to be that bad" unfortunately "but if you can get your 'training' opponents to try one, I'd love to hear and see such hell"

Cult bastards, they deserve even worse as far as I'm concerned.

Fortunately for them, procrastinating anything that isn't urgent, even when I know it's going to be more troublesome in the long run, is one of my many strengths.

That and leaving projects unfinished for others to complete, like I'm doing with the brats.

Amuse me, cultists, the fact that I can only watch you suffer while you're alive is all the more reason I shouldn't exterminate you all at once.