Remot's Rise
With a satisfied sigh, she closed her eyes and spent a few minutes enjoying the warmth.
Michael watched her with great interest from the lone chair in the small room. Slowly, a smile crept onto Veronica's face...
"Like what you see?" she asked from her fiancé.
He just chuckled a bit... "Well, there is a reason why I want to marry you!"
"Wait, what?! You asked for her hand already... You two sure are moving fast. Haven't you met like two weeks ago?" said Tom, his voice sounding a bit defensive and deterrent.
"Oh, shut up Tom! Haven't you wanted to marry one of your classmates on the first day of school?"
Both she and Michael laughed, while Tom just grumbled in both of their heads...
"I was ten years old... Whatever... Could you two stop staring at Veronica's breasts, its very annoying!"
Both Michael and Veronica stared at each other in confusion.
"Uh... Tom, can you see what we see?" asked Michael with curiosity.
"Not only see, but hear and smell too, so stop staring at my sister!"
Veronica groaned when the reality of the situation settled in her... "Please tell me you can turn it off. I don't want my brother watching me while I have private time with my soon-to-be husband!"
In their heads, Tom made a vomiting sound... "Yes, I can, thankfully. Believe me, I don't want to watch that either... It makes me sick just to think about it..."
Both Veronica and Michael sighed in relief. Then they laughed hysterically. The situation was just so ridiculous and weird...
"Anyway, let's talk about more important matters! For example, the man that wants the Theater, and the organization He leads!"
After hearing this, their laughter quickly died out and pure focus took its place.
"First, let's talk about the organization itself. It's called Remot's Rise..."
The name was unfamiliar to Michael, but Veronica seemed to recall reading it. Her mind was foggy about the details, which was another cause for concern.
"That name sounds familiar. I think I remember reading it in the Mysticism Book." she said, while Michael stared at her with confusion.
"You couldn't read it in there. I have read that book dozens of times, and there was nothing about an organization called Remot's Rise." said Michael, and in their heads Tom confirmed it.
"There are only two unorthodox organizations mentioned in the book, the Chaotic Order, and the Bleeding Reality. Also, I highly doubt that you could've read about it anywhere, since they keep a very low profile."
After Tom spoke, the room turned silent. The more Veronica thought about the more clearly she remembered reading it, but there was no use thinking on it further. There had been a good deal of strangeness around her, so one more wasn't too surprising.
"What is Remot's Rise?" asked Michael to get back on track.
Tom stayed silent a bit longer, then when he spoke, his voice was worried...
"They are an organization which wants to bring back an ancient God or something. They are a bit poetic and artistic when it comes to the organization's purpose. I'm not sure if they meant to bring back the God, or take its power, but what I know is that they are ruthless and cruel!"
"Really, you don't say. I thought they were kind, and that's why they killed me and our family!"
Veronica tried to sound sarcastic, but a bit of anger and pain still boiled into it. Tom's voice was the same as he laughed without joy...
"What are their numbers, and how powerful are their members?" asked Michael, the ever persistent voice of reason.
"No clue. I know every real member is from either the Dancer, Vocalist or Soundless path, but their exact number is a mystery. I'm also not too sure about their overall strength, but I'm sure there are multiple Angels in their ranks!"
"Fuck... That's bad..." Whispered Michael, his face showing fear and worry.
Veronica wasn't sure how many Angels and stronger Ascended a church had, but she was sure that a secret organization shouldn't have that many.
"Yeah, but you don't have to worry about those. Your real concern for now should be June…"
"She is a very cunning individual, and her ability is perfect for manipulation. My information is a few weeks old, but last I heard, she was preaching in the Dirt District, enticing the crowds to revolt. How is everything now?"
Veronica and Michael looked at each other with sad expressions... "That bad, huh?" asked Tom after a few seconds of silence.
"There had been many bombings and mass shootings. The death count is already in the hundreds and reaching thousand. The people are terrified to leave their homes," said Michael, and Veronica continued.
"But it's not just June. The Chaotic Order is ensuing chaos, too. They might be working together!... Also, they want to kill me... By the way, thanks for your help against McLean!"
Tom stayed silent for a while longer before they both heard an exasperated sigh.
"I don't think they are working together, but it is a possibility that June uses them to achieve her goals, whatever those are..."
"Another reason they wouldn't work together was why they want to kill you. They don't want the Theater to get into anyone's hand. The easiest way to achieve that is by killing you!"
Veronica sighed in exhaustion, then dunked her head under the warm water. She spent a few minutes under there, to clear her mind out of useless worry, then re-emerged and got out of the water.
"Hey! Stop staring!" shouted Tom, when Michael didn't look away from Veronica's naked body.
The two of them laughed a bit, then moved out into the bedroom after Veronica dried herself off. She put on a nightgown, while Michael changed into one of his suits. He had to get back to the HQ soon.
"Okay, now that we talked about the organization itself, let's change topics..." said Tom, then took a deep breath, even though he didn't have lungs.
"He is from the Soundless path, as you know. He is at 2nd Order still, since you are still alive, and my suggestion still stands. Leave Hammon as soon as possible, with the help of those earrings. Even he can't find you easily!"
"We will leave in a few days, don't worry, but can't you tell us more about Him? How does He look? What are His powers? Anything else?" said Veronica with a bit of annoyance.
She was getting tired of all this mystery and lack of knowledge. It was driving her crazy!
Tom just laughed... "Yeah, no, I can't do any of that. I met Him one time, but I can't recall neither His appearance nor His name. I can only say that if He would be standing inside this room, we wouldn't even know."
This didn't comfort either Veronica or Michael, and they immediately started looking around the room in fear and worry.
"No need to be worried. If he is here, we are already fucked, so just try to forget it or ignore it. Also, by my latest knowledge, he was still on the Western Continent. I don't know what His prerequisite is, but it has to be extremely difficult, since he failed to do it for thousands of years."
The pair's eyes snapped to each other in both confusion and intrigue...
"What do you mean 'he failed to do it for thousands of years'? That Gods themselves are not that old!"
"Well, I'm not sure if it's true, but the older members of the organization seemed to believe that their leader was from the 3rd Era. I never got a conformation on that though."
The implications of what he said turned Veronica's brain into an overclocked machine. If this was a person from an Era, before documentations began, he must have knowledge that even the orthodox churches lack!
It is kind of sad that this remarkable individual wants to kill her, otherwise she would love to talk to them and learn more about the past.
With this, the long conversation came to an end.
Veronica escorted Michael to the entrance, where she gave him a long kiss and sent him on his way to work.
With that done, she closed the door and turned around. The room was still a mess because of the ritual.
Wax covered the small box, which served as a makeshift altar, because three candles still burned with bright pink flames.
The kitchen counter held a bunch of different supplies, and the smell of burnt skin lingered in the room.
With a groan of exasperation, Veronica began the arduous cleaning process of the apartment. Her only company was her own dead brother's trapped soul...