Ignoring all the screeches and painful screams coming from the city. A man wearing a brown coat and black jeans could be found walking through the forest. He had a small smile on his face, as he walked carefree.
It was Victor— One of the perpetrators that caused the ongoing chaos of Atlas City.
But he didn't care about any of that. He was busy remembering the talk he had just now.
"...He wishes for everything, hmm what a troublemaker... We will get along for sure."
He muttered while humming a song, he used to hear in the past. Was it even a song? Victor thought but shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.
He remembered how he met him— The lost prince just like it was yesterday. After all that he did, there was a work of god or a... work of a demonic god.
Whenever he remembers that scene Victor feels a shiver down his spine— Even he himself... a normal guy like Victor was disgusted by his act.
Reminiscing in the past he remembered what truly transpired there.— In that cult.
After all, they still continue to exist even today, just not exactly as... humans anymore.
*****
In a place long forgotten, people wearing black robes could be seen walking down a cave, the lights illuminating the surface burned with a dark intensity.
This was a place of heretics, those who did not believe in the divine judgment of heavens, the rulers of Stars herself.
This place surged with defiance with a desire to remove Celestia who loves silver.
Inside a person stood on a wooden stage, in a priest uniform, his face hidden behind a half-black mask and head covered by the hood and the darkness surrounding himself.
He raised his hands and following that the people below him did the same following his lead.
"Our Lord and savior had finally bestowed us a relic!!... To remove the blindfold dropped on us by heaven's judgment."
He shouted with reverence and a polite warmth as if preaching the words of a god.
"We shall bring forth a new era of enlightenment, where we stand as equals to the stars!"
The people below him raised their heads with emotions of desire flickering uncontrollably.
As they waited in silence for his next words he took out a luxurious wooden box wrapped in silky clothing, removing it a dark light filled the hall— A ring so dark that no light could touch it rested on it.
Taking it out he showed it to people below him with a grin planted over his face.
"Ah... my lord. His benevolent nature is like a never-ending river." A woman with emerald-colored eyes muttered in pleasure. Near her was a boy of not more than five years old, with a strikingly similar resemblance to the woman herself.
Seeing all their praises for the god his creation and the disdain for Celestia, the priest grinned.
"Remember everyone... this woman herself has given birth to my children... as an incarnation of god myself he is also a miracle."
"Praise you, my lord!! For your miracles—!"
They shouted once again in reverence, their body shaking uncountable times as they clasped their hands again and again.
'*Heh... Fucking idiots, with no sense of self at all.Just some sweet words and they are ready to lick my boots.*'
Make no mistake...He was not a gods avatar, and he knew that. He was none other than a con–artist named Vald—A slave trader and scammer who himself got scammed long ago by someone and ended up here starting a cult of a nameless god of his creation.
'But really who can be so stupid to not even ask for their god's name... utterly fucking stupid.' Thinking like this he looked at the child and the woman.
She was also one of his believers from a nearby village– Her husband was a believer of their god before her, but sadly after his tragic death she joined in his place.
No one suspected a thing.. that he had sacrificed him in the name of God... After all, he was a sinful man— How could that bastard have married such a beautiful woman, When Vald was here?
'A true believer would have given her to me... a god's avatar.'
So in the name of holy rituals, he even made a child with her— Doing something her husband failed to do!!
He gave her a lustful glance as she smiled while clapping while looking at his face.
'Dammn when is it going to end... I want to take her to my room... Should I sell Victor first he would make a good slave.?' He thought with a wicked smile while stroking the ring.
Then everyone stopped as they all looked behind them.
Tak—!
Tak—!
Tak—!
Someone was coming. But who? This was a question that was in everyone's mind.
A man with average looks soon came to light, he was wearing a red shirt and white jeans.
He was normal, just by his demeanor everyone could tell at one glance.
'Who the fuck is he?... How dare he come during my business— I mean my god-given work.' Having such internal thoughts, he shook his head before asking the new stranger.
"Are you a new believer my friend?... Someone who had escaped from the veil of lies dropped by the fake goddess– Calling herself heaven's judgment."
The stranger didn't move nor did he reply, his gaze remained fixed at the ring in Vald's hand.
"...I see, it's a cult huh... Haven't seen one in a while."
The man muttered under his breath finally looking at the hundreds of people sitting in the ground with a small smile.
"Cult... How fucking dare he call us believers a cult."
Vald's grip tightened on the ring, his knuckles turning white with rage. He didn't know who this stranger was, but he wasn't going to let anyone disrespect his "god" and the power he had amassed here.
'*Heh... Fucking clown, did this bastard really think he could just walk in here like nothing.*'
Vald thought, his mind racing with malicious intent.
The man wearing the red shirt just looked at them for a moment, then sighed as he shook his head with a small smile.
Instantly his face fell on the ground.
The silence was all that was left in the hall as they all fell to their knees— All of them bleeding and twisted in pain, as they watched him— Darkness was the only thing they could see, instead of a human face there was a vortex of darkness.
"I guess this vessel is too weak to use~"
Seeing them he muttered as he tried to scratch his cheeks but found none, as his finger went inside the darkness and got destroyed.
The priest's heart stopped beating for a second, his eyes widened in terror. The woman with emerald eyes and her child looked at the man with shock, their faith wavering for the first time.
"Hmm... anyway bugs should look like bugs." Saying that all the humans present stopped moving, and their bodies melted into a mass of meat as they plopped on the floor one by one.
They had no eyes, no mouth, no ears, no body.
All they were was a sack of meat and flesh, that was still breathing, still alive in that horrendous form.
But a sudden cry made the man with darkness in his face waver. He turned to look at the child who was still alive.
"This body can't even kill a child~" He muttered from within the vortex of darkness and walked toward the child, only for him to cry louder.
The child just like others was bleeding from seeing the vortex of darkness.
Sadly the man still has ears left, so he tried to block his ears with his fingers only to remember one of them got destroyed.
"Alright–Alright, let's do it the old-fashioned way."
He walked toward the child, knelt beside him and grabbed his face. "Kids shouldn't cry, they should laugh." Saying that he grabbed the kid's lips and forced a smile upon his face.
He will never cry now, he made sure of it.
With that, he took the kid in his arms, making him sit on his lap and grabbed the ring now on the floor.
He crushed it in his left hand, and the dark color that was etched on it instantly vanished as a silver glow wrapped the ring. Now the ring held a new color– Its true color, the color of soft silver with a crystal-like star pattern formed over it.
"Tch, whoever made this sure tried to hide it perfectly.~" A mocking tone escaped the man's lips as he held the ring, his left hand now was melting as well.
With that, the ring vanished—
"Oh, you are still here, right? Little one, what's your name."
The child stuttered, his eyes filled with joy as he laughed, he looked at the monster that was once a man. "Victor..."
"Let me show you a magic trick Victor... Do you see these disgusting masses of fleshy beings here... what should I change them into? I will change them into whatever you like"
The child looked at him with a sparkle of hope, his innocent mind had no clue about the horrors of the world. "How about... puppies?"
Drip—
He asked, blood continued to trickle down his face,as the child frowned in pain, he still smiled as he was supposed to. The man with the dark vortex had after all made sure he could only smile.
"Are you sure?.. We can make them anything, let me remind you."
Victor nodded vigorously with the same smile plastered on his face.
"Heh, then as you wish... give me a handshake in return." He moved his melted hand towards Victor, the pungent smell filled his nostril making me frown but he did as he was told to with an innocent smile.
Clasp—!
Then it happened, all the mass of meat and flesh moved, twisting and turning. They blended together forming something sinister.
They all continued to change until they had a body to feel, four legs to walk, a mouth to speak and two eyes to see the world again.
Some retained their former characteristics such as the women, Victor's mother still had emerald coloured eyes, while the priest had a mask-like face.
But they didn't behave like dogs as they all barked–No, the correct word would be scream since they all were humans.
Catching the female and the male puppies, or more like Victor's parents, he handed it to him to play with.
"Use them... there are too many of them for you to handle alone anyways."
Saying that he held Victor in his arms and started walking away.
The innocent-looking puppies left in the cave cried as some of them fell, their tongues cut off. Some of them screamed, rolled on the ground as they felt pain.
It was not physical pain, but rather a violation to their existence itself.
Were they humans? Or A being of flesh? What are they? This question resonated through all of them, as they continued screaming.
In mere moments they all lost their sanity, unable to comprehend the horror of reality.
"I will tell you a story... of a great emperor, who wanted everything. But to hear his name, you will have to earn it"
These final words echoed in the chamber, filled with dread but a child's laughter was the only innocent yet twisted thing left mixed within.