Chapter 5: The Daemon Cult 1
"It's the Daemon Cult… they're here."
Ciel's words still echoed in Nafees's mind, sharp and cold like a blade drawn in the dark.
The boy stood there, trembling, soaked in sweat, eyes darting toward the hallway as though monsters might come crawling through at any second.
Outside, the chaos hadn't stopped.
More screams.
More footsteps.
More panic.
"The Daemon Cult—a gathering of psychopaths who captured, tortured, and murdered in the name of their twisted version of freedom. Their name alone was enough to instill fear."
Ciel's voice trembled as he spoke this.
His body shook slightly.
Tremble tremble
Nafees stared at him, puzzled by his words.
'So a murderous cult is roaming this peaceful city? What the hell is this boy talking about?! '
"So, shouldn't we run away, Ciel?" Nafees asked anxiously.
"I want to," Ciel replied, "but they used magic to seal off this area. No one can escape."
"!!!!!"
'What..'
Nafees felt the weight of the situation sink deeper into his chest.
'Damn it… I should've just died'
he thought. The whole thing was too twisted, too surreal.
Then a thought crossed his mind
'If we can't escape because of the sealed magic barrier… then why not just stay hidden inside this sealed area and wait for them to leave?'
"Then can't we just hide and wait for them to leave… then make a run for it?"
Ciel's face twisted in disbelief. "Pardon? Are you joking?"
His expression grew darker. "They can sense mana. Hiding is impossible."
"Mana…?"
Nafees blinked. He had just arrived in this unknown world, but having read his fair share of fantasy novels and manhwa back on Earth, he at least knew what that was.
A heavy silence filled the air.
Ciel walked to a desk in the corner of the room. From a drawer, he retrieved a small, glowing orb.
He held it in his hand and began to speak softly.
"Hello, brother. Sorry this incompetent older brother won't be around you anymore. So… be a good boy, and eat plenty…"
Nafees watched, confused.
'Is that a magical communication device…? No, it's not receiving a reply. A recording orb?'
Ciel was using the recording orb to leave a message for his little brother.
After leaving his message, Ciel turned toward Nafees.
"Sorry. I needed to leave something behind for my little brother. That's why I came here first."
This was Ciel's room—Nafees had been placed here temporarily. It made sense now why Ciel had returned.
Knock knock!!
A sudden knock at the door made both of them freeze.
Ciel immediately grabbed a short sword and hid in the shadows near the corner, motioning for Nafees to open the door.
Gulp…
Nafees swallowed hard. His entire body was trembling, cold sweat breaking out across his skin.
*Knock knock…*
The knocking grew louder and more insistent.
Then—
*Crack! Crash!*
The door burst open.
A man stepped inside, dressed entirely in black. His face was masked, and a sword hung at his side.
Nafees felt his knees weaken. Sweat poured down his temples. His eyes shook with terror.
He was only a 21-year-old university student—this world, this madness, was too much for him.
As the masked man entered the room, Ciel launched an attack
"Whoosh—Shhk!"
And that short sword was glowing in blue colour.
That was Ciel's mana taking form
Ciel's short sword shot forward
"Shlck!"
The blade pierced straight into the masked man's eye, followed by a sickening squelch as blood splattered.
"GRAAAAGHHH!!"
The man let out a guttural, blood-curdling scream that echoed through the room, thrashing in agony as he stumbled backward.
Ciel didn't stop. The moment the masked man screamed, he lunged forward with a furious shout.
"Haaah!"
He tackled the man to the ground and began striking relentlessly.
"Thud! Thwack! Crack!"
Blow after blow, Ciel's short sword came down—merciless, precise, driven by rage.
Blood sprayed. The man's body convulsed before finally falling still.
Meantime Nafees stood frozen, eyes wide in horror.
His breath caught in his throat. His legs trembled.
He had never witnessed death before—let alone a brutal, up-close execution. The sickening sound of flesh being torn, the splatter of blood, the dull thud of bone meeting steel—it overwhelmed his senses.
"W-What… is this…?" he whispered, barely able to form words.
He stumbled back, his mind reeling.
This wasn't a fantasy. This was real. Brutal. Bloody. Terrifying.
Just then...
A chilling presence crept into the room like a shadow.
Behind Ciel, another man had appeared. Taller. Broader. Dressed in the same dark uniform, but the aura he gave off was entirely different.
He wasn't just a soldier. He was a predator.
His cold eyes locked onto the back of Ciel's head, and a faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
Nafees's blood turned to ice.
"Ciel—behind you!" he shouted, voice cracking with panic.
To be continued....