The Cult Pt. 2

A wave of disappointment washed over us. Pacing back and forth, Tadashi tried to understand how he had gotten himself into such a boring plotline.

“Adventure... I wanted adventure... I'm stuck in a lab that looks more like a fair, full of tarps, and at the end of it all they tell me it's 8 percent...”

“Honey, you're not putting it in perspective. Don't be so sad about anything. You have to know how to control your emotions,” she said, raising her finger like an expert.

The dirty one talking about the poorly washed.

“The discovery we made is incredible.”

“Translate the number for me, I'm a layman.”

“Well...” Rush put her hand on her chin, trying to think of how to translate it.

One of the interns joined in, beginning the explanation:

"This week we discovered that the sword is a battery. With each attempt to pull it, the sword absorbed a little mana from the user. Legend had it that the weapon had always been powerful, but no: it wasn’t waiting for someone worthy. With each attempt, it charged, the energy of multiple generations forging its power. The energy accumulated until one day it reached 100% and unleashed the weapon.”

The young scientist pointed to the computer, on the screen a huge 8 stamped.

“Eight percent is how much is left for the sword to be fully charged and come loose from the ground.”

Rush nodded.

“Yes, he said it all right.” Puffing out her cheeks, she envied the young man who managed to make me understand.

Everyone smiled at the sight of their tough boss looking satisfied.

“Great! Only eight percent... So it'll be easy to remove, right?” replied Tadashi.

“It took 423 years to reach ninety-two percent, so in total it will take... about 36 years if done by natural means,” replied Rush.

“We're screwed...” Tadashi sighed.

“That's why I'm here!” said a seductive voice coming from the entrance.

A dangerously majestic woman with dark lips and pale skin entered the room, the sound of her high heels filling the place.

“Dr. Agnes, it's so good to see you...” said Rush, his face betraying the opposite of her words.

"This must be your husband. I've heard many good things about you, Mr. Zero... many indeed," she said, placing her finger in my chin.

“Dr. Agnes is the head of the order's experimental chemical division... she's going to help us... I hope,” said Rush.

“Let's get rid of this old equipment and adjust ours. Let's do some real magic~” the sound of her deep voice consumed our ears. "And don't even think about leaving, Zero. I want you to stay here, young man, to see what I can do."

“You snake…”

“Ho... Did you say something, little Rush?”

“No... no, I didn't say anything, old Agnes.”

It was almost possible to see the dirty looks the women were throwing at each other.

I hope this works... This daily life is too tiring.

— — —

Several giant cylinders containing a reddish liquid were installed around the sword. Huge cables, thicker than the previous ones, were precisely placed by the sword.

They look like the cables my dad used to fix the battery of his old car...but bigger.

Yes, although somewhat random, Tadashi's comment was valid. They were power cables.

Dr. Agnes' team, although strange and somewhat... zombified, was even more organized than Rush's.

With their fixed eyes and strange movements, Agnes' team finished the job, but a question still lingered in our minds.

“Doctor, what is this liquid?”

“Oh, it's virgin blood.”

“Oh, sure... WHAT?”

The doctor started laughing:

“You're very innocent, young Zero. I like men just like that.”

“You like all kinds of men, don't you?” Rush said quietly, turning away.

"This liquid is concentrated nybhirium. It's impossible to find liquid at room temperature, which is why we use cylinders. It's a mineral that releases magical particles, widely used for illicit drugs. But we're going to use it here to trick the sword."

Trick a sword?

Rush took me aside and began to explain:

“Even though it's only 8 percent, it's a lot of mana. So we're going to use this ore to create a reaction that simulates the entry of that energy. It won't be real energy input, but it will fool the sword's checking systems. If it works, for a few seconds, the sword will be released.”

Agnes came over to us, opening her arms:

“I call it Operation Phantom Energy!”

Everyone put on protective goggles, and a lever was pulled.

A rumble ran through our feet. An impressive energy was carried through the cables. It was meant to create a simulated reaction, but even our eyes were deceived. It was as if we could see all that energy entering.

“Now, pull!”

One of the doctor's zombified assistants volunteered to pull the sword without any protection. Despite the tremors and the smell of burning, the sword began to be lifted, until...

BOOM!

One of the cylinders exploded — red smoke spreading.

“Restore the flow and concentrate all the power so the effect lasts longer!” ordered the doctor.

All the scientists' nimble fingers moved between buttons and cables. In a last attempt, the flow of fake energy was maintained — the tip almost coming out of the stone.

Swhoosh.

The sword returned to square one.

The doctor herself pulled the lever before another cylinder exploded.

Rush and Agnes rubbed their eyes, a concern taking hold of the entire team:

“We're going to need more nybhirium. Maybe with twice as much we can—” Rush was interrupted.

“Twice as much? We'll be lucky if in a few months we have a third of what we brought. The mines are scarce... prices are sky-high,” said Agnes, tossing her gorgeous hair to the side.

“So what are we going to do?”

“What researchers do. Write down the results, understand the problems, try again another day.”

“Another day... but we're so close.”

“Huh... close and far are the same thing — failures. There's nothing to be done, Rush. I'll report our results to the Oracle. It would be best if you did it yourself... but I'll spare you the humiliation.”

“Thank you,” she said, looking down.

I watched it all... not knowing what to say.

“Rush... I...”

“Zero, leave me alone for a bit. I'm going to review the results... then we'll talk.”

“Okay...”

Amidst the chaos, some ran around trying to put out the fire caused by the explosion, others typed furiously trying to shut down the equipment that had almost melted. In the midst of the chaos, she sat down, pencil in hand, and began to take notes.

The pencil broke.

Her face was neutral, but her mana spoke louder, breaking the pencil. Lying down on the table, Rush accepted defeat.

— — —

It was already night. Tadashi got tired of waiting and decided to buy something strawberry-flavored to please Rush.

Strawberry donuts with a bear face giving the okay sign.

Was it childish? A little. But something told us it would please Rush.

The square had only a few lights on. The beautiful stores that had displayed their expensive products during the day were closed, only their facades illuminated.

Not a voice could be heard. Not even another footstep but ours. As we approached, I saw that the last people on the team were heading home. As they waved goodbye, I saw an inherent sadness in their eyes.

An emptiness shone over us.

In this absolute emptiness, we found Rush there, leaning over her desk, asleep. She looked so calm, but something in her closed eyes said she was not having good dreams. We approached until something else caught our attention.

The sword... did it call me?

We went to the sword. Without wires or devices, it was naked again, waiting for the touch of another hand. In an almost automatic act, we rested our hand on its cold hilt.

Closing our eyes came naturally.

Feeling the energy that rested in the sword, Zero took a deep breath, letting the external distractions fade away, leaving only us and the sword.

It was not possible to feel its energy, but with a gentle touch, our soul could sense the emptiness that remained.

“I think... I can do it...”

Those 8 percent. It must be at least 40 or 50 of ours... but still, we can do it.

Our green mana flowed, slowly invading the sword. Until, in a startled movement, Tadashi took his hands off the sword.

“No... I can't...”

As much as Rush was our friend, something told us it was wrong to pull that sword. Before, a childish notion of antagonism colored our relationship with the oracle, but with each person he knew from the cult, a strange feeling ran down our spine.

Even Rush, they all had a drop of sinister in their souls.

That sinister, must be the Oracle.

“Everyone who comes to the sword feels this urge... to pull it,” said a mysterious voice behind us.

“Huh... Ah, Dr. Agnes, it's you.”

“Funny. You're willing to put your hand on the sword and get ready, but not pull it. That's new to me.”

“I'm a zero when it comes to magic. My luck is also disastrous. I don't need to pull it to know the result.”

“I see...” said the doctor, her smile freezing us in place. “I also don't need to see you pull the sword to know the result.”

Mona Lisa — I'd seen that legendary smile from the painting a few times. That's one of the perks of being an entity: I never had to wait in line for anything. But the smile in front of me was much more than an emulation — it was like watching the painting come to life.

A mystery lingered in the curves of her lips: irony, friendship, or maybe pure scorn. It revealed no single emotion, yet somehow all of them at once.

“It was nice to meet you, Zero. I hope you join our order as soon as possible.”

“I doubt that will happen, but thank you for helping Rush. Take care.”

We went to Rush, calling her, a yawn covering her words.

“Come on, Rush. It’s late… I brought you some candy!”

“Ow… Thank you.”

We left together, but a frivolous destination awaited us.

With a flip phone, Agnes stamped our meeting:

"Boss, I hate to interfere in your affairs. But if it were me...

...I'd pull the trigger now."