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Aaron’s chest heaved with barely restrained rage. “Why are you here?”

Delo’s silver eyelashes fluttered as he glanced at the limping cult member with a playful look. “Your people invited me to become a disciple.”

The limping guy shook his head vigorously. “N-No, My Lord! He’s lying, don’t believe him!”

Of course, Aaron didn’t believe him. Delos’s amused expression made it more than obvious he wasn’t serious.

Ignoring the way Aaron’s nostrils flared, Delos chirped, “Come now. I still believe there’s a path of redemption for you. Why not step down while there’s still time?”

“Redemption…” Aaron scoffed, then ran a hand through his dusty brown hair. He seemed to want to retort, but the light in his eyes suddenly blazed. He froze.

Boom!

As lightning struck above, Aaron crashed to his knees, hugging his head, screaming in agony.

Evan flinched, never having heard his best friend wail like that, then reflexively leapt to his knees. Reaching forward with his bound hands, he grabbed Aaron’s shoulder. “Aaron, what is it? What’s happening? Aaron!”

Hurried footsteps marched in their direction, and several cloak-clad figures emerged from the darkness around them.

Aaron growled low in his throat and looked up, teeth bared. For a moment, the light from his eyes faded, brimming with recognition as he stared at Evan.

He lunged forward and caught Evan’s shoulders as the figures closed in. “Don’t let them cut it! Don’t let them cut it down, Evan! You have to stop them!”

Evan gasped as his fingers dug into his skin. “What…?”

Nine pairs of arms grabbed Aaron, dragging him off of Evan. But he persisted, clutching onto Evan’s bound hands, eyes pleading. “Stop them, Evan.”

“Let go of him!” Evan barked, but the cult members ignored him.

It took over a dozen of them to hold Aaron down, while one individual emerged from the crowd, face hooded under the cloak. He raised two fingers, the tips glowing with spiritual energy as he struck the back of Aaron’s neck.

Soundlessly, he collapsed.

“You fucking freaks!” Evan tried to stop them from carrying Aaron away, but with his feet bound, he couldn’t give chase. “Leave him alone!"

But they were already gone, along with the unconscious Aaron.

With another string of curses, Evan flopped back on his heels, fuming as he looked around, searching for something. Anything.He had to get out of these bindings. Or maybe try to summon Xen, or fucking crawl away on his stomach to help Aaron. There was no way he could sit still anymore. Things were getting out of hand.

“Evan,” Delos called softly. “Do you want to get out of here?”

With a frustrated huff, Evan turned to him. “What do you think I’ve been trying to do all this time?”

Delos’s eyes were calm, but his smile had vanished. “I didn’t say‘chase after your friend’or‘stop the ritual’. I asked whether you want toget outof here.”

Evan fell silent at that. Could he leave Aaron behind, in the midst of these monsters who were trying to melt his brain into a pulp? Could he let them sacrifice those fifteen innocent lives and unleash a disaster into this world?

In response, Aaron’s dark blue eyes flashed in his vision, warm and friendly. A smile that could brighten any room. That vision was followed by his pleading eyes just now, his screams of agony.

With a clench of his jaw, Evan looked away. “I’m not going anywhere. You can leave.”

A beat of silence passed, then Delos said, “Why are you trying to help these people?”

Evan chuckled, mirthlessly. “Fuck if I know.”

“Perhaps because you’re not as bad as you think you are?”

“Are you done?”