Ren's eyes stayed fixed on the tied-up bully.
His voice came out low.
"…There's a feeling in me…"
He hesitated.
"…I want to help him."
Kai glanced at him immediately.
Ren continued quietly.
"…Even if he didn't like me at school."
Kai didn't answer right away.
His attention stayed forward.
Locked on the cult leader.
The cult leader raised his hand slightly.
The clearing went silent again.
"…Now," he said calmly.
"…Let us give him up."
"…To the god of death."
The cloaked figures around the clearing began to move their heads slightly in unison.
Then—
together—
they spoke words under their breath.
A chant.
Low.
Repetitive.
Kai's eyes narrowed as he looked around at them.
"…They're all saying the same thing," he muttered.
The cult leader stepped forward.
In his hands—
fire.
He knelt near the base of the tree.
The tied-up bully struggled violently, muffled screams breaking through the cloth in his mouth.
The fire was placed beneath him.
Slow at first.
Then growing.
The flames caught.
Wood crackled.
Heat rose into the air.
The boy thrashed harder as panic fully set in.
The cult leader watched without moving.
Then he spoke again.
"…We bring you death."
"…We bring you life."
The chant from the cloaked figures grew slightly louder.
Unchanging.
Controlled.
Kai's jaw tightened as he watched.
"…This is insane," he muttered.
Ren didn't respond.
His eyes stayed on the bully.
But inside—
something twisted.
Not fear.
Not confusion.
Disgust.
Heavy and sharp.
This wasn't justice.
It wasn't order.
It was something else entirely.
Something that called itself holy…
but felt wrong in every way.
Ren clenched his fist slightly.
"…This isn't right," he whispered.
As the flames continued to rise beneath the tree, a man in black stepped forward and leaned close to the cult leader.
He whispered something into his ear.
The cult leader didn't react immediately.
But then—
his head slowly turned.
Ren narrowed his eyes.
"…Kai."
Kai didn't look away from the scene.
Ren lowered his voice.
"…That man in black."
"…He looks like the one we saw that day near school."
Kai's expression tightened slightly.
Before they could say anything else—
the cult leader raised his hand.
The chanting stopped instantly.
Silence fell across the clearing.
Then the cult leader spoke.
"…There is a snake among us."
His voice stayed calm.
But the meaning wasn't.
"…Someone that should not be here."
The cloaked figures shifted slightly.
Confused.
The Cult Leader turned to the man in black.
Cult Leader: "Find the impostor."
The man in black began walking through the crowd, inspecting everyone one by one.
For a brief second, everything went still—then a camera flash went off, freezing the moment in time like a picture.
Then the cult leader tilted his head.
"…Someone took a picture."
Cold silence.
"…Who did that?"
Slowly—
heads began turning.
One by one.
Until—
they were all looking in one direction.
Toward Kai.
Ren's eyes widened slightly.
"…Kai…"
Kai frowned.
"…What?"
Ren turned to him sharply.
"…Did you take a picture?"
Kai blinked.
"…No."
Ren stared at him.
"…Then why are they looking at you?"
The pressure in the clearing changed instantly.
The chanting was gone.
The ritual paused.
And now—
it wasn't about the boy anymore.
It was about the intruder.
To be continued...