Cult of the Lamb : Rise of the Black Crown

Chapter 9: The Twins

[Content Warning: Sexual Content]

Aym and Baal had spent the majority of the day in Mir̃alai's cult. The Lamb herself was out on a crusade, something she had been doing increasingly often according to Caxton. They had busied themselves by repairing the worn down Follower cabins.

"Do you think it is safe to go back yet, brother?" Baal asked as he nailed the last replacement panel to the side of the cabin they were working on. Aym shrugged a bit, peering out from the side of the cabin to look at his twin.

"I am unsure, I can only assume Master will call upon us when he has...finished." He grumbled the tail of his sentence, and stepped back to examine the cabin. "Do you tire of this work?"

"Hardly, it is effortless." Baal waved a hand dismissively before he picked up the stack of wood they had been depleting. "I only worry that he will be waiting on us. He does not like waiting."

"Hm, I doubt he will wait on us. Surely, he knows to call upon us." Aym insisted, walking with his brother back towards the mill to return the extra wood.

"Aym, what do you think of Nykka?" Baal looked at him curiously. Aym spared him a side glance and spun his staff idly as he considered whether to answer or not.

"It does not matter." He sighed. "I suppose we must be grateful to her, she restored our Master to his former glory. With interest..."

"Come now, brother." Baal chuckled, "You can speak freely here."

"That would be disloyal." Aym glared at him.

"How is it disloyal to speak freely about her? She is not our Master."

"True, but she is our Master's partner. He would expect us to show her the same respect."

"He has not given that order." Baal smirked.

"If you are so eager to blather on about Nykka, then do so. I will not." Aym stood by the large wooden chest while Baal deposited the wood into it.

"I have concerns, Aym. Rational concerns." Baal defended himself, shutting the chest. "She can control emotions, does that not raise an alarm for you?" Aym said nothing. "Surely you have noticed he has been acting differently ever since his return. He is not acting as he did as a mortal, nor as he did under the Red Crown. He does not seem himself."

"He said he was not being controlled, brother." Aym insisted, walking towards the temple with him. Baal raised a brow, looking at his brother incredulously.

"Really...? How can you be sure she did not make him say that?"

"Because it is emotional control, Baal. Not mind control. He can still think freely, even if she is controlling how he feels."

"So, she is making him feel like he isn't being controlled."

"You are reaching."

"I am not." Baal laughed a little, "It is very nearly mind control. All she must do is make him feel confident in himself, remove any anxiety or doubt. Of course he would be sure he was free-thinking if he was not allowed to feel doubt." Aym went quiet, finally understanding what his brother had been getting at.

"Whether he is, or isn't being controlled aside. Why would she do it? What would she have to gain from controlling him?"

"Power over two Crowns at once. The two most powerful crowns." Baal said as he plopped down on the temple steps. Aym sat beside him.

"I very seriously doubt this. She does not seem to have a malicious bone in her body. She gave up her power for thousands of years... She had access to her Crown the entire time, but refrained. It does not seem like she is some power-hungry God to me. She would have never given up her crown if that were the case."