Chains of Vengeance

Chapter 44: The Feline's Defeat

Narinder returned from his crusade in Anura as night enveloped the cult. The air was cold and silent, the cultists already asleep after a day of hard work, including his brother Leshy, who had spent the day alongside Kitty. Though Narinder was tired as well, there were still tasks left to be done. His supply of bones, an essential resource for rituals, was running low. He needed more to continue his rising power.

He walked in the darkness to the missionaries' hut, a small shelter set apart from the rest of the cult. He knew some of his followers were fast asleep, but he didn't care to wake them. Upon arriving, he knocked loudly on the door, and one by one, the missionaries began to stir inside. The first to emerge was the white dove, its feathers disheveled and eyes still heavy with sleep.

"My lord, is there something urgent?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly from the surprise of being awakened.

Narinder watched her coldly before replying, "I need more bones. Your mission is to bring them."

The pigeon nodded without hesitation, despite the fatigue evident in its body. It followed his order without question, for it knew that the punishment for disobedience could be severe.

Narinder, with his characteristic disinterest in the fatigue of others, continued with the next missionary. He knocked on the door of the ox's room, a stocky and disciplined being who immediately woke up at the sound of the knock. As he left the hut, Narinder simply pointed towards the horizon, "Bones. I need more. Don't come back without them."

The ox bowed his head in a silent bow and began to prepare without objection. Narinder gave him no further instructions, knowing that his physical strength would be of great use in collecting the remains he so desperately needed.

Finally, it was Kitty's turn. The yellow cat was the last to emerge, her eyes half closed, clearly tired after spending the entire day helping Leshy. Seeing her, Narinder frowned. Although she was useful to him in the cult, he could not ignore that his closeness to Leshy was causing him increasing discomfort. However, at that moment, he only cared about her fulfilling her mission.

"Wake up, Kitty. You too are going in search of bones tonight," he said firmly, not giving her the option to refuse. She, although surprised by the sudden call, did not argue. She knew that opposing Narinder would only bring trouble.

The three missionaries lined up in front of him. "Return with what I have asked of you. Your god awaits," he declared, and with a wave of his hand, he teleported them to distant lands to fulfill their mission. Narinder watched them disappear, satisfied that by dawn they would have the necessary resources to continue with the rituals.

After dispatching the missionaries, Narinder invoked his cleansing spell. With a simple movement of his claw, his body was spotless, every particle of dust and dirt gone in an instant.

He walked back to his house, where silence reigned, interrupted only by the sound of his footsteps on the wood. As he entered, he looked around with a sigh. The day had been long, but not as bad as he expected. His mind, at least for that night, remained calm. The whispers of his reflection had not tormented him as much as before, and that gave him a momentary respite.

Sitting down at his desk, he pulled out the red tablet he had created. He looked at the dark engravings on it, and as his gaze rested on the symbols, his thoughts returned to Leshy. That blind, vulnerable brother who now depended on the cult to survive, but who remained a constant reminder of his own insecurity.

"I'm going to have to do something about Leshy," he muttered to himself. He knew that keeping him alive was only a temporary solution. His very presence was still a threat, not only to his power, but to his fragile mental state. Narinder could not afford to leave any loose ends, and Leshy was one of the most dangerous.