Chapter 110: Cult Confessions and Moral Wrath [Illustration]

[Mary's Studio]

"What?!"

The studio shakes, and so does Viviane, nearly dropping the brush in her hand.

Jerking away from a canvas she was outlining against, Viviane snaps her head in the direction of the lounge, where Mary boomed.

"Oh, for the love of... What is it this time?" she mutters.

Here she was, doing the only thing she could in an art studio to distract herself from worrying developments as they waited for Marlin's return. Between letting Mary's clone trail the bald uncle to news of Lecia's accident, things have been mad since the evening.

They say art is an escape, but that's not helping right now.

Sighing, Viviane lifts off her stool. She's about to join Mary in the lounge to see what the ruckus is about, but the ebony artist rushes out instead with her phone out.

"Easy, Mary. We tried... we really did try."

Viviane blinks to hear Daniel's despondent voice spilling from the phone speaker. She leans forward as Mary sides next to her with the phone in between.

"I'm not blaming you, love," Mary follows. "It just makes me question our shitty luck or the kind of strings that are being pulled here. Anyway, your Mother needs to hear this too."

"Child?" Viviane calls softly. Although glad to hear his voice, she lowers her lips. "Is everything okay?"

Daniel's breath escapes through the speaker. "Not quite. Rachel has learned the truth about Mom."

Viviane jerks, her pupils shrinking as she feels a ton of bricks hit her.

Anne would naturally feel more impacted, but Viviane shares Amy just as well. She can only imagine the terror her sister had to experience, worried how the fellow astronomer would react to their existence.

Daniel and Mary wait for the elder slime to recover.

"Th-then...?"

"Good news, she's accepting," Daniel continues. "I guess you could say she can't dismiss the time she spent with Mom."

Viviane relaxes a little. "Is that so? Thank goodness. Still, how did she find out?"

"That's the bad news...or at least, one of them. Apparently, Rachel had been working with Lecia."

The elder slime holds herself with her mouth hanging. Opposite, Mary only thins her lips, having already heard up to this point.

From there, Daniel does his best to go over the events that passed since Mary alerted him to Lecia's accident. He describes everything from Rose's visit and connection with Lecia's group to his talk with Mike — someone he can only assume to be second-in-command of this research project that led to his slime mothers.

By the end, Viviane lifts a hand to her head. "Oh god, seriously..."

"I'm sorry, Mother."

"Don't be. You had no way of knowing it would end up like this."

"No, I should've realized when Rachel talked about a 'friend' at Sights Open that helped detect the empty grave."

Mary grips her phone. "It doesn't matter. Now that Rachel knows, what's going to happen?"

"I don't know. Rachel is...uh, recovering after seeing Mom show some of her slime form."

That's in addition to learning about his... unique relationship with her.

Daniel clears his throat, not bothering with getting into that mess. "At this point, I don't think I can keep her away, but I'm more worried about how we go about Lecia and the people around her."

Mary narrows her eyes. "More worried? We're finally discovering the people behind Lecia, and yet you're saying there's something out there they didn't anticipate that's pressuring them? I'd call that more worrying, love. You're sure this Mike believes what happened in the news wasn't an accident?"

"He's certain."

Mary and Viviane glance at each other. The former recovers first, swallowing.

"Well, if that's true, we can't discount the possible threat. If they attacked Lecia because of the knowledge and research they've been doing, Rachel, my uncle, any one of us could be next!"

Daniel sighs. "Mike warned exactly while pushing whether I had any part. I denied, of course, but it's difficult to convince when they already hold suspicions."

"If he wanted us to open up, he'd give us a reason to trust them," Viviane notes.

"That was my thought as well. He promised to provide support, whatever that means. I'd rather not confirm yours or Anne's existence to the ones who started this, but he knows I'm hiding something now. Even if Rachel decides to keep everyone's identities to herself and lie for us, they're already closer to the truth than I expected."

Taking this in, Viviane lowers her gaze after a few seconds of contemplating.

"Child, we don't know much about Lecia, but the time we studied in the library together never gave me the impression she was particularly dangerous. I know that doesn't mean much, but if Rachel trusts these people, maybe we shouldn't outright dismiss them."

Daniel groans. "I get what you're saying, but we don't even know if she's still alive or where she is! Besides that, getting involved with them now could be..."

"Dangerous?" Viviane finishes before snorting. "It's a risk, but we're already involved. It began as soon as you met Lecia for the commissio. Not to mention, I planned to meet her again as Vivi so we could find out more about her intentions. Can we say this could have been avoided?"

"I wanted to hope so."

Viviane shakes her head. "With the resources she has, I'd say the answer is no. So, while Mary and I check with Marlin, you must do the same with Rachel to decide whether we stop hiding in front of them. Is that clear?"

"But, that's..."

"I know, but dragging our feet may end up worse if there's something bigger on the horizon for us and them. Worst case comes, I'm not going to hold back if anyone intends to break us apart. So please, don't assume you're carrying us on your own. Mommy won't allow it, you hear?"

"Ugh... Do you really have to end it with that?"

Viviane smirks. "Are you questioning your mother at this time?"

"N-no... Well, it doesn't matter what I think if things are left as is. I'll see what direction we go from here."

Mary looks away, sliding her free hand to her forehead. "To think we would both have uncle and aunt-like confessions to deal with tonight."

On that note, hope laces Viviane's lips as she she pivots. "Do you think we could meet Rachel?"

"Knowing her, it'll happen, but I can't say when," Daniel answers. "It's already slipped that Mary and I are together again, so I don't want to shock her with the fact that I have another variant of mom. I need to make sure I understand where she stands with Lecia and this group first before we come together."

The door opening and closing from the lobby breaks everyone's focus. Mary clears her throat.

"Love, my uncle is back, so we'll have to continue this later. I know we need to talk about Rose, too. If possible, it would be nice if you and Anne stayed overnight at my apartment. Marlin will be sleeping in the studio, so we should be able to talk privately, too."

"Depends on how things go here, but keep me updated on your uncle."

"Likewise."

The call ends. Mary and Viviane don't have much time to prepare as Marlin steps through the hallway into the work area. Catching the two girls, he forces a smile on his face while lifting bags in his hands.

"Sorry, it took longer than expected, but I've got dinner as promised!"

Mary shuffles, scanning past her uncle to see where her slime clone is. Fortunately, she sees a blue blob creeping to the corners behind him. It doesn't seem he's noticed his little passenger.

Relaxing, Mary tilts her chin.

"About time, I'm starving!" she huffs, sliding her phone back into her pocket. Stepping forward, she offers a hand. "Here, let me handle the food. I'll set up the table in the kitchen."

Without question, Marlin hands off the takeout to his niece. While the weight of the bags is off, the pressure of his meeting with the Isis leader, Morgan, continues to weigh down on him. He tries not to show any of it, unaware of a blue blob trailing Mary as he turns his attention to Viviane.

The elder slime thins her lips. It will be only a matter of time before the slime clone and Mary reconnect, so she hopes their suspicions turn out to be nothing.

"Did you hear the news?" she asks, crossing her arms.

Marlin raises his brows before his eyes flicker. "Oh! Yes, what happened with Lecia, right?"

Viviane hums, thinning her lips as she looks away. "The timing is terrible. I told you how she was enveloped by a blue fire when I met her disguised at the library. Do you think there's any relation in her disappearance?"

Marlin stiffens.

So far, he's gathered Victor likely had a hand in Lecia's disappearance, at least based on his conversation with Morgan. At the end of it, though, a blue fire enveloped her as well. Despite his shock, he recalls her words as she was cast away in his mind.

"I should've guessed you'd be placed under some protection. That old fool is still making things difficult, even into this damn era."

She mentioned Merlin, so he figures "old fool" must refer to the wizard, but he can't even begin to rationalize how that's possible. Even if he carries a similar name to the famous wizard, he doesn't remember ever being enveloped by flames like Lecia.

Could it have been done at some point when he wasn't aware?

Shutting his eyes, he buries these questions for now.

"I wish I could say," he answers. "I'm sure Lecia is alive somewhere."

"I would hope so," Viviane says, her eyes narrowing. "It's possible that this wasn't an accident."

Marlin straightens awkwardly by the astute guess. He holds his breath for a few seconds. "Why do you say that?"

Viviane pauses before lowering her gaze. "Just a feeling."

She could let him know about Rachel and what Daniel had told them, but it seems better to avoid the topic without knowing where the bald man truly went or his intentions.

To that end, Marlin swallows silently but doesn't prod further. 'Don't tell me they already about about The Order,' he thinks before shifting the topic.

"Well, putting speculations aside, I know you wanted to take a look at the text, and I did bring a copy with me. Maybe things will be clear to you tonight about these fires or Merlin once you start reading it."

"Maybe..." the slime answers, but internally grumbles to herself. 'At least, that's if it doesn't go blank on me like Victor's book does.'

"Table's ready, let's eat!" Mary shouts from the kitchen, breaking the two out of their thoughts. Marlin and Viviane end their standing and head over. From there, the British girl has already seated herself with no sign of her slimy clone.

"Burgers and chili fries from Ruler's Den. You're just trying to kill us, aren't you?" the artist raises, a light smile countering her narrowed stare. "Although if you wanted to drink, you should've brought me with you."

Marlin chuckles weakly as he takes his seat. "You can tell? It was just a light one, I promise. It sounds like you've been there before."

"Well, in a way."

Viviane stares at Mary, her brows slowly creasing. Seeing how there's no brand on the bags or wrappings, her friend had to have recombined with her slimy clone to learn where Marlin ordered this from.

"Mary?" she calls.

The artist holds out a hand and shakes her head silently. Seeing this, Marlin switches between them.

"Sorry, is something wrong?"

Taking a stretching line of chili fries to her plate, Mary straightens. "Not at all. Why do you think there's something wrong?"

Marlin churns to his niece's tone while his neck begins to sweat. 'Fucking hell, so this is how it's going to be?'

"Okay, to be honest, I didn't go for a walk," he admits, forcing a smile. "I heard of this pub and wanted to check it out before it got too dark."

"Is that so?" Mary questions flatly.

Mary had indeed combined with her clone. While reviewing the memories of her uncle just sitting at the bar and waiting, she might have believed his excuse; however, she can't ignore a place serving a cocktail that happens to be called 'Tears of Isis'.

"For what exactly?" she follows, taking a bite of the fries.

"Haha, those chili fries, for one. How are they?" Marlin answers, trying to keep calm.

Mary draws a long hum. "Gooey, spicy, and probably taking me closer to a heart attack in the future. You're not trying to kill me, are you?"

"Of course not." The bald man snorts. "But, it goes without saying, most good food isn't good."

As hidden tensions rise in the air, Viviane tries a fry dipped with its signature. Not that she expected anything different as a slime, but she sours to the taste of nothingness. Still, nothing would be preferable to the suspicions that have spiced the air, one that she's forced to watch. Part of her wants to try pulling the temperature down between these two family members, but without knowing what Mary learned, she can only keep her discomfort to herself.

Mary leans more into her uncle, narrowing her gaze. "I'd be more interested in their alcohol offerings. Did you try anything?"

Marlin winces. "That's..."

"I heard they have a special cocktail called 'Tears of Isis'," Mary cuts, a growing impatience behind a disconcerting smile. "Interesting choice of name, don't you think?"

Finally, her uncle buckles, shutting his eyes and breathing slowly. "Okay, I get it, Mary. Whatever you're thinking, you don't need to go this far."

Eyes wide, Mary scoffs. She tilts away before rising from her seat.

TOK!

Viviane and Marlin shake as the British girl slams the table with her hand.

"Don't play us dumb, you're damn well I had to!" she snaps, stunning the air into silence. "I wanted to trust you to help us get to the bottom of all of this, yet you go off to some suspicious place without telling us? What do you really know?"

Marlin's forehead creases, tightening his hands underneath the table. "Mary... I don't want to put you in harm's way."

"From where?!" She throws up her hands. "Uncle, if you're trying to protect me, keeping us in the dark will do the exact opposite. There's plenty more we were planning to tell you, but that'll be difficult if you're not going to straight with us."

"Mary—"

"Stop," she cuts, her voice starting to crack as she tries to hold herself from crying. "For better or worse, you and I have a part in this by way of a famous wizard that's no longer a myth. On top of that, my slimy friends are linked to an Egyptian goddess and an ominous 'flood' that could ruin the world, so don't... don't give me that crap about protecting me. There's nothing to protect if we aren't on the same page!"

The air hangs.

After a few moments, Marlin leans forward, resting his head against his hands. He really has been naive about the Order, his niece, and the book he studied. With the cult that is more aware than he realized, it's less likely he'll be able to do anything now if they decide to move, just like they did with Lecia.

Leaving with a heavy sigh, he drops his hand, locking to his niece's fierce eyes. Another moment passes before he lifts his lips bitterly. "I'm sorry, Mary. I'll explain, but first, how did you follow me?"

Mary's stare holds firmly. Without another word, she lifts her hand...

Squick!

Lurching back, Marlin's face drains of color to see blue slime rising off her skin with a flood of goo pouring away from her hand. While his mind blanks at what has become of his niece, Viviane places a hand to her face, wishing the circumstances were better to reveal this change.

Nonetheless, the slime layering the artist slips away, pulling itself to the floor in a slippery mess. When it finishes separating from her host, a clone rises into a looser form with the same hardened expression toward Marlin.

"Like we said, there's plenty we haven't told you," the second, bluish Mary begins. "While you know about Anne and Viviane, I'm...wait, hold on...!"

The clone breaks, then growls towards the original. "Why am I explaining?! I wouldn't be here if you and Anne were able to control yourself!"

Mary coughs, closing her eyes. "Yeah, yeah."

She refocuses back to her uncle. "Anne and Viviane can merge with anyone, and that's how our memories can be shared. Yesterday, when I was joined with Anne, we... accidentally ended up creating a copy of me instead of separating. My copy couldn't be reabsorbed by her for some reason, so... now there are now three slimes."

"T-this...happened...yesterday?" Marlin forces out, quivering.

Mary nods and motions to her clone. "Yes, and through her, that's how I was able to trail you. So, now that you know, are you going to continue hiding from us?"

"I..."

"If not, then even if you are my uncle, Viviane and I can force out what you know," Mary warns, her pupils reflecting the increasingly pale uncle. "All it would take is just seeping some slime across that stubborn bald head of yours, then..."

"A cult! I joined a cult!" Marlin blurts out faster than he thought possible. Sadly, his body immediately locks up in his shock to explain himself.

The kitchen stills to the admission while the Mary twins and Viviane stare blankly. There was no other way, of course. Faced with an immediate threat by The Order or a slimy probe by his family member, Marlin recognizes the futility of trying to hide, seeing how both of them knew far more than he realized.

He really was naive.

Viviane and Mary break out of their own stun first before they lean forward in sync. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?!"

"I.. I swea... fuck..."

Breathing out weakly, Marlin's eyes roll back in his stumble. As he slumps, Viviane quickly shifts to keep him from falling off the chair.

"Marlin! Damn it, Mary, wasn't there a better way than to scare him?" the elder slime hisses. She taps his shoulder a little. "Hey, Marlin... Marlin!"

The uncle groans, but only as he finishes passing out. Flinching, Mary and her slimy duplicate recede and look at each other before they clear themselves.

Yes, they may have been a bit too forceful there.

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[Rachel's Home]

While one family member faints in the distance, another of sorts takes a glass of water after her own recovery.

Rachel's hand grip such cup tightly, keeping it close to her lap. Sitting beside her on the couch, Anne rubs a soothing hand across her friend's back.

Opposite, Daniel taps his knees, wiggling his lips. It's been thirty minutes, but felt much longer after Rachel describes what she knows of the ritual and the book Lecia found.

"I'm sorry, but based on what you're saying..." he begins, hesitating. "It sounds like you're part of a cult."

Scoffing, Rachel shakes her head. "Well, we're not. I mean, I wasn't there when Lecia and others performed the ritual, but while we were hiding the activities of our research and meetings, we weren't doing any harm."

"How can you be certain?" Daniel presses. "You weren't even kept in the loop until now!"

The elder woman lowers her gaze. "You're right. I can't be for sure, but..."

Raising her head, she stares readily. "At least through my talks with all the other members...academics, investors, pretty much anyone who believed in the book she found at Stonehenge, we were free to carry doubts, we all argued about the contents as we collaborated. Although the book was dated in medieval times, we weren't so blinded to trust it blindly. We knew we could have spent years studying aspects of this book, all for it to turn out to be a hoax."

"Until it wasn't."

Rachel hums and glances toward Anne with a light smile. "I still don't know how to feel, seeing the product of the green fire before my very eyes."

Anne thins her lips, looking like she's about to cry. "I thought you'd be disgusted... angry at me for taking away Amy."

Snorting, Rachel shifts a comforting hand to her leg. "Maybe if I hadn't met you, dear. Even if you and Daniel lied to me, I can understand why. You said you didn't become aware until you came out of Amy's grave, right?"

"...Yes, but that doesn't—"

"It's alright. There's not much use for a dead person except to decay, so I'm glad something like you was able to come out of it."

However, Rachel's smile fades as she knits her brows back at Daniel. "That said, I disapprove of this...relationship. Regardless of whether she's Amy or not, or that there isn't any harm in intermingling, she is still a derivative of your mother. You accepted that, and even crazier, you're dating Mary as well!"

That's only two-thirds of the crazy part. Although they would have to tell her, Daniel and Anne hold back the existence of Viviane with exceptionally flattened lips.

Breaking out with a nervous chuckle, Anne leans forward with her hands waving. "R-rachel, please! I was the one who wanted it. What matters to me is that I live to the fullest with Daniel."

Placing the glass in her hands onto the coffee table in front, Rachel takes a moment to plant her face into her hands, groaning. "Goodness, this is insane."

Daniel gulps. "Not that I don't understand your concern because it was mine as well before I gave up, but we have bigger problems to deal with."

Leaning back, Rachel sighs as she slides her hands down. "Fine. Going back to the work we did with Lecia, I don't know what else I can say. Was there illegal work done behind the scenes? Probably. The fact that she took a book from an archaeological site and kept it to herself was certainly wrong, but she couldn't trust institutions to take the book seriously. If anything, she's driven and passionate about unearthing history, like many archaeologists."

"If she knew the truth of what came out of that ritual, what would she do?" Daniel asks.

Rachel's gaze drops. "I only know she was afraid, not knowing what came out or the consequences, so I can't be certain how she would feel if she knew. Did she notice anything when she visited your studio?"

Anne shakes her head. "Nothing particular about me other than the slip-up with the symbol I drew."

"Wait... you drew that?"

"Yes, it was from Mary's memory when she looked at her uncle's book that... Oh, wait, I think I'm getting ahead of myself here."

While Anne closes her eyes meekly, Rachel stares blankly before switching between Daniel and the slime. "I...apparently have a lot to learn."

Daniel sighs. "We'll tell you everything, but I need to know whether we should trust Lecia and the people behind her. If I had to choose, I'd rather not have your group or anyone know about Anne, but...I doubt that will be possible now."

Rachel leans back, staring at the ceiling. "Trust, huh?"

Taking a moment to collect herself, she locks back to the artist. "Do I completely trust Lecia or Mike? No. Even I can imagine people wanting to investigate your new mother like a research subject. Have you not seen countless movies portraying the abuse that would end up leaving the subject resentful, then end up becoming a tragedy?"

Oddly specific.

"Pfft...Rachel!" Anne cries, barely holding herself from laughter.

Figuring this would be the case, Daniel nods. "Then—"

"However," Rachel cuts, her eyes narrowed. "You know it's more complicated than that. Rather than who I trust, you should trust the circumstances."

"Circumstances?"

Rachel hums, taking a sip of her glass. By the end, and a clink to the table, she breathes out, staring past the level of water. "I know Mike cares for Lecia. By revealing the research to you, even a little, he's desperate enough to find who attacked her and where she is. Moreover, you should know that the only magic that has been performed by us is this summoning. Nobody in this group would be able to do anything like you see in those Harry Potter movies."

She lifts her gaze with a sad smile. "So trust me when I say we're completely out of our league here. If there are others who seem to know more and want us gone, then we're basically apples for the picking."

Daniel's eyes widen.

The first part is clear, given what he heard from Mike. As for the second part, he's reminded of Lecia's words to Viviane in the library.

"If anything, I'm just...well, I guess you could say a fool way in over her head."

Merlin's first message also expects such.

"As I predict from these damned visions that never let me sleep, your seal will come undone one day by the ignorance of others."

'Of course, you chose to let it turn out that way!' Daniel thinks, clenching his hands.

"Daniel?" Anne calls, breaking his thoughts. When his eyes meet, she smiles reassuringly. "You don't have to decide tonight. I think it's best you clear your head first, sweetie."

The artist smiles back dryly, nodding his head to the side in consideration, before shifting to Rachel. "Tell Mike we can have a more honest talk tomorrow. Whatever Lecia means, I don't wish her dead and also want to know what happened. She's still a wealthy client who has to pay me for her troubling painting, after all."

The scientist breathes out silently before snorting. "How cold of you, dear. Business first, huh?"

"For my sanity, it has to be." Daniel admits, then rises from the couch. "Anyway, we'll come back here tomorrow to talk more."

"Actually, I'll stay here with Rachel for the night and explain the rest," Anne declares. "You should take up Mary's offer and catch up with her."

Daniel blinks. "Are...are you sure?"

Anne nods. "Yes. I know we planned to join together and revisit my dream world, but I think that can wait. For all we know, we might not see any new clues or memories in that fog."

Rachel's mind swirls. "Fog? Dream world?"

The slime mother giggles and pats her friend's hand. "Don't worry, I'll tell you all about it. Most importantly, I want to make sure you're safe tonight."

Knowing some group targeted Lecia reminds Daniel that Rachel could be next. Fearing the worst, his forehead creases.

"No, if that's the case, I'll stay as well."

Anne rolls her eyes. "Daniel, I can stay up; you can't. Don't argue with Mama on this!"

Hearing the address for the first time, Rachel inhales deeply at the slime mother. "Wait, you call yourself Mama?!"

"Oh! Oops, hehe~"

"Don't play cute with me!" Rachel admonishes before twisting to Daniel with distaste. "Alright, you two desperately need time apart. Listen to your mother and get going!"

Daniel flinches. "But—"

"Get going, young man!"

The next few moments pass like a blur before Daniel finds himself pushed outside Rachel's home with the car keys in his hands. As the door shuts behind him, he's about to protest leaving before his phone buzzes.

It could only be from one person.

'Oh no... Please no...'

Hands sweating, he takes a flip of his phone to see a dreaded text from Mary.

MY UNCLE IS PART OF A FUCKING CULT! NEVER TRUST THE BRITISH, I SWEAR.

"..."

Daniel stares at the message for the longest time before his dead eyes lift to meet the sky. Although no stars can be seen thanks to the city light pollution, he wonders how many of them might fall to bring more premonition.

"Wait, you're telling me there's another mother?!"

Hearing Rachel's muffled cry behind him, he gulps.

Anne must've slipped up again.

Faced with Rachel's wrath if he stays, he stops hesitating and bolts to his car. Cult or not, he'll take his chances over there.