Chapter 90: The Cult

"Remember how our relationship started going bad after you and I discovered your ability? The healing one?"

Celestine’s question made Lumi pause.

She hadn’t expected her sister to bring up something that had happened so many years ago, but the moment she heard those words, memories she had long tried to bury began resurfacing.

"I remember," Lumi answered quietly.

How could she forget?

She had been eight years old when Celestine first discovered her ability to heal herself. Back then, the two of them had still been close enough to share secrets, and Celestine had been the only person who knew about the strange ability Lumi possessed.

But things had changed after that.

"Back then, I told you to keep it a secret, didn’t I?" Celestine continued, her fingers curling slightly against her palm. "I told you not to let anyone find out, even our parents."

Lumi lowered her eyes. "Yes."

"And you listened to me."

It wasn’t a question, yet Lumi still nodded.

Celestine fell silent for a moment, seemingly struggling to find the right words.

"Lumi, I know you probably think I changed because I became one of the family’s favorite children while you were treated like you were worthless. But..." She hesitated, her voice growing quieter. "Do you remember what happened after our parents found out that you had no Guiding energy?"

Lumi’s expression stiffened.

Of course she remembered. Their parents had been disappointed, and the way they treated her had gradually changed. While Celestine received praise for her talent as a Guide, Lumi became the daughter they wished they didn’t have.

But that wasn’t the only thing that had changed.

She remembered how Celestine had begun keeping her distance, how their conversations had grown shorter, and how the closeness they once shared had slowly disappeared.

"I remember," Lumi replied after a while. "But I don’t understand what that has to do with anything now."

Celestine looked at her, her expression complicated.

"Because I was the one who told you to hide your ability, Lumi. And I was also the one who started distancing myself from you afterward."

She swallowed before continuing.

"I thought that if I acted like I didn’t care about you, our parents wouldn’t pay as much attention to you. I thought that as long as they believed you were completely ordinary, they wouldn’t have a reason to investigate you."

Her voice faltered, "But I never considered how you would feel."

For the first time since entering the room, Celestine looked directly into her sister’s eyes.

"I wanted to protect you, but I never asked whether the way I was protecting you was hurting you instead."

Lumi furrowed her brows and tilted her head slightly. "I don’t understand..."

"All right, listen." Celestine sighed, looking as though she were trying to figure out where to begin. "From now on, things might get a little complicated, and I’m not sure you’ll be able to handle everything I’m about to tell you."

Before Lumi could protest, Celestine gently pulled her toward the sofa. Once they were seated, she took a moment to gather her thoughts.

"Do you remember the uncles and aunties who came to celebrate our seventh birthday?" she asked.

Lumi blinked, trying to recall the memory. "A little? Why?"

Celestine’s expression grew serious.

"Organization?" Lumi repeated, her brows furrowing.

"Yes." Celestine nodded firmly. "Those people belong to a group of Guides who believe that Guides should rule this Empire instead of Sentinels."

Lumi stared at her. "What?"

"You heard me."

"B-But why?" Lumi looked utterly bewildered. "Aren’t Guides and Sentinels supposed to work together? Guides help stabilize Sentinels, and Sentinels protect the Empire. Why would they want to rule over them instead?"

"Because they believe Guides are the ones who should be in control." Celestine sighed. "They think Sentinels are too dangerous to be allowed so much authority, especially when their powers can threaten entire cities if they lose control. In their eyes, Guides are the only ones capable of keeping them in check, so they believe the Empire should be governed by Guides."

Lumi fell silent, trying to digest the information. "Are Father and Mother really involved with them?"

Celestine hesitated briefly before nodding.

"Yes. And it’s not just some harmless group of people gathering to discuss their beliefs. They’ve been working toward something for a long time, and I don’t think their plans are as simple as changing who rules the Empire."

Her expression grew heavier. "Lumi, I don’t know everything they’ve been doing, but I know enough to understand that they’re searching for the Healing Guide predicted by the previous generation of Guides, someone who would be born from a pair of twins."

"The twins..." Lumi repeated slowly, her eyes widening as she began to understand.

"Yes, us." Celestine nodded. "We’re the only pair of twins born into a Guide family in the past twenty years."

Lumi stared at her, struggling to make sense of what she had just heard. "But... how could they know that one of us would have a healing ability?"

"It’s a prediction passed down by the older generation of Guides. I don’t know how accurate it is, or whether they even understand what it means, but the organization seems convinced that the Healing Guide exists." Celestine paused, her fingers tightening slightly around Lumi’s hand. "And when they discovered your ability, I became afraid they would eventually find out about you."

"That’s why you told me to hide it?"

Celestine nodded.

"Yes. I overheard them talking once. They were discussing the Healing Guide and a ritual they planned to perform, and from what I gathered, they intended to use the Healing Guide as a sacrifice."

Lumi’s face paled. "A... sacrifice?"

"I don’t know what kind of ritual it is, or what they hope to achieve through it. I only heard fragments of their conversation, but one thing was clear. They weren’t looking for the Healing Guide to protect them or help the Empire." Celestine’s expression tightened. "They wanted to use that person for their own purposes, regardless of what happened to them afterward."

Lumi stared at her twin. "And our parents agree?"

Celestine looked straight into Lumi’s eyes and nodded sadly. "They’re so deeply involved with that organization that they’re willing to sacrifice even their own daughter for it." She paused, her lips pressing into a thin line. "Or perhaps I should stop calling it an organization and call it what it really is... a cult."

Lumi was speechless, her lips trembling as she struggled to accept what she was hearing.

"That’s why you lied and said you were the one with the healing ability?" she finally asked, her voice barely above a whisper.