In the Year 2035, a new mineral was discovered on Earth.
Scientists called it Orion XY—a substance powerful enough to solve the energy crisis that faced humanity, creating an alternative fuel source that was at least ten times more effective than Fossil Fuel and any other alternative.
This was definitely the future of mankind.
A way to unite the world.
… Until it was discovered that Orion XY could also serve as a weapon more powerful than the Nuclear Bomb.
At that moment, a scramble for power began—a race of nations to see who could hoard as much of the mineral and become the leading power in the world.
This scramble of power eventually devolved into conflict… birthing the Third World War.
***********
"... Urgh."
Lucius opened his eyes, feeling as though he had just woken up from a very long dream.
The feeling of exhaustion rapidly dissipated, however, and the weakness he felt when he awoke vanished without a trace—almost as if it was never there. In merely a few seconds after regaining consciousness, he felt completely fine.
'Amazing…' He stared at his pale hands, a small smile forming on his face. 'So, I wasn't dreaming.'
He had transmigrated into the past as an entity known as Lord Mors.
While there were still many things he was yet to understand, he knew well enough that he had been given a second chance at life—even if it meant being the Lord over death in a rather obscure cult.
'Speaking of Cult… where is this place?' Lucius observed the room that he woke up in. It was aged—dark and dreary too—but that didn't stop his eyes from noticing every single detail that was present in the cozy space.
First of all, there were no windows or any source of demarcation that would allow fresh breeze or any kind of outside light in. The walls were made of solid brick, and other than the bed, carpet, and curtains, there didn't seem to be anything else in the room.
It was empty—depressingly so.
'The bed is pretty hard too, but at least it's moderately big.' Lucius' whole body could fit, and he was also able to turn to both sides without falling off.
That was satisfactory.
He would have expected more from the sleeping quarters of the Lord of the Dead, but considering the state of the Heresy Cult that summoned him, Lucius already knew not to hope for anything more from the members.
'They probably gave me the best they could afford.' He smiled, recollecting just how old and worn-down their 'Headquarters' was. Compared to that, this room was clean and perfectly organized—not that there was much to organize.
Plus, since he had already confirmed that this was the Middle Ages, before the advent of the Industrial Revolution, a lot of the luxuries he used to enjoy wouldn't come cheap. The people of the Cult most likely worked their butt off in order to prepare such a nice little space for his enjoyment.
'Okay… I think I've made enough justifications for them.' He told himself. 'Where are they anyway?'
He was grateful that he wasn't greeted by them as soon as he woke up, since he still needed to sort out some of his thoughts. Having them be the first thing he saw would only distract him from the long-deserved introspection he needed.
'First of all—'
"Lord Mors… this is Lili. May I come in?" Right as Lucius was about to properly process everything that had taken place before he lost consciousness, he heard the very familiar voice of the Cult Leader.
He was tempted to send her off, since he still wanted more alone time.
'But… I don't know what she wants to say. It could be important information or urgent news.'
Since he didn't even know how long he had been unconscious, as well as a bunch of other things that only the Cult Leader could possibly explain to him, it would be foolish of him to chase her away without hearing what she had to say.
'I can always introspect once I'm done with her.' Nodding to himself as he made the decision, he finally responded.
"Yes. Come in."
The door creaked open, ushering in the Cult Leader in all her glory.
Her dark brown hair fluttered behind her as her crimson eyes fell in his direction the moment she entered the room. Her face looked plain, but there was still something about her overall appearance that felt alluring.
Perhaps it had to do with her outfit. After all, she wore nothing but the dark cloak Lucius had bestowed upon her to hide her nakedness.
'Why? Is it that not a lot of time has passed since I fell unconscious?' Lucius thought to himself, his brows raised slightly as he watched her approach him.
Once she reached a certain distance—only a few meters from the foot of his bed, she fell to her knees and bowed her head.
"Greetings, Lord Mors! I certainly hope you had a pleasant rest."
'Ehh… I wouldn't say pleasant.' Lucius nearly broke into a wry grin. 'I had a dream about the past—or rather, the future—and it was just depressing.'
Of course, he couldn't tell her that.
Not only would she not understand, but he would only be exposing himself as a fraud that wasn't the real Lord Mors. For that reason, he opted for a much more mundane response that he knew she wanted to hear.
"It was."
"Forgive us for the shabby state of your premises, Lord Mors. It was made in a hurry, and we plan to expand it and create even more facilities once we free up enough space." Lili quickly added. "We will try our utmost to get you whatever you desire."
'How could I possibly ask you to get me anything when your Cult is in such a state?' Lucius nearly groaned.
A part of him even suspected that Lili didn't have any proper attire to wear, which was why she was still wearing the dark cloak he gave her and nothing underneath.
Maybe it wasn't a matter of choice, but lack.
"Material things are none of my concerns at the moment." Lucius made sure to add extra depth to his voice as he spoke.
"Lord Mors… you are so understanding!"
As expected, he gained even more points for being considerate. The Cult was definitely in a financial crisis and couldn't afford anything more in their current state. As such, he couldn't impose on them for what they would consider luxuries.
There was a certain thing he could ask for, though.
—Information.
"Tell me… how long have I been asleep? What has happened during that time?"
Lili nodded in an 'as you wish' sort of way, instantly getting into the meat of the situation as soon as he was done with the question.
"It has been a day and half since you fell asleep after exhausting the Soul Essence in your possession. I was able to resuscitate you by feeding you the captured Souls of the ten soldiers I eliminated during the night of the attack."
'Oh? I didn't know she could do that.' Lucius' eyes widened slightly.
"I must advise you to exercise caution, Lord Mors." Lili continued, her expression now grave. "In the unlikely situation that you are to run out of Soul Essence again, you will remain unconscious until your thirst is satiated."
'Ahhh… I see.'
"Of course, any member of the Cult would gladly give their Souls for your sake!" Lili added, placing a hand on her chest to show sincerity.
"I just say these things out of concern, Lord Mors."
Lucius smiled as he heard those heartwarming words from the Cult Leader. "Thank you for your words of caution. I can certainly feel your sincerity."
He couldn't help but feel touched by her declaration.
'This is what's so good about having a cult of loyal followers…' His grin widened as he looked down at her kneeling figure.
'I have people willing to sacrifice themselves for my sake.'