Contract Marriage: The Replacement Groom

425 Story behind the two Cults

Jeslyn suddenly jolted awake with sweat all over her. She looked almost out of breath. Seeing where she was, she took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. (1)

She just had a bad dream that someone she couldn't see his face broke her family apart, killed her husband, son, and married her. She grabbed her phone and called Yellow, who assured her that Valen was fine. Then she called Rex, who was also doing great at the hotel.

Even though Jeslyn was told that her family was okay, she still couldn't feel relaxed or sleep anymore, so she got down from bed.

A while later, she was seen strolling around the Hwang's-garden, allowing the cool breeze to blow away her uneasiness. The fresh smell of flowers assured her that it was just a dream.

Lost in deep thought, she was startled when a weight was placed on her shoulders. She touched it and simultaneously looked back. It was a white-furred coat that was placed on her. "You'll catch a cold."

"You aren't wearing much either. You should take it. You haven't fully recovered yet." Jeslyn was about to take the coat off when Nancy walked away from her and sat on the bench under a tree. "Thank you. You also can't sleep?"

"Sleep?" Nancy looked into space. The full moon was just too beautiful to look at, "I smell trouble in the air." She returned her gaze to Jeslyn. "The world's power is about to change, and I don't know how this trouble would affect me."

"What do you mean?" Jeslyn took a seat beside her.

Nancy ignored her question and asked, "Where is your husband?"

"He traveled for some urgent work," she replied.

Nancy glanced at her but only shook her head. "Your husband is missing, the Yu family's unpopular son, Reuben, is missing... His brother also went missing. It's been over a month, yet none of these missing people have returned." she tilted her head, "It seems a lot of powerful people are missing these days."

"What are you talking about?"

"Hwang Min left in a hurry over a month ago, and I also don't know where he went... meanwhile, after everyone disappeared, Davis started amassing power-stealing people's territories and forcing smaller gangs in other cities to join his faction. Whichever gang refused got destroyed... a few days ago, the President released Feng's oldest son, who almost sacrificed Brian."

She paused momentarily before continuing like she couldn't believe his audacity. "The President did it without my consent, and suddenly, there was gossip from different parts of the country of people missing..."

"Gossip?"

Nancy nodded and explained. "The cries of those people are never aired, and those who try to fight the government and the power behind them end up being used as fertilizer for the plants, so the others rather moan and gossip amongst themselves."

Jeslyn incredulously asked, "You mean to say that the Fengs are kidnapping people and the President is taking orders from a power greater than you?"

"You are smart. But don't you want to know how this is connected to your husband's disappearance?"

Jeslyn stayed silent for a moment. After a serious thought, she shook her head, "He didn't tell me before leaving and I have a hunch that everyone is lying to me. Maverick doesn't want me to know his whereabouts because he knows it's dangerous. Instead of making him and the family worry, I'd rather not know what is happening."

Nancy smiled, "You are indeed the obedient one." Since Jeslyn didn't wish to know, Nancy stopped talking.

A few seconds later, she looked up at the sky and sighed. "The moon is full today and a lot of souls will be wailing under the sparkling knife of the bloodthirsty monsters. I wonder when this will stop." Jeslyn frowned. "What is that about?"

“It's a ritual...” Nancy glanced at her. "The Dark Age believes that in order to maintain the control they hold a pool of blood is needed as a sacrifice for their idol. So, every full moon, cases of missing people are reported in every corner of the city, but it never gets to the world because your father

controls a large part of the media and satellite."

Jeslyn cringed. "That's barbaric!"

Nancy chuckled lightly. Jeslyn is fun to speak with. "You want to know what's barbaric? It's the story behind the Dark Age and Half-Heart."

Jeslyn's ears perked up. It would be beneficial for her to know the story behind those evil cults, she thought.

Seeing her interest in the story, Nancy smiled faintly.

"The half-heart started the ritual of killing. They sacrifice infant males and promote the agenda to reduce men into waste just to seek revenge on men for what happened to their deity." "Deity? She was a human?" Jeslyn was stunned.

Nancy nodded. "Zucchini was in love with a man who later became the deity of the Dark Age. The man broke her heart on their wedding day and chose power over her. For that, Zucchini died of grievance. "Zucchini's maid, who loved her the wrong way, refused to accept the outcome of her master and thought to seek revenge. The lady had relations with a hunted Witch, which was why it was easy for her to ask the witch for help.

"The Witch accepted to help the Maid on the condition that the Maid sheltered her from the hunters, who happened to be Zucchini's ex-fiance and his family.

"The Maid didn't reject, so she hid the Witch in Zucchini's beloved tree-house. The Witch then suggested for the Maid to create a shrine where she would always summon Zucchini, who would in turn tell the Maid what she wanted her to do."

"The Shrine was built...it was where Brian was rescued." she paused to gauge Jeslyn's reaction.

"What happened next?"

"Zucchini or whatever was summoned cried that she wants revenge and a place to be commemorated. With the help of the Witch, who had an ulterior motive, Zucchini's image was carved as a seductive woman. Then they tried to kill Zucchini's ex-fiance, but they couldn't because he was a hidden Magician.

"Then an idea, or a revelation, as they call it, came to the witch. "To kill the Magician, they needed the wailing of ten thousand women.' so she said.