The Masked Virtuoso-Chapter 106: The Cult of Divine Pleasure (Ethan Regrets Everything)

Chapter 106: The Cult of Divine Pleasure (Ethan Regrets Everything)

A Peaceful Walk? Yeah, Right.

Ethan had one goal for the night—relax.

No existential crises. No godly threats. No ancient princesses judging his "criminally futuristic" outfit.

Just a peaceful nighttime stroll.

He wandered through the village, hands tucked into his borrowed cloak, trying to enjoy the quiet.

It wasn’t too bad. The streets were calmer now, only a few merchants packing up their stalls. The scent of roasted meat still lingered in the air, making his stomach grumble.

For a moment—just a moment—Ethan thought, "Maybe I can handle this ancient life."

And then—

A deep, disturbing moan echoed from the forest.

Ethan froze.

His instincts immediately went into survival mode.

Did I just hear that right?

Another moan. This one even more unsettling.

> "Ohhh, great Rift, we feel your divine presence!"

"Bless us, O gateway of desire!"

"Tonight, we embrace your sacred gift!"

Ethan’s face slowly twisted into absolute horror.

"...Nope. Nope. NOPE."

He turned on the spot and started walking in the opposite direction.

But before he could escape—

A twig snapped.

Ethan stiffened.

Something moved in the shadows.

And suddenly—

A dozen hooded figures emerged from the trees.

Their leader—a chubby, overly excited man in golden robes— stepped forward. His eyes gleamed with an unsettling mix of enthusiasm and insanity.

Ethan could already tell.

This was not going to end well.

---

Ethan Discovers a Ritual (And Wishes He Didn’t)

The first sign that something was deeply wrong came when Ethan heard whispers in the forest.

Whispers like:

> "Ohhh, great Rift, bless us with your gifts!"

"May the Rift open and fulfill our deepest desires!"

"Let our spirits unite... with our bodies...!"

Ethan blinked. "Hold on. What the hell did that last guy just say?"

He peeked through the bushes.

A group of robed figures were kneeling around a giant Rift symbol carved into the ground. They were chanting in unison, hands raised dramatically.

Ethan immediately sensed something wrong with the energy in the air.

This wasn’t a normal Rift-worshiping cult.

No, no, no.

This was a cult of degenerates who thought the Rift could grant them "pleasures beyond imagination."

Ethan’s brain short-circuited. "...Oh, no. Oh, hell no."

He turned to leave.

But of course—fate had other plans.

---

Captured by the Cult of Perverts

A hand suddenly grabbed Ethan’s shoulder.

"YOU!" a deep voice growled.

Ethan froze. "Oh, great."

Before he could react, a dozen cultists surrounded him, all grinning like they had just won the lottery.

"Brothers!" the leader shouted. "A new disciple has arrived!" 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Ethan blinked. "...Come again?"

The cult leader—a chubby, overly enthusiastic man in golden robes—stepped forward. His eyes gleamed with excitement.

"You must have been guided here by the Rift!" he declared.

Ethan forced a smile. "Haha. Yeah. Funny story. I was actually just leaving."

The cultists gasped. "You wish to leave before receiving the Rift’s blessing?!"

Ethan exhaled. "Okay, look. I’ve been in a lot of weird situations in my life, but this? This is top-tier nightmare fuel."

The cult leader ignored him.

> "Come, my brothers! Bring him to the sacred chamber!"

Ethan immediately went full panic mode.

"NOPE. NOPE. NOPE. I’M NOT DOING THIS. I SWEAR, IF ANYONE TOUCHES ME—"

Too late.

The cultists picked him up and carried him away.

Ethan screamed the entire way.

---

The Sacred Chamber (A.K.A. Ethan’s Personal Hell)

Ethan was thrown onto a velvet-covered altar.

The room was lit with dim torches, the walls covered in questionable paintings of "divine rituals."

Ethan stared at the ceiling. "This is actually happening. I’ve survived gods, monsters, and time travel... and this is how I die."

The cult leader stepped forward, grinning.

"Brother," he said, "Do you accept the Rift’s gift?"

Ethan sat up. "Listen, I don’t know what ’gift’ you’re talking about, but I don’t want it."

The cultists gasped.

One of them whispered, "Blasphemy...!"

Another cultist dramatically clutched his chest. "He denies the pleasure of the Rift?!"

Ethan snapped.

"FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING HOLY, STOP SAYING ’PLEASURE’ IN THAT TONE."

The cult leader shook his head. "You do not understand, young one. The Rift brings us... satisfaction."

Ethan pointed at him. "That right there. That’s the problem. The way you said that. I hate it."

The cult leader sighed. "You are resisting because you do not yet believe."

Ethan’s eye twitched. "Oh, I believe. I believe this is the worst day of my life."

The leader nodded to his followers.

"Then we must show him the truth."

Ethan went full survival mode.

"OH, HELL NO. AUTHOR, I AM NOT LETTING THIS HAPPEN. I SWEAR, IF YOU DRAG THIS OUT FOR COMEDY, I WILL ERASE YOU FROM EXISTENCE."

Nothing happened.

Ethan screamed. "OH, NOW YOU IGNORE ME?!"

---

Kael to the Rescue (Thank the Gods)

Just when Ethan thought his dignity was about to be permanently damaged—

BOOM!

The doors burst open.

Kael walked in, sword drawn, expression unreadable.

Ethan nearly cried.

"KAEL, I AM SO GLAD TO SEE YOU. PLEASE KILL THEM ALL."

The cult leader gasped.

"Sir Kael?! What are you doing here?!"

Kael’s gaze swept the room, then settled on Ethan.

"You are an idiot," he said flatly.

Ethan groaned. "Yeah, yeah, I KNOW, JUST GET ME OUT OF HERE."

Kael sighed, then turned to the cultists.

"Leave," he ordered.

The cultists hesitated.

"But the Rift’s blessing—"

Kael’s hand went to his sword.

The cultists immediately ran for their lives.

Ethan collapsed onto the altar. "Oh, thank god."

Kael stepped forward, arms crossed. "What did you do?"

Ethan groaned. "I EXISTED. THAT WAS ENOUGH FOR THEM."

Kael exhaled slowly. "...Let’s go."

Ethan jumped up. "Gladly."

And with that—he fled the most cursed experience of his life.

---

The Aftermath (Ethan Never Wants to Talk About This Again)

Back at Kael’s house, Ethan sat in the corner, staring at the floor.

He was traumatized.

Kael sighed. "What did you learn?"

Ethan didn’t respond.

Kael frowned. "Ethan?"

Ethan slowly turned his head, eyes empty.

"Kael," he whispered.

Kael raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

Ethan took a deep breath.

Then—

"There are things in this world that should never exist."

Kael didn’t respond.

Ethan exhaled. "I need a drink."

Kael nodded. "We have water."

Ethan groaned. "I need something stronger than water."

Kael sighed. "You are hopeless."

Ethan collapsed onto the floor.

"Yeah."

And so—

Ethan Cross survived the Cult of Divine Pleasure.

But he would never emotionally recover from it.

---

To Be Continued...