Almost the very instant the man in grey stopped, the entire tavern fell silent. The shouts of drinking games, the clatter of dice, and the giggles of women all vanished in that moment.
Byrne glanced around from the corner of his eye, his pupils shrinking. It wasn't just the sound; even the space within the tavern seemed to have been paused. A drunkard's raised fist was frozen in mid-air, a lingering fleck of foam still clinging to the corner of his mouth. A waiter navigating between tables remained in a mid-delivery stance, the wine splashing from the cup suspended in the air.
Even Renee, sitting in the corner, was not spared; she was stuck in stasis like the other patrons. At this moment, the only people in the entire tavern who could still move were Byrne and the man in grey.
This guy can freeze time?
No, it likely wasn't true temporal stasis, or else he would be too powerful. More accurately, it was the distorted energy released by this Tzeentchian cultist. Those people and objects that appeared frozen were actually imprisoned by this warping force.
Just then, the man in grey turned to face Byrne. As he did, he reached up and pulled back his hood, revealing a face so pale it was almost transparent. His eye sockets were deep, but instead of eyeballs, they contained two swirling clouds of purple mist. Within that mist, minute Tzeentchian runes spun frantically.
"You've finally arrived, friend."
Byrne had already prepared for the worst. If the opponent attacked now, he would fight if he could, or flee if he couldn't. He hadn't expected the man to say such a thing.
It seemed his earlier deduction was correct. For the past half month, the man's strange behavior was to wait for someone. Byrne had stumbled into the role and was being mistaken for the expected contact. That earlier test was likely a way to verify his identity.
However, this worked in his favor. He might as well play along and see if he could extract some useful information.
Thinking of this, Byrne gave a calm smile. "Sorry, something came up and delayed me for a bit." He kept his words vague, leaving plenty of room to maneuver.
The man in grey replied, "It doesn't matter, as long as you're here. Come with me. We only need you to begin the ritual."
He stood up and walked toward the tavern entrance. Although Byrne didn't know what ritual the man was talking about, since he had "made contact," he had to keep up the act.
The moment the man in grey stepped out of the door, he snapped his fingers. In the next second, the stasis within the tavern vanished. The noise of drunks, dice, and laughter surged back into his ears like a tide. The imprisoned people noticed nothing, acting as if the pause had never occurred.
Only Renee, in the corner, had her brow twitch at the moment of recovery. Her gaze instantly locked onto Byrne and the man in grey, a flash of alertness in her eyes. Byrne felt her gaze and gave her a subtle look with his peripheral vision. His meaning was clear: Follow us quietly, don't get caught.
A few minutes later, the two of them walked down the street, one behind the other. The man in grey didn't walk fast, but his pace was exceptionally steady. The distorted energy around him never dissipated, forming an invisible barrier that isolated their footsteps from the surroundings.
Byrne followed half a step behind, pretending to observe the area while secretly manipulating his psychic power. He released several extremely fine threads of energy to mark their path, making it easier for Renee to follow.
After walking for a while, the man in grey suddenly spoke. "Friend, you seem somewhat distracted."
Byrne's heart skipped a beat, but he gave a dismissive snort, acting indifferent. "Don't overthink it. I'm just bored. How much longer until we get there?"
"Don't be impatient. We're almost there."
They walked for another five minutes.
"We're here. This is the place."
Byrne looked around and found that the end of this alley was blocked by a collapsed brick wall, forming a relatively enclosed space. Runes were carved into the walls and the ground, setting up a simple energy barrier.
"This is the ritual site?"
The man in grey didn't answer. He simply pressed his hand against the runes on a wooden door. The moment his fingertips touched them, the purple glow on the door flared up. The distorted runes seemed to come to life, spinning rapidly. With a piercing creak, the heavy wooden door slowly opened inward, revealing a pitch-black passage.
The man in grey stood aside and said to Byrne, "Go in, friend. The others are waiting inside."
Byrne stood at the entrance, his gaze scanning the dark passage. He knew that once he stepped through this door, he wouldn't be able to turn back easily. But having come this far, now was not the time to back down.
He nodded and stepped inside. The passage wasn't very long; after walking about a hundred meters, the space suddenly opened up. It was a massive underground grotto, with countless glowing stalactites hanging from the ceiling.
Byrne looked up. In the center of the grotto stood a circular altar three meters in diameter. The altar was carved from black stone, its surface covered in complex Tzeentchian runes. Purple Chaos energy flowed through the grooves of the runes, converging into a spinning vortex at the top of the altar.
In the center of that vortex stood a quill pen. Byrne looked closely; it was identical to the one he had seen in his psychometry.
Three differently dressed Tzeentchian cultists stood around the altar. Noticing the arrival of Byrne and the man in grey, the three of them turned to look simultaneously.
One tall, thin cultist spoke. "The final companion has arrived. Now, the divination ritual can begin."
With those words, the three cultists separated and walked toward the altar. Byrne deliberately slowed his pace. Seeing the others head in three different directions, he followed their lead and moved to the southwest corner of the altar.
As soon as Byrne stood in position, the altar beneath his feet vibrated slightly. The Tzeentchian runes carved into the stone flared up, the purple glow spreading rapidly along the patterns until it reached Byrne's feet. Then, a surge of purple Chaos energy rose from the altar, slowly swirling around him.
Although he felt apprehensive, he maintained a calm exterior. Seeing that all four followers were in their respective positions, the man in grey walked to the center of the altar.
In the next second, his entire body split open.