Daz, Mu, and Madison were stood atop the stage of Fort Skip's theatre along with Rimmy's core.

"So what now, Brother?" Mu asked.

The building was empty save for a handful of people that worked on the stage's lighting and safety features who had stayed behind to cater to the king's needs.

"That city upgrade I bought for Vegas. I'll get that for Fort Home and let everyone know what we're about to do. Simple as that. It's a shame this theatre isn't magical, honestly. I'd love it if every single citizen could somehow attend your showing similar to how the system's grand auction worked," Daz explained. "Even if they might not be willing to help fight with us, more Ember users can only be a good thing if we handle it with care."

"That would be ideal, yes. I suppose we shall have to settle with me performing demonstrations frequently along with me using my less obvious Embers outside of Shúzuì to help show what they can do," Mu said.

Madison nodded. 'Embers... What a weird thing... Daz was right to get Lesser Identification. I knew he would be... I don't like this man since he tried to kill Daz, but if he trusts him enough to let him treat him like a brother then I don't have a choice but to play nice... I'm watching you though, Mu!'

Mu felt his back go cold, oddly enough.

"After this, we go talk to Rose like planned. The little devil will be incredibly helpful in finding more existing Ember users is what I'm hoping. Stumbling across Master Sorola was nothing but dumb luck, after all," Daz stated.

With all of that out of the way, Daz repeated the process of buying the city-wide upgrade that would allow him to communicate with all of his citizens via an audio and visual broadcast.

He lined up Madison, Mu and Rimmy so they would all be in the 'shot' and he then activated the ability, startling no small number of citizens.

"Hello, dear citizens of Fort Home, I am your king, Daz. I know this may seem strange and frightening seeing me and my companions here appear on a strange screen in front of your eyes with no warning, but let me reassure you that it was only done out of necessity. I trust I have your attention, so please, listen carefully to what I am about to say," Daz said in a very proper and confident manner.

Lindsey Blanchard was rather surprised when an unsolicited yellow screen filled her mind and showed her the face of the man who had saved both her and her fellow failed and abandoned esper children.

She had just gotten out of the bath and was relaxing on her bed when the king's speech had begun.

'So that's what he looks like... That must be Madison, huh? She's so pretty...' Lindsey thought in awe.

She wasn't quite sure how to feel seeing something so... real for the first time in her life. Sure, she'd seen the system screens for a couple of months now, but seeing another person? A physical place? Even if it was only a projection being transmitted directly into her mind it still made the young teen emotional.

"To get to the core of why I am speaking to you all right now I must first explain where I have recently been, why I am back, and why I went there in the first place," the king said.

Lindsey furrowed her brow. 'He left? Huh. Maybe I should make more of an effort to leave the dorm a bit more regularly? I guess we don't really get any news in here since the androids don't talk about useless stuff and Madison doesn't talk much at all when she's playing with us or healing us when we have... episodes.'

"I and the leader of the state of New York had entered an alliance of sorts over a month ago. This alliance was to help each other in times of emergency and war. Now is one such time. New York City is nothing more than a ruin; it's people dead or lost. No more than a hundred still remain in the city's core, protected by... a power," King Daz explained a bit ambiguously.

Lindsey turned in her bed to get more comfortable. 'A power? An esper power, I bet. Why else would he say it like that? If it was a class skill or something he'd have just said so.'

"What brought them to their knees, they who could likely match my own army in strength while also possessing several powerful individuals which may have given even me pause for concern should our alliance turn ugly? A cult," King Daz said coldly and with a firm tone.

'What's a cult? Uh, system, can you tell me what a cult is?' Lindsey was a prisoner in her own home for most of her life and was only allowed to learn what her brothers decided when they graced her with the odd braille book or two, so this was a completely new term to her which actually excited her a bit.

Confirmed. A cult is a group of persons who dedicate themselves so much to one particular thing, be it religion, an idol, or perhaps an item, that their devotion blinds them to all other matters, making the object of their worship more important than anything else to them, perhaps even more important than even their own life or the lives of their loved ones.

Lindsey chuckled drily. 'Sounds a lot like my family... They love the esper bloodline so much that they didn't even treat me like a person because I was born with the family power but without the bloodline... Damned purists...'

"This cult calls themselves the Church of Truth, or Truthians for short. I know not who or what they worship but they are operating out of an old Christian chapel which they have transformed into a cathedral in Massachusetts. Well, that is if my intel is correct. You see, I didn't dare risk approaching the centre of their base to confirm this for one simple reason; they can cancel out all changes made to you by the system," the king claimed.

Lindsey was shocked at that. '... Is that true? If it is then I'd become truly blind and deaf again... Without the system, I can't do anything but try to suppress my unending hunger and wait for death... What a scary thing, cults.'

"I have experienced a similar phenomenon twice before, once at the Grand System Auction during a trial and later on Earth in a strange ruin. It is truly frightening, however, not only can they do this to anyone who steps within 50-meters of them but they can also strip espers of their natural abilities," King Daz said much to Lindsey's horror.

'H-He's going to reveal the existence of espers? W-Why? What good does that do?' Lindsey didn't understand the king's reasoning nor did she wish to.

What he was doing was stupid in her opinion. Espers were a secret to the normal people of Earth and always had been from what the girl knew. That was for good reason too.

They were petty and power-hungry beasts. They treated normal people no better than cattle.

In the distant past, Lindsey's brothers had painstakingly paid to have her taught how to read braille despite her useless eyes and ears and then went on to torture her by forcing her to read stories of the atrocities her family had performed over the many centuries that it had existed.

Maybe it was too kind to say that they treated normal people like cattle. At least cattle had the dignity of being respected by those who raised them.

If her own family was any baseline to go off of then all esper families were deplorable beyond recompense.

If the people discovered the dark history of the espers thanks to King Daz's coming words then there would be a reckoning on him and his kind, Lindsey included. At least, that's what she feared.

The system empowered people. How hard was it for a moderately hardworking person to completely dwarf the power of your average esper? Lindsey didn't think it would be very difficult at all.

"I know many of you have no idea what an esper even is. Even I, a man with 3 esper abilities and 2 esper bloodlines was unaware of the existence of espers until only 2-months ago," the king claimed.

'He has... 3 powers and 2 bloodlines? H-How is that possible?' Lindsey was deeply confused and hoped for answers from the king's following words. Sadly, she would be disappointed.

"Espers are ancient families that have existed for tens of thousands of years according to my research. They wield strange and mystical powers. I really do not know much more than that but all of my knowledge on the subject will be made public when my personal advisor, Lyle Middleton finishes the production of a simple portable device intended to be used as a sort of information-base and news source akin to a phone. Perhaps it will come in the form of an app for the phones my sister has already developed. For now, all that needs be said is that these Truthians can also stop the usage of esper powers, making all who stand against them nothing more than normal people like most of us were only a few short months ago," Daz explained with no shame nor guilt.

'Does he not consider himself an esper? Like, a part of the esper society?' Lindsey thought. 'Why? If what he said about his powers and bloodlines is true then he would have been treated like a god in his family...'

"I know not why these cultists have shown themselves to be aggressive to our allies on the East Coast but what I do know is that they are actively murdering innocents and brainwashing people to join their numbers," King Daz said with a deep sadness.

It seemed to truly pain him to know that lives had been lost over what came across as an invisible or even non-existent reason.

'... Was he always such a good person?' Lindsey thought of how he had saved her and many others like her while asking for no compensation. 'I guess he is a great man after all, isn't he?'

"With the help of my close friend Shen Mu, we have discovered a way to fight these inhuman - and quite honestly, evil - cultists. We wish to show this method tonight. I am limited in what I can say. The system demands you learn of the method on your own. This can be done immediately by anyone with an identification-based skill," King Daz explained clearly.

Lindsey felt her chest heating up, but oddly enough, it wasn't from her abnormally large hunger like usual. No, it felt more like... a deep desire to help in some way.

"I say this to everyone who wishes to help keep our new kingdom and our freedom safe; come to the theatre in Fort Skip. I will not conscript soldiers. I am no dictator. If you wish to help us fight off this mad cult who have sullied the image and name of one of Earth's religions in the name of lunacy or if you merely wish to help keep our home protected and free of harm, witness our demonstration and rise up to the occasion." King Daz nodded his head slightly in a dignified manner.

"That is all. Thank you for listening. Hopefully, I'll be seeing you soon," and with that, he stopped broadcasting his voice and image to everyone.

Lindsey was returned to total darkness. She pushed herself out of her bed and quickly got dressed.

'I can't fight but I can help in other ways. I can start repaying the debt I owe him and Rose for saving us. I can be... useful.' Such thoughts flooded the young teen's mind as she got out of her PJs and into her casual winter clothes.

She grabbed her walking cane and left her room with haste. Once in the hallway, she felt the vibrations of a lot of other doors opening and footsteps surrounded her.

Lindsey was not the only one with a wish to help serve and keep her new sanctuary safe, it would seem.