It was as ordinary a day as any could be in the Republic of Theien, and Jacob Rikhardson was busy on his usual errands for his family. He was very unenthusiastic about this, as he was as rebellious and irritable as one would expect from someone his age. His face bore a scowl as he walked through the marketplace, the family wares that were to be sold today being held by a single hand and draped over his back. He was fed up with the bullshit of his life, having to listen to his prudish parents and the conservative elders of this rotten place. How he wished that he could find someone, anyone, who would empathize with him and see the world as he saw it.

The whole Republic was a house made of rotten timber and rusted nails, with termites eating away at it even more. The rich got richer, the poor got poorer, and those in the middle were forced to go one way or the other. That was plain to see, and it, along with so many other hypocritical things about the nation and society he lived in, made him dream of one day being the one to open the eyes of everyone to the fact that they were nothing but blind sheep following the leader into the slaughterhouse.

All of the elders in this dumb society were blind to this, it seemed. Either that, or they were either too naïve to understand that there needed to be radical, immediate change, or they were just complicit in it altogether. His teachers tried to instill in him the values of duty to the society he was in, the acceptance of the way things are, and the utter lack of desire to change anything that they had. He, along with many others of his generation and others, no longer bought into that. The old needed to be removed, their weakness cut out, and a new, better system had to be put in its place. It would be one built on a better, stronger foundation, and his generation would be the ones to make that a reality by whatever means they felt was needed.

So, there he was; a disaffected and angry youth with issues relating to his family and community, walking down a street during the early hours of the day, wearing a look that anyone could tell meant that he was just as rebellious and ‘anti-establishment’ as one could be. He was a perfect target for anyone who had a decent ability to manipulate people, and anyone who spoke of radically changing the system so that the powerful and righteous could change things would be able to get his ear relatively quickly.

It just so happened that, as he walked down the road and grumbled to himself, he saw someone on the corner handing out pamphlets. The man was… well, he looked rather strange. He was taller than a human ought to be, clad in fine clothing that was white with red accents, and wore a mask over his face. Despite this, nobody seemed to pay him much mind, yet there were a few people who did seem to notice him and took a slip of parchment from him now and again.

This piqued his curiosity, and what damage would a few minutes delay to getting his overly conservative parents’ goods to the market cause? Besides, this guy’s clothing was snazzy as fuck, and he did seem to give off an odd vibe. It wasn’t anything bad, per se, but it was strange. And that mask…. It just seemed like it hid secrets that the idiots that were running this nation into the ground didn’t want people like him to know.

He walked over to the tall man and the person in question offered him a sheet of parchment.

“Hello! Can I interest you in a private group debate session? The topics are regarding the current society and its degrading effect on the greater soul of the people in it. Can we expect that you would join us?”

The man’s voice was hauntingly bizarre, as it seemed to flow like a kind of auditory honey equipped with grasping claws that took hold of his and pulled him into accepting the offer.

“Sure!” Jacob said, surprising even himself with how quickly and how enthusiastically he accepted the offer. He took the sheet in his off-hand and looked it over. The debate was scheduled to be at a time he could easily deal with and in a place that he could easily reach. Likewise, written near the bottom was a line that insisted that he bring anyone else who wanted to debate with him, as there would be seats aplenty, to say nothing of the free food and drinks.

He couldn’t help but feel a sense of destiny swirling around him now. This was what his generation needed. Finally, there would be a gathering of like-minded people, all of whom would discuss the issues of the day in a friendly environment. He just had to bring his friends, who in turn just had to bring their friends.

“Will you be here tomorrow, too?”

At this question, the masked man in red and white nodded.

“I’ll be here all week.”

“Do you mind if I bring some people here to talk to you? I get a strong feeling that they would want to join this debate too.”

Jacob couldn’t see it, but he could swear that the face behind the mask began to smile widely.

“Of course! We need all the bright, intelligent, and observant people we can get! The more voices that can add to a good debate the better, and from what I can gather about you right now, I’d have to hazard a guess that you and your friends would be just the open-minded and good people that we need.”

Jacob beamed. He had never been so thoroughly applauded for merely existing before! He could feel his pride swelling and the thought of him being accepted into some elite and secret club of people who were obviously more intelligent than the sheeple around him was enough to put him over the moon.

“I’ll be sure to come back by tomorrow with a few others! Can I have your name, for future reference?”

“Certainly! I would love to let a fellow genius prodigy know of my name if I can hear yours as well, that is. You can call me Vaile. Just Vaile.”

“I’m Jacob. Well, it has been a pleasure, but I’ve got to run.”

“Nice meeting you, Jacob I’ll save a spot for you in the debate hall!”

Jacob then sped away, eager to get through the work he had to do so he could prepare for the debate as early as possible. As he scampered away, Vaile chuckled.

“Another man who’s just as much of a sheep as the people whom he hates, and another piece on the board added to our side. Step One of Cult Indoctrination is complete. Now to prepare for step two.”