"Guys, I swear, this never happens. Must be... an immortal hiccup?"
flips through his book with a worried expression Well, uh, it seems we've hit a bit of a snag here.
scratches his head nervously Yeah, it looks like the ritual we were performing might have been interrupted by some unforeseen cosmic energy or something.
waves his hands frantically Look, I don't know! It's all Greek to me! But something went wrong.
paces back and forth, muttering to himself Could it be because of that new guy who joined last week?
points accusingly at a follower You know, the one with the weird tattoo! He seemed shady from day one.
erik? he has only been in the group for 2 weeks.
nervously chuckles Oh, right, Erik. Sorry, my bad. But the point is, something definitely went wrong, and we need to figure out what it was.
throws his hands up in exasperation Well, we could start by retracing our steps and figuring out where things went off the rails.
rubs his temples Look, I know I'm the cult leader, but I'm not a mind reader.
rolls his eyes dramatically Oh, trust me, I am supposed to be many things. A mind reader, a master of dark rituals, the bringer of eternal life!
then perhaps you can find out why the ritual went wrong.
snaps his fingers You know what? You're right! I need to focus and tap into the cosmic energies that govern our rituals.
closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and begins to chant in an ancient language "Azhaka's wrath, hear my plea...
continues chanting, his voice growing louder and more intense "I seek knowledge of the past, the secrets that lie within...
how long do you have to do this?
pauses mid-chant, looking slightly annoyed Well, it depends on how cooperative you are and how quickly you want to fix this mess.
ah, right. keeps watching him
resumes chanting, his voice now filled with power and determination "By the ancient pact, I call upon thee...
his eyes begin to glow with an otherworldly light as he continues the incantation "Show me the way, Azhaka's wrath... guide us through the darkest night..."
suddenly jolts, his body convulsing as if electrified Ahhh! The visions... they're coming to me!
eyes wide open, voice filled with awe I... I see it now. The source of the disturbance, the reason why the ritual went awry.
stands up, his expression determined It's... it's both. We've underestimated the power of the ritual, and now we must face its consequences.
grabs a nearby scroll and unrolls it We need to perform a counter-curse, a ritual that will undo the damage we've caused.
rushes to a bookshelf and starts rummaging through the books, muttering to himself Where is it... where is that damn book?
still searching through the bookshelf, frantically flipping through pages Dammit, where is that cursed tome? It has to be around here somewhere...
frantically flipping through the ancient tome "U-uh, right, let's try... page 666?"