John goes abruptly silent: his steady breathing stumbles and cuts out. For a moment he is tense, awkward, beneath the spread of Serph's wings.

"A cult is a type of religion," he decides. "One that serves a dangerous god. Those under the influence of such a god may be... loyal, dutiful to the point of madness. They trade in secrets, symbols, and hidden meanings. I suppose the shrines and runes remind me of such things."