Chapter 164 Missing members

Chapter 164: Chapter 164 Missing members

With a pleasant smile etched across her face, Luna went ahead and opened the main door of the base.

It wasn’t abnormal like she had expected. So far, the island looked to be in good condition, which meant the people she had left behind to take care of it had done a good job maintaining everything while they were gone.

The sea was still gone, leaving behind the strange stretch of ground that the island had been built on. The enormous, gaping hole was still there too, looking dark and deep enough to swallow anything that fell inside, but somehow, after everything they had been through, it didn’t seem as frightening as it once had.

They were finally home.

"Hi there, Miles and Astrid! We are back!" Luna called cheerfully. She knocked on the door a few times before reaching for the handle.

It opened immediately.

Luna paused. That was strange. She slowly pushed the door wider.

But before she could step inside, something hit her. A terrible smell suddenly reached her nostrils, coming directly from inside the house. It was strong enough to make her expression change instantly.

"Guys, do you smell that?" Luna asked.

Her men were all standing behind her, looking around. Rowan grimaced first, immediately covering his nose. "Fucking hell, that’s outrageous. What is that stench?"

Kai’s eyes moved around the entrance, his expression becoming serious. Something about the smell made his instincts uneasy.

Adrian’s attention remained on the open door. He slowly pushed it farther open. "Don’t we always keep the door locked?" He looked at Luna. "Why is it open?"

That was exactly the question that had already started bothering Luna. She didn’t answer. Instead, she immediately rushed inside.

The sight that greeted her made her stop. Furniture had been overturned. Several mugs were broken across the floor, their pieces scattered everywhere. Stains covered parts of the expensive rugs, while more marks had spread across the marble floor.

Luna stared at the reddish stains. She couldn’t tell whether it was blood or something else. But whatever it was, the sight was enough to make her stomach twist.

"Miles!" Her voice echoed through the base.

Silence.

"Astrid!"

Again, nothing.

The silence that followed was deafening. Luna’s face slowly turned pale.

"What the hell happened around here?" She looked around the room, her eyes moving from the overturned furniture to the broken mugs and then toward the hallway. "This isn’t normal."

Rowan immediately came closer. "Calm down, Luna. Let’s look around and figure out what happened first. Don’t start panicking yet."

He knew exactly what was happening inside her mind. She was already imagining the worst.

"I’m not panicking!" Luna snapped. "Why would I? I’m as calm as ever. Can’t you fucking see that?" She gestured around the room. "Nothing is wrong. Nothing is wrong."

The words came out too quickly and repeated themselves before she could stop them.

Rowan didn’t respond. He knew she was trying to convince herself.

Ethan stepped closer. "It’s okay, dear. We’ll figure out what happened. No matter what, we’ll get the answer." Instead of wrapping his arms around her waist or holding her hands, he simply rested his head against her shoulder and released a quiet sigh. "At least we’re home. That’s what counts, isn’t it?"

Luna turned her head and looked at him. "It doesn’t."

Ethan slowly raised his head.

"I don’t know if you realized it, but Miles is family now." Her voice was filled with worry. "And he knows so much about architecture and this place. I can’t fucking stand the thought of seeing him in danger."

She pointed around them. "Look at this place. Something horrible happened here." Her eyes became sharper. "And if something happened right inside our own house, then how do we know we’re safe here?"

Ethan didn’t answer.

Luna continued. "I can’t just stay calm when something could have happened to Miles and Astrid while we were gone. What if whoever did this comes back?" She swallowed. "What if the same horrible thing happens again? What are we supposed to do then?"

Ethan raised his head completely, but he couldn’t immediately answer her. He understood her fear. After everything they had experienced, returning home was supposed to mean safety. Instead, the first thing they had found was an unlocked door, a terrible smell, and a house that looked like something had happened inside.

Rowan’s shoulders slumped slightly. "If we’re going to get to the bottom of what happened here, then we need to prepare ourselves for anything." He looked at his hands. "Because, believe it or not, our powers have changed."

Luna’s attention immediately shifted toward him. "What?"

Rowan frowned. "After the last battle at the sea, I don’t know if it’s just me, but I feel different." He flexed his fingers. "My body doesn’t feel the same anymore." His expression became thoughtful. "It’s like something changed inside me. Something I don’t completely understand yet." He looked at Luna. "My power doesn’t feel like the same power I used to know."

Ethan nodded. "I feel it too."

Luna’s eyes widened. "What are you guys trying to say?"

Ethan looked down at his hands. "I don’t know where it’s coming from." He slowly opened his palm. "But something is stirring inside my core." His expression became serious. "It isn’t the healing power I’m used to."

Luna stared at him.

"This feels completely different. Almost unnatural." He closed his hand. "It’s as if I awakened something that is still trying to adjust to my body before it fully reveals itself." Ethan sighed. "I thought I was the only one feeling this way. That’s why I didn’t say anything."

Luna’s eyes moved toward Adrian and Kai. She wanted to know if they were experiencing the same thing.

Adrian was the first to speak. "I can move the earth now."

Luna blinked. "What?"

"My powers aren’t just portals anymore." Adrian shrugged slightly. "I tried creating a portal that could teleport us away from that island, but it wouldn’t work." He looked toward his hand. "Instead, I discovered this other ability. I could move the earth, and it helped us survive back there." He shook his head. "I don’t even know how it started. One moment I was trying to use my portals, and the next, something completely different came out."

Luna’s jaw dropped. That was one of the craziest confessions she had heard.

She had never expected their powers to start changing like this. She loved their abilities. Ethan’s healing powers had saved them countless times. Adrian’s portals had gotten them out of situations that should have been impossible to survive. Kai’s ice powers had brought them out of danger more times than Luna could count. And Rowan’s abilities had also proven incredibly useful during their journey.

Imagining all of them losing their original powers was simply unacceptable to her.

"What is going on?" Luna rubbed her forehead. "Why are all these changes happening?" She looked between them. "First, it was my system. It suddenly disappeared and then came back with all this weird evolution talk." Her voice became more frustrated. "Now my men are losing touch with the powers they originally had."

She didn’t know whether she was freaking out or simply scared. But one thing was certain. Something was happening. And whatever was coming next was going to be big.

Luna took a breath and straightened herself. "Then it’s alright."

Everyone looked at her.

"We’re going to figure it out." She pointed toward them. "We’ll unlock your potential all over again and find out exactly what you can do now." She glanced around the damaged house. "And once we do that, we’ll deal with whatever caused this."

Her expression softened slightly. "But first, we’re going to locate Miles and Astrid." She shook her head. "I refuse to believe they’re dead." Her voice became firm. "They can’t be."

For Luna, that wasn’t something she was willing to consider. They had already lost enough people. She wasn’t going to accept that Miles and Astrid were gone without seeing the truth for herself.

"We’re going to find them," she declared. "No matter what happened here, we’re going to know what really happened."

The others nodded.

But just as Luna finished speaking, Kai suddenly turned his head. Something had caught his attention. His eyes narrowed. He slowly looked toward the side of the room.

There was something there. Something distinct.

Kai didn’t say anything at first. He simply stared.

Luna noticed his expression. "Kai?"

He didn’t answer. His eyes remained fixed on what he was seeing.

Whatever had caught his attention was enough to make his expression change completely.

And for the first time since they had returned home, Kai looked genuinely unsettled.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: I am so sorry about the inconveniences that has been caused by the wrong Chapters that had been posted but school has been so hectic with exams and no sleep that when posting the other books it does here wrongly. I sincerely apologize and won’t repeat itself again I promise but meanwhile thanks for being patient and I hope that you’re enjoying the book during the weekend I will publish mass release for the book. Hoping for more better days.

Lastly any questions, ideas, theories don’t hesitate to drop it here. I understand some readers kept saying stuff about plot holes but it’s my first trail on this genre and I am trying my best. So any ideas you guys can bring up I don’t mind so keep it coming guys.

I appreciate it all lovelies and thanks for the support this author sincerely appreciate...