Chapter 127: Susan Malgamosa

Kaelen’s vision blurred and the scenery around him suddenly changed from the sterile white corridor to a back alley under the starry night sky.

Kaelen ran his eyes across the location, which looked like a developed area, unlike anywhere he’d seen before outside the seven strongholds.

He still couldn’t understand how the strange woman could displace him across space at will, but immediately spread his perception across the plain using his [Sharp Senses].

What Kaelen saw made his breath hitch.

They were somewhere in a city brimming with nightlife, and there was no lack of people moving around and going about their night. What surprised him even more were the flying constructs closely resembling futuristic automobiles, which made him think he might have time-travelled to the future, until he also spotted several people soaring across the air on floating swords so casually, like they were on a scooter.

Their outfits weren’t much different from what Kaelen knew, but the one thing he noticed was that they were mostly dressed in unique lightweight combat outfits while some carried weapons on them openly.

"Where am I?" Kaelen mumbled to no one in particular, when he finally realized something he hadn’t noticed before.

Maybe it was because of the dim lights of the twin moons hanging in the sky, but a certain lady in casual outfits with her hands and legs exposed caught his attention, and Kaelen focused on her as she walked by to see the light off a flower shop momentarily glint across the bluish runic symbols on her skin.

That was when he finally realized where he truly was.

"Welcome to Akkad, young master Kaelen," the woman said to his side, and Kaelen turned to face her with his guard up.

"Who are you?"

She smiled, before tucking a hand behind her back and raising the other to her chest. "My name is Susan Malgamosa. I’m a humble servant of my mistress, Lady Jessica." She bowed curtly.

Kaelen’s eyes widened in surprise. "Did you just say... Lady Jessica? Jessica Cross?" It was at that moment Kaelen finally got a good look at the woman, only to realize that unlike every other person in that city, from what he’d seen, she didn’t have the runic symbols that were a part of the Akkadian race.

"Do you know where she is?" Kaelen asked, taking several steps forward. His guard dropping tremendously.

"Yes, young master Kaelen. You don’t have to worry, your mother is safe here, and is in fact waiting for you. I’ve been sent to bring you to her," Susan said with her unwavering smile.

"W-Well then, let’s go. What are we waiting for? Where’s your flying sword?" Kaelen asked in anticipation.

Everything he’d fought for had been for this moment, and it was finally here. He was about to see his mother after a decade. He was about to learn the entire mystery of the universe.

But on second thought... could it be that easy, though?

"I’m sorry, young master, but I do not possess a flying sword, neither would we be taking the time train," Susan replied.

"Why’s that?" Kaelen’s brows furrowed.

"We’ll eventually get there, but I’d like to tell you a story first. Wear this." A black cloak materialized in her hands, and she extended it for Kaelen.

Kaelen didn’t grab it immediately and stared at the woman for a minute.

"As much as we want to tell the world about you, we can’t compromise our plan by letting the people know you’re here at a perilous time like this," Susan explained calmly. "It’ll cause fear in the hearts of the Akkadians, and fear makes people do dumb things. I assure you that everything you see and hear now is real, so for the sake of your mother, please put this on," she added.

Kaelen didn’t immediately move, but didn’t refute her. He could tell the ground under his feet was real. He could tell the people were real. He could tell this was planet Akkad.

Susan had somehow pulled him into her domain, before spitting them back out inside Evolution Online.

He grabbed the coat and slipped into it in one fluid motion, pulling the hood over his head. This made Susan’s smile brighten, and she turned around and began walking.

"Walk with me." She didn’t need to inform Kaelen to closely follow behind her.

As much as she was suspicious, she was the only key to finding his mother.

"A long time ago..." Susan began as they’d stepped into the well-lit street, still brimming with people like it was daytime.

"Before the coming of age of gods, Akkadians had lived in peace and harmony. Their planet tucked away at their corner of the universe, away from the greed of other planets, which stemmed into a large-scale planetary war that devastated a vast majority of worlds across the universe. Amongst those planets was Earth, which escaped into space and travelled far and wide in search of a survivable world for their people who were dying.

"Humanity was at the brink of extinction when Akkadian starships found them, and decided to bring them in after seeing their children suffering. This action caused outrage amongst the people of Akkad against the rescue of war stragglers, but their then king was a man of hope and hated war to the bones. He appeased his people to let humanity stay long enough to survive and recover, but in return, humanity would have to labour for their food. They were given job opportunities, and humanity seemed so grateful and stuck their heads low enough that the Akkadians who initially despised them began to love their company and treat them as equals in their own home. Everyone looked happy and fulfilled," Susan said and tilted her head towards Kaelen, as they stepped into a complex building.

"Can you guess what happened after that, young master Kaelen?" She asked.

Kaelen was silent for a moment. "Humanity revolted...?"

"That’s right. And can you also guess what their reason was?" Susan said as she stepped in front of him and faced him. Behind her was a large golden door designed with artistic embroideries that screamed luxury and nobility.

Kaelen paused to think for a moment.

If what Susan had said was true, then there could only be one reason why humanity would revolt against their helper. After all, humans were selfish in nature... just like they abandoned Stronghold 2 and forgot about the man who stood at the war front to protect what was left of humanity during the first wave.

"Slavery." Kaelen replied.

Susan stared at him blankly for a long moment, but she suddenly burst out in amusement.

"I’m sorry, young master. That would’ve been understandable for a war race reduced to domestic workers. But you’re wrong," she said with a long pause as her expression grew grim.

"The then king suddenly died of a mysterious cause a few months after getting married to a woman from the human race to strengthen the bond between the two races. Barely two weeks after that, she remarried a man from the human race as well, who then went ahead to proclaim himself the ruler of Akkad.

"This, of course, caused outrage amongst the Akkadians, but what they never realized was that this was a meticulous plan by the human race, who had spent the past years fixing themselves in strategic positions thanks to the late King’s leniency. Unlike what you’d expect, it wasn’t a revolution, young master. It was a massacre which began and ended within a few years, wiping 90% of the Akkadian population off the face of their planet, and sending the survivors into hiding for the rest of their lives," Susan said, her tone and expression getting darker with every sentence, before she abruptly paused for a long moment, her facial expression terrifying, to say the least.

Kaelen didn’t have time to absorb all the information and just stood there motionlessly as he stared at the deranged woman, when her expression flipped the next moment back to the calm and serenity Kaelen had met her with.

She laughed awkwardly. "I’m sorry for throwing all that on you at a time like this. Please forgive me... but I hope you make the right choice."

"The right choice?" Kaelen had just asked in confusion, when the golden doors behind Susan swung open, and a blinding light spilled into the dim hallway from beyond the doors, making Kaelen squint and raise his hand to shield his eyes.

There was the silhouette of a person standing in between the opening doors, and though Kaelen couldn’t see their face, the person spoke in a voice that made his heart skip a beat.

"K-Kaelen dear, is that you?"