Chapter 170: Shadows In The Sanctuary

[Silverspire - Aetheldawn’s Mansion.]

[Garage. 9:20 AM.]

​The grand garage was filled with rows of sleek, high-end luxury sports cars and armored vehicles, their metallic paint gleaming under the overhead LED lights.

​"There you are, I have been searching all over the place for you."

​Juliana slowly entered the huge garage, passing by all the expensive cars, stopping behind Kelly, who stood still like a statue. The air inside the cavernous space was quiet, smelling faintly of leather, high-octane fuel, and polished chrome.

​"Why are you here, Kelly?" She asked again, in a low voice, her tone lacking any of its former sharp aggression, replaced instead by a quiet, protective gentleness.

​Kelly was silent, her palm resting calmly on the SUV’s hood.

​Juliana blinked, calmly waiting for a word. After what seemed like a decade, Kelly finally opened her mouth:

​"Where is the chef?" She asked. Her voice was small.

​Juliana blinked again. Was Kelly asking about Asher?

​’Well, she didn’t know he would be leaving today...’ Juliana thought, and answered softly:

​"He went on an important mission."

​"Important mission? Oh, okay." Kelly slowly nodded her head, and turned around to face Juliana:

​"Then why didn’t he take this car?"

​"Huh?"

​Juliana was stunned, moving her gaze to the SUV. It was actually their family’s first car, the same scrappy SUV Asher drove around in the past back when they had nothing, long before the Aetheldawn name.

​"Um... Well, I don’t know the reason." She quickly answered, turning to Kelly.

​"Hmph! He should get back here fast, and prepare me new food! I don’t need those warm ones." She complained, pouting slightly as she leaned against the vehicle.

​"Yes. Yes. When he gets back, he will prepare whatever dish you want," Juliana smiled, clapping her palms together warmly: "What about you go inside and rest? I am sure he will be back tomorrow," she added.

​Kelly shook her head: "No, I will stay here and wait for him."

​"Stay here?" Juliana shook her head: "No... You can’t stay here. Alright, I will tell you a secret. If you stay here until the chef comes back, he won’t cook for you."

​"What!" Kelly’s eyes instantly went wide, her posture straightening in pure alarm.

​"Yes, that’s why you need to stay inside, be nice, and you will get plenty of food."

​Kelly was silent for a few moments, then shook her head: "No, I don’t want to go inside, I am scared of my room."

​Juliana raised an eyebrow, her smile fading into concern: "Scared? What do you mean?" She asked.

​"I keep seeing things in the night, I don’t want to stay there. This place is safer."

​Juliana listened to Kelly’s words, her frown deepening. She completely forgot about food at the moment, and asked seriously:

​"What did you see?" She asked.

​"A big thing! It has a tail and is holding a big weapon!" Kelly said, spreading her arms wide to emphasize the scale of the phantom.

​’A big thing, tail, and also holding a weapon? It can’t be an assassin, Viper didn’t sense anything... Was it a dream?’ She thought for some seconds, processing the information, and looked up at Kelly:

​"When did you start seeing this big thing, Kelly?"

​"Hmm... Yesterday, last year, this morning... Ah! I don’t know." Kelly shook her head, a small frown forming on her face as the timeline slipped through her fingers like sand.

​"It’s okay, Kelly." Juliana walked towards her, and gently wrapped her arms around Kelly, pulling the taller woman into a warm, reassuring embrace:

​"Don’t worry, I will stay with you tonight... Together, we will hunt this thing." She said firmly.

​"Mmm." Kelly nodded her head, not saying anything, resting her chin on Juliana’s shoulder.

​’A big thing with a weapon... What is this thing? I can’t read her memories right now, not with her condition... Seems I can only do this when she is sound asleep. Don’t worry, Kelly, I will protect you,’ she thought, turning her gaze back to the old, battered SUV:

​’Be back, Asher... Nothing must happen to you.’

___

​[Dungeon - Boss’s Castle.]

​The grand hall remained suffocated in oppressive energy. The shattered remains of the Ex-Rank Demon General lay scattered on the floor, yet Asher’s mind was reeling from a completely different revelation.

​"Impossible!! She has five stages! How come—"

​"—It seems you aren’t knowledgeable about creatures from other worlds."

​"Other worlds?" Asher was stunned, staring at Darion.

​"There are more worlds out there... The ones closest to your world are the Demon World, and others." He revealed, his voice reverberating through the silent chamber with ancient authority, and continued:

​"There is a rule surrounding the worlds in this stage. One of these rules is, when a creature gets a title, they lose the ability to take stages..." He explained, resting his cold gaze on the young Awakened, and continued:

​"When you killed the Forest Queen, did she take any stage?" He asked.

​"No, because I one-shot her."

​"Foolish lowly human... Did you attack her in one strike, or multiple?" He asked, an almost imperceptible raise of his brow indicating his disdain for Asher’s assumption.

​"You?"

​"Multiple times. You aren’t strong enough to do this in one strike... Anyway, even if it’s a second late, it will trigger the next stage. The reason why she didn’t take any is because of her title." Darion walked towards him, each step forcing Asher to move back under the shear weight of his presence.

​"Titles give creatures strength, but also take their biggest advantage away... Remember this."

​Asher slowly nodded his head: ’It seems titles play a major role in everything, but with all I have seen, only Demons and Humans seem to have titles. In these other worlds, are there more creatures I don’t know of?’

​"Let’s forget all this." Darion came to a stop, staring at Asher: "Ask the question in your mind."

​Asher blinked, surprised by the Boss’s willingness to speak, and took the opportunity to ask right away:

​"If you are this powerful, why are you stuck in this dungeon? I am 100% sure that seal on the gateway can’t stop you, right?!"