Chapter 661

The moment the Eredar Twins heard the name Worldwalker, they practically launched themselves off the couch.

The two sisters exchanged a single glance.

It was the sort of glance Evenson knew all too well. One look, and they had apparently held an entire conversation without saying a word.

Unfortunately, he knew exactly where that conversation was headed.

There were only two possibilities.

Pack up and run.

Or run first and pack up on the way.

Evenson let out a heavy sigh.

Back when they’d first met, the twins had been full of confidence. We’ll protect you.Don’t worry, we’ve got your back.

And what had that amounted to?

Helping him barely survive an encounter with the Sorcerer Supreme, which, to be fair, had only worked because the three of them had teamed up and conned the woman together.

Yet every time Evenson encountered an enemy he couldn’t handle on his own, the twins’ first instinct was always the same.

Run.

The naaru had been like this.

Now the Worldwalker was apparently going to be the same story.

At least they had the decency to take him with them when they fled.

No.

Evenson quietly made up his mind.

We’re not running like this.

If the three of them were going to flee, they needed to do it properly.

They’d have to get Clea a ticket too.

Four people. One getaway plan.

Fortunately, the Eredar Twins showed at least a little backbone this time. Rather than immediately suggesting they abandon Earth, they paused and asked a much more cautious question.

"Um... how long has the Worldwalker been on Earth?"

Evenson was slightly puzzled by the question. Still, he restrained himself and answered honestly.

"I don’t know exactly. But the Dark Void power Ancient One possesses was apparently obtained under his guidance. I’ve also heard that he frequently stays in the ancient city of R’lyeh, so I’d assume he’s been here for quite a while."

Clea’s eyes widened.

"R’lyeh?"

That place actually exists?

Then she thought about it.

Of course it did.

She’d read the Book of the Dead, after all. If that thing existed, R’lyeh existing was hardly the strangest possibility left on the table.

"Oh. In that case..."

The Eredar Twins visibly relaxed.

"Then there’s no problem."

They exchanged a triumphant look before settling back onto the couch.

Evenson stared at them.

"Why?"

Was the Worldwalker immensely powerful, but somehow his strength deteriorated the longer he remained in a single world?

Sally Whitemane... no, that wasn’t right. Salorlas had already recovered her usual elegant composure, as though she’d never nearly fled the room.

"The reason we’re so wary of the Worldwalkers isn’t because any individual Worldwalker is particularly powerful," Salorlas explained. "It’s because they can practically be considered the vanguard of a Void calamity."

Her expression grew serious.

"Whenever a Worldwalker appears, a catastrophe of the Void tends to follow soon afterward. The world they’ve arrived in becomes dangerously close to destruction."

"Of course, the calamity itself has very little to do with them," Oleses added smoothly.

She crossed her legs and continued in her usual graceful manner.

"They don’t bring the disaster."

"The disaster brings them."

Evenson slowly pieced it together.

"So you’re saying those worlds were already destined to face a Void catastrophe. The Worldwalkers simply tend to arrive shortly before it happens."

"Exactly."

"But what do they actually do after they arrive?" Evenson asked. "Stand around and watch the world get swallowed?"

"That’s difficult to say."

The twins exchanged a glance.

"There is a theory that they travel to worlds on the verge of being consumed by the Void to teach the inhabitants how to resist it."

Oleses shrugged.

"If that’s really their purpose, they’re remarkably bad teachers. Almost every world they’ve visited has ended up being devoured by the Void anyway."

Evenson stared at them.

No wonder people think they’re harbingers of disaster.

Every time disaster struck, one of these guys happened to be there beforehand.

If that wasn’t a walking bad-luck charm, what was?

"So that’s why you two reacted like that when you heard there was a Worldwalker on Earth."

Evenson carefully chose the word reacted instead of panicked.

He had some sense of self-preservation.

"You thought Earth might be on the verge of a Void catastrophe. And now you’re relieved because this particular Worldwalker has already been here for so long."

"Exactly."

Oleses nodded without hesitation.

"Normally, a Void catastrophe occurs within three years of a Worldwalker’s arrival. Sometimes it happens in less than a year."

She glanced around the room.

"This one has been on Earth for much longer than that. So Earth has probably already escaped its fate."

Evenson nodded.

That made sense.

But it didn’t completely reassure him.

If Earth had really survived the danger, then why was the Worldwalker still here?

He raised his eyes toward the twins.

They were thinking the same thing.

Their theory was comforting.

The fact that the walking omen of cosmic disaster was still living on Earth was considerably less so.

Silence settled over the room.

Eventually, Clea raised a hand.

She looked slightly embarrassed.

"Could one of you three please explain something to the newcomer? What exactly is a Worldwalker? And what is a Void catastrophe?"

Oleses gave her a cool sideways glance.

"See? I told you you’re not cut out for anything important."

Clea’s brow immediately furrowed.

"You don’t understand anything. Why don’t you just go back to your pretty little cage, songbird?"

Clea’s expression darkened.

She’d approached the question sincerely, only to receive an insult in return. Anyone would have been irritated.

And as her emotions stirred, something dark flickered within her eyes.

A wisp of black vapor.

Salorlas noticed.

Her gaze snapped toward Clea.

For an instant, her eyes narrowed with razor-sharp intensity.

The black mist vanished immediately.

Salorlas’s expression changed.

"Well, well, well..."

She reached over and patted her sister on the shoulder.

"Look at that. This little wildcat really has made up her mind."

Her smile widened.

"I knew she’d learned fel magic from Evenson, but I never imagined she’d actually embrace the Void."

"That is unexpected."

Oleses studied Clea with renewed interest.

"Have you seen it yet? The cycle? Have you heard the countless truths?"

"All right. Enough."

Evenson waved a hand before the twins could torment Clea any further.

"She only just gained a tiny amount of power. And she hasn’t exactly had time to stare into the Void yet. I doubt she even knows what the Void looks like."

He paused.

"Besides, Ancient One intends to have the Worldwalker teach her how to use this power."

"That’s wonderful."

Salorlas hesitated before nodding.

"Worldwalkers are quite fond of taking apprentices."

Her smile became rather unpleasant.

"Of course, under normal circumstances, their apprentices either die to the Void..."

She paused.

"...or become part of it."

Evenson’s expression immediately hardened.

"That’s precisely why I came to you two. I want to understand the Worldwalkers properly."

His gaze shifted between the sisters.

"When you referred to the Worldwalker earlier, you used they. That means there isn’t just one of them."

He leaned forward.

"And they should be some kind of void being, shouldn’t they?"

Neither sister answered immediately.

"I don’t know much about the Worldwalkers or the Voidwalkers themselves," Evenson continued. "I don’t know where they came from, what they really are, or how they originated."

His expression stretched longer and longer.

"So, ladies, I’d appreciate it if you could give me the full explanation."

Oleses looked at his distinctly displeased expression.

Well, well.

Look who’s grown a backbone.

The boy had apparently gotten bold enough to show them an attitude now.

"Fine."

She settled comfortably into the couch.

"Very well. Then we’ll start at the beginning."

Her voice took on a solemn tone.

"In the sacred seat of the cosmos, the Pantheon, the Titans who created all things sit above the countless worlds."

She paused.

"And among their greatest warriors stood Sargeras..."