Chapter 135: Danger

Chapter 135: 135: Danger

Not long after Clark vanished into the night, several shadows darted through the broken perimeter of the mansion. Leading them was Venom, his dark eyes scanning the unnatural, silent courtyard with a tight, heavy frown. The front doors hung wide open, yielding nothing but an ominous, hollow stillness.

​"Something is off," Venom muttered, raising a hand to signal his men to halt. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

​Drawing his suppressed sidearm, he took slow, deliberate steps toward the entryway. The metallic tang of fresh blood immediately hit his nostrils as he crossed the threshold. Scanning the dim foyer, his gun swept across the room before locking onto the broken body crumpled against the marble wall.

​It was Trison, swimming in a pool of his own blood.

​Venom approached with calculated caution, nudging the man’s leg with the toe of his boot. Receiving no reaction, he crouched down and pressed two fingers beneath Trison’s nose, feeling the faint, shallow hitch of breath.

​"He’s still breathing," Venom murmured softly under his breath, as if addressing an unseen observer. "Though barely. The eyes are completely gone, and his legs are shattered... If I had to guess, those two female devils got to him first."

​He grunted, grabbing Trison by the collar of his shirt and dragging his limp, bleeding body across the slick floor like a ragdoll. He hauled him out the front doors and tossed him onto the gravel before his waiting men.

​"Take him away," Venom ordered coldly. "Keep him alive."

​"Yes, sir!" Two men stepped forward instantly, lifting the mutilated body, and left.

​Miles away on a high-elevation ridge overlooking the estate, Lucian slowly lowered his long-range thermal camera. A dark, predatory smile spread across his sharp features.

​Beside him stood a blonde-haired woman, her posture rigid with nervous tension as she scanned their surroundings. Without a word, Lucian stripped off his black leather gloves and handed the heavy optic device to her.

​"Burn the mansion down," he ordered, his voice devoid of any warmth. "Leave nothing for them to track."

​The lady’s brows knitted in deep anxiety. "Lucian... are we really just going to let this slide? They’ve completely ruined our plan, and we don’t have a backup plan in place!"

​Lucian’s lips curled into a cold smirk. "Then we simply alter the plan. Oh, and prepare my flight to Australia immediately."

​She froze, staring at him in disbelief. "Australia? Lucian, what... what are you going there for?"

​Lucian turned slowly, his icy gaze locking onto hers with suffocating pressure. "It is none of your business. You would do well to remember your place and refrain from prying into my affairs."

​The woman bit her lower lip so hard it nearly bled. "I’m... I’m not trying to step out of line," she stammered, lowering her eyes under his terrifying stare. "It’s just that our deal with him isn’t finalized yet. You can’t just leave abruptly—"

​"Are you attempting to dictate my actions now?" Lucian cut her off, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper that made the hair on her arms stand up.

​She flinched, pulling her shoulders in. "I’m sorry..."

​"If you are incapable of minding your own business, I won’t hesitate to find someone who can," Lucian said dismissively. Turning his back on her, he melted into the darkness, leaving her alone on the overlook.

​The blonde lady clenched her trembling fists until her knuckles turned white, fighting back the burning tears in her eyes as she watched his silhouette disappear. "Why are you always so cold to me?" she thought, swallowing the bitter lump in her throat before turning her gaze toward the doomed mansion below.

​The next morning.

​Cassian stirred from his sleep, his hand instinctively reaching across the silk sheets for Nova, only to feel cold, empty fabric.

​"Darling?" he called softly, his voice thick with sleep.

​Silence greeted him. Assuming she had woken early and gone to check on Alan, he swung his legs off the bed, showered quickly, and dressed before heading down the grand staircase.

​In the dining hall, Alan sat alone at the long table, a untouched plate of breakfast beside his laptop as his fingers flew across the keyboard, scanning encrypted feeds.

​"Morning, Alan," Cassian said, pulling out a chair.

​Alan paused, raising his head to stare unblinkingly at Cassian. "Good morning. Is Snow still asleep?"

​Cassian’s brows furrowed. "No. I thought she was down here with you."

​The air in the room instantly plummeted. Alan’s face paled, his blue eyes widening in sudden, sharp alarm. "She isn’t with me," he said flatly, his hands instantly returning to his laptop to pull up internal security protocols.

​A cold wave of panic violently seized Cassian’s chest. He whipped out his phone and speed-dialed Nova’s number.

​[The subscriber you are trying to reach is currently unavailable...]

​He redialed. Once. Twice. Five times. Nothing.

​"I can’t reach her," Cassian whispered, his voice laced with a sudden, agonizing terror. "Her phone is completely offline."

​Alan’s heart hammered against his ribs like a trapped bird. His fingers blurred against the keypads as he overrode the mansion’s main defensive grid. "Where are you, Sno?" he demanded silently, horror creeping through his veins.

​"Cassian. Master Alan."

​Venom stepped briskly into the dining hall, bowing his head slightly. "Trison has been captured. However... he is in an unbelievable state. His eyes have been brutally gouged out, and his limbs are entirely crippled."

​Cassian’s eyes narrowed into dangerous, lethal slits. "Who did it?"

​"When my unit arrived, the assailant had already departed," Venom reported. "However, Trison regained consciousness moments ago. He is screaming... repeatedly calling out the Young Madam’s name."

​Both Cassian and Alan froze, the air around them turning sharp enough to draw blood.

​"Take us to him. Right now," they ordered in unison.

​Venom bowed instantly, turning on his heel to lead them down toward the dark, underground interrogation cells.

​...Sydney, Australia...

​The sprawling coastal estate was decorated lavishly in thousands of deep crimson and blush roses, transforming the grand courtyard into a romantic, opulent fairytale.

​Inside huge living room, Dora paced back and forth, her breath coming in shallow, ecstatic gasps. A radiant, wild smile stretched across her face as she smoothed down the delicate lace of her pure white wedding gown. Her hair was styled in an intricate bridal updo, glistening with diamonds.

​Everything was prepared for a grand wedding ceremony. She giggled helplessly to herself, checking her reflection in the full-length mirror every few seconds, unable to contain her happiness.

​"He said they are almost here... They could arrive at any second!" she whispered to herself, clasping her hands together in blooming happiness. "I’m so excited! So, so happy!"

​Out on the open coastal highway, a sleek black car sliced through the morning mist.

​Clark sat behind the wheel, his face a mask of profound grief, pain, and quiet defeat. His eyes kept flicking to the rearview mirror, checking on Nova, who lay motionless across the leather back seat like an exquisite marble statue.

​Suddenly, in the silent backseat, the tip of Nova’s slender index finger twitched—a subtle, microscopic movement, easily mistaken for the vibration of the car.

​Deep within Nova’s dark, boundless consciousness, a vast, abyssal void stretched out endlessly.

​Nova and Anah floated in stasis, suspended face-to-face in the pitch-black air. Suspended between their lifeless bodies was the System interface, pulsing with a violent, blood-red warning light as lines of crimson text flooded the screen:

​[CRITICAL ALERT: Host in absolute danger. System Merit Protocol activated.]

[Initiating Consciousness Awakening...]

[Consciousness Awakening: FAILED.]

[BEEP! System Life-Consciousness Exchange Protocol: ACTIVATED.]

[Target Loading...]

[Target Selection in Progress...]

[Target Confirmed and Selected: Prince Chris, Age 27. Permission Granted.]

[System Re-linking Initiated...]

[System Link Progress: 65%...]

[Tri-Anchor Binding with Alan, Cassian, and Raymond: FORCEFUL AWAKENING EXECUTED!]

[Binding Progress: 100%.]

[SUCCESS: Nova Consciousness Rebuilding Completed!]

[Personal Data Updated: Total of FOUR (4) Spousal Anchors Recorded.]

[Congratulations, Host. Consciousness rebuilt. Proceed to task completion to unlock Next Level.]

​The blood-red warning text flashed for a fraction of a second before the entire screen shattered into a brilliant, blinding azure light. A surging column of ethereal blue energy erupted from the interface, striking Nova and Anah simultaneously right in their chests.

​Slowly, terrifyingly, Nova and Anah opened their eyes.

​The warmth was completely gone. In its place was an abyssal frost—a ruthless, godlike malice far more chilling and deadly than anything the world had ever seen.