Novel Full Chapter 819: 819: Waiting in Ambush
Chapter 819: Chapter 819: Waiting in Ambush
The study felt colder than usual as Kain sat alone, the envelope’s contents and the events showing in Gabriel’s memories burning in his mind like acid.
The letter was a masterclass in manipulation—words crafted to tug at the Director’s heartstrings, painting Airalai as a victim of circumstance, lost and desperate for reconnection. But Kain knew better now. Gabriel’s memories had peeled back the layers, revealing the monster beneath. ‘Administrative job for merchants? Hands-on torture, more like.’ His fist clenched, knuckles whitening. She had to go. Permanently.
He pulled out his phone, fingers hovering over the number scribbled at the letter’s bottom. Posing as the Director was simple—a text that sounded anxious, guilty, and touched, the way the old man truly might respond: ‘Airalai… after all these years, I thought you were gone. I can’t believe you’re alive. Please, let’s meet and talk. Midnight. Just us.’ He hit send, while attaching the coordinates to a location on the outskirts of the city that he knew would be empty. His aura flared coldly as the words went out, the room’s spiritual runes dimming slightly in response. She’d come. She needed this.
Next, the team. He couldn’t do this alone—not when there was no guarantee that Airalai, as a Black Dawn member, would be.
Darrius and Malzahir were musts; their contracts were the strongest amongst all of Kain’s subordinates, and they’d proven competent and loyal.
He paused, debating. ‘Hmm… but who else?’ He wanted as much force as possible, but leaving the manor undefended gnawed at him. If something went wrong while the kids were home, he’d never forgive himself. Garret’s ox‑drill hybrid, with its seismic shocks and stone barriers, and Lira’s contract resembling a fawn made of fog, with its subtle distortions and illusions, were the most defensively suited. They would stay behind, forming the last line of protection if the two barriers around the home, along with Bridge, if it were breached while Kain was away.
That way, he could strike out without glancing over his shoulder, knowing the manor was secured.
He messaged Darrius: Emergency. Bring Malzahir, Jax, Miya. Outskirts clearing, 11 PM. Details on arrival.
Darrius replied instantly: On it. Kain then slipped downstairs, finding the Director in the living room, practicing using his spiritual power since he was still pretty rusty at it, and Bridge combing his contracted wolf Princess’s fur.
“Heading out,” Kain said casually. “Brewery tip—possible sabotage.”
The Director looked up, his red-grade aura flickering. “At this hour? Alone?”
Kain shrugged. “Won’t take long. Just checking leads.”
Bridge paused his brushing, wiping some stray fur from where they were floating up and tickling his face. “Need any help? Is there any danger”
Kain shook his head. “No danger. If anything, I’m more about something happening at home. Stay with the kids.” They exchanged nods, no further questions. They trusted him—perhaps too much.
By 11 PM, the team assembled at the manor’s edge. Darrius arrived first, his peak orange-grade jellyfish-squid contract hovering nearby, its shimmering iridescent shell and glowing tentacles casting faint blue light, ready to form protective barriers.
Malzahir followed, bundled up tightly in upgraded 5-star enchanted clothing Kain had recently gotten commissioned in order to contain his corrosive poison gift—shirt, pants, gloves, shoes, even socks and underwear. Due to him not having spiritual power strong enough to activate the sigils and various effects in the clothing, it couldn’t exert its full effects, but at least it was strong enough to prevent him from accidentally harming something or someone, while also having a strong innate defensive abilities. His yellow-grade poisonous wyrm with sharp feather-like fins and tarnished bronze eyes was coiled at his side, exuding toxic menace.
Jax sauntered in toward the group next, his recently advanced orange-grade contract taking the form of floating segmented cubes. Pink magnetic arcs crackled between the cubes, and its pupilless pink eyes glowed faintly as it whirred, primed for erratic electrified strikes.
Miya brought up the rear, her orange-grade black-furred feline with three blue flame-tipped tails pacing beside her emitting intense heat waves.
Kain briefed them quickly: “Airalai—my ‘sister’ from Black Dawn. She’s coming alone, thinking it’s the Director. We talk, then ambush. Ideally, I can capture her alive, but don’t risk yourselves to do so. If she proves dangerous, I’m not against simply killing her.”
The team nodded, no questions—Darrius’s serious gaze, Malzahir’s muffled affirmation through his wrappings, Jax grinned while mumbling something snarky about he and Airalai ‘needing family therapy’, which Kain decided to ignore, lest he wish to take out the anger still boiling in the pit of his stomach on him.
They moved out, arriving at the clearing by 11:45. The moon hung low, casting silvery light over jagged rocks and barren trees, a rundown abandoned building in the quiet area adding an eerie backdrop.
Darrius and Malzahir took to the trees, Malzahir’s bundled form blending into shadows.
Jax crouched behind a boulder, his contract whirring becoming quiet as the subtle electric glow it emitted was repressed.
Miya positioned herself behind some tall dry grass, her feline’s heat waves ready to ignite them to block off this path to retreat for Airalai if necessary.
Kain stood alone…at least appearing alone to Airalai.
Midnight approached. A rustle—Malzahir sneezed, muffled but his corrosive spit sizzled on leaves, melting them with a foul, acrid smell. The team froze, but the clearing remained silent. Kain signaled calm.
Airalai arrived, her purple hair shimmering, violet eyes calm as she stepped into the moonlight, expecting the Director. Her serene expression cracked upon seeing Kain. “Brother? Where’s Uncle?” she asked, wariness creeping in, but her cover held—no sign she knew her facade was shattered.
Kain kept his voice neutral. “He sent me. Said it was important.”
Airalai hesitated, then smiled, stepping closer. “I’m glad. I was honestly worried about meeting him for the first time. But since I’ve already spoken with you not long ago, I can relax. Based on what we last spoke about, when can I meet everyone? I’ve missed you all.” Her words were honeyed, tugging at old bonds.
Kain cut her off uncaringly: “How did you find Cherry? Since she entered the Orphanage after you ‘disappeared’ you never met her. And her school—how’d you know?”
She didn’t pick up the sarcastic inflection on ‘disappeared’, answering smoothly. “I kept tabs from afar once I remembered you all. Family means everything. I had to know how you all were.” Her eyes softened, spinning tales of hardship, loneliness, and pleading for understanding.
Kain’s aura chilled. “Enough. I know what you did—the Black Dawn, the labs, the children, the experiments.”
Airalai’s smile faltered, falling into a long period of silence. Mind clearly churning.
But she recovered. “You don’t understand. The Black Dawn is mankind’s saviour. They saw the abyss coming… and mankind’s eventual defeat. We needed to strengthen humanity. The ends justify the means.” She implored with logic, pitching Black Dawn’s vision and desperate measures to save the world.
“Join us, Kain. Your power could change everything and increase the likelihood of more people surviving.”
Kain’s last little hope shattered—she was brainwashed, her cruelty rationalized.
He signalled the team discreetly, and a hostile atmosphere began to envelop the field in preparation for battle.