The next day, thundering sounds of the engines shook Livan. Ashton had said his farewells to the ones he cared about. In the meantime, countless Giholos could be seen stationed all across the city. Earlier that day, they had sworn to protect Livan and its citizen to their last breath.
Seeing as Livan had turned into a kind of sanctuary, Ashton insisted Avalina stay there till he got back. To his surprise, she accepted the proposal and assumed the position of acting 'Baroness' of the city.
Ashton would have liked it even more if his mother would have accepted to travel with him, but for some reason, she declined. Ashton got a feeling it had something to do with his missing father, but he couldn't be sure of it nor could he force Avalina to spill the beans.
In the end, both of them met at the middle ground and Ashton let the topic go. As for the rest of them, they were in good hands. Sheera and Virgil were both exceptional fighters and with time, they would grow stronger as the Giholos had agreed to train the warriors of Ashton's 'tribe' as they called it.
"Don't worry, they'll be fine."
Anna approached Ashton who was busy gazing at the continuously shrinking city below. They were standing on a glass floor which gave them complete visibility of whatever was underneath the ship. It was some kind of 'Observation bay'.
"Of course, they will be." Ashton returned her smile, "What about you though? Did your parents approve of this?"
Anna did not inform her parents about her departure before it was too late for them to stop her. Initially, they were worried about her since she was embarking on a journey they couldn't quite stomach. But after chatting for a while, they willingly allowed her to leave.
"Oh please, the moment they heard Lord Lycaon vouching for my safety and my training, they practically pushed me inside the ship." Anna laughed, "Still, I did not inform them about my 'evolution'. I don't think they are quite for that bomb right now."
Ashton nodded and continued gazing outside.
***
Unbeknownst to Ashton, there was someone else watching him as he left the planet. Someone who trained him mercilessly, someone who was the reason he got to know what the meaning of true hate was. Someone who was formerly known as the Mistress. However, she wasn't alone.
"It would appear your mutt has outgrown your shadow, princess." A grotesque figure of a woman remarked.
She had patched skin from a variety of creatures, humans and mutants. But oddly enough, her appearance was surprisingly similar to that of Mera. Her grey hair and muscular figure were the only distinctions between the two. It was Monica, Mera's now Undead mother.
"It doesn't concern me, mother." Mera replied, "He was a stepping stone who fulfilled his purpose without even noticing. Although it's a bit sad we didn't get to end our 'relationship' on a better tone."
"Falling for a kid?" Monica laughed.
"It's more of motherly love than lust. After all, I did promise Avalina I'd take care of her son no matter what."
"You are weird, my child." Monica shook her head, "You should have told him that whatever you did to him was a plan you came up with his parents. He would have been conflicted but he might have understood you as well."
Mera shook her head before covering her face with her robe. She wasn't a prophet to propagate the truth. She was merely a tool in the grand scheme of things, a tool used to fulfil a prophecy. A prophecy that would change the fate of the galaxy.
"Let's go, we shouldn't make Avaina wait for us anymore," Mera mumbled.
***
At the same time, there were countless other eyes on Ashton's actions. Mainly of the enemies Ashton never cared to dispose of. The Conundrum might have only been a shadow of what they were in their golden days, but they were still active.
On top of that, they had gotten their revenge on Jonathan and Lycania by helping the undead attack their former motherland. They were the ones who gave the undead the blueprints they needed along with countless other important information.
Had they not helped them, the undead's attack on the werewolves wouldn't have been half as devastating as it was. However, in their eyes, they weren't traitors but messiahs. Messiahs who would cleanse the undead and restore the werewolves back to power.
They were also aware of the prophecy involving Ashton, well, they hoped it was Ashton. According to that, the one carrying the blood of the progenitors and the gods would transcend the mortal realm to achieve godhood and restore the rightful rulers back to power.
They had no idea who made this 'Prophecy' or whether it was even true or not, but so far, whatever was predicted by the 'Prophet of Truth', had been true.
"He is gone," Donovan informed his counterparts, "We can begin unfolding our plans now."
"Good, bring my sister in, I have something important to discuss with her." The leader of the conundrum, Mike Maquinn, instructed.
Donovan followed his command without making a fuss and a moment later, Rose was standing in front of them, chained from the head to the toe. Mike might have helped Servina, but he had a condition for it.
The undead would have to capture and turn Rose over to him, unscathed. However, he did not do it out of some brotherly bond that he once shared with his disgrace of a sister. After all, she had been thrown out of their family for having sympathy for the humans and someone like that had no place in the Maquinn family.
"Are you ready to talk now?"
Rose stared at her brother with eyes filled with disgust, but she was too weak to do anything to him. Especially with all his lackeys present.
"One day... you will be standing in my place and that day... I would be the one laughing you murderer!"
"Tsk," Mike shook his head, "and here I was thinking my lovely... 'sister' would know better than to oppose me. Yes, I killed our parents, so what? Our mom would have been killed by our family sooner or later, so I did the job for them and earned their trust. Unlike you, who deserted us."
He continued, "But I am giving you another chance, tell me where have you hidden Excalibur and I'll end your pain. Not a bad deal, is it?"
"Fine... I'll tell you." Rose finally gave up, "It's in... your ass. Shove your hands up there and you'll find it."
"Take her away and treat her real good, Donovan." Mike spoke with a forced smile on his face, "I want to hear the screams while I sleep."
"As you wish," Donovan grabbed Rose by her hair before dragging her wounded self away.
***END OF VOLUME TWO***
This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦