Return of the Mythic Bloodline

Chapter 521: Calamity has arrived

"I... will," Ume said in a low whisper, her eyes turning moist, her heart filled with complete delightment. The words carried the weight of a promise she had longed to make.

"You could have just asked us in the room," Nymeria murmured, her hand shaking as she tried to process the emotions surging through her. Her creamy eyes glistened, struggling to hold back the flood.

"I could, but that did not mean I should," Taranis replied, shaking his head, his gaze soft and sincere. "So... what is your answer?"

"Of course it is a yes, dummy," Nymeria’s voice came out broken, her hand reaching her eyes as she began rubbing the moisture from them, a smile breaking through her tears.

The moment those words left her lips, a glowing light shot into the sky behind them, moving upward with a red tail. Upon reaching high, it exploded into a massive firework, covering the whole background with shimmering light. Following it, similar numerous fireworks shot into the sky, each one a different color spreading across the entire heavens, their sprinkling lights even dimming the glow from the submerging sun. The sky became a canvas of celebration.

Nymeria pushed Taranis to his feet and embraced him in a tight hug, her arms wrapping around his neck as if she never wanted to let go.

"I am so happy today," she whispered, her tears dampening his shirt, soaking through the fabric.

"Silly, why are you crying?" Taranis said, gently brushing her hair as he kissed her head, his lips lingering against her soft strands.

"Th-they are the tears of happiness," Nymeria whimpered, rising on her toes, pressing herself closer to him.

She moved her hand behind his neck and pressed her lips to his, letting his warmth settle on her. The kiss was deep and tender.

Taranis welcomed the kiss, parting his lips to let her tongue enter inside, gently holding her cheeks between his both hands, savoring every moment.

Once they parted after a few seconds, their breaths mingling in the cool air, Nymeria slowly stepped back and pushed Ume toward him with a gentle nudge.

"Why are you staying behind, Sis?" She said with a playful smile as Taranis caught Ume, steadying her as she stumbled forward.

"You are looking gorgeous, my love," Taranis said, gently wiping the tear from the corner of her eye, his thumb tracing the soft curve of her cheek.

She rubbed her face against his hand, holding his wrist with both hands as she replied, her voice trembling with emotion, "Thank you for this surprise."

She guided his hand from her cheek to her head, letting him hold her fluffy ear. Her ears had always been a sacred, private part of her, a vulnerability she had never shared with anyone.

"U-Ume..." Taranis’s eyes widened in surprise, his breath catching. It was the first time she had allowed him to touch her ears. He understood the meaning behind the gesture. She had completely accepted him as hers. There was no more "my" or "yours" between them anymore. It would only be "ours."

While his thumb gently circled around her soft ear, she held him firmly by the collars, her face rising up to meet his as she pressed her lips to his. The world around them faded, leaving only the warmth of their embrace and the soft whisper of the waves against the shore.

As they parted, the last of the fireworks painted the twilight sky in hues of gold and crimson, and Taranis pulled them both into a tight embrace, holding his future close to his heart.

---

"There are only a few hours remaining before the rifts start appearing," Reyaan said, his voice laced with urgency. "Where is Raj an?"

He was sitting in his office, a phone pressed to his ear, sweat trickling down his temple. The clock on the wall ticked relentlessly, each second a reminder of the approaching calamity.

It had been two days since Raj had suddenly and completely vanished, along with the SSS-Ranking women who stayed with him.

"Do not worry, Father," Aryan’s laid back voice came through the phone from the other side, calm and unconcerned. "They will surely appear on time."

Reyaan’s brows furrowed at the vague answer, his jaw tightening. "Miss Kitsune was supposed to aid Japan during the calamity. They have been relentlessly pressuring me to send her there already. At this point, some of them have even started questioning whether she will show up at all."

He massaged the bridge of his nose as he continued, his voice exhausted, carrying the weight of sleepless nights. "Not just them, even our government is demanding the whereabouts of Raj and his partners. I have already turned down over fifty ministers seeking a meeting with him. I just cannot keep refusing them."

He released a long sigh, his tone almost turning pleading as he asked, "Do you know where they are?"

"Perhaps enjoying the moment before disaster on some cozy beach," Aryan replied with a chuckle, completely unbothered by the tension in his father-in-law’s voice.

"Is it the Dr. Reyaan again?" Theodore asked, standing beside Aryan. The duo, along with an army of Awakeners, were standing in the empty city of California, waiting for the calamity to descend. The streets were silent, the buildings hollow, the only sound the rustle of wind through abandoned alleys.

"Father, believe in me. They will appear soon," Aryan said again, trying to reassure Reyaan, his voice confident.

Beep!

His phone was cut off without an answer. The line went dead.

’You little shit, now even my father-in-law is pissed because of you,’ Aryan muttered inwardly, removing the phone from his ear. He shook his head, a wry smile tugging at his lips.

As he was about to place his phone in his pocket, it vibrated with a notification. It was Raj’s message.

"Success!" The message read.

"Good for you, little shit," Aryan chuckled, a genuine smile forming on his lips as he placed the phone back in his pocket. Despite everything, a flicker of relief passed through him.

---

All the population dense areas where the appearance of rifts had been predicted had been evacuated across the entire world, with citizens relocated to places with lower or more calculable readings of mana frequency. The operation had been massive, unprecedented in human history.

Thanks to the preparation made in advance by the officers working restlessly in Operation Last Stand, the evacuation was carried out smoothly, with barely any chaos or panic. Armies of B to AAA Ranked Awakeners were ordered to protect the evacuated citizens in case any monster managed to slip past the defences.

The world would have been thrown into chaos and terror from such a large scale evacuation. However, thanks to the livestream they had witnessed of Raj easily handling monsters that had defeated even SSS Rankers, they believed that as long as he stood against the calamity, humanity still had a chance. Not to mention the repeated declarations of leaders from every nation that Raj Singh had agreed to aid them in their time of need. No citizen would die from the monsters about to appear on Earth, or so the assurances went.

---

Reyaan slammed his phone onto the table and released a long sigh, leaning back heavily on his chair. "At times like these, I wish I had not stopped smoking," he muttered, rising from his chair with visible reluctance.

He had only placed his phone on the table when it already began ringing. It was the Defence Minister’s call.

"Dammit, I am not picking it." He placed the phone in his trouser pocket and moved outside the office. He already knew what the minister wanted to ask, and since he had no answer for it, he decided not to pick up the call.

He took the elevator and reached the roof of the building.

As the lift’s door slid aside, the cold breeze struck his face due to the towering height of the building.

A few metres ahead of him, leaning forward on the railing, stood Saya, her raven black hair swaying back from the breeze. Along with her hair, white smoke was also flowing back, its scent familiar to Reyaan. The tip of a cigarette glowed in her hand.

"Smoking is not good for health," Reyaan said, taking the cigar from Saya’s hand with a gentle but firm tug.

"It was my first time trying it," Saya said, her eyes fixed on the bright city ahead. The lights of the metropolis twinkled in the gathering dusk. "I heard it reduces stress."

She released a sigh as she continued, her shoulders slumping slightly, "It seems like the rumours were false."

She seemed a little better from two days ago, when she was crying like a child after getting her heart broken. Or perhaps she was just acting to be better. Reyaan could not tell, nor did he ask her. He knew better than to pry into wounds that had not yet healed.

"Any plans once all of this ends?" Rehaan asked, taking a puff from the cigar he had taken from Saya. The smoke curled into the air, dissolving against the night sky.

"Buy a cruise ship and explore the seas."

"Oh, that is rather specific," Reyaan chuckled, his wrinkled face looking at Saya with the same warmth he looked at his daughter, Aisha. His eyes crinkled at the corners. "Well, do not extend your holidays too much. You need to become the next Chairman of the Hunter Association after all."

Saya flinched from his declaration, her body tensing. Reyaan knew what she was about to say, so he continued, his voice softening, "I am old now. I wish to spend my remaining days with my daughter and granddaughter."

He was about to put the cigar to his lips when Saya snatched it from his hand and said with a chuckle, "Keep smoking, and you will be enjoying your retirement ten feet under the ground."

Reyaan just laughed at her words, his old, raspy voice spreading across the roof, carried away by the wind.

Slowly, his laughter died as he felt the air around them turning heavy, thick with an invisible pressure. In the city below, the space began twisting at several places, waves of mana erupting outward from them like ripples in a pond.

"They are here," Saya muttered, tying her hair behind her head in a swift, practiced motion. Her eyes sharpened, all traces of melancholy gone.