Chapter 239: Fateful Meeting?
Luke moved through the busy streets of Obosu, his long black hair swaying behind him. His deep blue eyes looked around curiously, taking in the presence of life around him. This wasn’t something new to him, but it had been a very long time since he felt life as radiant as this.
Where he was initially was full of death. Even a beast zone would’ve been better: at least the beasts weren’t dead unless you killed them. This told where exactly he’d been. It was even a miracle that he’d survived a land infested with all kinds of undead in all kinds of tiers. Ghouls, zombies, skeletons, wraiths, liches, ghosts, banshees...
Just thinking about it made him shiver, and he couldn’t help but hallucinate. His gaze fell onto a child walking her pet dog, and he couldn’t help but imagine her as a zombie. But despite all that, his expression was neutral, with no sign of emotion.
His long coat fluttered behind as he moved with no sense of distance. He just wanted a place to rest, and maybe wash up. He hadn’t bathed in... was it days, weeks, months, or years? Time in that was fucked up... excuse the language. A minute could be a month... It was so weird that after a few days or maybe a year, he closed his mind to time. Some of his teammates died out of madness, and some became food to the undead.
"Luke Asante," a deep voice broke him out of his thoughts. He looked around and realized that he’d reached a rather quiet part of the city. Looking at the area, only one word could describe it... Rich. He had wandered all the way to the "rich" part of the city, where only wealthy families and small nobles lived. He then turned to the person who had called out to his name.
He was an insanely tall... man, youth? Well, he was tall, standing at about 6’8, with a cleanly shaved black hair. His eyes were a piercing dark gold that naturally made people cower before him. His skin was dark, but a lighter dark, almost tanned, unlike Luke’s darker one. He wore a beautiful white shirt with blue designs and an O-shaped crest with musical symbols across it in his left breast pocket. That was the symbol of the Obosu family, the overlord of the city.
"Uh..." Luke subconsciously took two steps back, his senses screaming at him to run with all his power.
"Please keep cool. I mean no harm," the tall young man said with a faint chuckle, noticing Luke’s tensed reaction. "Luckily, I found you here. If the nobles had found you first, I would’ve had to erase a whole lineage to get you, Chaos Wielder." The young man said with such casualness as if he hadn’t just declared to wipe out a whole noble family, and that too on his own. That could only mean that he was a Tier 3 or higher.
"How- How did you know?!" Luke’s fear just increased by the second.
"Let’s just say... We have ears everywhere. Oh, apologies for my bad manners. I am Silvio Obosu, the second son of Lord James, and the fourth grandson of the patriarch of the Obosu Family," the young man bowed slightly.
"Why are you telling me all this? You just revealed your personal information," Luke said in confusion.
"Are you sure?" Silvio asked with a smile and turned. "Please, follow me. You are an esteemed guest of the Obosu. From now on, you are under our protection."
Luke stood frozen for several seconds after Silvio turned around. His instincts still screamed danger. That was the terrifying part. The giant of a young man walked casually through the rich district with his hands in his pockets as if he weren’t someone capable of casually exterminating noble bloodlines, yet the pressure around him was immense and restrained, like a sleeping dragon pretending to be human.
Luke had learned something important in the undead lands. The calmer something was, the more terrifying it usually became.
"Chaos Wielder," Luke muttered quietly to himself. Very few people even knew his element. No. Very few people survived long enough after finding out, yet somehow, the Obosu family not only knew about it but had located him almost immediately after he arrived in the city.
Luke swallowed slowly before following after Silvio. At this point, refusing felt more dangerous.
...
The richer districts of Obosu were beautiful in a way that felt almost unreal after everything Luke had experienced.
The streets were spotless, white stone lined with glowing blue crystals that lit the roads naturally despite the approaching evening. Elegant carriages moved quietly past them while servants and guards dressed in refined uniforms walked respectfully along the roads. Tall palm-like trees swayed gently between massive estates and noble mansions.
Music drifted faintly through the air from somewhere distant. It felt alive. Luke realized then how numb he had become in the undead lands. The sounds of laughter, footsteps, conversations, and even birds singing all of it felt foreign now.
Silvio glanced at him briefly while walking.
"You’ve been through quite a lot."
Luke stayed quiet. He didn’t know how to answer that. How did one explain surviving a place where time broke apart? Where dead things whispered your name every night? Where even your memories tried to eat you?
Silvio didn’t push further; instead, he pointed ahead.
"There."
Luke finally saw it. The Obosu Palace... and for a moment, he forgot how to breathe. The palace rose at the center of the district like a monument of wealth and authority. Massive white walls surrounded the entire estate while blue-gold banners bearing the Obosu crest fluttered proudly above enormous towers.
The architecture was unlike anything Luke had ever seen.
Elegant curves mixed with sharp geometric structures created something both artistic and imposing. Huge arches connected sections of the palace while streams of glowing water flowed through channels carved into the white stone itself. At the center stood the main palace tower. It was tall and majestic. Behind it all, Luke felt power. Lots of it. The guards stationed around the palace alone radiated frightening auras. Some stood completely motionless in silver-blue armor, while others watched the surroundings from towers with cold eyes.
There was not a single weak person. Luke’s gaze sharpened slightly.
"Tier 2."
Silvio smiled faintly.
"Most of them."
Luke almost stumbled. Most? What kind of insane family used Elemental Core Formation warriors as ordinary guards? As if reading his thoughts, Silvio answered casually.
"The five great noble families aren’t ordinary powers." His tone remained calm as they approached the gates. "Solaria Kingdom is divided between five ruling cities. Obosu, Aurora, Armstrong, Adam, and Throst."
As he spoke each name, the guards around them lowered their heads respectfully.
"Each city belongs to one of the great families," Silvio continued. "The king rules from Solaris Castle at the center of the kingdom, but the great families maintain authority over their respective territories."
Luke listened quietly. He had heard of Solaria before. Everyone had. A powerful kingdom known for producing terrifying elementalists and military commanders, but hearing about it and standing inside one of its ruling families’ palaces were entirely different things.
"What about the smaller nobles?" Luke finally asked.
"They live in mansions." Silvio shrugged lightly.
"That simple?" Luke blinked.
"The hierarchy here is straightforward."
Silvio’s smile widened slightly.
"If you see a mansion, it belongs to a noble."
"If you see a palace..." His golden eyes gleamed faintly. "...Run."
The palace gates opened before them without a sound. The moment Luke stepped through, his senses exploded.
Mana... Pure mana. The density inside the palace grounds was several times greater than outside. Luke immediately realized why the Obosu family was so powerful. The palace itself sat atop a gigantic mana vein. The flowers glowed faintly, the fountains radiated elemental energy, and even the air felt richer. Luke unconsciously tightened his fists.
This place was a cultivation paradise. Silvio noticed immediately.
"You can feel it?"
Luke nodded slowly.
Silvio chuckled.
"Good."
That single word carried hidden meaning. Only talented individuals could truly perceive environmental mana density to this degree. Servants immediately bowed as Silvio walked past them.
"Young Master."
"Young Master Silvio."
Some glanced curiously toward Luke but quickly lowered their gazes again. No one questioned him; That alone told Luke everything he needed to know about Silvio’s position within the family.
He was not just respected, he was feared. As they moved deeper into the palace grounds, Luke finally noticed something else.
Musicians.
At first, he thought it was background music, but then he realized actual people were playing throughout the palace. Some sat near fountains playing string instruments, while others performed calmly near gardens. The melodies flowed naturally through the estate.
Luke frowned slightly.
"Music?"
"The Obosu family specializes in sound-based elements and techniques," Silvio explained. "Our founder was a Sound Sovereign." That immediately explained the musical crest.
Luke exhaled quietly. Everything about this family suddenly felt even more dangerous. Sound was a notoriously difficult and destructive affinity. Silvio suddenly stopped walking. Before them stood enormous silver doors engraved with countless musical symbols.
The pressure behind those doors was monstrous, making Luke immediately stiffen. Silvio glanced sideways at him.
"My grandfather is waiting."
Luke’s heartbeat stopped briefly. The patriarch, one of the rulers of Solaria, was waiting for him. The exhausted survivor from the undead lands. Luke suddenly had a horrible feeling. His life was about to change completely.
