King John confessed with a heavy heart, admitting it was a hard thing to do for him.
Most of his underlings could already sniff the regret that he had, and he couldn't show this side of him to them knowing full well that a leader couldn't be indecisive and had to follow through with their own words.
But at this moment, he felt an impulse to open up to Gistella.
Even the embarrassment of saying it to a stranger made him turn his face to the side.
Finding to see such a kid-like reaction from the leader of the Stygian Crow Organization, a light smile appeared on Gistella's face. "I can feel that it's weighed so heavily on your heart. I've found that sharing them with someone can be quite liberating. If you'd like, before I put you at ease, I'd be honored to listen for you"
Upon hearing her inviting words, King John remained silent while being caressed gently.
It went on for a few minutes before Gistella lifted her fingers.
Recognizing that King John was still ambivalent about sharing it with her, a stranger and still potentially an enemy, Gistella decided that she wouldn't press further and cast a spell that would put him to sleep.
However, King John abruptly grasped her hand, arresting her movement.
Gistella gazed down at him as he still averted his face, cradled in her lap. Then, a moment later, he reached for his sleeves, tugging them up past his elbow to reveal a series of deep, throbbing gashes that were deeply unsettling to behold.
On top of that, his veins also seemed to be infused with ink-black substance.
It looked like a magical sickness of some sort, caused by a very profound and dense mana.
Seems like wearing a black turtle neck, covering his skin was not only for show.
"I have the bloodline of an ancient human, and the Executor helped me awaken it," King John said whisperingly, his expression darkening as he was remembering this. "I thought he would develop familiarity with me as I have that bloodline, but he didn't. He made my body stronger at the cost of being his personal shield"
Upon hearing this, Gistella couldn't hide her shock.
Reaching out her hand, she gently has a feel of the veins, sucking in a cold breath.
'Chaos Mana...' She pondered inside her mind.
Even though she had never sensed Chaos mana for real, she could tell that this was Chaos mana from how it was pulling her energy into its grasp, wanting her to be engulfed by it, and leaving her desiring to comprehend it for all eternity.
Something that is even older than time itself, the element of the Executors.
However, she soon escaped from her trance and realized what King John was saying to her. 'Shield...? Did he mean that he was connected somehow with the Executor, and becomes the one suffering the damages in the Executor's stead? So these fresh gashes..."
Gistella was utterly baffled, this was not something she anticipated.
"Now I'm stuck, unable to break free from this. The Executor, he... he is not a human"
In the end, the shocking news left Gistella in silence.
Nothing came out of her mouth as the Executor's brutality always exceeded expectations.
He perceived those around him as nothing but tools and expandable minions, showing no remorse for the actions he did against even those who were ostensibly on his side. The Executor appears devoid of any discernible human-like characteristics, despite being an Ancient Human.
But it was then she snapped out of her trance, and focused back on King John.
"Everyone, including a dignified leader like yourself can make mistakes. It's a fundamental aspect of being alive, and it's what makes you a living being. You've done well to hold out for your people. You've suffered a lot, and it speaks of your amiable aim, King John..."
Upon hearing this, King John paused and wore a doubtful countenance.
It was silent all over again.
But the icy silence was broken when he opened his mouth and blurted out a question.
"Say... Are you really that in love with Rex that you're willing to go this far?"
"Of course, I-" Gistella paused, her expression reddened, nearly responding out of instinct. However, she quickly regained her composure and offered a pliant smile. "Despite appearances, I remain a part of his pack, and his influence over me is... undeniable. But... I am aware of this and am also open to possibilities"
King John listened to this before he suddenly sat up.
Getting back to his feet, he turned towards the door and paused, "I'll be leaving now"
After uttering those words, he hastily exits the room.
Just when his back disappeared from the spacious room Gistella finally breathed easily. She then covered her face which had turned reddened, trying to suppress the guilt from slipping up earlier.
"Master, I'm sorry... I didn't mean to say that. It's not that I want to endanger myself"
"..."
"His question caught me off guard, so it came out of instinct. I'm sorry..."
Meanwhile, on the other side of the castle.
Unaware of what transpires between Gistella and King John, Edward stands at the heart of the throne room, his watchful gaze shifting restlessly from side to side. His furrowed brow and pensive expression reveal a sense of deep concern.
Something is clearly troubling his mind right now.
Pausing for a second to inspect the surroundings, he then glanced over to an Awakened.
"Cast your detection spell one more time"
Following Edward's command, the Awakened who was kneeling on the floor stiffly garners an immense concentration of wind mana to his hands before he slammed it to the ground, sending a gale of wind that traversed through every nook and corner of the castle.
It takes half a minute before the Awakened shakes his head once again.
"Nothing, I sensed nothing out of the ordinary"
"Okay, you may go"
Not even waiting for the Awakened to leave first, Edward already strides forward while still looking around the castle, seemingly searching for something. He doesn't seem to be satisfied with the Awakened's spell.
'So only I can sense it, huh?'
Edward vigilantly scans his eyes, which contain a black ember around.
A couple of days ago, he sensed an invisible presence inside that bothered him quite a bit.
Initially, he thought nothing of it.
But he changed his mind because of the incident a couple of hours ago, he heard a thudding sound coming from the direction where he sensed the invisible presence. It seems this was not a false alarm from his senses.
Something is definitely here, a spectral entity that only he could sense.
Due to that, he has already spent a considerable amount of time to figure out what it is.
However, no matter how much he tried, he could only sense it a couple of times but its presence was faint, and it was hard for him to keep track. In the end, he could only decide to tell it to the Executor when he came back.
Just then along the hallway, he stopped abruptly as his eyes widened in revelation.
'Wait a minute, don't tell me that it's...'
Realizing a crucial detail about the spectral entity, he ceased scanning his surroundings and redirected his steps toward the castle's most hallowed sanctum. In a trance-like state, he found himself standing before the entrance to the Executor's bed chamber.
"I've never really been here, but the Executor never said anything about coming here too"
Ever since he was converted, the bed chamber's doors were never closed.
It was unknown whether the Executor had nothing to hide or was he had a purpose in mind.
Stepping inside the bed chamber, he was greeted with a magnificent sight.
Most of the furniture inside was adorned in a royal purple color, however, it was unclear whether it was always done in this color or not. He didn't waste his time and started looking around the bed chamber.
Edward realized that the thudding sound came from the hallway.
It could lead to many places, but out of all of them, the Executor's bed chamber sticks out.
Upon going around the bed chamber, aimlessly searching for any clues of the spectral entity, Edward found nothing aside from the Executor's belongings. He searched inside the drawer, underneath the bed, and even behind the furniture but had no luck.
"Okay, think... What is his objective?"
Pondering for a moment, Edward finds it hard to guess as he doesn't know anything.
"Maybe it's in another place...?" He mused with a frown.
Deciding that the Executor's bed chamber is too obvious of a place, he decided to leave.
Finding that it was not appropriate to let the Executor's bed chamber be opened like this, he decided to close it on the way out. Levitating with a burst of black fire, he grabbed the handles and closed the door.
Just then, his eyes flashed when his right hand felt something rough.
Edward rubs the spot on the handle with his fingers and finds this weird, a castle that doesn't have any sign of flaw definitely wouldn't have this weird rough spot on the handles. It's the Executor's castle, it should've been perfect.
But as he maneuvered to see the rough spot behind the door handle, his eyes widened.
However, his surprised look was replaced by his smirk.
Stationed right behind the handle was an engraved mark that is shaped like a pentagram, and it doesn't emit any energy whatsoever. Although it looked ordinary, someone must've carved this pentagram recently.
Despite not knowing the objective, Edward knew that this was a lead for him.
Pondering for a brief moment, deciding to let himself have a hint of hope, he went over to the other handle and looked behind it. But he sighed when he didn't find what he wanted there. Then again, it's too good to be true.
"No matter, at least I know that it's not going to be long, now..."
~
Just as anticipated, Adhara got the news she was waiting for.
Rex already arrived at the Dwarven Kingdom and was personally welcomed by the Dwarf King himself. She could also sense his approach towards the parlor she occupied, a sensation that sent a wave of nervousness rippling through her.
'Why do I feel nervous...?' She pondered uneasily.
It was then that the door towards the room was opened with Rex standing before it.
Adhara was surprised to find that Rex had a cold expression on his face, he also bore signs of exhaustion in his eyes almost as if he had finished doing a strenuous exercise. But it was then she realized the burning sensation she felt earlier.
Due to being nervous, she forgot that something happened back in the city.
"What happened...? Are you okay?"
Feeling worried as it seemed the incident earlier was more serious than she thought, Adhara turned her sitting position on the sofa towards him. It was evident that he was having a difficult time, judging from his gloomy emotional aura.
Ignoring her remarks completely, Rex strides towards her with certain steps.
However, nearing her, he fell to his knees right before her which surprised Adhara utterly.
Just as she was about to say something, her eyes widened in surprise when she felt Rex's arms enveloping her, going in for a hug. He buried his face into her neck, and in that moment, she sensed that he was in dire need of comfort.
Something definitely happened back then, and he wasn't able to handle it properly.
It was a habit between the two ever since that particular time.
Rex could express a hint of his exhaustion and tiredness to her more so than anybody else.
"Let me stay like this for a moment" He mused.
Upon hearing this, Adhara smiled lightly before she hugged him back, giving him as much comfort as he needed knowing that in a moment before them, they were going to need to deal with the Rastrikan Demons.
Adharara knew that he would be like this if not for needing to deal with an important matter.
But the Rastrikan Demons couldn't be delayed, so he needs a moment.
"Of course, Rex. There's nowhere else I'd rather be than with you"
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