Villain: The Play of Destiny by FateDevilAce

"It's your personal matter, Mr Arya. You don't need my permission to participate in the Ancient Trials." Keith spoke after Samrath finished speaking and asked if it would be okay for him to participate in the Trials. "Also, these are open Trials, so even if people consider you an outsider, you can still participate in them to settle your disputes."

"Thank you, Dr. Keith." Samrath sighed in relief and smiled.

"No worries." He waved his hand and then continued peeling a pomegranate with great care and precision, patiently filling up the bowl with the arils.

There was just something about it that everyone present there could not help but glance at his hands over and over again. And once the bowl was filled up, he shared the contents with all of them to eat with him.

Samrath's eyes widened a little when he tasted the fruit, surprised at how sweet and delicious it was. He had never tasted a pomegranate so delicious before.

"Where are these pomegranates from?" He curiously asked.

"Homegrown." Keith smiled and answered. "We grow them at our Estate in Sameran."

"I see." Samrath nodded his head and continued eating until there was nothing left in his bowl.

"Is she worth it?"

The sudden question made Samrath freeze, and he frowned a little before nodding his head.

"I love her."

"And does she love you just as much as you do?"

They had a similar question the last time too, but now, some time had passed, and several things had happened.

Ozell had continuously refused all his efforts to ask for a meeting. They returned all the gifts he sent them. Even when he approached them as a representative of the Arya Family, they showed him no respect.

And during this ordeal, he had not once heard from Sunaina.

However, Samrath nodded his head without any hesitation.

"I know she loves me, and she loves me more than I can ever love her." He honestly said, and one of his Shadow Guards could not help but sigh at his words.

They truly wished that he had not fallen so hard in love with this girl, but it was what it was, and Samrath's mind now only revolved around her and his promise to avenge his late lover, Samantha.

"Dr. Keith. There is something I need your help with." The Child of Destiny looked at him with serious eyes.

"Yes?" He curiously looked at him and smiled in his heart as he knew what was coming.

"Would it be possible for you to have the events of a certain night investigated?"

"Which date?" He asked.

"The night Samantha was killed. November 10th."

"What are you looking for?"

"I don't know. But I have a hunch that Rovic were not the only one responsible for her death." He revealed,

Keith kept looking at the Child of Destiny in his eyes and finally nodded his head.

"I will have the incident investigated. But I am not going to make any promises on the results." He said and watched Samrath gratefully bow to him.

"Thank you, Dr. Keith."

"You might have to return some favours if the day ever comes, Mr. Arya. No need to feel too grateful."

The subtle reminder that nothing was ever free did not affect his gratefulness in the least, and Samrath sincerely smiled at him.

"I hope I can prove to be of your use someday."

After the guests took their leave, Keith picked up another pomegranate and started peeling it. There was a very light smile on his lips as he could sense the presence of the Shadow Guards and Samrath, who were slowly getting father and father away from his mansion.

A Tracing Potion that he bought from the System and mixed with his Aura was going to stay in the five Shadow Guards' systems for at least three weeks, and he would be able to swiftly take care of all of them when the time comes.

As for Samrath, even though he had consumed it as well, it was not going to work on him because he possessed the Fragment of the Book of Life in his body. The Divine Treasure was going to help him solve it in just a matter of several more minutes. Then again, it was never meant for him, so it did not matter.

Several minutes later, Keith stood up and walked inside the Mansion, heading straight to his study.

He was not surprised that Samrath had a hunch that someone else was involved in Samantha's killing. And he was sure that a part of Child of Destiny was even doubting him, but since his rationale said otherwise, he was never going to believe it.

It was only hundreds or thousands of years into your life that you learn to listen to your instincts over everything else. And Samrath was only a young man of twenty years.

And of course, he was not going to give any results from the 'investigation'.

Keith sat in his chair and then looked into the details of the Ozell territory. It was about time he dealt with Sunaina Ozell. She needed to die right after the Head of Ozell and his chosen batch would leave for the Ancient Trials. Only then would the blame fall on the Ozell and Samrath would make an enemy out of them.

And he had to kill the girl himself since he needed to extract the Special Physique that she possessed.

He was in the middle of thinking when an explosion sounded out, and he sighed before he stood up and walked towards the room that Minami and Kiara shared.

Despite himself, he could not help but smile when he watched the distraught expressions of the two girls. Everything inside the room had been ruined, and Kiara had spent a lot of time decorating it.

"Told you to not play with magic." He reminded them, only for Kiara to pout and Minami to lower her head.

"We were just trying to see what happens if we combine multiple Elements..."

"Seriously?"

"I couldn't resist." Kiara stuck her tongue out. "It was just a speck, did not think it would be so..."

"Your Mana is more potent." He looked at the two of them and reminded them. "You are not Ashaya. I don't want to see you again doing some tests outside the training room when you are at home. Understood?"

"Yes, Master." Minami obediently nodded to him, and Kiara too seemed to have learned her lesson.

However, he could trace some mischief in their eyes, and he could guess that their little experiment had only fuelled their curiosity some more.

"Clean the room." He ordered and then turned around to look at Kashish, who had arrived there a minute ago and had listened to their exchange.

As soon as their eyes met, she shied away, a hint of blush blossoming on her face.

"I want to talk to you." She told him, and he smiled at her.

"Yes?"

"I want to know about my Special Physique." She did not mind that Kiara and Minami were listening and got straight to the point.

"Well, you can learn about it after I help you awaken it."

He heard Kiara giggle behind his back, and Minami too stilled the giggle that was about to escape her tummy.

"I want to know now... before..." Kashish became flustered at his words and blushed furiously.

Her shyness was not so much because of his words but because of the playful wink and grin that Kiara sent her way.

"Come on, Brother. Tell her." Kiara finally took some mercy on her dear friend and decides to help her out.

"You are only just as curious, which is why you are helping her." Keith saw through her intentions, making her pout again.

"Kashish doesn't mind us knowing about it."

"How do you know that when you don't even know what Physique she has?" He smiled in his heart. "What if it is some really weird Physique that she would be embarrassed about?"

This time, all three of them, Keith, Kiara, and Minami, could not help but laugh as they caught Kahsish fidgeting and worriedly looking at him.

It was so unlike her usual calm and collected demeanour that they absolutely enjoyed her show of anxiety.

"Does she have one similar to the Mushroom Physique we read about in a story?" Kiara decided to tease her friend even more, reminding her about a story where a man possessed a Physique that resulted in him growing mushrooms on his skin.

Kashish seemed ready to bolt away as soon as he speaks but to her relief, he shook his head.

"No. Her grows roses on her body."

And the absolute look of horror that dawned on Kashish's face had Kiara guffawing at her her expression.

When Keith saw tears brimming in Kashish's eyes, he was tempted to tease her some more and make her cry, after all, she looked absolutely beautiful with those teary eyes. But he decided against it and planned on making her cry some other day in some privacy.

"I was messing with you." He said and watched some colour return to her face. "Well, do you know the Types or Special Physiques?"

"Profound, Superior, Heavenly, Immortal, and Divine." She answered.

"That's the general classes, yes." He nodded. "Yours falls into the Immortal Rank." He revealed, surprising her and piquing Kiara and Minami's interest. "It has several names, one of which is The Immortal Blood Miracle."

"The Immortal Blood Miracle?" Kiara frowned at the name. "What does it do?"

"A lot of things." Keith smiled. "It can even be considered a Pseudo-Divine Physique."

Kashish tried to suppress her smile, but her excitement was reflected in her eyes.

"First of all, it will help you heal very fast. Secondly, your blood keeps refining the Aura and Mana automatically, making them denser and purer, so if you do put effort into Cultivation, it will help you progress very fast. Thirdly, you have a very high Life-Force, which will not let you age after you reach your prime, and you can also use this Life-Force to heal other living beings, plant life included, since your Aura, Mana, and Blood all contain healing and rejuvenating properties. It will require some effort to master it, but it is achievable. Fourthly, you have an inborn affinity for Blood Arts, and Blood Manipulation. Lastly, it can help you assimilate a bloodline and help you change your race without any drawbacks, but you can only choose one Bloodline."

Both Minami and Kiara were surprised after hearing his words, and they understood why this Physique was called the Blood Miracle.

It provided the user with standard benefits that the Divine Races possessed, regardless of their own race. Even a Human could compete with some Divine Races, and they were sure that if Kashish assimilated a powerful Bloodline, the effects would only heighten.

And then there was Blood Manipulation affinity. They did not know what exactly it could do, but it sounded very terrifying.

They also knew that Keith did not really go into detail about every benefit he mentioned. So the effects could either be greater or worse than they had in mind, but knowing him, they were likely greater.

"Is that why you told me that you would change me?" Kashish asked after a minute of thinking everything over, and her question made Keith quizzically raise his brow. "That you would make me like them..." She glanced at Kiara and Minami, and he finally understood what she was talking about.

"Yes. I plan on giving you my Bloodline." He nodded. "You will no longer remain a human and will biologically become my daughter. And the power I will give you is 100% compatible with your Special Physique."

His answer took her by surprise and then made her blush hard.

"What will I become?" She asked, and Keith sighed in his heart.

"You will learn about it eventually. I can't answer your question right now." He told her and then smiled before he tapped her head. "But definitely not some Ogre with blue skin."

Keith did not answer her beautiful he did not know what he was. He had already figured out a lot of things and knew what his Bloodline meant.

However, these were not the things he wanted to discuss with them right now. It was better if they learned about it after spending some time in the Lower Heaven.

And if he did not need them to grow stronger as soon as possible, he would have probably waited to bestow them his Bloodline.

The things he had already revealed to them were not something he could discuss with even some members of his family, but Minami and Kiara already bore his Blood, and he always planned on bestowing it to Kashish, so it was not against telling them a few things.

Besides, it was not like Minami and Kiara did not already have these thoughts running through their minds.

Kashish smiled at his words, accepting them, and nodded her head.

"I believe you." She watched him smile at her and then reached forward to kiss her.

The moment their lips touched, she was lost in his divinely sweet taste.

She already knew she did not have a choice in this matter. And truth be told, she did not have anything against what Keith had in mind for her.

The time she had spent with him and the girls was, perhaps, the most joyful time of her life. Every day was fun, and with him around, even the most ordinary of activities became exciting.

She loved learning from him and deeply admired his knowledge and talent. And then there was the undeniable fact that she was helplessly attracted to him.

Kashish knew that he was attracted to her as well, and she was not some silly girl to believe that he was only attracted to her for her beauty. She knew very well that he had chosen her because of her beauty, talent, and her Special Physique. And by his own words, because she was 100% compatible with the powers he wanted to give her.

However, none of these things bothered her. Instead, they made her feel secure and relieved her that he found her special.

The mere thought of her life not having him and the girls around congested her heart now. So yes, there was truly no choice for her in this matter.

When they finally separated, the two girls who had been watching them did not miss the chance to pull her leg.

Kiara teased her, and as her loyal sister, Minami happily followed her lead.

"Why haven't you started cleaning your room?" Keith narrowed his eyes at him, which made them stop playing around and get to work.

Kashish decided to help them out a little, but she mostly stayed because she was amazed at his the girls were using magic to clean the room and wanted to observe it closely.

Leaving them to their devices, Keith walked downstairs and checked on Yingying, who was still soundly asleep, and then he returned to his study to continue making his plans.

He quickly memorised the detailed map of the Ozell Territory, including the satellite images, which Iseul had forwarded to him, and then thought through several methods he could use to kill the girl before deciding on one.

As much as he liked playing with his prey, he decided on giving her a quick and painless death.

And after formulating his plans, he took out a book on Crafting and started reading it.

He spent the rest of the morning reading and then joined the girls at lunch.

"Our Leave Application has been approved." Reina, who had returned from school happily informed him. "We are free for the next two weeks."

"Do you want to go to Magic City tomorrow?" He smiled and asked, to which everyone at the table looked at him and nodded. "Alright then. Pack your bags. We will leave early tomorrow morning."

"Yay!" Kiara happily high-fived Reina, and then they all started making their own plans about everything they wanted to do in Magic City and the places they wanted to visit.

Since it was one of the most ancient cities in Gaia, there were a lot of places worth visiting. And Kiara was also excited about introducing Kashish to Rebecca and Amelia.

Just as they were discussing their plans, Keith received a text from Rebecca, where she had asked him to call her as soon as possible.

Keith excused himself from the table and then made a call to her.

"Yes?"

"Keith, Alana received a call from Yexuan, and he apologised to her. He has managed to convince her to go home and see him, and I could not really stop her. She also plans on confronting him about his Cultivation."

"Who is with her?"

"She insisted on going alone, but I managed to convince her under the guise that we needed to do some shopping in the city." She informed him. "Amy and Zoey are in the car with her, and the rest of us are right behind them."

"What has caught your attention?" He asked, knowing well that something bothered her.

"Keith, does he possess some kind of treasure that lets him disappear?" She seriously asked, making him frown.

"Yes, but he can not teleport with it or walk invisibly. Why?"

"Oh." She pieced things through and then spoke. "He keeps appearing and disappearing in his apartment, and his physical growth has been abnormal. He's gaining muscle mass and height. His demeanour is changing as well, and there are now a few golden highlights in his hair."

"I see." He was already aware of these things so he was not surprised.

"He killed two more Aurors of the Mondini Family last night. No bodies." She told him. "Can he make bodies and people disappear with him to wherever he goes?"

Keith was not surprised that she figured it out, and he finally saw through her worries.

"Yes." He told her. "He can hide and even take a living person with him, but not indefinitely, not the case of the living person."

He had been keeping tabs on Yexuan's progress through the System. It was not for free and consumed System Points, but it was worth it. He was never going to turn a blind eye to someone who possessed a Divine Treasure like the Steele of Time and Space.

A simple miscalculation could prove dire and the person could escape your grasp. It was not something he could afford since he wanted to get his hands on that treasure at all costs and as soon as possible.

So far, Yexuan was only strong enough to stay inside the space in the Steele for five hours, but of course, the time he spent inside the Steele was a lot more than just five hours every day.

"You should have told me this before!" She complained and he just chuckled at her words. "I will keep an eye on her and will call you later." She told him before ending the call.

Keith smiled as he put the phone back in his pocket.

Sadly, there was still time in Yexuan's Invincible Halo, otherwise, he would have killed the boy already to avoid any complications.

But it seemed like he was determined to cause some trouble.

One thing that Keith was certain about was that Yexuan knew about his future self, and the boy also held some hatred towards him and his family. So, the boy needed to die, and he needed to die soon.

Friday, December 1st, 2045
Lumiere Tower, Magic City, Netheria

"Rebecca, I will be fine." Alana tried to persuade her blonde friend again, who insisted on coming along with her to the apartment she stayed in.

The girl pleadingly looked at Amelia, Zoey, and Marianne, but they refused to help her out as well.

"He would mind..." She fearfully said, and the blonde turned to look her right in the eyes.

"There are certain things about your brother that I can not tell you, Alana. Trust me when I say that he is no longer the brother you raised and grew up with."

Before Alana could process her words, Rebecca grabbed her hand and led her into her apartment as soon as the door of the lift opened.

And she was glad that she had earlier used a shield when speaking with Alana because the moment she stepped into the apartment, she found Yexuan Parker waiting in the lobby. She did not know why but she had a hunch that he possessed a very sharp sense of hearing.

He was standing there with his hands folded behind his back, his eyes narrowed, and the restlessness in them when he saw her and Amelia did not miss her eyes.

Yexuan's eyes finally settled on Alana, but before either of them could approach the other, Rebecca stepped forward and walked up to the boy, no longer wearing her usual smile but a very serious expression.

"I would not mind killing you if it means that it would save her the unnecessary pain. Be very careful with your games, Mr. Parker." She warned him in a light voice that only he could hear, and sure enough, as she had expected, his body went stiff and his heart skipped a beat. "Apologies to her." She raised her voice this time and then turned to smile at her friend, not waiting for the boy to find an excuse to play dumb. "Sorry, couldn't resist."

Alana was still processing the words she had spoken earlier in the lift and subconsciously nodded her head.

The girl took a careful look at her adoptive brother, and indeed, he seemed changed. And his changes were rather glaring.

He had grown taller, had buffed up, and then there were those golden highlights in his dark hair.

"Xuan..." She tried to call him by his nickname, but his eyes, even though they were looking at her, were a little vacant.

"Can we talk in private?" He lightly asked, and Alana hesitated.

For some reason, she really did not want to be alone with Yexuan right now. And she was now glad that Rebecca had insisted on coming with her.

However, soon her emotions riled up again, and she started feeling a little guilty, thinking that she was perhaps responsible for how changed he was now. Did she really neglect him in the last few years?

Even though Yexuan had not explicitly said it, and had profusely apologised to her on the call earlier today, she could sense that he was trying his best to not make her feel guilty.

"Yes." She nodded her head and then walked into the apartment, heading into her music room.

Rebecca did not follow them, and instead, turned to look at her sister-wife, who walked over to her.

"What did you say to him?" Amelia curiously asked.

"I threatened to kill him." She replied and then waited for an answer.

"His heart stopped when you did it. And the Aura inside his body, quiet the dense one, started riling up." The emerald-eyed girl said. "However, he managed to calm down at an alarming rate." She meaningfully added.

Rebecca narrowed her eyes when she heard Amelia's words. She knew that her dear sister-wife possessed some sort of mystical ability that allowed her to look into a person's body, which was why she had taken a proactive approach earlier.

And her gut feeling had proven right.

"He knows a lot about us." She lightly said.

There was no other explanation for why there was always a trace of fear and apprehension in his eyes whenever he saw her. And though at the start there was confusion in his eyes when he looked at Amelia, now there was the same fear he held towards her.

And his fear was not the fear of the unknown but that of the known.

Yexuan knew exactly how dangerous the two of them were, and given how he had always been restless at his stay in their Manor last year, warily looking at their family, she had long had her doubts about him.

This time, she was not going to let Keith keep quiet was going to make sure that he clears things up. She was certain that he knew exactly what was up with this Yexuan Parker, and she now needed answers of her own.

"How many Aura Nodes does he have?"

"90," Amelia replied. "He's very close to stepping into the Spirit Profound Realm. And he does possess Aura Nodes in the positions you mentioned."

"All of them?"

"Half."

"He's no longer an Ashaya." Rebecca solemnly said, and Amelia looked at her in surprise.

The blonde had not told her earlier why she had to look for Aura Nodes at those specific points, but now she knew why.

Ashaya were not supposed to possess Aura Nodes in those positions.

"What is he?"

"I need to know which points the active," Rebecca said, and Amelia started telling her about the points on Yexuan's body that possessed Aura Nodes. "And there are three right at the end of his vertebral columbine."

"It's hard to say." The blonde shook her head. "My guess would be a race with tail, but the evidence is not enough to even determine it..." She suddenly stopped talking and her eyes widened in surprise.

"What happened?" Amelia asked, glancing at her left year where there was a small earphone hidden.

She knew that Rebecca and Iseul were listening to Alana and Yexuan's conversation, so she felt that, perhaps, something unexpected was heard.

"Yexuan professed his romantic feelings for her and is now using them as an excuse for his strange behaviour lately," Rebecca told her, "He's shrewd," And smiled dangerously.

'But he has sealed his fate by playing this game.' She thought, knowing well that Keith would be killing him even if it hurts Alana.

Just when she heard her dear friend grow hysterical and panic, she quickly approached the door of the music room and knocked on it.

Rebecca only had to wait a few seconds before Alana came rushing out, and proceeded to grab her hand before she dragging her behind her.

"What's wrong?" She asked, but Alana just shook her head and pressed the call button of the lift with a shaky hand.

Amelia frowned at the boy who came out of the room and met her eyes. There was something she had not told Rebecca, and it was the presence of some familiar Runes on Yexuan's body.

She did not bother asking him anything about them, even though she was very curious, and simply turned around to leave.

"He's gone mad!" Alana painfully said, shedding tears uncontrollably, and Rebecca could only sigh and stroke her back comfortingly.

"Did you ask him about his Cultivation?" The blonde asked, reminding her of the most important question she wanted to ask Yexuan.

"No." The girl shook her head, still rattled by the unexpected confession of her adoptive brother.

Never in her wildest dreams had she ever considered it a possibility or entertained such a thought. And now, she truly left unsafe with the idea of being alone in a room with Yexuan.

"What happened?" When they all entered Amelia's car since it was closer, Zoey raised the question.

Alana let out some fresh tears at her question and then immediately wiped them with her hand.

"He's gone mad..." She said the same thing again. "He says he's in love with me..." She lowered her head and revealed to them, but after a few seconds, raised her head to find them unsurprised at her words. "You knew?" She guessed, and Zoey nodded her head.

"We had considered it a possibility for his hatred towards Keith." The chestnut-haired girl nodded her head, and Alana felt even more stupid and distraught.

"I want to go home..." She requested, and they all knew she was talking about Amelia's home.

"Okay." The emerald-eyed girl nodded her head, started up the car and then drove out of the parking lot.

Iseul followed them in Rebecca's car, and they silently travelled back to the Mourntale Estate.

A few minutes later, when Alana had calmed down, Rebecca handed her the phone.

"It's Keith."

The girl panicked when she heard who was on the call, but Rebecca urged her to take it.

"Keith..."

"Hello, little bird." He affectionately answered, and her eyes immediately became misty. "We are coming over tomorrow and then we will talk. You are not allowed to cry and worry over something so silly. Understood?"

"Yes." Despite herself, she could not help but smile. And Alana now felt like a weight had been lifted off her heart. "I love you, Keith."

"I know." He playfully replied, and though she felt a little dissatisfied at his answer, she was familiar with his nature and ended up giggling. "Eat well and sleep. See you tomorrow!"

"Feel better?" Rebecca teasingly poked her with her elbow, and Alana blushed as she handed the phone to her.

"Yes."

"What did he say?"

"He's coming tomorrow."

"I know, but did he say anything else?"

"He asked me to eat well and sleep."

"Good. Let's turn around and go to the best restaurant in the city." She smiled and Alana just nodded her head.

Her mood did start feeling depressed again after a while, but it was no longer as bad as before.

Rebecca..." Alana came running into the blonde's room, a little worried why the little cub who had stayed with her all night suddenly woke up and rushed out. However, when she found it resting in Rebecca's lap as her Aura-laced hand stroked its soft fur, she was a little relieved. "He was hungry?" She asked.

"Yes." The blonde raised her head and smiled at her. "And I called him over. Good morning!"

"Good morning." Alana smiled a little and then came to sit by her side on the bed. "You are up earlier than usual." She took a playful jibe, being familiar with how lazy Keith's blonde wife was.

"Iseul is on her way here," Rebecca replied, and then started cooing to the little black cub who cutely yelped to her. "How are you feeling?" She asked.

"I am fine." She brightly smiled but when the blonde glanced into her eyes, she embarrassedly lowered her head.

Silence reigned between them for several minutes as Rebecca kept playing with her beautiful cub, who mysteriously did not seem to age at all.

She still remembered when she had first seen it years ago, and it looked the same as it did back then, not even growing an inch.

Soon, her mind was distracted again as it drifted to the thoughts of her younger brother, who had been slowly drifting away from her.

Alana did not understand where she went wrong, and why Yexuan was being so hurtful, but she really hoped that everything would turn out fine.

It had been quite hard for her to restrain herself from interrogating Yexuan about his Cultivation, but considering how things were already too compromised between them, she exercised patience.

"Why do you think he hates Keith?"

The sudden question pulled Alana out of her gloom, and it made her feel very uncomfortable.

"He does not hate Keith..." She trailed off as she recalled the words Yexuan had screamed at her, trying to make her understand that she must stay away from her beloved.

"He does." Rebecca smiled and then placed the little black cub in her lap. "Give me 15 minutes. We will join the rest on the morning walk."

Alana subconsciously nodded to her before looking down at Void, who was soundly asleep in her lap.

Seeing its serene expression, she could not help but smile. And then her hand reached for its soft fur on its own.

It still surprised her a little how this mysterious cub had started allowing her to keep it in her lap and stroke it all she wanted. Even when she stayed at the Manor, it kept to itself, and other than Rebecca, it seldom allowed anyone to keep it in their lap for an extended time.

However, since yesterday, it had been showing her a little more attention, and she wondered if it was because it had sensed her sadness that it tried to keep her company.

Little did the innocent Alana know that the beast in her lap was only following its Master's instructions, keeping her company so that it could protect her from anything unexpected.

Rebecca smiled when she exited the dressing room and saw Alana lovingly stroking Void's shiny black coat of fur.

"Let's go."

"Can I stay?" She was a little reluctant to part with this cute creature right now, and she was afraid she would disturb its sleep.

"Don't worry. Void won't be waking up. You can bring him along." The blonde girl told her and then proceeded to pick up her cell phone from the side table.

The two of them arrived outside the main compound, where Amelia seemed to be waiting for them with Zoey, Marianne, and little Halena.

"It's so cute!" The little Mourntale could not help but exclaim when she saw the little cub sleeping in Alana's arms.

She had seen it yesterday as well, but it was nighttime then, and Marianne had handed it straight to Alana after the latter told them that she was feeling unwell and would not join them for dinner.

Now, she got a good look at it, and she happily approached Alana, looking at the cub from very close.

One thing that she observed was that despite it breathing regularly, there was not even the faintest sound. It was just so silent.

"What's its name?" She lowered her voice so that she would not disturb its sleep and asked.

"Void," Alana told her and then offered her to hold it in her hands, which the little girl happily accepted.

Everyone smiled as they watched Helena trying to suppress her giggles when Void suddenly started purring.

Amelia and Rebecca then walked ahead, chatting with each other, and the rest of the girls followed after them while either listening to their chat or chatting amongst each other.

The mornings in the hills of Magic City were quite an experience. And as they walked down the cobbled pathway, surrounded by mist, which prevented them from seeing far, they spent a very happy time chatting with each other about miscellaneous things.

Later, Amelia showed them the grounds where the Mourntale Family held their morning exercises, and after watching them for a few minutes, all of them returned to the Main Compound where a certain someone was getting out of a black Jeep Wrangler, carrying a large backpack.

"Iseul!" Rebecca smiled as the beautiful Asian girl turned to look their way. "Thank you for coming."

"Master's orders." The girl too smiled and then respectfully bowed to them. "But I was promised a lot of fun, so I am happy to be here."

"Good!"

Amelia then showed Iseul the room she had prepared for her, and after she settled down, all of them surrounded her, asking questions about Griffin City and how everyone was doing there.

They had been keeping in touch with Keith and Kiara, but still wanted to listen to what Iseul had to say.

Their chat lasted for an hour during which Iseul gave them an account of the last two months, and answered their questions.

"Helena, lead Alana to the dining hall." As breakfast time approached, Amelia instructed her little cousin, who happily stood up and then waited for Alana to get up.

Little Miss Parker was curious why the rest of them were staying behind, but she guessed that they might have some business to discuss so she did not pry into it.

As soon as the door closed, Rebecca looked into Iseul's eyes, and the girl dropped her smile as she opened up her laptop and started working on it.

"Yexuan has so far killed 23 Aurors belonging to Mondini and Solanari. Two of them were at the Peak of Spirit Profound Realm."

Her words surprised them all, and where Zoey and Marianne seemed a little apprehensive, Amelia remained passive, and Rebecca playfully smiled.

"Interesting."

"None of their bodies have been found." Iseul meaningfully said, and the blonde narrowed her eyes.

"No clues what happened to them?"

"None."

"Are you sure they are dead?" Zoey frowned, to which both Iseul and Rebecca nodded their heads.

"Master said they are dead."

"What is he doing right now?" Amelia asked, and Iseul smiled at her question.

"Right now, he is venting his frustration on his classmate, Lisa." She told them. "He called her over after he returned home, having been missing for the entire night. Even I could not find him."

"How long have they been together?" Rebecca curiously raised her brow.

"She's been drawn to him for months now, but only today did Yexuan accept her and took her straight to the bed."

Zoey furrowed her brows as she felt a little repulsed by the man who was using a girl who was in love with him as a tool to vent his frustration. And she had a hunch that he was perhaps searching for Alana in the girl he was f#cking right now.

"Senpai warned me to not take him on even if it comes down to fighting. He wants us to avoid any confrontation with him."

Both Rebecca and Amelia frowned at her words.

"How strong is he?" The blonde curiously asked.

"I am not sure about his Cultivation Realm." She shook her head. "But Senpai told me that he is capable enough to deal with someone at the peak of Spirit Profound Realm."

Everyone frowned some more at those words before Rebecca asked Iseul to tell them about the intel she had gathered on the Ancient Families of the Magic City.

Once she finished, the blonde Demiliore started explaining to her what their plan was. She asked her to make the necessary preparations, which Iseul agreed to do, and then they all stood up and walked towards the dining hall.

"Rebecca."

"Yes?" The blonde turned to look at her sister-wife as they walked down the corridor.

"Help Helena with the One-Fold Heart Pulse after breakfast."

"You have decided?" She brightly smiled as she watched Amelia nod her head. "She's exceptionally talented."

"I know."

They both smiled at each other, and then Zoey requested Rebecca to help her as well with the One-Fold Heart Pulse, which prompted Marianne to join in as well.

Perhaps it was because they realised the threat that a certain Yexuan Parker could pose that they wanted to grow stronger to prevent any accidents. But whatever it was, Rebecca welcomed their decision to focus on their training.

"It's not that I do not wish to side with you, Vladimir. But we all know what it would lead to. A war that we can not win."

"I would not have asked you to come here and say these words to you if we could not win the war, Francis." The head of the Mourntale Family lightly said, surprising his two guests.

The third person in the room, who was an aged man, seemingly in his early sixties, clenched his fist, closing his eyes.

"How?" He asked, and his voice wavered a little.

Both Francis and Vladimir sensed his turbulent emotions from a simple question.

This man was the Head of the Ravenstein Family, a family that was once revered as the strongest in Netheria, but now found itself on the brink of extinction.

"I will tell you how, Kairen. Let's discuss a plan first that I need your help with." Vladimir told the old man, who nodded to him after a few seconds, getting a grip on his emotions. "We are going to hold the Ancient Trials."

"What?" Francis looked at the man in disbelief, and Kairen had his brows furrowed as he frowned at his words.

"What for?" He straightforwardly asked.

The Ancient Trials were a sacred event that all the Ancient Families in Netheria respected. It was an event designed to settle your disputes or to just cement your might to everyone else. Additionally, it was also a special event where Ancient Families gathered and socialised with each other, as well as to seek potential recruits for their Sects and Families since independent Aurors could participate in it as well. However, it could very well turn into a bloody affair since killing your opponent was allowed, not that people had to kill their opponent, but enemies rarely gave up the opportunity to end your life in it.

Racenstein were already battered, and every life was now extremely precious to them. Kairen was already not liking this idea.

"To cut our enemies' numbers, and to initiate the war."

The words of the Head of the Mourntale Family stupefied them, and their first thought was that Vladimir had lost his mind.

However, as they saw the seriousness in the man's eyes, having known him for several decades, they knew he would not do something that would jeopardise his family, and he was not a man to turn his back on his allies.

And then they both started considering his plan.

"Are you certain we have a chance to win the war that would follow?" Glasius asked, looking right into Vladimir's eyes.

"We have much greater chances to win it than our enemies." He nodded his head, making them both question themselves about how much power the Mourntale Family was hiding.

"The Ancient Trials have not been held for decades now. I doubt many Families would be interested in joining it if any of the Seven from our land organised it. And it would also provide an opportunity for our enemies to use underhanded means and ally with outsiders to cut our numbers even further." Kairen spoke, hoping that Vladimir had thought about everything.

"We will be fine. Outsiders won't interfere in our feud since the one observing the event is an existence they would rather not provoke." The Head of the Mourntale Family smiled and stood up as he heard footsteps approach their room.

Out of respect, both Frnacis and Kairen stood up as well, even though they did not know who was coming.

They questionably glanced at each other as they watched a young girl, likely to be in her early twenties, open the door and walk in.

However, they were soon stunned when they heard Vladimir address the girl with a title that they could have never expected in their wildest dreams.

"Lady Hecate." The Head of the Mourntale Family respectfully bowed to her, and Rebecca smiled at him.

"Good Afternoon." She said and then took the vacant seat at the table before raising her head and taking a good look at the Heads of the Glasisius and Ravenstein Families.

"Please sit." She said, and all three of them sat down, with two a little sceptical and uncomfortable.

"You are Rebecca Demiliore." Kairen frowned a little.

"Lady Hecate is my niece's Sister-wife." Vladimir nodded his head.

"I don't want to sound disrespectful, but I need some evidence." Francis seriously said but did not dare to look at Rebecca's face directly.

"Of course. You would be an unwise man to believe another's words without any evidence." She smiled and then summoned her God Ring, unloading her Divine Presence that suffocated all of them. "Would this suffice?" She asked, and after they nodded their heads in unison, she recalled her Divine Presence.

"Shall we discuss the plan then?" Vladimir asked and began telling them the details that they had discussed last night.

He did not bother confirming Francis if he would side with them or not. There was no longer any need for it and the more he learned of the plans, the more apprehensive he became.

The head of Glasisius realised that it was in his and his Family's best interests that he takes this opportunity, and so he made up his mind.

Both of them were uncomfortable with the idea of using such insidious means to assure their victory, but after Vladimir said to them the words Rebecca said to him last night, they both relented, knowing that nothing should matter to them more than their Family's survival.

And their enemies had not refrained from using foul play in the last war, and they were still continuing with their dishonourable methods.

Silence reigned in the room for the next few minutes they finished discussing the plans, and both Francis and Kairen contemplated everything.

"Are you sure you will be able to help our sick and injured?" The old man of the Ravenstein Family politely asked.

"Short of regenerating limbs, I can fix them all, and even save them from near death." She nodded.

The words immensely relieved Kairen, who had a lot of people at home who had suffered and needed to be saved. It also assured them all that if any of their members suffer grievous injuries in the Trials, they would be saved.

"How will we make sure that they all agree to participate in the Ancient Trials?" Francis asked, knowing well that most would not be too keen on joining the Ancient Trials as over time, it had lost its purpose and was now considered a battle before the ultimate war.

"The winner takes home two Aura Stones." Rebecca lightly said and ignored the baffled looks on Kairen and Francis' faces.

In the eyes of these people, Aura Stones were priceless treasures considering the myths that surrounded them, and even the two of them were tempted.

However, they both sighed in their hearts as they knew that they could not vie for these Stones as they needed to work together.

Another thing that was laid bare to them was the fact that Mourntale would survive whatever their decision would be, but if they stepped back now, they would be counted amongst the enemies.

Rebecca also told them that it was not some free lunch, and they would have to repay their debts when the time comes.

She stayed in the room as the three of them began penning down invitations to the Trials and after she made sure that all the families she planned on appearing at the Trials had been invited, she left.

A smile appeared on her face when her phone suddenly rang and she saw who was calling.

"Keith!" She excitedly called out his name. "I suppose Iseul told you about my plans?"

"She did." Keith acknowledged. "So the Ancient Trials, eh?"

"Yes!" Rebecca laughed. "I think it is time we reveal to the Ancient Families of Netheria who we are. Some already know, but the rest would know it soon."

"Don't you think your presence would make the prey apprehensive?" He playfully asked.

"Does not matter. They will be hunted anyway." She dangerously said and heard her husband chuckle.

"Of course."

"Will you be coming?" She asked, and Keith remained silent for a few seconds.

"I suppose it would be fun."

"It will be!" She guaranteed it and felt truly happy that he would be joining them. "Bring Kashish with you. I want to meet her."

"Okay."

"Also, Keith..."

"Yes?"

"Should we help the Mourntale grow stronger?"

"What do you have in mind?"

"One-Fold Heart Pulse."

She knew that it was not some very precious technique and was quite common in the Lower Heaven. But here, it was a treasure worth dying for to these Ancient Families.

"Okay." He agreed. "Have you talked with Amelia about it?"

"Not yet." She answered. "And did Iseul tell you about Helena?"

"The little Mourntale Amelia has decided to keep by her side?"

"Yes!" She brightly smiled. "She's exceptionally talented despite being a normal Auror and is very smart. Also, she's very beautiful! I am sure she would grow into a gorgeous lady in the future."

Rebecca laughed when she heard her husband sigh on the other end.

"I love you!" She told him.

"I love you too, Rebecca," Keith told her. "We will see you at the Trials."

Sunday, November 26th, 2045
Demiliore Mansion, Griffin City, Netheria

It was afternoon time, and five girls, who seemed to have taken a bath only a few minutes ago and still bore some signs of fatigue after the excruciating training they had been put through, worked happily on preparing their lunch for the day.

Their chatter came to a stop when one of the phones started ringing, and Kiara immediately rushed up to it to pick it up.

"Becca!" She happily greeted her sister-wife and then guessed the reason she had called for. "Have the dates been decided?"

"Yes. The Trails will start from the 9th of December." Rebecca informed her, and the little Miss of the Demiliore Family happily informed the girls who were looking her way about what Rebecca had said. "Where's Keith? He isn't picking up his phone."

"He's taking a nap," She informed her, and then started asking about how things were going on their end.

After they ended the call, Kiara joined the girls in preparing lunch, and an hour and a half later, when everything was ready, she happily walked into her husband's room to wake him up.

The surprise she received when she opened the door stunned her, and she witnessed a sight that she had never seen before.

There, on top of the bed, Keith was levitating in the air, still seemingly asleep, and there were nine beautiful Aura Discs around his body, all revolving Clockwise in a beautiful swirling pattern.

Out of curiosity, she eventually approached the bed, and then leaned in closer to one of the discs, carefully inspecting it.

It was not long before she deduced that these were not some simple Aura Discs as she could feel them brimming with Mana as well.

Kiara drew her hand forward, and then carefully tapped the disc with the tip of her finger, only to feel a soft repulsion at the contact.

After experimenting with it for a while, she started putting more strength behind her hand, and she discovered that the more strength she used, the stronger the repulsion became.

However, what intrigued her the most was how the discs always got in the way whenever she reached forward to touch Keith. It was as if these Discs had a mind of their own and were determined to not let anyone or anything touch him.

A playful smile suddenly crept on her face as she conjured up a ball of azure flame in her hand, and then she hurled it at the shield to see what would happen.

To her surprise, her attacks simply bounced off the disc and came rushing right back at her.

Kiara stopped the fireball with her hand without much effort, dispersing the power it contained, but her eyes were still fixated on the mysterious discs that surrounded Keith.

"Having fun?" She heard a voice that broke her out of her musing, and then she met her beloved's eyes which were smiling at her as he descended on the floor, and stood in front of her.

"What are these?" She curiously asked as she watched the discs become smaller before they simply vaporised into specks of amethyst light.

"It's a Battle Art that I have been practising." He informed her as he leaned in and planted a kiss on her forehead.

"What is it called?"

"The Nine Discs of Demise." He said and then lazily stretched his arms. "Those discs that surrounded me were the Second Discs of Demise, the Discs of Repulsion."

"Do they repel all forms of attacks?" She followed him into the dressing room and then the washroom as he washed up his face.

"They can if you have trained enough." He nodded as he wiped his face. "I am working on controlling them with my subconsciousness, and my instincts."

"That does not sound easy..." She frowned but then smiled as she remembered that he had indeed managed to do it.

"I have made some progress. But yes, it is not easy."

"Tell me about it!" She excitedly asked as she wanted to know more about this Battle Art, and Keith satiated her curiously as he answered all her questions.

"It's a Hell-Grade Battle Art." He smiled at her.

"I wish I could learn it." She pouted, sneaking a glance at him to see his response, but Keith only smiled at her.

"Sorry, but you can not learn it in the Primal Desolation Realm." He shook his head, making her sigh.

"Not fair..." She pouted again but then giggled as he tapped her head and caressed it. "Rebecca called me earlier. The date has been finalised. The Trials will begin from the 9th of December."

Keith looked her in the eyes and understood her intentions.

"You want to come with me?"

"Yes!"

"And you want to participate?"

"Yes!"

"Not allowed." He straightforwardly forbade her, and his little sister stuck her tongue out at him.

"I understand." She told him, but still pouted a little. "Amira and Reina want to come as well. They will take a week-long leave from school."

"It's fine." He shrugged, not really caring about it, and then led Kiara into the dining room where Minami, Kashish, Yingying, and the twins were waiting for them. "Ready for your weapons training?" He asked even before he sat down, and it earned him misty eyes from the twins, who were on the verge of crying.

"My body hurts..." Reina pleaded, but Keith simply grinned at her before focusing on the meal.

An hour later, all six of the girls found themselves back in the training room, and then a battle against a force of Shadow Creatures started where they were forbidden from using their Aura and were required to hold on with only their weapons, which in all their cases happened to be swords.

Keith, of course, only wanted to push them to their limits, and thus, the difficulty of the battle varied for all of them. They all had to individually work on dealing with their share of Shadow Creatures, and only the twins were pairing up, despite the force they had to deal with being relatively very easy.

They had asked if they could start Cultivating, but Keith told them to wait for some time.

No one knew why he wanted them to wait, but they all trusted him and so none of them raised any questions or insist on it.

The twins too were not disheartened and happily listened to him, and since he was already helping them raise their fitness and was also training them in combat, they had their hands full anyway.

Whilst the girls trained, Keith too was working on his control over the Shadows. And if one looked closely, they would find that he was not wearing his God Ring.

Yes, the Shadows he was using right now were not aided by the power of God Stone. He had discovered that he had an affinity for them and could construct them even without the God Stone, which was all thanks to his Bloodline, but where the God Stone helped him with the control, here, he had to work on it all alone.

Keith understood the importance of working on his control over the Shadow Constructs as it would later help with other forms of Magic as well. And thus, he was enjoying himself as he experimented with it, using varying forms and densities of Shadow Constructs to battle the girls.

"We did it!" Both Amira and Reina excitedly smiled at each other before they plopped on the ground, having managed to hold on for longer than anyone expected of them.

"You smell so nice..." Kashish could not help but say as she sat by their side, curiously leaving in to snell the sweat that was oozing out of their bodies.

And then her eyes turned to Keith, Kiara, and Minami, who all did not seek to have any body odour and smelled pleasant even when they were sweating. But unlike their mysterious natural scent, the twins emanated a very pleasant floral smell that always reminded her of the beautiful flower valleys near her home.

After they rested for a while, Kashish stood up and started following Keith to his room, and only after they arrived in it did he turn around to look at her.

"Yes?"

"Do I possess a Special Physique?" She straightforwardly asked.

She had listened to Minami's stories and knew that Special Physiques existed in the world. And for the last few weeks, she had been busy piecing the clues together.

Kashish had already concluded that the Twins did indeed possess some kind of Special Physiques, after all, their progress and fitness defied the limitations of a normal human of their age. And then there was this floral scent that they emanated all the time, which she knew was not common.

And she had had enough time to realise that her unusually fast progress in Cultivation was not normal, and did not necessarily equate to her extraordinary talent.

The smile that crept on his face was her answer, and her heart started racing in anticipation.

"Help me awaken it." She asked.

"Why?" And he asked back.

"I want to become stronger," Kashish answered without any hesitation.

"And why do you seek strength?" He stepped forward and pulled her chin up, making her look him in the eyes.

"I want to stay by your side." She spoke the first thing that came to her mind. "And I want to keep up with the rest." And she revealed the truth.

The resolve in her Ice-Blue eyes intrigued him a lot, and then he leaned in and captured her lips.

Kashish gasped at his action but did not resist. Her hands clutched onto his shirt as she found herself losing her mind to his divinely sweet taste, and then there was her racing heart that felt unusually warm right now.

When their lips serrated and their eyes met, she instinctively stepped forward and tip-toed to kiss him again, this time, wrapping her arms around his neck.

She was inexperienced in the art of kissing, and Keith took his sweet time as he helped her learn to kiss properly.

"Frann!" A blood-curdling scream escaped the lungs of a middle-aged woman who watched her little brother and husband be slaughtered by a young girl, who looked to be in her late teens, wearing an elegant black dress.

Minami ripped the heart out of the man whom she had just killed, making his lifeless body drop to the ground with a thud.

As if to taunt the woman who was devastated at seeing her cherished dead, she turned to look at her confusedly, slightly tilting her head.

"He was weak." She whispered, but the woman heard her clearly, and soon her grief was overwhelmed but her burning rage.

"Ah!!" She let out a mad cry as her Aura burst out of her, taking the form of a tiger as well, but unlike her brother, hers was yellow.

And then she burst forth.

It was probably her rage that added to her strength because Minami sensed that she was much stronger than before, and they had been fighting for several minutes.

She elegantly spun around and side-stepped, avoiding the oncoming claw of Tiger, and then she drew her fist and threw it at her opponent at a speed that baffled her.

*Ba-dum*

A dull explosion sounded out when the fist collided against the Aura Soul Avatar, spreading a few shockwaves that ruffled up dust and debris and made the trees rustle and creak.

It was soon followed by a cracking sound as the place where the fist had landed started visibly cracking, and to the woman's dismay, the force that hit her as soon as the fist broke through her Aura Soul was so great that it made her groan in pain after she regained her composure and found herself on the ground, several metres away from where she had clashed with her opponent.

It has been years since she had last been in such pain, and the woman now understood why her brother had been begging her to escape as he promised to hold this girl back.

"Who are you?" She asked as she helped herself back on her feet, wincing at the pain that kept jolting through her body.

Her clothes were already torn from places, a streak of blood leaked from her mouth, and only she knew how much pain every inch of her body was in right now.

Escape was not even an option since her enemy was way faster than her. She knew if she tried to make a run for it, Death would only embrace her sooner.

Minami was a little impressed when she watched the woman get up on her feet. She was quite a tenacious person. And driven by her emotions, this middle-aged woman, whose true age was around 60 years, had already held up against her beyond the limits of a mere human.

"At least, tell me who you are." The woman clenched her fists, shoving the pain at the back of her mind, and then she prepared herself for another round, summoning her Aura Soul again.

Minami lightly smiled at her words but did not answer her simply because she was not obliged to answer her.

To the woman's surprise, she recalled her Aura Soul back inside her body, and just when the woman saw a ray of hope, she raised her right hand.

The Grand Elder of the Wislaw Family was horrified when all of a sudden the Shadows lept at her from the ground, ready to devour her. Soon the legs of the Tigeress were bound, but the Shadows did not show and crawled up its body. Despite all her struggles, she failed to break free.

Soon her entire body was shrouded, and she was now caged inside an Orb of Darkness where there was no light and the cold seemed to permeate right into her bones. However, the most horrifying thing was the absence of any sound. She could not even hear her heartbeat or the words that came out of her mouth.

However, what she could feel was the Darkness trying to devour her Aura Soul, and her instincts yelled at her that once her Aura Soul falls, it would be her death.

And her fear proved to be true.

The moment her Aura Soul fell, she was impaled by countless strings of Darkness that started devouring her blood and flesh and even the bones.

When the Orb of Darkness vaporised a few minutes later, there was no trace of the woman left, and Minami stood alone in the clearing, wearing a very indifferent smile.

There were three Grand Elders in the Wislaw Family, and two were now dead. Only one was left and she closed her eyes to locate her target.

"No need." She heard Keith's voice. "Let the others deal with him." He told her.

"Yes, Father." Minami nodded and then started walking in his direction.

It was for the best that Yingying, Iseul, and Kiara dealt with the last remaining Elder in Primal Desolation. To her, it was not even an effort and she was getting bored now.

Fighting against Keith in their sparring sessions was way more fun for her than killing these helpless people who stood no chance against her.

Minami silently walked through the woods, heading in a direction where she could sense Keith's presence.

She reached the place in a matter of few minutes, a small spring in the middle of the woods, and when she looked up, she found him hovering in the air, a few hundred metres up in the sky.

A sense of longing washed over her as she too wished to be able to fly like him, but it was not possible right now. However, he had taught her a method, and she immediately used it.

She created Discs of her Aura in the air, making a stairway for her, and then she jumped from one to next as she swiftly climbed up in the air, arriving right next to him.

The last disc under her feet disappeared, but Minami was not scared of the fall. In an instant, she felt like there was an invisible platform under her feet, and it had appeared before she could create one with her Aura and then telekinetically hold it in its place.

She knew it was Keith who had helped her, and she smiled before she looked in the direction his eyes were locked.

Several hundred metres away from their location, she caught the girls fighting against a group of six Aurors, and there was also a dead body cut into half a little away from the group.

Yingying, Iseul, and Kiara were not in the least troubled. It was totally one-sided, and at this point, it was just a massacre. Another Auror fell as he was effortlessly decapitated by Iseul, and it was then that Minami narrowed her eyes and turned to look to the East.

It was the last Grand Elder of the Wislaw Family, and he was leading a group of Elders and Warriors of the Family with him, most in Spirit Profound Realm, and some at the peak of the True Profound Realm.

There were twenty of them, and by the time they reached the place where the girls were taking on the other group, two more had died.

The remaining three rejoiced when they saw their Grand Elder, and with renewed vigour, they rushed together with the reinforcements, determined to make these girls pay for killing their kin.

Iseul and Yingying shared a glance and the latter disengaged from the fight and rushed straight at the Grand Elder, intending to take him on by herself, leaving the rest to her companions.

Yingying seemed to be a little weaker than her opponent, but thanks to the sword in her hand, which was gravely sharp, she was the one at the advantage.

It only took a couple of minutes for Kiara to take care of the weaker Aurors, and then together with Iseul, he rushed at the stronger ones.

The Grand Elder couple only listen to the helpless cries of his kin as they fell one after the other.

And when he saw him surrounded by three enemies, a cat, a crow, and a fox, the enraged bear charged at the one whom he considered the weakest, intending to take her with him to the afterlife.

Kiara slightly smiled as she saw through her enemy's intentions, and then she blurred from her spot, baffling the charging bear with her speed, and then to his dismay, she went on the offensive, gracefully, yet precisely chipping away his Aura Soul.

Iseul and Yingying both did not interfere as they let Kiara have fun, but they stayed on guard in case anything unexpected happened.

Minutes later, when they found Kiara at a stalemate with the old man, Yingying decided to step in and help her finish things but stopped before she even took a step forward when Kiara's body started emanating Azure flames.

"Go and catch the Head and finish up the remaining targets. Take Yingying with you." Iseul heard Keith's voice through the earpiece and immediately signalled to Yingying to leave with her.

They both glanced at Kiara, who seemed to be gaining in both strength and speed as she fought with an opponent who was stronger than her and decades more experienced. The beautiful azure flames around her body kept flaring up, and they could finally see her gaining an advantage.

Despite their desire to stay and watch the battle unfold, they left to execute their orders, not worried about her safety as they knew Keith was watching them and would not let any accidents happen.

"How does it feel?" Keith asked as he landed on the ground together with Minami, right next to the girl who was still shrouded in her beautiful Azure Flames, panting as she stared at the corpse of the man she had just slain.

"It's intoxicating." Kiara honestly replied, and as soon as she called back her flames, a wave of tiredness washed over her, making her sway a little.

"Easy." Keith wrapped his arm around her waist, helping her stay on her feet, and then planted a kiss on her head.

She had expended too much Mana and Aura in the last battle to take down an enemy much stronger than her, and since it was her first real battle, she had been a little reckless as well.

A curious smile crept on his face as she sensed that she had grown stronger during the battle, and though most of the power and speed boost was temporary, which had risen enough to go against an opponent stronger than her, some of it had permanently added to her Strength, Speed & Reflexes, and Constitution stats. And Keith sensed that her Mana and Aura reserves had improved a little as well.

"Sleep." He whispered as he put her down to sleep, and then lifted her telekinetically before leading Minami into a clearing nearby where the spring was.

He took out a tent he had been keeping inside his storage ring, and Minami immediately set things up, including a sleeping bag for Kiara.

After they put her into the tent, Keith set up a bonfire and started to prepare their dinner, and an hour later, Iseul and Yingying arrived at the place too.

"Everything is finished, Senpai," Iseul informed him with a bright smile as she proceeded to take off her clothes and jumped right into the water to take a dip.

Keith smiled at her behaviour and looked at Yingying, who had taken her seat on the wooden bench he had created.

"Casualties?" He asked, not really interested, but Yingying still answered him.

"One of his wives died with him. Other than our targets, there have been a total of nine casualties..."

Keith listened to her briefing and then finished preparing the dinner.

Iseul got straight to munching on her fish as soon as she came out of the water and hastily dressed up.

"Senpai, Kiara's Blue Flames were not emanating any heat." She casually said, not really seeking an answer but expressing her curiosity.

"They can burn if that's what she intends to do." He told her. "Don't slack off in a spar with her if it ever happens."

Iseul nodded to him and did not ask another question. She was focused on her delicious meal and enjoyed it to the fullest. It was not every day that he cooked, and his food was her absolute favourite.

Whilst everyone enjoyed their meal, Keith checked through the pending notifications of the System.

He had gained a total of 350 Fate Value for eliminating Wislaw's threat, stealing Samrath's opportunity to hone his skill and gain strength. And this 350 Fate Value also included some points for killing people with unordinary luck.

[Fate Plundering System: Level 2]

Host: Keith Argus Demiliore
Age: 23
Status: True Inheritor of the God of Darkness, Erebus. Heir of the Demiliore Family. Young Master Demiliore. President of the Black Forest Group. Prince of the Phoenix Cell 969. Lt. Colonel is the Netherian Military, Dragon Corps. Member of the Royal Medical Association and Academy.
Cultivation Rank: The First Martial Realm - (Martial Warrior)
Special Physique: Yin-Yang Forbidden Physique/Chaos Forbidden Physique.
Cultivation Talent: Golden

Strength: 40
Speed & Reflexes: 40
Constitution: 40
(10 is the Average
Limit for Cultivators in the First Martial Realm. 50 is the Maximum Limit.)

Charm: 99 (Can not rise. 100 is the Maximum Limit for every living being.)
Fate: 666 (Black) + 13245 (Rising Trend).

(Fate Points will keep rising with the growth of the Heroines of Destiny whom you have conquered.)

Personal Net-Worth: 98 Billion Nr
Family Net-Worth: 101 Billion Nr
System Wallet: 750 System Points.

{Skill-Set: Medicine (Grand Master), Alchemy (Expert), Combat Mastery (Expert), Business Mastery (Expert), Vehicle Mastery (Expert), Weapon Mastery (Advanced), Piano (Master), Violin (Master), Swimming (Master), Cooking (Expert), Chess (Expert), Diplomacy (Expert), Drawing (Expert), Administration (Advanced), Calligraphy (Advanced), Painting (Intermediate), Singing (Intermediate), Football (Intermediate), Programming (Advanced), Equestrian (Advanced).
Note: Only the Skills that have Intermediate and above Levels are listed in the Skill Set.}

{Battle Arts: The Nine Discs of Demise (Basic Mastery, 3/9)}

His Forging Skill still had not reached the Intermediate stage, and he knew that it would take a while to achieve.

Putting all thoughts aside, he decided to work a little on his Singing in his leisure time, and since he had nothing on hand right now, he started humming a tune that popped into his mind.

The girls surprisedly looked at him, curious, but soon they were hooked as they found the tune a little too captivating.

He kept humming it for a few minutes, and then strings of words started popping up in his mind as he created a song on it, singing it to the girls who were brightly smiling at him.

They did not underhand what had suddenly gotten into him, but they absolutely loved watching him enjoy himself, and soon, under his insistence, the three of them joined him in singing.

"Not fair!" A voice suddenly made them stop, and everyone turned to look at Kiara who was walking towards them with a slight pout. "Why did you not wait for me!" She complained before she sat next to him and accepted the fish he had reserved for her. "I will sing too!" She declared, and Keith could only chuckle at her antics as he started humming the tune again.

The girls were once again impressed by how skilled he was in music as he changed some verses on the second turn which were arguably more captivating.

They all had fun as Keith designed his song for nearly an hour, and once they all had recovered and felt refreshed, he packed up the tent and cleaned up the place with his sea of Darkness, removing every trace of their camping in this clearing.

Once done, they were all ready to leave, and with Keith's nod, blurs of colourful Auras streaked into the woods as they rushed back to the Griffin City.

At the same time, hundreds of miles away from the location of Wislaw Compound, another beautiful estate existed, which was bustling even at this hour of the night.

What was interstellar was that wherever one looked, one only found people with honey-blonde hair and strangely dark eyes.

This was the Sect of Ozell, and every member of it was an Ozell by blood.

In the Main Compound, inside a secret room, a group of Elders stood as a very skilled Aura Doctor examined the raven-haired girl lying on the table.

"Her vitality is simply outrageous!" He exclaimed as he checked her state and the density of her Aura. "She's perfectly fine."

"But she ingested a large amount of sleep powder." A woman, who had the trademark Ozell features worriedly spoke, but watched their Family's Aura Doctor shake his head.

"Her Aura eliminated all of it." The old man informed her. "As I said, he's in a physically perfect state, but her mind is distressed so she's asleep right now."

The words seemed to ease all the woman's worries and she stepped forward to gently brush her daughter's head.

She ignored the displeased glances some of the older Elders of the Sect three her way, but she paid no need to them. She was used to them now, and she knew that she deserved their attitude towards her as well, which was why she was determined to rectify her mistake and keep the blood of Ozell within their family.

"Let her rest now." A man who was standing behind the woman spoke, and all the Elders respectfully nodded before leaving the room.

"Good night, Sect Master."

Soon, it was only the Aura Doctor, the woman, and the Sect Master left in the room.

"She had already opened up all her Aura Channels, and her Body Refinement is finished as well. She's in the Aura-Soul Formation stage right now." The Aura Doctor, who was also one of the Grand Elders of the Ozelm Sect informed the Sect Master. "She's extremely talented, Theodore." He reminded, and watched the Sect Master nod his head.

"It will be hard to make her accept Allario, but hopefully he will manage to win her heart." Theodore sighed. "The Heir of Arya has asked for an audience." He said, and the woman frowned before she turned to look at him.

"He survived." She narrowed her eyes, not pleased at the failure of Wislaw.

"Wislaw are not the ones to bear losses. They will come after him again, and at least, will force him to leave Netheria."

"So you have not accepted his request?" Rubina asked, and sighed in relief when she watched her husband shake his head.

She did not want her daughter to see that young man again, and she was already quite distraught that her silly daughter was not a perfect body anymore.

Rubina regretted not keeping in touch with her, and her silly daughter had ended up making the same mistake that she had. Thankfully, the seed had not taken root, so there was still a chance that she would be expected by the Sect and would be saved from the dissatisfaction and scrutiny of the Elders.

"I will go tell Allario that she is fine. He's been very worried about her."

"Mhm." Rubina nodded to her husband and then carefully picked up her daughter leading her to her room.

It was clear that she was going to stay by her daughter's side until she wakes up.

Saturday, November 18th, 2045
Mourntale Estate, Magic City, Netheria

Inside the room that she had occupied for more than two decades, Amelia sat at her old study table, reading the book on architecture that Keith had gifted to her.

She had spent the last two months engrossed in it, and she was still as fascinated by it as she had been the first time.

The methodology and the construction techniques, which involved both Magic and Runes were just too exciting to learn, and then there were these Runic Seals that opened an entirely new horizon of Architecture to her.

"Amy!" A young girl came rushing into the room, wearing a very excited smile on her adorable face. "Good morning!"

"Good morning, Helena." Amelia closed the book and greeted back her sweet little cousin.

Helena was 11 years old now, and she was the youngest daughter of the new Head of the Mourntale Family, Vladimir Mourntale, and her maternal aunt, Eleanor. And if she was being honest, this girl was her favourite cousin too.

Despite herself, she could not help but smile brighter as she found the girl wearing the old glasses that she had left behind.

"How do I look?" The little girl asked, grinning, and knowing well that she looked very cute.

"Suits you." She playfully flicked her nose and looked into the soulful emerald eyes of the little one that was the same as hers. "You skipped breakfast."

"I was at Grandfather's cottage," Helena informed her. "He's asked for you."

"Okay." She nodded, and then stood up, leading the girl out of the room, holding her delicate hand.

"Why does your husband not come with you when you visit us?" The girl suddenly asked, and Amelia curiously looked at her.

"I never asked." She smiled. "And Keith was not home again when I decided to come."

"Does he know you have come here?" She inquired again.

"Maybe." Amelia shrugged and smiled at the habit she had picked up from her dear husband. "And why are you asking me these questions, little Helena?"

"Just curious." She giggled and then started skipping.

"Curious about what exactly?"

"Married life... Ouch!" The little girl winced and pouted when her favourite older sister tapped her head and narrowed her eyes.

"Focus on your studies and Cultivation." She advised her but sighed when the little girl misunderstood her words.

"So you are not happy with your marriage?" She innocently asked.

"I am happy." She smiled and then gently caressed her head. "But you are too young to think about these things."

Helena did not say anything and just kept skipping in silence as they exited the main compound.

"Humaira is getting married next month." The little girl finally talked about what was truly on her mind.

Humaira was her older sister, and she was going to marry their cousin, Igor, who had been her childhood sweetheart. The two had been engaged ever since the day Humaira was born, and she had smiled when little Igor insisted on taking her in his tiny arms and their aunt finally relented.

Thankfully, they had only grown fond of each other from that day forward.

"She's always smiling, always happy. Brother Igor is always ready to go with her wherever she wants, and they both even train and study together..." The little girl started talking and ended up pouring her heart out. "I don't have anyone like that."

Amelia smiled at her words and gently squeezed her hand.

"We all have our own lives, and we are all very different from each other. So, why do you think that our life and destiny would be the same as another person's?"

Her question made the little girl curiously look at her, but before she could raise any silly and innocent question or her mind could dwell on any sad thoughts, she continued.

"If you want to be happy, don't think too much about the future. And do what you must do every day, which in your case is to be very responsible with your training and Cultivation. You are very talented." Amelia advised her and giggled as she watched the girl pout.

"I am already stronger than anyone my age. What's the point?"

"You are bored." She guessed and finally understood why this silly girl had too much time on her hands to dwell in silly thoughts.

"Maybe." The little girl started skipping again.

Amelia glanced at her, sighing in her heart.

The girl was indeed very talented, perhaps the most talented Auror the family has had in the last several decades, not counting her, who had always been secretive about her Cultivation Realm. But Helena was almost as talented as her when it came to Cultivation, and just like her, she had not required any help in opening her first Aura Node at the mere age of six.

None of the younger generations in the family stood a chance against her, and not only was her Cultivation higher than theirs, already being in the Nascent Profound Realm, but she was also a gifted fighter as well.

It was also the reason why all her cousins had started drifting away from her as they felt overwhelmed by her and also envied her.

She now had practically no one to play with, and it was truly a sad thing for someone who had an inherently very cheerful personality.

Subconsciously, she remembered the words that Minami had once read to them during their story time.

"Being talented is a tragedy when you have no one around you who can match you."

She did not really agree with those words, but she felt that they fit the people who had the same personality as the little girl next to her.

"Hey, Amy?"

"Yes?" She broke out of her thoughts and looked at the little girl.

"What's your Cultivation Realm?" She curiously asked.

"You promise to not tell anyone?" She smiled and the girl innocently nodded her head. "I am stronger than anyone in the Mourntale Family."

The little girl raised her brow, and frowned a little, but then her mouth dropped open as she finally registered her words.

"Even stronger than Grandfather?!" She exclaimed.

"Yes." She nodded and giggled when she watched Helena look at her in disbelief.

"Does Keith Cultivate?" The girl suddenly asked.

"Yes."

"Is he also as talented as you?"

"Yes." She replied and then smiled at her adorable cousin. "But I won't tell you how strong he is." She clearly told her before the girl could raise her next question.

"Okay." And the girl did not insist and was soon lost in her own thoughts. "Amy?"

"Yes?"

"You don't miss us?" She asked, not looking at her.

Amelia could have lied to her to keep her heart, but she was not fond of lying.

"Not really." She honestly replied and watched the girl nod her head before lowering it, obviously feeling disheartened. "And it's because I am mostly busy, and the rest of the time, my family keeps me company. I really don't get much time to miss you all, but when I do, I visit you." She smiled and caressed her head.

"Hmm..." Helena nodded her head.

"And when I do miss this place, you are the first one I think about." She giggled as she watched the little girl turn to look at her with misty eyes.

"You do?"

"Yes." She nodded her head and sighed in her heart as the girl innocently smiled at her words.

Helena happily started skipping again, humming a tune that popped up in her mind, and no more words were said until they reached their destination.

Amelia instinctively looked inside the cottage, right through the walls, and frowned a little when she found her uncle present in the study room, discussing something with her Grandfather.

By the looks of it, they were discussing something very serious, and she had a hunch that she was called to take part in this discussion.

"Let's go!" Helena pulled her forward when she found Amelia slowing down, and she allowed the little girl to lead her inside the cottage.

As soon as they reached the study and the wooden floor slightly creaked, both Alaric and Vladimir turned silent.

"Amy is here." The little Mourntale entered the room and announced, making the old man smile, and then both Alaric and Vladimir stood up as she walked in.

"Grandfather. Uncle." She lightly bowed to them and then walked forward to sit in the vacant seat.

"Lena, why don't you wait outside? Uncle and I have a few things to discuss with your sister." Vladimir gently spoke to his daughter, who obediently nodded her head and then closed the door behind her as she left to go and tend to the flowers in the backyard.

"Is everything okay, Grandfather?" Amelia straightforwardly asked, and also looked at her Uncle, and watched them both sigh at her question.

"No." Vladimir shook his head.

"Another war is brewing," Alaric informed her, and Amelia frowned at his words.

She was a little surprised that the enemies of the Mourntale were throwing away the caution,l and were willing to take the risks, but once Vladimir explained things to her, she learned that things were different than what she had thought

Brother, wake up..." A sweet and timid voice softly called out to him, shaking his shoulder lightly. "Brother... Ehh!!" And she called out to him again only to be suddenly pulled by him into his arms and his bed.

"Good morning, Reina." Keith smiled as he looked at the girl pressed under his weight, writhing under the heat of his nakedness with her fair cheeks flushed in a shy warmth.

"Good morning." She managed to reply before she closed her eyes, but it was not going to save her.

Keith planted soft kisses on her closed eyes, and then to make her open them, he captured her left lips.

She struggled a little more, and her eyes turned a little misty as well, thanks to the dirty thoughts that suddenly plagued her innocent mind. But then she just gave up, surrendering to him, and her mind became hazy.

"You are silly." He chuckled as he picked her up with him, and despite her struggles and embarrassment, he took her inside the dressing room and then into the bathroom, where he stripped naked before her eyes and made her help him take a bath.

To her relief, he did not take any advantage of her, which she was conscious of, other than that, he did pull her into several kisses and helped her bathe. Which was more than enough to make her lose her mind and turn into an obedient little doll, who just kept her head lowered with a silly smile on her lips, burning in a furious blush.

When they returned to his bedroom, her twin was standing there, waiting for them.

"Good morning, Amira." Keith did not wait for the girl to say something and approached her to pick her up in his arms and steal a kiss from her soft lips.

He always found it a little amusing as they both tasted the same, and they even smelt the same.

"Good morning, brother." She smiled and blushed, but again inquisitively looked at her twin, who was not even raising her head to meet her eyes.

"It's Sunday morning." Keith suddenly said, reminding them both about something and they turned to look at him in unison.

"Brother..." Amira immediately told him why Reina had come to wake him up at only 8 o'clock in the morning.

Samantha Reid was dead.

Keith feigned a little surprise when they told him about it, still very distressed at the news they had received.

Though they had only met the girl a couple of times, she could still be considered an acquaintance, and it did scare them a little that she was gone now.

However, Keith was not bothered about it in the least even though he did put up a frowning expression.

The reason was simply that he had a hand in the girl's death. After all, he had orchestrated it all.

He had instructed Iseul the day the Heir of the Rovic Family died at Sunaina's hands that she must make sure that Samrath's little lover dies when the Rovic come after him. And she seemingly took the opportunity last night to eliminate the girl.

Keith, however, was a little surprised at the Fate Value Samantha's death had shaven off of Samrath. It was a mere 100 Points.

Then again, he was not too surprised as he knew how headstrong Samrath was. He would definitely raze the Rovic Family to the ground, but Samantha's death was not enough to shake his mental stability and make him lose his mind.

"Is breakfast ready?" He asked, diverting the twins' attention from the distressing thoughts.

"Yes." Amira nodded to him, and then they both followed him as he led them out of the room, holding their hands.

"By the way, she just helped me take a bath." He told the older twin, which made her little sister burn in a blush at the memory that was still fresh in her mind. "And Reina was kind enough to give me a few very passionate kisses." He added, making it worse for the younger girl, but Amira just giggled and nodded her head.

When they arrived in the dining room, only Kashish and Iseul were present there, and his student immediately stood up to serve him his meal.

"Kiara and Minami?" He asked after he scanned the Mansion and only found Yingying in her room, meditating.

"They went out to catch fish," Kashish informed him. "They plan on making it for dinner."

"I see." He nodded his head and enjoyed the sandwiches that Iseul had made. "What are your plans for the day?"

"I am going to help at the Hospital today," Kashish informed him.

"We have a party in the afternoon. Everyone from our class will be attending it." Amira smiled at him, and Keith froze a little when he heard her words.

He did not know why but he had this hunch that something was going to happen at this party.

"Where is this party taking place?"

"Elantra." Reina smiled at him. "Do you want to come?"

"Maybe." He smiled. "Are outsiders allowed?"

"No." She giggled. "It's a class party that we are all throwing for our Class Representative. It's her birthday. But you can come if you want. She is your fan."

"No thanks." He chuckled. "Have you picked up a gift for her?"

"Not yet..."

Keith engaged the twins in a casual conversation for the rest of their meal, and then he stood up and signalled to Iseul to follow him to the study.

"Did you do it yourself?" He straightforwardly asked, and watched his Iris nod her head.

"The Rovic sent men after Samrath and she was with him. He dropped her home and dealt with those men, but there was another team that tried to kidnap Samantha. I took the opportunity when she suffered an accidental head injury in the fray..." She gave him a brief account of last night's incident.

Keith was not surprised that she had done a very meticulous job, leaving no clues behind and making it seem like it was the fault of the Rovic Family.

It did not really matter to him if Samrath even found out that there was someone else behind Samantha's death. There was nothing the Child of Destiny could do about it right now as he was facing an unexpected turn of events.

Who would have thought that the Rovic Family were not as simple as they seemed and were, in fact, directly related to a very powerful Netherian Ancient Family? Certainly not Samrath before he decides to take the blame of the Heir of Rovic Family on his head. And now he had to save Sunaina and himself from their clutches and get back at the Rovic for what happened to Samantha.

What Keith was pleased about was that Samrath and Sunaina had gotten very close to each other, and with one of his Heroines by his side, the Child of Destiny was seeing a steady rise in his Fate Value.

He had also managed to access the Fragment of Book of Life again, resulting in an increase in his Cultivation Realm and also gaining eighteenth in his Life Reversing Threads Technique.

"Has Sunaina's maternal Family come for her?" He asked.

With the recent turn of events, it should be the time when another Ancient Family would be dragged into the fray.

The girl had awakened her Heavenly Vitra Physique, and it was bound to attract her maternal Family's attention, which would result in her being taken away by them to their Family Sect.

"No, Master." Iseul shook her head.

"Keep an eye out for them." He told her. "And keep an eye on today's party that Amira and Reina will be attending."

"Yes." She did not ask any questions and nodded her head.

"Where is Samrath?"

"He's at Samantha's house with her father." She smiled. "The police have the body and they will discharge it later today. The funeral will likely be held tomorrow morning."

"Has he contacted the Arya?"

"Not yet." She shook her head. "Do you want me to take Sunaina out?"

"No." He smiled. "She must live for some time."

"As you say." She nodded her head and then looked him in the eyes. "Lady Amelia and Zoey are going to Magic City."

Keith was surprised at her words and nodded his head.

He did not need to ask why Amelia was going there. She was undoubtedly going there to visit her family. But Keith knew that something was bound to happen there on her visit.

"Where is Alana?"

"She's in Eden right with your grandmother, but she will be joining Lady Amelia and Zoey in Magic City a couple of days later."

"And Yexuan?" He narrowed his eyes.

"Magic City. He's been spending most of his time in the mountains recently. Quite close to the territory of Mourntale Family." She informed him and waited for his instructions.

Now he had no doubt that something interesting was bound to happen there. However, Keith was not concerned about any of it.

With Amelia there, nothing wrong could happen. There was no danger. After all, if Yexuan was a Child of Destiny, so was his dear wife. It was unlikely that any harm would come to her and the people that remain by her side.

"You will focus on things happening in Griffin City..." He gave Iseul the instructions, and his Iris obediently nodded her head before leaving the study.

Putting all his thoughts aside, Keith took out a book on Forging and immersed himself in it. He was not too concerned about things that were happening.

It was not yet tike for him to deal with Yexuan, and he planned on playing around with Samrath for a while longer, gathering as much Fate Value as he could from him.

Therefore, he was focused on things that he deemed more important, such had learning and developing important skills.

The premises of the City's most well-known and luxurious club was as lively as it always was, not affected in the least by the turmoil the Rovic Family was going through after losing their Heir.

Today, as usual, there were a lot of prominent people present here, and since it was Sunday afternoon, one could expect the atmosphere to be livelier in the coming few hours.

However, today, there was an unexpected guest at the Club, the second son of the Rovic Family, who had just lost his older brother a few days ago.

It was common knowledge in the city that the younger one did not like going to parties or clubs, and so, his presence did arouse the curiosity of the people who saw him sitting at a table with a few young men.

There was also a smile on his face, but those familiar with him could discern that it was a forced one.

"Your smile does not fool us, Alex. Come, have some wine. It is good." A handsome young man, who was seated at the head of the table, wearing a grey Chinese-styled suit, spoke and started pouring a glass of the most expensive wine in the house.

Alex was a little disturbed by the young man's words but did not voice the words he held in his heart.

"Thank you, Master Zane." Alex politely said as he accepted the glass, and felt more disturbed as he watched the young man narrow his eyes at him, waiting for him to drink it.

Still keeping his reservation in his heart, he sipped the wine, but Zane still kept staring at him, and it was only after he finished the glass that the young man took his eyes off him and appreciatively nodded his head.

"Good."

Alex felt his stomach knotting at the young man's contemptuous remark, but he bore it. He knew that this young man was not someone he could offend, and even his all-powerful Rovic Family was helpless against him.

The two other youngsters at the table, who were both Zane's lackeys, were enjoying themselves seeing his distressed state. And even though all four of them were cousins, there was no familial bond reflecting from them.

"Tell me about her, Alex."

"Who?" He frowned.

"The girl your dear brother gave his life for and left all the family fortune in your lap," Zane smirked and sipped on his wine.

Had anyone else said those words, Alex would have surely smacked a fist right into his face, but he bore the humiliation and kept his anger in check.

"I don't know much about her, Master Zane."

"Not even her name?" He smiled.

"Sunaina," Alex replied and then lowered his head.

He truly did not know much about the girl and nor was he interested in her any more than avenging his late brother. And he could guess what was running through Zane's mind, and he would rather not answer the questions that were going to be asked.

"Shame." Zane shook his head. "And here you had me believing that you wanted to avenge your brother and make his killer pay."

"Master Zane..." Alex clenched his fist under the table, but then his eyes met the young man's gaze, and he immediately lowered his head. "I loved my brother." He lightly said.

"You must. After all, he left the entire fortune to you."

Zane amusedly smiled as he watched Alex's body tremble at his words, but he was disappointed again when the young man managed to keep his emotions in check and did not give in to his provocation.

"Her name is Sunaina Singh." He poured some more wine into his glass. "Her father is a businessman and a retired Netherian Military Officer."

Alex raised his head and frowned at Zane's words. He did not understand what this young man wanted now or was trying to tell him.

"Do you know who her mother is?"

"No." Alex shook his head, but then frowned as he recalled the question the young man had just asked. "Is not she dead?"

Zane smiled when he heard the question and shook his head.

"She is very much alive. Do you know her name?" He asked again and nodded when Alex shook his head. "Her name is Rubina Ozell."

Not only Alex but the two other youngsters were stunned too when they heard the name.

"Ozell?" The guy with a thick black beard furrowed his brow and asked if he had heard the name right.

"Yes, Ozell. The prestigious and ancient Ozell." Zane nodded. "And Rubina is the wife of the current Head of the Sect of Ozell."

"Theodore Ozell?" The bearded man narrowed his eyes. "Interesting."

"So the wife of the current Head of the Ozell Family bore a daughter from another man?" The last person at the table, who was the youngest as well, clearly someone in his late teens, heartily laughed.

"Yes." Zane chuckled as well. "But she birthed the girl before she married him. Probably a mistake."

"And yet the Ozell did not kill the father and daughter." The young boy pointed out and curiously looked at his older brother for an answer.

"Rumor has it that Theodore deeply loves his wife. He forgave her for the mistake and spared the life of her child and ex-husband."

"An idiot who probably kneads his wife's feet every night before going to bed." The young boy contemptuously remarked.

"Behave, Vali. He's the Head of the Sect of Ozell." Zane admonished his younger brother but then smirked when Vali failed to control his laughter.

Alex, whose mind had long gone blank after learning that the girl who was responsible for her brother's death was related to Ozell Family, felt even more dread when he watched Zane and Vali laughing and making fun of one of the most prestigious Ancient Families in Netheria.

Then again, they were amongst the few people in the country who could indeed make fun of Ozell and get away with it.

The Ancient Families of Ozell and Wislaw had never been on good terms with each other, and Wislaw were also slightly more powerful than their old enemy.

On the other hand, the Rovic, who were only one of the vessel Families of the Wislaw, could not really join in the banter and make fun of the Head of Ozell Family. And Alex was now worried about the intentions of the Wislaw Family.

"Don't be so grim, Alex." Zane smiled as if he saw through his worries. "You are our cousin, and so was your brother. I have already promised Aunty that I will avenge William."

Alex did not know why felt a very bad premonition in his heart when he heard those words, but then his thoughts were distracted when Vali suddenly pointed at the faraway glassed cabin that was occupied by a group of youngsters.

"Look at the twins, Zane!" He excitedly said, and his older brother curiously turned and looked in the direction he was pointing.

There were a lot of beautiful girls in the group, more beautiful than most they had seen since they arrived in this city, but the pair of twins was what had Zane his eyes fixed on them.

They were gorgeous, and even the beautiful girls around them paled in comparison.

"Let's go and join them." Vali unceremoniously stood up and started walking towards the glassed cabin.

It was only after Zane stood up as well that Alex put his thoughts aside and finally turned to look in the direction the sons of the Wislaw family were walking towards.

His eyes soon spotted the two girls in question, and it only took a moment for Alex to recognise them, and the next moment, he felt like his soul was about to leave his body.

"Wait!" He immediately called out, a little too loudly, which caught the attention of the people around them and made Zane narrow his eyes turn to look at him.

Alex, however, was focused on Vali, who ignored his call and entered the cabin, so he paid no heed to the glare Zane was sending his way and proceeded to rush past him and into the glassed cabin to stop a disaster from happening.

As Fate would have it, nothing was meant to go his way today, and by the time he entered the room, it was already too late.

*Smack*

A loud slap resounded in the room when the twin wearing the purple frock slapped Vali on the face, a response to his shameless attempt of grabbing her hand.

Alex watched Vali Wislaw's expression turn from shock to a grim rage, and his head suddenly felt dizzy. He did not know where the strength came from, but he managed to rush forward and place his hand on Vali's shoulder before the young boy could act on his impulse to return the favour to the girl.

"My apologies, Miss. I am sorry everyone." The new Heir of Rovic Family immediately apologised to the girl and then to the people around them.

"Alex..." Vali was about to lash out at him for his impudence, but to his dismay, his pathetic cousin actually started dragging him out of the room. " You dare!" He burst out as soon as they returned to Main Lounge, but what followed next stunned him.

"Shut the hell up!" Alex bellowed and then kept dragging him away.

Vali subconsciously turned to look at his older brother, who too seemed confused at Alex's behaviour, but since Zane quietly followed after them, he refrained from acting on his impulse and teaching their pathetic cousin a lesson for shouting at him.

"Who are they?" Zane asked as soon as they left they entered a vacant cabin, having guessed that the twins must have had a very special identity for Alex to react this way.

"I am sorry, Master Zane, Vali." He breathed in to calm himself down and spoke. "The girls are taken." He revealed to them, and before Vali could curse at him or smack a punch on his face for his pathetic reason, he told them who they belonged to. "The Master of Demiliore Family. They are his lovers."

Who are Demiliore?" Vali frowned when he heard Alex's words.

"Just some very rich Mortal Family." Zane dismissively said, but it was clear from his expression that he also realised the trouble that would come their way.

"Then screw him. I want to teach that bitch a lesson." The younger Wislaw dangerously looked in the direction of the cabin where Amira and Reina were sitting with their classmates.

"Masted Zane. We both know how rich and powerful the Demiliore are. It's unwise to make an enemy out of someone who can band our enemies against us, and worse, even buy them all." Alex was not going to stay on the side and let Vali do as he pleased.

He knew that if things took a bad turn, his Rovic Family would suffer in ways they would never be able to recover from. And what he had said was indeed true. He highly doubted that the Head of the Wislaw Family would find it amusing that his sons provoked an enemy they should never have made.

Zane was not as foolish as Vali, and though he understood the cons of the situation, he highly doubted that someone from a Mortal Family, especially someone as rich as the Demiliore, would go to the bitter end with one of the most Powerful Ancient Families in Netheria over a pair of lovers.

Alex could not believe his ears when Zane voiced his thoughts.

"Why do you even want to test the waters?!" He asked in disbelief.

"She slapped him for only grabbing her hand, Alex." Zane narrowed his eyes at him. "A mere lover of a Mortal Man from a Mortal Family slapped the son of the Head of Wislaw Family." He lightly said.

"No one knows who he is!" Alex posted at Vali and tried to meet Zane to understand that his pride did not have to be hurt.

"You!" The younger Vali was not pleased with his cousin's words and immediately grabbed his collar. "I have had enough of your impudence." He drew his hand to his face, but right when it was about to connect with Alex's cheek, Zane grabbed his wrist.

"He's our cousin, Vali. And he was just worried about us." He meaningfully said, and Alex felt a sinking feeling in his heart. "We will thank him for his consideration at another time."

The new Heir of the Rovic Family cursed his luck and then angrily lowered his head, gritting his teeth.

"You have something to say?" Zane smiled at him when Vali let him go, and Alex raised his head and met his eyes.

"Don't do whatever you have in mind. Demiliore are a very powerful Family. At least, speak to your father about it first." He tried to make them understand that they were about to make a very grievous mistake, but his heart sank when Zane just smiled at him.

"Don't worry, dear cousin. We won't do anything excessive."

Alex just stood there frozen in his place, and did not even follow Zane as the Young Master of the Wislaw Family patted his shoulder and left the cabin.

Vali was happy that his brother was not going to ask him to drop the matter. And he contemptuously smirked at Alex before following after his brother, looking forward to teaching the bitch who dared to slap him a lesson she would never forget for the rest of her miserable life.

However, all his plans were cut short when Zane suddenly said something that baffled him.

"Don't do anything excessive. Just make the girl understand that she slapped the wrong person and make her apologise to you."

"What?" Vali asked in disbelief.

"Alex was not wrong." Zane looked him in the eyes. "Demiliore are very powerful. And they are also related to the Ancient Mourntale of the Magic City. You can not do anything excessive to her. We do not know how dear she is to the Master of Demiliore Family."

"So what?" He shot back, but apologetically lowered his head when Zane narrowed his eyes at him.

Vali silently followed after his brother back to the table where their bearded cousin was still sitting, and he glared at him when he saw the amused smile on his face.

"Don't say a word or I will cut your throat." He warned him.

"Ouch. The slap must still sting."

"Bronn!" Zane admonished their cousin, who sighed and nodded his head, silently promising that he would not raise this matter again.

"So, who is she?" Bronn curiously asked, quite confused why Zane did not seem eager to teach the girl a lesson for the grave mistake she had made by slapping the youngest son of the Head of the Wislaw Family.

"It involves a very powerful Mortal Family. An unnecessary and undesirable enemy."

"I see." The bearded man nodded his head and curiously watched Zane pour himself a glass of wine and sip on it. "But we can't just drop the matter, can we?" He knowingly asked.

"We can't." The Young Master of the Wislaw Family nodded his head. "We will pick up the twins after their leave the premises, and will then have a chat with their lover."

Though Vali was immensely displeased at his brother's decision, he knew that for Zane to be so cautious about something meant that the enemy was not easy. He did not believe that some Mortal Family could prove to be dangerous to them, no matter how powerful it might be in the mundane world, and so, he promised himself that he would, at least, return the slap he had received with interest.

Vali was quite agitated with the glances people sent his way, but since Zane was still sitting there as if nothing had happened, he could not just stand up and leave. He bore the humiliation and focused on the meal and wine, trying to distract himself.

An hour later, he caught the group of youngsters leaving the glassed cabin, and he was elated when he saw that they were walking outside.

"Bronn," Zane called out the name of his bearded cousin, who understood that it was his assignment and obediently nodded his head.

However, just when Bronn was about to stand up, something weird happened in the Main Lounge.

Everyone present there suddenly stood up and blankly started walking out. An inexplicably ominous feeling started weighing on their hearts as they watched even the waiters and guards leave with the guests.

In just a matter of a couple of minutes, the main lounge was comedy empty, leaving only them at their table. And when the three of them exchanged glances, they clearly saw the traces of fear in each other's expressions.

The world seemed to have suddenly turned deathly silent, and their instincts were screaming at them that something dreadful was about to happen.

"Zane..." Vali called out to his brother, but his words were cut short when they suddenly heard the sound of water being poured into a glass.

Chills ran up their spines when their eyes shot to the table on their right, only a few metres away from them, where a ridiculously handsome young man was sitting with two beautiful Asian girls.

They could have sworn that they had not seen the three of them before or even realised their presence so close to them, but seeing the empty plates on their tables, and the empty bottles of wine, it was clear that these three had been sitting there for quite some time now.

Zane heard his heart thump in his ears when the young man at the table next to them finished the glass of water and stood up, and when their eyes met, his heart strangely slowed down and he felt cold all over his body.

"W-who are you?" Vali subconsciously stepped back when the tall young man approached them. "Ahhhh!!!!" And then his agonising scream resounded in the Main Lounge when a fountain of blood burst out of his right wrist that has lost its hand.

"You must always be mindful about keeping your hands in check. Dreadful things could happen if you accidentally lay them on something or someone you shouldn't."

A light voice, somehow, shadowed Vali's screams and sounded clearly in their ears.

Both Zane and Bronn did not waste any more time and immediately shrouded their bodies in their Aura, revealing their True Profound Realm Cultivation, and then they attacked the young man with all their might.

*Thump!*

A dull sound of impact was heard when a strange and spiralling Amethyst Disc suddenly appeared in front of the young man, shielding him from their fists, and the next thing Zane and Bron knew was being sent back at with an astonishing force and crashing into the tables and wall.

The sheer pain they felt rattled their minds and body, and even their Aura Souls had failed to negate all of the force.

Zane was the first one to regain his composure, but Bronn beat him to his feet. However, before his bearded cousin could rush at the enemy, he fell back on the ground, followed by his decapitated head that landed and rolled next to his lifeless body.

The sound of a sword being sheathed greeted Zane's ears, and his face turned pale when he watched one of the Asian girls standing by the young man's side, taking her hand off the sword she was wearing on her back.

"You did not hear what I said." The young man smiled. "You must always be mindful of keeping your hands in check." He repeated his earlier words, and the next thing that caught Zane's attention was the end of his younger brother's painful cries as his decapitated body fell down on the floor.

"Jeez! He was loud." The second Asian girl contemptuously remarked as she dispersed her Aura Blade.

"Who are you?" The Young Master of Wislaw Family managed to ask, but in his mind, he was praying that their family guards would show up anytime now.

He did not care who these people were. All he wanted was to live and return to his home right now. There was nothing else on his mind.

"You don't know me, and yet you wanted to have a 'chat' with me." The young man chuckled as he suddenly appeared right in front of him and crouched down.

Zane tried to crawl back, but a hiccup escaped his throat and soon blood flowed out of his mouth.

He managed to look down and see an Amethyst Aura Blade impaled in his chest right where his heart was supposed to be.

The last thing the Young Master of Wislaw Family watched and heard was the light smile on the young man's ridiculously handsome face that betrayed his cold words.

"You should have listened to the warning of your dear cousin, Young Master Zane."

He understood everything at that moment. Sadly, it was the last thing he was meant to understand in his life.

"Demiliore..." A blood-filled whisper escaped his throat right before Darkness embraced him.

Keith woke up, sensing a familiar weight pressing on him, and doused in familiar scents and warmth.

His amethyst eyes opened, and the sight evoked a smile on his lips. He was being pressed under the weight of his little sister, and on either side of him, Minami and Iseul were sleeping, hugging his arms.

It was Friday morning, and he did not have to go to the University, so he decided to close his eyes again, allowing them to keep sleeping in peace, and relished the warmth that emanated from their bodies.

Before falling asleep, he checked what Amira and Reina were doing. They were sound asleep, and Kashish, who was staying in the guest room was asleep as well.

It looked like they were all going to just sleep today, so he cleared up his mind and fell back into his dream world.

The next time he opened his eyes, it was late in the afternoon, and Kiara was still on top of him, but Iseul and Minami were no longer in the room.

His loveable maid was busy making their lunch, and Iseul was in her room, sitting in front of her computer, talking to Naomi and Julian about some official mission.

The two of them were mostly taking care of official work on their Cell's behalf, and Keith had permitted them to take missions as long as they were manageable.

It was a sort of training for them, and Iseul was always providing them with Intel and keeping an eye on them, and Zor was always their backup in case they required it.

Thankfully, with them around, he did not have to personally take action. He had trained them enough that they could deal with these mundane worldly affairs by themselves.

Since his little sister was still sound asleep, Keith decided to meditate and closed his eyes, circuiting the Aura inside his body and keeping his senses open to his immediate surroundings and beyond.

An hour later, he finally sensed Kiara shift on top of him, and he opened his eyes to meet her gentle gaze.

"Good morning!" She planted a kiss on his forehead and sweetly smiled.

"Good Afternoon." He chuckled and then flipped them over, pressing her under his weight and kissing her soft lips. "Did you have fun last night?" He asked as he started taking off her pyjamas, and Kiara wrapped her arms around his neck before she pulled him into a deep kiss.

"Ahn~" A sweet moan escaped her lips when he entered her, making her grimace at the sudden intrusion that was accompanied by some pain and an intoxicating pleasure.

When he filled her to the brim, she felt complete, and she started gasping for breath as the fire inside her womb raged in excitement.

"Brother, move..." She requested, but Keith did not oblige and continued pressing her under his weight, not moving at all.

To make things worse, he started planting kisses on her neck, which made her body writhe under him, and she started grinding her sex against his to find some relief,

"Please." She kissed him and pleaded, thrusting her hips forward, making his glans painfully stretch her cervix.

Seeing the tears brimming out of her eyes, Keith finally showed her some mercy and pulled back, and heard her moan in pleasure and objection, but then another moan followed when he thrust back inside her, making her feel complete once again.

It was not long before her ecstatic cries resounded in the room, begging him to go faster and harder on her, but Keith was cruel to her today, determined to make love to her taking his time with his slow but hard thrusts.

In the end, she was begging for his mercy as the fire inside of her only became more unbearable, and even after jumping off the Peak of her pleasure a few times, her womb still ached for more.

"More?" He teasingly asked, suddenly stopping, which made her cry.

"Don't stop!" She pleaded, and he devilishly grinned before resuming his expedition inside of her.

She once again painfully scratched his back, leaving her marks on him, and then bit on his shoulder and tears slipped out of her eyes as a result of the building ache inside her womb.

"Faster, Keith." She requested, and he finally decided to listen to her.

He gave her what she wanted, letting his wildness loose on her, and her unreserved cries were heard by all the ladies who were in the Mansion.

And finally, when he erupted inside of her, bathing her womb in his essence, a soul-stirring and a delighted cry of relief escaped her lungs.

Keith gently cupped her cheek in his hand, stroking her cheekbone with his thumb, and stared into her misty dark-blue eyes.

He could tell what she wanted and needed right now, and he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly, allowing her to catch her breath.

Tremors of pleasure jolted through her for minutes to come, and Kiara relished in his warmth and the touch of his skin against hers.

"I want more." She seductively whispered and squeezed his hardness which was still nestled inside of her.

"Is that so?" He smirked and then started moving again, knowing well that she had said it because she knew that he had not had enough yet.

Kiara did not regret being subjected to several more rounds of excruciating pleasure. It was worth seeing the satisfaction on his face, and she always loved the feel of his essence warming up her womb.

And he rewarded her for surviving their battle by bathing her and later dressing her up to his liking. And he brought her downstairs in his arms when they sat down for the supper.

She loved how every one of them was blushing furiously, sneaking glances at them from time to time, and to tease them and scare them a little, she feigned some pain and discomfort as well.

Amira and Reina were nervous now, and their timid glances at Keith were heartily enjoyed by Kiara, who did not miss the opportunity to pull their legs and scare them some more.

Kashish, however, understood the ins and outs of copulation, she was a doctor, after all, and she could tell that Kiara was not in any discomfort and was faking it.

However, she too did not dare to meet her eyes, and she was nervous as well. She could not help but think that she would one day be subjected to this cruel torture too for hours, and for the first time in her life, she felt the fire in her womb.

The only person who was seemingly fine and only blushed a little was Minami. Even Yingying was unsettled after listening to their love-making session that continued for hours, and it was mostly because Keith had not poured some love into her for a while now.

And the one who was the most unsettled was Iseul. She did not even feel like eating and kept sneaking glances at Keith from time to time.

She had thought that her Master would finally take her when she reaches the Spirit Profound Realm, and now she was in its Late Stage, still waiting for him to take her.

However, being his obedient slave, she stayed quiet and hoped that her day would come soon.

Her attention was soon grabbed by her watch when it suddenly vibrated, and she excused herself from the table for a minute.

"Master, Samrath and Liam are both at a racing event right now. And Liam has deliberately tried to molest Samantha to rile him up..." Iseul started speaking once she entered the room, knowing well that he could hear her even though he was not wearing an earpiece.

It was similar to an event that transpired in the Plan of Destiny he read, the only difference was that it was happening a year earlier, and Samantha had not been subjected to a cruel prank by her classmates which had led to the second confrontation between Liam and Samrath.

Iseul also informed him about the new mission that Julian and Naomi had accepted, and she returned to the table fifteen minutes later when Keith had engaged the girls in a conversation about their eventful last night.

"The Rovic was truly asking for it, but the Arya was quite patient." Kiara finished narrating last night's event.

"So he had just pushed the Rovic away from the girl? Nothing else?" Keith feigned some curiosity and asked.

"Yes." Kashish nodded her head. "And I believe that Liam sent one of his men after Samrath."

"Why do you think so?" He curiously asked.

"Rovic stayed at the club for another hour, but one of his guards was missing ever since Samrath left with that girl."

"You are quite observant, aren't you?" He smiled. "So, who won the race?"

"I did." She brightly smiled, and Kashish nodded her head as well.

"Kiara was a little too experienced for me." She admitted her loss.

"Well, she learned from the best." And Keith shamelessly took all the credit, which made his little sister pout and challenge him to a race. "You lost to Rebecca. You still have a long way to go." He reminded her of her recent loss to her sister-wife, and she pouted some more.

"I am still taking you on!"

"Well, you are not ready yet. Do you have any plans for the weekend?" He suddenly asked, changing the subject, and everyone at the table turned to look at him.

"No." Kiara shook her head. "What do you have in mind?"

"Let's go on a trek to the Fairy Falls." He suggested, and all of them excitedly nodded their heads.

Kiara did not insist that they race again for the duration of their meal. She knew she could have it another day, and now she was busy planning their trip.

Fairy Falls was one of the most wondrous waterfalls in the world, situated beyond the Zenza Forest, near the famous rainbow hills.

The girls immediately got to packing their stuff so that they could leave early in the morning, and Kiara took Amira and Reina out shopping to fetch the things they would need to camp outside for a night.

Unbeknownst to them, Keith had not suggested this trip just for fun. There was a very interesting event that he was anticipating would happen on Sunday.

The rays of the sun peered through the sky, and when it rose high enough, its light managed to permeate inside the tents that were camped at the edge of the Zenza Forest, at one of the trekking bases of the Rainbow Hills.

A sweet and melodious song of birds, nestled in the forest trees and at the colourful trees of the Rainbow Hills, wished those who were asleep a good morning. And even if some people were a little grumpy at being woken up so early in the morning, just one look outside their tents washed away all their grudges.

It was a morning some had been returning here for years to experience again, and for those who had come here for the first time, there was definitely going to be a second time if life provided them with the opportunity.

The early Atumumn wind was a little chilly in this part of the world, and it was one of the two best times of the year to camp here, which was why dozens of small camps sites could be seen throughout this base, and it was not even the main base of the Rainbow Hills.

Away from the rest of the campsites was a small but colourful campsite, and unlike the rest of the people, everyone was already up and ready for the day, and they were sitting around a bonfire right now as a ridiculously handsome young man prepared breakfast for them.

What was interesting was that despite the mouthwatering smell of their meal, and the presence of people with unreal beauty, no one else even once looked their way.

It was as if this section of the base did not even exist for all the tourists present there.

"Here's your fish, my ladies." Keith picked up the first batch of the cooked fish and served it to the two beautiful twins.

"Thank you!" Both of them said in a unison, but soon a round of giggles followed when Kiara lightheartedly complained about not being served first.

"You are not the youngest here." Keith reminded her, and his little sister feigned some hurt and pouted, but then smiled when Amira and Reina offered to share their fish with her.

"I will eat the one I caught." She shook her head and then excitedly looked at the next batch of fish that was being cooked now.

All of them had started their trip yesterday morning, and on their way here, they had not forgotten to catch some fish from the stream that disected the Zenza Forest.

They did not have the fish for dinner because Keith planned on marinating them overnight, and by the looks of it, he did the right thing.

By the time the next batch of the fish was done, the twins had already finished their meal, and their mouths were still salivating in the aftertaste.

It was one of the most fulfilling meals of their lives, and they did not forget to thank their special chef, whom they gave a kiss on his cheeks.

Kiara and Minami were served next, then Iseul and Kashish, and finally Keith and Yingying finished their meal under the hungry eyes of the girls who had already eaten and wanted some more.

However, neither Keith nor Yingying shared their meal with them.

"Mean!" Kiara complained when they both only left clean bones on their plates, and Amira and Reina too put up a pitiful look.

Neither of them was faking it. They truly were very hungry.

"I will serve you something even better in today's supper." He promised them and made them all curious too.

"What?" The twins curiously asked.

"It's a surprise." He said, making them smile.

"Okay!" They did not insist that he reveal it and were now even more excited for the day.

The trek up the hills was a lot of fun for all of them, except that it made the twins a little tired, but all the ladies, except for Minami, were already surprised at their stamina and endurance. After all, unlike them, they were only ordinary mortals, not Aurors.

However, no one raised any questions since it was not something outrageous. And they were most busy appreciating the breathtaking views that they passed by.

When they reached the top of the hills, the view was totally worth it. And they could even see the vast Zenza Forest stretching to the Orisis Lake and the University Town.

Kiara did not forget to capture everything on the camera, and she even made a video call to the girls back at the Manor, sharing the view with them, and making them burn in a little jealousy.

The day was even better than yesterday, and without stopping for an extended time or even for lunch, they arrived at the top of the Fairy Falls after following the Farsa River.

And when they reached their destination, they were surprised at the festive atmosphere at the Fairy Base.

"What's going on here?" Reina curiously asked, watching hundreds if not thousands of people and the colourful Fairy Base that was decorated with beautiful lamps that were going to be lit up at night.

"Fairy Festival," Keith told them. "It takes place at the beginning of Autumn every year, usually in the last two weeks of September, and this year, it is taking place tonight."

"Oh..."

Keith then informed all of them about the history of the festival, and how now the government made arrangements for the natives of these lands, who still lived in their villages on the other side of the Farsa River, to celebrate this festival and even make money out of it.

Tourists were only allowed to watch the traditional dances, try out the delicacies, and shop around the stalls where the villagers sold their handicrafts and clothes that they made. They were not allowed to participate in any of the sacred customs and rituals of the people of these lands and were required to be mindful of their presence and behaviour.

And of course, those tourists who wished to attend this festival were required to pay up a very hefty entrance fee, and if it was not for Keith who was using his power, the guards present there would have already approached them to make them buy the tickets or go to the base that was at the foot of the Fairy Falls, which was the second most scenic spot there.

The girls did not ask if they were going to attend the festival or not. Since he had brought them here, it meant that they would be attending it, and as expected, Keith sent Iseul to buy their tickets, as well as a campsite for the night with the most scenic view of this place.

To them, it was not a matter of money, and with the amount that they had just spent, the Village Cheifs would have personally led them to their Campsite if their minds were not being influenced to not look their way.

An hour later, they were all fine setting up their camp and now prepared to make their Supper. And it was then that Keith revealed what their meal was going to be.

Out of nowhere, he brought out two large trays where two whole lambs were wrapped up in foil, already emanating a mouthwatering smell.

Iseul and Keith expertly set up the fire and constructed a large spit where the two whole lambs could be roasted together, and then Keith put them up and started working on the soup.

The girls were once again impressed by his skill. It was so evident that he was not doing it for the first time. And it was truly a treat to watch him cook, which they all enjoyed a lot.

By the time Supper was finally served, all the girls were salivating, Minami and Yingying included, and once they tasted the meat and the soup, they were left speechless for how tasty it was. The rice that had been cooked inside the lambs was more flavour than any rice they had tasted before, and the meat simply left them yearning for more.

Had someone witnessed the scene, they would have been dismayed at how a group of eight could have finished such a big meal, only leaving clean bones behind, but an Auror's appetite was far greater than that of an Ordinary Mortal's. It was actually very normal, and the girls, except for Amira and Reina, still wanted more.

The festival started as soon as the sky darkened, and now, they could hear the music coming from the main base.

Keith asked the girls to get ready, and after they wiped up their mess, they all left to enjoy the festival and see what it was really about.

The colourful lamps excited them a lot, and the girls were not shy from trying the local delicacies even though they had just had the most fulfilling meal of their lives.

They donned traditional hats and even bought some pretty handicrafts, mostly to show support for the villagers who had worked hard on making them for an entire year.

The most fun part of the festival was the plays and dances performed by the villagers, and they attracted the most crowd as well.

No one was allowed to use cellphones here or film the event, but Kiara took advantage of not having eyes on them as she shared the experience with her sister-wives back home.

"He's here too." Kashish was surprised when they saw Samrath and Samantha at the festival, and interestingly, Sunaina was with them as well, whose presence was weighing heavily on the girl with pigtails, who kept hugging her boyfriend's arm as they looked around the stalls.

Keith looked at the Child of Destiny with a light smile on his lips. His guess had proven right. Samrath had indeed come here this year, which meant that a fortuitous encounter was waiting for him as well.

"Samrath, look!" Samantha suddenly smiled and excitedly pointedly at the stall which was serving Fairy Floss.

They had been searching for it for several minutes now, and Samantha did not waste any time as she rushed up to make an order. And though she did not like the girl who had come here with them, she still ordered one for her as well.

However, she regretted it immediately when she looked back and saw Sunaina happily chatting with her boyfriend.

"Here." She rushed back to join them as soon as the old man handed him the three freshly made Fairy Floss, and she gave Sunaina the one with the yellow colour.

"Thank you." Sunaina politely smiled at him and did not show any reaction when the girl with pigtails protectively hugged Samrath's arm.

"Where do we go next?" She curiously looked up and asked him, munching on her Fairy Floss.

Samrath did not have anything on his mind so he glances around them, searching for something interesting, and he did manage to find something even if it was not really anything interesting.

There was a cute little girl of around six years old, who was helping an aged couple run a stall that had beautiful sculptures on it and several eye-catching handicrafts.

He had a very keen eye for these things, and he could tell at a glance that these were all high-quality products and had been made with great care and patience.

However, it was not the things that were on the stall that caught his attention, but the little girl who was wearing a very bright smile, but possessed a sickly pale complexion.

"Come, let's check out that stall." He lightly said and without waiting for an answer, he started walking towards that stall.

"Good evening!" The little girl was excited to have some more customers. "Please feel free to look around, hopefully, you will find something to your liking."

"Awww..." Samantha could not help but gush over her cuteness and crouched down to offer her Fairy Floss to her.

"Thank you, but I just had my dinner." The little girl politely refused her, and Samantha could only pout before she stood up and happily checked out the beautiful sculptures that were displayed in the stall.

"They are all beautiful." She honestly said, and the aged woman smiled at her words.

"Thank you, Young Lady."

The three of them learned that the elderly couple have been Sculptors all their lives, and the little girl, whose name was, Rukka, was their granddaughter, who was also aspiring to become a Sculptor.

Samantha decided to buy a few sculptures that she guessed her father would appreciate a lot, and Sunaina bought a few handicrafts as well to show her support.

And whilst they bought the things, Samrath was keenly observing the little girl, and then audibly sighed.

"Old man, your granddaughter is poisoned. Her health is deteriorating." He suddenly said, and everyone at the stall froze, including the little girl who was horrified at his words.

"She just has a fever..." The old woman tried to deny but Samrath shook his head, and then gently caressed the little girl's head who was about to shed tears.

"If I am not wrong, she had been sick for the past four months. Had it been a normal fever, it could have worn off, and she would not have grown so weak." He spoke and then looked at the elderly couple. "She looks like she's coping well, but her immune system has grown very weak, and if she catches even minor flu, she might..." He stopped, knowing well that he did not need to say the next words.

The elderly couple seemed to have aged even more after listening to his words, and the woman immediately walked over to him, grabbed his arm, and asked him if he was a doctor, and after he nodded his head, she started begging him.

"Don't worry. I will help her." He smiled at her assuringly and then caressed the little girl's head. "I promise that you will be fine."

Their conversation had caught a lot of attention from nearby people, and so Samrath asked the old lady if she could lead him to the place they were staying at.

All the Villagers who were gathered here lived in communal or independent tents, and luckily, the elderly couple was living in the latter.

Samrath did not ask the old lady to wait outside and allowed her to watch as he started treating the little girl. And her presence made the little girl feel at ease as well, but it was not exactly needed as he soon put the little girl in a deep sleep before starting to treat her.

Though the elderly couple could not pinpoint how she might have gotten poisoned, Samrath knew the answer when she checked the legs of the girl and found a faint scar with a purple tint to it.

She had most likely scrapped her leg against something that was poisoned, and luckily for her, the poison was slow-acting poison.

When he asked about the scar on the girl's leg, the old woman informed him that she had scrapped her leg when they took a boat to cross the river a few months ago, and he did not say anything more.

It did not look like someone deliberately targeted her, so he was no longer worried about the safety of the young girl and her family.

The treatment took time, nearly half an hour, and the old woman was amazed when she saw how her granddaughter's complexion visibly improved.

"She's safe now. The weakness will stay for a week, but it will go away if she eats healthily. And make sure she gets some good rest." He advised after he stood up.

"Thank you!" The old man stepped forward and hugged him, truly grateful to him, and then sat by the side of her granddaughter, not in the mood to tend to the stall.

Samrath excused himself from the tent and was surprised to see the old man standing there with the girls. But the surprise soon wore off, after all, the man dearly loved his granddaughter. How could he have kept tending to the stall with peace of mind?

"She's fine now." He told the old man what he had told the old lady earlier, and immediately stopped the old man from dropping to his knees. "I accept your gratitude. And it's enough." He assured him, and then took the chance to leave with the girls before the old man could feel more indebted to him.

"That was an interesting technique you used back there."

The three of them were about to exit the campsite where the villagers were staying when they heard a voice from right behind them, and all their hearts thumped in unison.

Samrath immediately turned around, narrowing his eyes at the middle-aged man with a Scholarly beard. He tries to remember if he knew this man but failed to do so.

He could sense that this man was very strong, almost as strong as the Grand Elders of his Family, and right now, he was worried that he had been sent to kill them, though he highly doubted that the enemies he had made in the last few weeks could afford a man like him.

"Who are you?" He asked as he protectively pulled Samantha behind him, and as if on cue, Sunaina stepped back as well.

"Relax." The man smiled. "I am just a wanderer who is just curious after seeing something interesting."

"Juts a wanderer?" Samrath smiled.

"And a Doctor." The man added, scrutinising him the same way he was scrutinising him.

"It's a secret technique from my family. I am sorry but I can not talk about it with you." He spoke, intending to take his leave and avoid speaking again to this mysterious man.

"I have never seen an Arya use it before. And believe me when I say it. I am aware of all the techniques that your family possesses." He lightly said, and Samrath froze at his words.

He was just about to signal to his protectors when the man spoke again.

"But if you say so, I will believe you." He smiled.

"Good night." Samrath nodded to him and then grabbed Sunaina and Samantha's hands before turning around.

"Are you sure you want to leave?"

The man suddenly asked, and despite himself, Samrath stopped with a frown.

"Go. I will meet you two in a few minutes." He told the girls, who were a little worried now, but after he assured them that he would be fine and that he just needed to talk with the man, he relented and walked to the main base where the Fairy Festival was taking place.

As soon as the girl disappeared from his sight, Samrath turned around and coldly looked at the man.

"Who are you?"

"I have a proposal for you." He smiled. "It's rare to come across a twenty-year-old who is in True Profound Realm and also a skilled Aura Doctor. How about you spend the rest of the night with me?"

"I bed your pardon?" Samrath did not hide the warning in his eyes and frowned when the man started chuckling.

"We will compare notes in Cultivation and Medicine." He cleared the confusion and then smiled again. "And when the night is over, I will pay you in form of a treasure, a token of gratitude for your time."

Samrath did not like the sly innuendos he was making and narrowed his eyes even more.

"And if I refuse?"

"Then we can compare notes on Combat." The man shrugged.

A pregnant silence followed his words and Samrath kept scrutinising the man standing in front of him. Just when he started considering the man's offer, a voice sounded out in their ears, and he saw the man visibly tremble.

"I must say, I am surprised to see that one of you is still present in this world. How old are you this year, Mikaros?"

"Who?" The middle-aged man was dismayed that someone recognised him and immediately turned to look to the side.

Samrath did the same, and both their hearts palpitated in fear when they saw the tall young man standing quite close to them, wearing a light smile on his lips.

"Dr. Keith..."

"Go, be with your ladies." Keith nodded to Samrath, and the Child of Destiny glanced at Mikaros and then back at him before nodding and taking the opportunity to leave.

Mikaros frowned at seeing Samrath leave, but with the pressure locking on him, he did not dare to do anything about it.

"My Lord." He bowed to Keith, having already guessed that he was in the presence of a Mortal God.

"A wizard like you is a rare sight in this world. But I have heard of you, Mikaros, envoy of Hekau, the Egyptian of Magic and Medicine." Keith stepped forward and freed the man from his Divine Presence.

"May I ask your name, My Lord?" Mikaros politely asked, keeping his apprehensions in his heart.

"Erebus." He replied and watched the man raise his head and look at him in astonishment.