Chapter 188: New Path
The people streamed from the shelters, their eyes wide with a mix of shock and hope. Those who had been in the city’s safer zones moved forward, walking, driving, and even flying towards the newly restored city of Cordelia.
"Is this a miracle?" Amara whispered, her eyes welling up with tears as she watched her children fly toward her.
"Sister!" Sylvia screamed, waving frantically at Christopher, who descended from the sky with Advika cradled in his arms.
Everyone took a collective step back as the enormous beasts landed with a series of earth-shaking thuds. Christopher jumped down and walked directly toward Sylvia, his expression calm.
"What happened? How is she?" Sylvia asked, her voice laced with worry.
"Don’t worry, she’s just sleeping," Christopher said, his gaze softening as he looked at Advika’s peaceful face resting against his chest. He turned to Sylvia, a broad smile on his face. "And good news... your father can finally be cured."
Sylvia’s breath hitched, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"That’s my brother," Adonis said proudly, walking over to stand beside Amara.
"What happened out there?" Amara asked her second son, her eyes full of curiosity.
"Oh, I don’t even know where to begin," Adonis said, a look of awe on his face.
"So many crazy things happened today. First, the main leader of the enemies, who called herself Darkness, killed two Master Tamers and the current Supreme Tamer all by herself. The other two disappeared. Then, Advika awoke and attacked Darkness, all alone!"
"Really?!" Amara and Ethan gasped in unison.
"Yes! Someone who killed a Supreme Level Tamer, and Advika took her on solo!" Adonis’s smile was infectious.
"Then, Darkness escaped, and Christopher appeared out of thin air. We heard Advika has a master who taught her, and this master unintentionally angered a god. That resulted in those two golden eyes in the sky. Advika’s master quickly asked for forgiveness, and... well, I think the god saw the state of our city and helped us rebuild everything."
Amara nodded thoughtfully. "It seems we have a lot of good news. Not only did those two get closer, but all my children have seen a huge increase in their strength. I’m so happy."
"All thanks to you, Mum!" Katherine yelled, rushing toward them and embracing Amara in a tight hug.
"Slow down," Amara laughed, her eyes crinkling at the corners.
Christopher smiled at the sight of his family, then turned to Sylvia. "Where are your mum and dad?"
"Mum is looking after Dad. He got a little anxious seeing the pillars of light, and his sickness flared up. He’s okay now," she explained, gently stroking Advika’s hair.
"Mmm..."
Advika stirred, her eyes fluttering open for a second before she snuggled deeper into Christopher’s chest.
’What’s so soft?’ she thought, a small smile on her lips.
Sylvia chuckled and leaned close to Advika’s ear. "You’re in Christopher’s arms," she whispered.
Advika’s eyes snapped open in shock. She looked up and saw Christopher staring at her with a gentle smile. Her face instantly heated up.
"You?! What are you doing? Drop me down!" she demanded, squirming.
"Okay," Christopher said, nodding his head, and gently placed her on her feet.
Advika blinked, staring at the city around her. It looked nothing like the ruined Cordelia she remembered. "What happened?! I thought... Cordelia?"
"It’s all thanks to your master," Christopher said with a smile, walking away without another word.
__
Zenith moved her gaze across the vast crowd, and climbed onto her beast... She enhanced her voice with her life force energy, and addressed the people:
"Citizens of Cordelia!!" she yelled, grabbing everyone’s attention.
"Today, Cordelia suffered a huge blow that dealt a great deal of damage to all of us! Two of our Master Tamers and our current Supreme Tamer were killed today, and the other two are lost! The third Master Tamer, Alex, sent me this!" She held her phone above her head.
"He said, ’SORRY!’!" she yelled, clenching the device tightly.
"I don’t know why he sent me this, but his body wasn’t found, which means he is still alive... or he is dead. I know this sounds stupid, but let’s get this in our heads: Cordelia no longer has any Master Tamers. But the seats can’t be empty! That’s why we will be appointing the new Master Tamers of each region." She looked down at the Governor.
"Please, listen to the Baltimore Governor. If you think you’re more suited for these positions, you are allowed to challenge those who will be called."
Zenith’s eagle lowered its head for the Governor. She climbed on and exhaled:
"Those of you who don’t know me, I am Baltimore’s Governor, Debbie! Ruler of all five countries under Baltimore. I know we have all suffered and lost loved ones in this single attack! Next time, this will never happen to us! That I promise! I also made the mistake of placing the former Master Level Tamers in charge of our security!" She exhaled again:
"This attack taught us a lot of things, and the life force tide helped most of you break through, becoming Beast Tamers and Awakeners! Together, we will protect our home!" she yelled. "I will call the names now!"
Debbie moved her gaze over the crowd and began.
"The new and first Transcendent Level Awakener will be Sir Sunny, known as Devil Hand! He will control the Central Region of Baltimore! The second Supreme Level Awakener will be Phoenix, known as Red Flames! She will control the Northern Regions! The third Supreme Level Awakener will be Garrett, known as Iron Grip! He will control the Southern Regions! The fourth will be Ragnarok, known as Ghost! He will control the Eastern Region! And lastly, the fifth Supreme Level Awakener will be Xing, known as X! She will control the whole Western Region! I believe that with these five protecting Cordelia, we will be safe!" she said, looking around.
"Wow... aren’t those the five beast kings?" a person in the crowd whispered.
"Yes... but I thought Christopher would be the number one?" another said.
"Yes, I had that thought too. He helped us more than them."
"Not all kings are from the Baltimore continent."
"Quiet! If you’re against it, go up there and challenge them."
"Who would dare do that?"
"That’s suicide."
The people murmured amongst themselves, but no one objected or asked a question. After a minute of silence, Debbie continued:
"Thank you for trusting me! From now onwards, Cordelia will see a new light!" she yelled.
"As for what happened to the city, I am also confused. So why not let young master Christopher explain for everyone?" She gestured to Christopher, who was nowhere to be seen.
"....?!"
Debbie was stunned.
"Sorry, but my brother is kind of busy," Katherine said, pushing Adonis forward. "But no worries, my second brother will be happy to explain everything!"
"Huh?" Adonis looked at her in shock. "Me?"
"Haven’t you always talked about being famous? This is a golden opportunity," Katherine whispered.
"Yes," Leyla added. "Getting to explain to hundreds of thousands of people! You’ll become famous overnight."
’I’m already the second young master of the strongest family in this city! Aren’t I famous enough?!’ Adonis screamed inwardly, but nodded.
’Calm down... you’re doing this for your brother, no one else.’ He exhaled and marched forward with a serious expression.
"This will be fun," Katherine whispered to Leyla.
Chloe stared at the two, then at Adonis. "People died. Please... control yourselves," she said in a serious tone.
The two were stunned into silence.
____
[Christopher’s Villa]
Christopher sat in the living room, a laptop open on his knees, staring at the information provided by Xing, who sat beside him.
"So Commander Headshot is the female commander in the Alvin continent?" he asked.
"Yes," Xing nodded.
"What kind of name is Headshot?" he asked with a confused frown.
"She never misses a shot, and all her kills were headshots, beasts and humans alike," Xing explained.
"She has a 100% rate of giving headshots, so she earned the title. No one knows her real name."
"A 100% headshot rate? Is she a monster?" he asked, frowning before sighing.
"This is the first time I’ll be traveling to the Alvin continent. I need to know everything about it. The Baltimore continent has five countries, Xavier has three, but Alvin is different. Decades ago, all the small countries merged into one huge empire under a single ruler. For this Lady Headshot to be the commander, she must be a cold and ruthless person." He closed the laptop.
"My goal is to locate something, not someone, so I might not even get close to them."
"Where are you going?" Advika asked, walking into the room.
The two turned to her.
"There’s something I ought to find," Christopher said. "You should stay back and heal your father. You also need to stabilize your power."
Advika stopped in front of him, looking from Xing to Christopher.
"So... I can’t come with you?"
"I’m afraid not," Christopher said.
"Then take her with you," Advika said, turning her head toward the entrance as Hellfire flew in, in her non-combat form.
"You will need her."
"Cordelia is safe," Advika explained, her gaze fixed on Christopher. "And besides, Katherine and Leyla are here. Top it off, I still have Vicki. I know you have powerful beasts under your control, but this will keep me calm."
Christopher stared at her for a few seconds, then finally nodded.
"Okay... I will take her with me."