Chapter 1245: Remaining Time: 17 days 01 hours 31 minutes 52 seconds
After the disappearance of those figures, every Empire slowly returned to silence.
Except the voices of grief carried through every city.
Many people had lost their family... not slain on the ground, but taken... captured.
No one knew what was happening. Not even the rulers. Not even the Chosen Ones.
What are they?
Who are they?
And... why did they capture our people?
Where are they now?
Nothing made sense. It was as if a nightmare had crashed into reality, lasted only seconds, and then disappeared.
In desperation, the Sovereign had already called for an emergency meeting... Summoning the rulers of the Five Empires, along with their Chosen Ones.
Pyra: Raven, Victor, Leon.
Naiadae: Sandra, Aqualina, Kai.
Aurora: Sera, Helena, Finnian.
Zephyra: Kaelen, Aria.
Void: Nyx, Mary.
And then... Dora and Delphine.
They gathered now, seated at the grand table in the academy.
This was only the second time all of them had come together in one place. But unlike before, this time was a really serious situation.
And then, there was her.
Mary.
Shrouded in a haze of blurriness again. From her, killing intent seeped like smoke.
No one dared meet her eyes directly.
Dora exhaled softly. Her gaze swept over the gathered rulers and Chosen Ones, lingering on each pair sitting beside their ruler.
"Has anyone received any kind of Trial?" she asked.
The Chosen Ones shifted uncomfortably. Then, one by one, they shook their heads in unison.
Dora lowered her eyes, humming softly, her expression thoughtful yet grim.
Then Sandra spoke, "So... this is really The Beginning?" Her fingers tapped against the table.
The words sank deep, reverberating in everyone’s chest.
The Beginning?
Dora glanced at Sandra, then swept her eyes across the other rulers before sighing heavily. She finally gave a small nod. "As far as I believe, this may be—"
"The fuck you believe!!" Mary exploded. Her eyes flared dangerously, "Don’t waste my fucking time if you’re not fucking sure! I need to save my baby!!" Her clenched fist trembled on the table, the sheer killing intent radiating from her body making the air itself feel heavy.
Kai blinked, "Lia was kidnapped?"
Dora’s brows furrowed, "It’s not that I’m sure," she said in a flat, cold voice. "It’s just... I haven’t received anything other than one command from the Pillars. Do Not interfere."
The room fell silent.
Everyone frowned.
Dora exhaled, "That’s why... I believe this is the Beginning."
Some gasped audibly. Others lowered their eyes, feeling some kind of unknown fear.
Aria’s lips parted, "This is the Beginning... then what should we do now? Where are the people they kidnapped?"
No one had an answer. Dora herself stayed quiet.
The only reason she had called them together was simple: to gather, to understand the situation, and to begin working as one.
Yet in truth, none of them understood anything.
This was truly an unfortunate event. The scale of the abductions was still unknown. They needed to address the people, offer hope, and—more than that—they needed a plan to rescue those taken.
Helena finally broke the silence. "What about those things? If we capture them alive, perhaps we could trace them back... find out where they came from?"
Kai nodded quickly. "Yes, that’s a good idea, but..." He glanced sideways at Leon.
Leon exhaled, rubbing his forehead, his voice laced with frustration. "We killed them all. They were weak. Even a little punch was enough to shatter them."
It was true. For rulers and Chosen Ones, the figures had been laughably fragile. Killing them wasn’t the problem. It was their sheer numbers and the sudden, coordinated invasion that had caught everyone off guard.
They hadn’t been prepared, and by the time they reacted, their people had already disappeared.
However—
Aqualina shook her head slowly. "In fact... we caught one of them."
Everyone turned toward her instantly. Sandra raised her hand, snapping her fingers. A heavy thud echoed through the chamber as a metallic figure materialised and slammed onto the table’s centre.
The rulers and Chosen leaned forward, studying it closely. Victor’s eyes narrowed as he examined the fine grooves and circuits etched into the metallic surface.
"Looks like... advanced technology, or something close to it," Aqualina muttered, her eyes drifting toward Victor.
Aqualina continued, "We caught this thing, but it almost disappeared along with the others. It was only when my mother struck the killing blow that it stopped vanishing."
Sera crossed her arms, "That means... only the survivors escaped. Even if we capture them alive, they’ll vanish in the same way?"
Aqualina and Sandra both nodded.
"What if... Master Snape was behind this?" Kaelen asked suddenly.
Kai and Leon stiffened. "I thought we killed him already?" Leon said flatly.
"We?" Aqualina repeated, her gaze sharpening on them. Her tone carried scorn, as though the very suggestion was ridiculous.
"Of course—what else?" Kai frowned, his voice defensive.
Victor, meanwhile, noticed the shift. The discussion was straying into another territory, and he didn’t like it. His eyes darted toward Sandra.
Sandra added, "Whatever this thing was... it is definitely something we haven’t seen before. Even Master Snape’s technology and monsterisation were not close to this. Master Snape could not do anything remotely close to this."
"So who are they then?" Kaelen asked with a deep frown, his eyes narrowing as he turned toward Dora, "Where are they? From the sheer, it’s impossible to hide"
Dora shook her head slowly, "I didn’t sense anything at all."
"Neither did I," Sandra added.
Sera gave a stiff nod. "Same here."
Raven’s voice was cool and clipped. "Nothing."
And Mary... Mary said nothing.
They couldn’t find any kind of evidence to lead.
While most of them were convinced this had to be The Beginning, Victor sat quietly, his attention drawn to a faint flicker in his own vision.
!~Ding~!
[LOG 2.0 Initiating Process completed 50%]
Victor’s pupils narrowed. This had been happening ever since those strange figures had appeared... and disappeared. Something about their presence had triggered his LOG 2.0 to begin its process... But only halfway.
Fifty percent.
Which meant something else was needed. Another event, another trigger, something he didn’t yet understand, to complete the process.
Still, he could access his status again:
/
LOG 2.0 Updating....
Name: Aether
Sex: Male
Race: Forsaken [ Forsaken Bloodline (Unique Ether Bloodline + Crimson Elixir of the Null (Mutated)]
Level: 100
Title: Aether Seraphine, The Progenitor of Unknown Species, Eternal Contract to ########, The Only Holder of Ether and A Past-less, Future-less Entity, Loving Step-Father, Eternal Sovereign of Draconic Pride, Essence Devourer, Echoes of Souls, The Sole Siren’s Chosen King.
Skill Sets:
Active Skills: Absolute Freedom, Master Puppeteer: Strings of Dominion, Crimson Veil: Wrath of Dominion, Chrono Traverse, King of Woods, Blood Thirsty Berserk.
Passive Skills: Seal of Aethernal, Umbra Sanctum, Spectral Phantom, Venom Apex Resilience, Love’s Trident, Null-Return.
Unique Skills: Clarion Energy, Rebirth, 3 Seconds, Sacred Flames of Ethereal, Forbidden Language: 90% Comprehension, Pasa Rope.
Twin Domains: 949/ 812
Compatibility: 99%
[Survival rate: 95.9%] [Remaining Time: 17 days 01 hours 31 minutes 52 seconds ↓]
Affection Points: 5,999,870,750
Seduction: 6/10 :-
Stella/Seraphine Ashwood: Desired Weapon: Transformation (Cannot be used until Twin Domains Filled)
Aria Zephyr: Origin Weapon:- Twilight Eclipse
Aqualina Naiadia: Origin Weapon:- Oceanic Tempest
Helena Sunfire: Desired Weapon:- Blessed Aegis
XXX—Liora Darkfang: Dreadwolf Fenrir—XXX
Raven Noir: Origin Weapon: Draconyx Form
XXX—Xara Seraphine: None—XXX
Nyx Shadowfall: Desired Weapon:- SoulBringer
/
[Remaining Time: 17 days 01 hours 31 minutes 52 seconds ↓]
The countdown was still going on.... Which meant... this wasn’t The Beginning the others were talking about.
No.
This was something else. Something that had entered the game without them even realising it.
But what?
Just then—
"I am fucking wasting my time with these bitches!!" Mary’s furious voice tore. She shot up from her chair, eyes glowing with hatred.
Dora’s gaze snapped to her, "Mind your words, Mary. We all lost. We are trying to find a way first. If we don’t work together—"
"FUCK YOU!! I lost my baby!!" Mary roared.
Dora’s fingers twitched. Sparks crackled faintly around her hand as power surged, her teeth baring in a low snarl.
Mary stepped closer, leaning in until her lips brushed Dora’s ear. Her voice dropped to a whisper,
"I know... you’ve gotten weak, bitch. Much weaker than before. Don’t you dare threaten me ever again. I won’t be sitting and talking to you next time!"
She pulled back with a snort of disdain, her eyes blazing. Dora glared at her with the same murderous expression as if she didn’t care for her words whether truth or lie.
Mary turned toward the rest of them, her killing intent flooding the chamber. "I will fucking kill everyone—whatever it is—I will give them worse than death itself!!" Her voice rang with such hatred that many at the table stiffened, feeling as though her words were aimed directly at them.
She was about to storm out when Victor reached forward and caught her wrist.
"What?" Mary hissed.
Victor looked up, "I will help you to find her."
In one swift motion, she seized Victor by the neck and lifted him partly from his chair. Her scream tore through the room.
"FUCKING ASSHOLE!! If not for you, I wouldn’t have been separated from my daughter... this all happened because of you!!!"
Victor didn’t resist. His eyes stayed on hers, and slowly, he nodded. "I am sorry."
Everyone blinked in shock. Even Mary froze, her fury stumbling for the first time.
Her grip tightened, but her eyes betrayed a flicker of confusion. She hadn’t expected him to admit it so easily.
Victor’s voice deepened, cold as a vow. "That’s why... whoever it was... I will hunt them all."
A sudden, suffocating wave of killing intent exploded from his body, radiating outward like a storm. The pressure slammed into the room, making Kai, Leon, and even Kaelen stiffen under its weight.
Mary stared at him, her eyes wide. Every part of her still wanted to tear this man apart, to rip him limb from limb. Because of him, she had lost her child. Because of him, her arms were empty.
And yet...
[+10 AP]
Mary snorted, "Big words for a man who once tried to sneak in and take over my Empire."
The chamber froze again, but this time... in pure horror!
Even Dora’s eyes widened. Not a single one knew this... even his wives!
Raven had an expression of...The fuck did you just say
But she wasn’t the only one. Everyone felt the same!
Leon sat stunned, his mouth slightly agape, ’What the hell is this man doing?’ His chest tightened with dread, ’If Victor truly plots something like that... how in the world am I supposed to reclaim my Empire?’
Aria and Aqualina frowned as they asked at the same time, "Do you have something planned?"
Victor broke it with a smirk.
"Hehe... Heheheh~" His laughter grew heavier, "Don’t worry. I am already there."
... Unknown Place ...
The scene shifted.
Chains rattled in the distance, their sound echoing through a crooked, stony path lined with jagged walls.
One by one, people were dragged forward, each bound by cuffs glowing with an orange light. The chains linked them together like livestock, their heads bowed, their steps slow and broken.
The glow of the cuffs burned faintly against their skin, sealing their strength.
Among the captives there was a man... His hair, though matted with dirt and blood, was stark white. His clothes hung in tatters, torn and stained with battle. His body moved stiffly, each step dragging as though he were no more than a puppet with its strings cut.
His eyes were blank, lifeless. He looked like an empty shell forced to march.
But then—
A spark.
His eyes flickered suddenly, glowing with a dangerous, as if something foreign had just entered his body.