"The Guardian—wake the Guardian! It's our only hope!" Someone shouted!
That single sentence sent a rising ripple through the room.
The Guardian was still in 'seclusion'. It was unknown whether it was injured or just sleeping, or something else, but it was undeniable that it was currently not reachable! Situations like this were not uncommon, and its dormant period would normally last from a few months to a few years.
During this time, the family's bloodline abilities would weaken slightly, but after it awoke, it was not uncommon for the Guardian to bestow blessings to the family, such as new abilities, new knowledge, or even special tasks and unique opportunities.
To 'awaken it' now was to risk angering it, but—
"Yes! Only the Guardian can suppress this disaster now!"
"We have no other choice!"
"Quickly, prepare to—"
Bang!
"—No!" The single word, an unrestrained roar, cut through the noise!
Nellio had finally had enough!
He stepped forward; his brows furrowing as he looked at the room.
"We can't wake it! We absolutely cannot awaken the Guardian right now!"
He wasn't just saying this because of the twins, but also because doing so would incur the Guardians wrath! With its already foul mood over the past few decades, it was not difficult to tell that the consequences of awakening the guardian now would not only completely throw away any chances of its forgiveness, but also throw it into an unpredictable rage!
Several elders turned toward him in shock, doubt, and disbelief.
None of them seemed to be willing to realize this! In Nellio's eyes, they were all trapped in a delusion, a dream, completely detached from reality!
He didn't understand why, but his heart told him that their reaction was definitely not normal!
"…What did you say?" One of them spat in displeasure.
Nellio didn't hesitate to continue.
"It won't help us, even if we awaken it! Don't you people know that already!"
The room froze, and an unnatural silence flickered past the faces of everyone present.
After a moment, this unnaturalness disappeared completely.
"…What nonsense are you spouting at a time like this?" a branch head snapped.
Nellio's gaze didn't waver.
"It's not in seclusion," he roared. "…It's dying, you old fools!" His voice shook the hall.
Whether it was the old or young, all of them felt an innate repulsion to his words! Nellio didn't know if this was true or not, but what mattered was that these people thought of a different way! They absolutely couldn't awaken the Guardian right now! Even if they later discovered that his words were nonsense, it wouldn't matter, because by then things would be different! He only hoped that they would be thinking more sensibly at the time.
He understood the current situation better than anyone else.
Since the Ancestor refused to appear and the Patriarch had mysteriously disappeared, that could only mean that they had tacitly agreed with the ongoing purge. What was worse, he had a certain level of understanding about the little green-haired girl, who he believed was the cause of all of this. Nellio knew that she wouldn't massacre the family, but he didn't realize that he instinctively believed that she could do it. Since she could incapacitate the majority of the family within such a short period of time, that could only mean her level of poison skills had far exceeded what the world had assumed!
If she wanted to kill the whole clan, then they would already be dead!
It was possible that she was holding back because she was wary of the Ancestor, but it was many times more likely that there was something else restraining her!
It didn't take a genius to deduce that this 'something' should be the twins!
Since that was the case, instead of escalating the matter further, there was only one viable option, and that was to give her what she wanted and send her away!
Unfortunately, these old fools didn't seem to follow the law of common sense!
Thinking back, he had noticed this a little over a year ago...
For some reason, all the people in his family had started acting abnormally. The more he thought about it, the more he realised that it wasn't they who were acting weird, it was him who had suddenly started to notice their illogical behaviour!
He tried his best to think back, back to the time when this change had first occurred.
After a very long time, and many sleepless nights, he finally realized that although he couldn't remember when his family had started acting like this, he had started to notice it after his first meeting with Petra, way back in Imai!
It was like that encounter had loosened some string, and as time passed, this string continued to thin, eventually snapping and opening his eyes to the 'strangeness' in his family.
Even now, standing in this room, he couldn't help but feel as if he was alone, on a stage, staring up at countless strings that extended into the void, disappearing into the unseen world. As for the anchor holding these strings taught?
It was naturally the many members of the Azurefell Family!
They were like puppets…
Nellio gritted his teeth.
Even now, he didn't know if it was his imagination or not, but he could tell that something was clearly wrong! As for how to act, that was even more difficult to determine!
Ever since being 'cut loose', he had felt as if the family had begun to treat him differently, but the change was so small that it was almost imperceptible!
This left him with an extremely empty feeling, sending his mind into an even darker abyss!
He didn't know if it was him or his family that had the problem!
Everything he knew told him that it was impossible for his family to have a problem, but he just couldn't shake away this idea!
As time passed, he became even more confused, until eventually, tonight came…
Unbeknownst to him, the moment Petra appeared, the unseen thread that had slowly started to regrow was once again snapped, reopening his eyes and allowing him to understand that not only was it his immediate family that had a problem, but it should also be his entire bloodline, both inside and outside the continent!
This was also the reason he let Lalume and Nenl run away…
He was struggling to deal with his current predicament, so even thinking about the main family overseas made him feel as if a mountain was pressing down on him!
He shook his head, pulling back his focus.
Regardless of the truth, he had to deal with the situation at hand!
Before he could speak up…
"Where are the twins?! This is all their fault, isn't it!"
"No! Lilly—where is Lilly! Right now?"
Nellio's head snapped up.
"…Lilly…" He muttered under his breath, then his face darkened.
"It's definitely the 'Northern Hero' that's attacking, right? If we have her, we can negotiate!"
"That girl! She's the reason all of this started! Damn it!"
"That traitor, how dare she!"
"She really is the enemy of the world!"
"If we return them, maybe-just maybe—!"
Bang!
"No!" An even colder voice, like an ice-filled abyss, cut through the chaos, causing even Nellio to look over. They all heard the words they didn't want to hear. "She's already been taken to the temple. It's too late to bring her back now!"
The room seemed to stiffen.
'The Temple' was the residence of the Guardian…
"…Taken? When was this?" Nellio asked in a low voice.
"It was the Patriarch's order to bring her to the Guardian," the man said grimly. "They moved her earlier… before the chaos had—"
Nellio's heart dropped.
"…You mean—"
"Yes! Even if we don't want to awaken the Guardian, it's no longer up to us!"
A heavy silence followed his voice…
"If she passes through 'those gates'…" the elder muttered, his face paling, "…then it's over, we can only leave our lives to fate! Whether the Guardian helps us or condemns us, we no longer have a say!"
No one spoke, because everyone understood...
It was too la—
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
An enormous explosion tore away the wall of the hall!
Everyone looked over, shocked at the sudden attack, only to discover a massive insect, the first Warlord Ant, standing with a massive army directly beside them!
* * *
Petra looked up at the massive stone temple in front of her.
It was far larger when up close...
She didn't know if this structure had been built by the Azurefell Family, but one thing was certain, and that was that it was ancient, far older than anything else on their ancestral land!
The temple stood carved into the very heart of the territory, clearly extending deep underground.
Four massive stone pillars rose in perfect symmetry before the entrance, each one etched with old runes that had long since lost their meaning. Time had worn them down, yet they remained unyielding, supporting a heavy, layered roof that curved upwards like the horns of some long-forgotten beast. The structure carried a strange balance between elegance and age, its design refined yet burdened by an aged appearance that could not be measured, making it difficult to discern what came first, the Azurefell family, or this strange stone temple.
At the top of a wide stone staircase, a single doorway was illuminated with a pale, unnatural glow.
The massive six-meter-tall door stood wide open, clearly a recent change, but it did not feel welcoming,
The light did not spill outwards like fire or lanternlight. Instead, it lingered just beyond the threshold, contained by some unnatural power, as if whatever lay inside disdained to touch the outside world, existing as a tank rather than a structure.
The entire place felt strange.
For a brief moment, Petra simply stood there, taking it in…
She had never seen a structure like this before, but she could feel the immense level of mystic energy bleeding out of the building. This level of mystic energy was usually found in large academies or graveyards, places where thoughts and emotions were abundant, but such an abandoned temple was clearly out of place among these things.
Then, she stepped forward, entering with indifference and beginning her descent into the most restricted place within the Azurefell Family.
There were no guards, no artifacts or restrictions, this whole temple seemed unprotected.
Petra didn't find this too odd, because she had a very strong understanding of the 'fundamentals' of Mystic Energy and Mental Energy. In a place so saturated like this, guards were unnecessary because anybody who could enter this place without permission was either stronger than its occupant or possessed permission ahead of time.
As she passed through the threshold—
Her gaze flickered towards the dissipating distant opening carved along the side of the mountain, and the faint outline of an underground passage appeared in her vision.
A quiet realization dawned on her.
…So that's why she hadn't been able to find Lilly earlier…
They had taken her underground and moved through a series of concealed tunnels…
Seeing that the gates had already been opened, Petra no longer lingered.
She entered with Luna, ready to confront this arc's big baddie…
* * *
Inside, a small group of Azurefell Family disciples rushed forward through the dim corridor.
Their footsteps cracked unevenly against the stone, echoing through the enclosed chamber as unstable whisps of light flickered along the walls. Shadows stretched and twisted with every step, their urgency breaking whatever stillness the temple once had.
In their center, several elders pushed ahead, carrying Lilly with little care.
As for how this little lady was doing…
Mm, her body was burning, not on the surface, but deep, deep inside…
Every breath felt heavy, tearing against her chest as her thoughts slipped in and out of focus, dissolving beneath waves of unbearable heat. Her fingers weakly trembled, her vision was unfocused as the ceiling passed above her in broken fragments of light and darkness.
'…Hot…'
'It hurts…'
'It hurts so much…'
Her lips parted, releasing a faint murmur, "…Lu…na…"
No one answered her as her thoughts scattered…
'Little master…'
'Where are you…?'
'When will you—
The world blurred as her consciousness sank into darkness.
At the same time, near the back of the group, one of the runners slightly slowed down.
Suddenly, a chill crawled up his spine.
He turned, and behind them—
Although he couldn't see it, he instantly understood that something was coming…! Something that caused every hair on his head to stand on end!
* * *
Far behind, following the same path—
Petra walked forward. Her steps were light, almost idle, a soft hum spilling from her lips as she moved through the temple without a worry in the world. She almost seemed to be a tourist, taking her time. The moment she crossed the threshold, the world changed. The corridors were colder, quieter, and the outside chaos was cut off completely as if the temple had been sealed off from the outside world.
The ground carried faint traces of hurried footsteps, dragging feet, and unstable breathing, which allowed Petra to easily understand what direction she needed to take.
She followed.
Her pace was neither fast nor slow, but it was just enough—
Enough to be felt!
Enough to let those ahead know that the shadow of their end was approaching!