"...That being said, the situation is under control. I will be able to bring the Cursed Soul back in a few months. There is no need to worry. We will be able to prevent the eruption of a Hellbound Cataclysm easily."
Evalynn Fang's voice rang out from a small marine-blue marble. Her voice resounded through a large, ominous dark hall.
The hall was covered in intricate patterns of engravings and countless life-like images of various monstrosities. They were mythical creatures that inflicted terror and despair in the hearts of the ordinary. However, engraved on the walls, these mythical creatures seemed pitiful. Their bodies were chained to the intricate runic patterns, their powers sealed forever.
A burly middle-aged man with long silver hair, azure-blue eyes, and a large scar that spanned from the mid-section of his face down to his neck stored the marine-blue marble and sat down back on his throne. He tapped the table in front of him lightly while his gaze moved through the ominous hall. His attention lingered on a few men and women until it landed on another middle-aged man.
The man had short black hair and dark eyes. A neatly trimmed beard highlighted his great appearance, granting him even more charming looks.
He would have been considered a powerhouse, under normal circumstances. However, in the presence of the silver-haired man and the other higher-ups, the charming man didn't dare to utter a single word.
"We know that your wife is intentionally delaying her return. Her mission is not that difficult," The silver-haired man told the charming black-haired man, who could only flinch as heavy pressure descended upon him. He broke into a cold sweat, "Her Geas was triggered in the Lesser Human's territory. Do you know anything about that?"
The charming, black-haired man was none other than Michael's father, Peter Fang.
It had been nearly 10 years since he and Evalynn arrived at the Nest where they found their daughter, Hesta Fang, however, Peter Fang was still unsure what to think of the Nest and their actions.
The Nest was strong. No. Merely calling them strong was an understatement. The higher-ups of the Nest knew what true power meant. They were mighty, capable of obliterating entire races.
"I'm sorry, but I do not know why my wife's Geas could have been triggered. I cannot imagine what cou–..." Peter Fang recalled something faintly, but he managed not to make a weird expression. However, just as the memory of something, or someone, resurfaced in his mind, one of the people seated near the silver-haired man spoke up.
"You're lying."
Peter Fang flinched again. His lips parted but the silver-haired man lifted his hand.
"I can sense that you will lie again. Save your breath and don't waste our time with lies." The silver-haired man shut Peter Fang's mouth, but his sharp azure-blue eyes lingered on him.
"He's not hiding something out of ill intentions. He is…worried about someone? That should be enough," A woman from the other side of the table interrupted. She leaned back onto her throne and yawned in boredom.
"Why are we even here? Is it really because this woman didn't come back yet? It's not our problem if we cannot prevent the Hellbound Cataclysm. Hesta told me that her mother would make sure to come back with Daniel Fang's soul to throw him back into the reincarnation cycle. I might not trust Evalynn, but I know that Hesta won't lie." The woman added, only to hear a snort from her left.
"Your opinion of Hesta is biased, Fera. Just because she managed to manifest some Cursed Seals upon ascending to a Higher Lifeforms doesn't mean that her inferior existence is more valuable suddenly," A man commented in disgust, "I don't understand why you picked up that brat, in the first place."
Fera's presence changed all of a sudden. Dozens of fiery red Cursed Seals manifested all over her body.
"Jealous bastard. How about you stop talking nonsense about inferior existences and that shit? Even though she was born in the territory of the Lesser Humans, her talent surpasses that of your useless disciples easily. Maybe, I should tell her to crush your disciples' bones in the next assessment to show you how 'valuable' an 'inferior existence' can be." She snorted coldly, "But then again, your disciples might just be useless because of their brain-dead teacher."
The man next to Fera jumped up with tens of Cursed Seals manifesting all over his body.
However, before Fera and the man could engage in battle, the silver-haired man tapped against the wooden table once again. Cursed Power surged from his index finger as his fingertip collided with the table surface and spread across it.
Fera and the man froze in their tracks and glanced at the silver-haired man. His azure-blue eyes stared coldly at the pair, which sat back down silently.
"I don't care about your competitions and fights but keep me and everyone else out of this." He said lightly as if nothing happened.
Instead of paying any more attention to Fera and the other man, he glanced at Peter Fang for a second as he added.
"Evalynn Fang desired to tell someone about the Nest and its secrets. That's why the Geas was triggered."
"But why would she try to do that despite knowing that the Geas will restrain and punish her?" Someone asked, only for the silver-haired man to raise his finger lightly and shake it.
"That's not the correct question," He pointed out, "We have received reports about the Supreme Human Alliance reaching the Lesser Humans in the Yeltas Sector. Evalynn knew that, yet she wanted to tell someone about the Nest? Even if that could potentially harm the Nest, harm Hesta? That made me curious because it doesn't make sense…and I don't like it when something doesn't make sense."
The silver-haired man continued eying Peter Fang, whose legs trembled under the man's pressure as he asked the most important question into the round of Curse Users.
"WHO is important enough to Evalynn Fang to risk triggering the Geas? Risk endangering Hesta?"
Fera's eyes widened, "That's right. That doesn't make any sense!"
"That insane woman is obsessed with Hesta. She wouldn't do anything that could harm her daughter," She mumbled, her attention drifting to Peter Fang as well.
It didn't sound implausible that Evalynn Fang encountered Peter Fang's relatives that she felt obliged to warn them about the Supreme Human Alliance and that there were organizations that fought against the Supreme Human Alliance. That could have triggered the Geas as well.
However, as far as everyone was concerned, Peter Fang was an orphan, raised and trained by Evalynn Fang's father. Peter Fang wasn't cursed and he would never become a true member of the Nest because he didn't have the means to become a Curse User. Therefore, there shouldn't be anyone important enough to Evalynn to reveal certain secrets. Revealing them could lead to the destruction of her Soul, after all.
An attempt at exposing the Nest and its secrets to strangers…
to non-Curse Users would have been enough to obliterate her.
Slowly, realization dawned upon the higher-ups in the ominous hall. Everyone's attention fell upon Peter Fang.
"Fenrir's bloodline ended with Daniel Fang, right?"
"Can we even counter Daniel Fang as an offspring of Fenrir? Isn't that a disgrace for the Fenrir bloodline?" Someone else pointed out, "He died before ascending and never managed to manifest a single Cursed Seal. He wasn't even able to become a proper Curse User."
"You idiot!" An old man exclaimed, taking the higher-ups by surprise. It was the first time that the old man raised his tone in the last few decades,
"If Daniel Fang cannot be considered Fenrir's offspring because he didn't manifest a Cursed Seal before his death, why would we be able to sense his fluctuations?!"
The burly silver-haired man looked up, his expression changing ever so slightly.
"Wait a moment," He raised his hand, gesturing for everyone to stay silent for a moment.
"How is it possible that we sense the presence of Daniel Fang's curse if he never rose to a Higher Lifeform? According to Evalynn's report his Living Soul is retained in a perfect seal of the Will. His Curse cannot be strong enough to break through perfect seals, otherwise, the Hellbound Cataclysm would have happened a long time ago."
"Is that so?" Fera asked, not quite sure what was happening, "I thought the fluctuations indicated that Daniel Fang's Curse was unstable and that it was getting out of control. Isn't that why Evalynn was given the Compass of Kins to find her son's Living Soul?"
"Maybe, we're missing a crucial detail," A man covered in scars pointed out, his milky-white eyes trailing toward Peter Fang, "Something is wrong, and you know what's going on."
The blind man's aura exploded all of a sudden, humongous outlines – a phantom – of something far more terrifying than most could comprehend, materialized around him.
"Tell us everything!"
Peter Fang shuddered, and his eyes dimmed. His lips parted slowly, and his tone resounded emotionlessly.
"I. will. tell. you. everything."
**
Evalynn sighed deeply, throwing the marine-blue marble into the corner of the room.
It was a good thing that the Geas wasn't too strong. All she had to do was complete a few missions now and then and ensure that she didn't expose anything about the Nest and its secrets.
The Geas didn't give the Nest the ability to control her or force her to reveal everything.
'They don't know anything about Michael…but for how long?'
Evalynn knew that if Michael continued like this…something bad was likely to happen. She was not certain about that because Michael was good at using brute force to regain control of his body, but was that a permanent answer?
'Should I bring him to the Nest? But then…'
Little did she know that it was already too late to think about that. Everything had already been set in stone, and the cascading chips were falling, one by one.
