Ascension of the Dark Seraph

Nerissa explained what Mirel told them.

It didn't go as Leandra thought it would.

As soon as Lucivar stabbed her, a battle against Master Tobias started, which resulted in clear defeat on their part. Even Lucivar was helpless. It was unclear whether he couldn't quite go all-out or not, but he lost that battle.

Mirel thought it was over, but then out of nowhere, Lucivar emerged from among the rubble.

"He didn't see it with his own two eyes, only from what Lucivar explained to him," Nerissa explained, fidgeting with her fingers. "It was confusing to understand, but basically, Master Tobias—and Lucivar had another fight nearby. And as it turns out, the 'Lucivar' who lost was not the real one. It was a fake."

"Lucivar had used this power before," Ravenna added. "I marked him with my Predator Oculus ability; he knew about this, and the night before the birthday party, I saw him split into three. But I can't say a thing, so I can't tell you guys."

"Sigh…" Leandra flipped to stare at the ceiling. "He's getting stronger too fast. We can't keep up."

"Nerissa probably could," Ravenna glanced at her.

Both Leandra and Nerissa knew exactly what Ravenna was referring to.

Compared to them, she was the only one whom Lucivar had turned into a Vestal.

In an instant, the same thought crossed their minds, but none of them dared to say it aloud.

Not that they were scared of talking about it, but because that would be a big decision for them to make.

One that none of them could take back.

"Let's… talk about that later," Leandra said—deciding to change the topic. "How long have I been out for? And did I miss anything important?"

Nerissa nodded eagerly, "About three days. And yes, you miss a lot."

"Oh, then tell me what happened?"

"First of all, the aftermath was brutal for Lucivar and Mirel. It was mainly because Bakar died there, so we're summoned by the Hybrid Association for interrogation. Both of us went through it smoothly since we stayed behind," Nerissa pointed at Ravenna and herself. "But Lucivar and Mirel don't have a solid alibi."

Hearing this, Leandra's eyes flickered.

It sounds troubling, but knowing Lucivar, she wasn't worried at all.

"Lucivar used Tamtu's power to make an alibi for them, and especially for how you got hurt, and with the Feradith Family's influence and other factions that wanted to befriend him, it went smoothly," She added, but then, she took a long pause.

One that clearly indicated something was wrong.

"Tamtu? Is that another God?" Leandra asked; she had no idea who this particular God was.

"Goddess, the Mother of Monsters," Nerissa answered truthfully, which also surprised Ravenna, as she too wasn't aware of this particular God. All she knew was Sutekh and Loki. "She's the Goddess whom I and Lucivar bound to."

"I see... how does becoming his Vestal feel?"

"Nothing much changed, but it's because I'm still not adequate enough to touch her power. But anyway, that's not the point right now."

"Oh, right," Leandra raised her brows. "What were you saying?"

Instead of answering instantly, Nerissa paused again.

It prompted Leandra to feel that it must not be something good.

"What? What is it?" She demanded. "Did the Hybrid Association catch on?"

Nerissa turned to Ravenna.

She wanted Ravenna to be the one to explain.

"It's not that," Ravenna looked out the window, basking in the morning sunlight. "As Nerissa said, the Hybrid Association interrogated them a lot. Lucivar can handle it since he's almost or perhaps already become a sociopath, but Mirel wasn't. It takes a toll on him."

"A toll on him?" Leandra asked incredulously. "He suffered worse before."

"All of us can agree that night was really dark. Nerissa and I weren't there, but I assumed confronting him was not an easy thing to do, and emotions were high." Ravenna continued profoundly. "Tell me, what would you feel if you're told to recount that night over and over again and have to lie about how Bakar and He died?"

She turned to meet Leandra's gaze, "Do you think it's easy to do?"

Hearing this, Leandra went silent.

If Ravenna put it that way, then it wasn't a surprise that it took a toll on Mirel.

Just then, Leandra's eyes widened for a second.

It sparked Ravenna and Nerissa to look at her expectantly, thinking that she had realized something.

Slowly, she looked at the two with wide eyes, "Say, did Mirel tell how… How did Master Tobias die? How was his final moment?"

Ravenna and Nerissa exchanged a look.

Now that they thought about it, Mirel didn't say anything about how Master Tobias died.

All he said was that Lucivar won against Master Tobias.

"No, he didn't mention anything about how he died." Ravenna shook her head.

"Then could it be that… that it wasn't Lucivar who killed him?" Leandra asked, which caught the two completely off guard, as it was really plausible. "If retelling that night taken a toll on him, then something really bad must've happened."

"I don't think that's right…" Nerissa said hesitantly. "I mean, knowing Lucivar, he would want to be the one to deal the finishing blow. After all, the scheme was tailored for him, and he loved Delilah dearly. He would not let Mirel do it."

"Right, besides…" Ravenna added. "Lucivar beat him away from Mirel; he wouldn't take the liberty to go back and hand Mirel the satisfaction of dealing the finishing blow."

Leandra found their reasoning logical.

As someone who had watched Lucivar on the side and analyzed his every move, Leandra could say with confidence that he was incredibly selfish and power-driven. He always put himself first, even if it was at the expense of others.

For killing Delilah deliberately, he would not forgive Master Tobias.

And he would surely want to be the one to avenge Delilah for the terrible fate.

'But for some reason, I feel like Lucivar was up to something.' Leandra thought firmly inside, trusting her guts more than anything as that's the only indication that could help her follow Lucivar's moves. 'I refuse to believe that Master Tobias, who seemed to know everything about him, doesn't have anything to offer before his death.'

'Mirel may think Lucivar told him everything, but that's naïve thinking.' She exhaled roughly.

Leandra might be wrong, but it's better to be wrong than oblivious.

Since Master Tobias was gone, and Delilah's voice waned, there's no telling what Lucivar might do.

And she has to be alert.

'However, what could it possibly be for him to make Mirel kill Master Tobias?' Leandra rubbed her forehead with her fingers. 'Come on, Leandra, think! You've been following his every move the longest; you can surely make a guess.'

For a moment there, Leandra closed her eyes, contemplating what Lucivar's aim was.

She needs to guess it.

She's the only one who could.

'Is he trying to be good for once and give Mirel closure? No, that's impossible. Then, does he want to break Mirel, knowing that he couldn't take the memory of killing Master Tobias? Considering that Mirel opposes him, there's a chance that this was the case. But I'm not confident….'

Leandra turned around again and buried her face in the bedsheet.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't think of a reason.

All she could do right now was wait until she met with Lucivar firsthand.

"Where's Mirel—anyway? Let's see how he's feeling." She raised her face and looked at the two. "In a situation like this, I'm sure having company would be a lot better than being alone. Come on, let's go see him."

Before she could rise, Nerissa lunged and crashed into her, pinning her down.

Both were pressed together like a sandwich.

"What are you doing?! You're heavy!"

"How could you say that to me? I have gone on a cake strike for the last couple of days, you know! And the stress… don't forget about the stress!"

"I'm always stressed, but my weight stays the same! Eughh—get off!"

"No, you're already thinking about others when you only got out of the hospital. Just rest for the day. You can do anything you want tomorrow." Nerissa said, wrapping her arms around Leandra's neck from behind as she missed her. "Today, you're not going anywhere!"

Leandra was about to refute, but Ravenna beat her to it.

"She's right," Ravenna agreed with a firm nod. "If you go to Mirel now—he'll likely just turn you away. If you really want to head out—then let's visit Bakar's grave instead. That's what matters most. I am positive he'd be grumbling at you from the afterlife if you don't pay your respects soon."

Hearing this, Leandra paused for a second before she nodded.

She was too caught up in the situation that she forgot about Bakar entirely.

Not that she didn't care, but it felt surreal that he was now gone.

"What about Bob? Any news about him?"

"No… Even after the Hybrid Association swept Master Tobias' mansion, they found nothing."

"Sigh…"

Moments later.

Leandra, Ravenna, and Mirel took the bus and went to the cemetery where Bakar was buried.

It wasn't that far, and it was located in a more proper neighbourhood where rich people buried their loved ones. Even without asking, Leandra could already tell that Lucivar had asked for help from his contacts to settle Bakar here.

All three of them prayed to the God of Strength for Bakar.

He came from the Ashbourne Supreme House territory, so he prayed to the God of Strength.

Leandra, on the other hand, decided to talk to him directly instead of praying like the others.

From Lucivar, she knew most of the Gods were bad.

No need for her to pray to them.

Once they were done, Leandra scattered flower petals across the grave and stood solemnly in silence.

"You should've stayed acting dumb, Bakar. I hated that you tried something ne—Heukh…!"

"Leandra, what's wrong?!"

Nerissa caught her as she faltered—worry flashing across her face at the sight of Leandra clutching her chest in agony. Her features twisted with excruciating pain, yet she was ready—her trembling hand took out a flower, the one Lucivar gave her.

She brought one in case of something like this.

Exactly as the nurse said, she stabbed the flower into her thigh, allowing its essence to heal her.

It worked fast, as a couple of seconds later, the pain was already gone.

She could stand on her own again.

"Is it because the stab Lucivar did?" Ravenna asked sharply.

Leandra nodded, coughing several times in pain, "You might not know this, but he has a new sword, and I was stabbed by it. It's really a miracle that I didn't die from it. I really thought I'd die, but thank God Lucivar was distracted."

Hearing this, Ravenna and Nerissa exchanged a look.

For better or worse, that night seemed to be extremely eventful, and they were conflicted whether to be thankful or regretful that they weren't there. Just the thought of Lucivar awakening into something else sounded terrifying.

Once they paid their respect to Bakar, the trio went back again.

And upon reaching the dormitory entrance, they saw familiar figures standing in the lobby.

Lucivar and Mirel.