Ascension of the Dark Seraph

Even with Lucivar cleaning up the mess a bit, the scars of battle were still stark.

One could clearly see the arcs and curves from the cracks around the chamber.

A battle between a Chrysalis-rank was already destructive enough to crack the ground and shatter big boulders, perhaps even more. In hindsight, the battle between Bob—and Master Tobias should be a lot more destructive.

But this basement was enchanted.

It was clear that Master Tobias had prepared well to go against Bob.

Nerissa and Leandra looked around the chamber with a heavy heart, their faces a mixture of anger and sadness that their family had come to this. Back then—the family seemed to have an unshakable bond, but it was all a lie.

Despite their swelling emotions, there's no need to react to it.

It was meaningless since Master Tobias was already no more.

Ravenna, on the other hand, was different.

Unlike Leandra and Nerissa, who were now scanning the room, her eyes were fixated on Bob's corpse.

She couldn't avert her gaze.

'Oh, Bob… How can your end be like this?' Ravenna thought inside, her eyes turning glassy—but she blinked the tears away. There was a time when she relied on Bob for her conditions. Other than Darwin, she was the closest to Bob. 'For you, this is the cruelest end.'

Even though she wanted to remain strong, she couldn't.

Her throat was so tight that she was forced to exhale the breath that she was unconsciously holding, leaving a fleeting burning sensation in her throat as a few tears trickled down her cheeks. It wasn't that Bob died that made her react like this.

But the irony of his death.

Back when Bob first became part of the family, he vowed to protect them no matter the cost.

He will also help the family grow stronger, doing anything he can to secure the family's future.

All of them lost everything before becoming a part of the family, but Bob was different, as he was found when he was about to commit suicide. Master Tobias managed to convince him—that life is still worth living, and due to that, the family was Bob's everything.

In his eyes, the family was even more important than his own life.

And now, he died in the hands of Master Tobias—the very person he vowed to protect.

"Damn you, master…" Ravenna gritted her teeth; tears were now falling freely.

Her voice was light, but inside this loudly silent chamber, everyone around her heard what she muttered.

"Ravenna…" Leandra muttered as she too became teary.

Seeing how Ravenna, the one who was always cheerful and joked around, cried like this struck her heart, and it was hard for her to hold back her tears. It was the same for Nerissa. Not once had they seen her this broken and weak.

But then again, Bob was the last one from the older generation of the family.

Before taking in Bakar, Mirel, and Leandra, Master Tobias paused his search for quite some time.

During that time, Bob, Leandra, and Darwin bonded.

Now, Ravenna was the last one from the older generation.

Lucivar looked at Ravenna for a good moment before he eventually approached.

He stopped before Ravenna, the right side of his body lined up straight with her face.

"Come here," Lucivar whispered, wrapping his hand around her waist and pulling her close, lending his chest to cry on. And when she felt the warmth, she cried harder, letting loose of her emotions inside for once. "It's okay. Let it all out."

Nerissa and Leandra also sobbed, wiping the tears that reluctantly drizzled down their faces.

For a moment, the entire chamber was filled with only sobs.

Lucivar allowed them to have their moment since Bob, though rarely speaking, was beloved by all.

He was their big brother, and now, their big brother has died.

"Tell us how he died," Ravenna whispered.

"Hmm?" Lucivar raised a brow. "I don't think it's a good id—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Ravenna pushed him with strength, still tear-stricken.

"Show us how you find him! And tell us what happened!" She wiped away her tears, staring straight at Lucivar with a look that showed she didn't want a 'no' for an answer. "You can see things that we can't see with those eyes, right?! Tell us how you think he died!"

"R-Ravenna…" Nerissa gently reached for Ravenna, but she was roughly shrugged away.

Leandra was about to intervene, but Lucivar raised a hand.

"Okay, I'll show it to you…" Lucivar said as one of his Divine Armements, the white mask appeared on his face, surprising Ravenna and Nerissa the most, as they never saw him use this. "Look into my eyes, and I'll try to recreate it."

Even though the white mask will show an illusion, it could be controlled by Lucivar directly.

In a way, he could show them what he thought happened.

Swish!

As soon as the three stared into Lucivar's eyes, an emerald flash blinded them.

Instinct forced them to squeeze their eyes shut, and when they dared to open them again—the chamber had already changed. Unlike earlier, there was an emerald copy of Bob's corpse right above the original, levitating in the air in stillness.

Lucivar waved his hand, and the copy levitated, its back against the wall where the bloodstain was.

"I found him pinned against the wall by a blood lance," He explained, creating an illusion of a lance—that stabbed through the copy's chest. "His heart was stabbed precisely—and from that attack alone, I am confident that he died an instant death. No pain. At least that's one good thing I found."

"And the wounds on his wrists and legs?" Ravenna asked, pointing at the gnarly wounds.

Even though Bob died a quick death, it doesn't mean his final moments were peaceful.

Master Tobias could've tortured him.

Just the mere fact that Master Tobias' mask was beginning to slip, which threatened to reveal his true self to the family, was enough for all of them to realize one thing with certainty: he had captured Bob because Bob had uncovered something he was never meant to know.

Something that would expose Master Tobias for his scheme.

And that alone warrants Master Tobias to bring him here and force the truth out of him.

Naturally, torture wasn't out of the question, and Ravenna wanted to know if Bob was tortured.

Hearing this, Lucivar sighed.

He already knew how Bob got those wounds.

"Master Tobias mainly used his blood attribute to create weapons—and overwhelm his enemies with a swarm of weapons, or his superior skills—and physique." Lucivar waved his hand again, resetting the copy back to the ground.

Then, he created more blood lances that hovered before the copy.

Under the others' gazes, the blood lances moved.

Like a thunderstorm of blades, the blood lances struck the copy from all sides relentlessly, forcing the copy to defend himself with his bare hands. Each strike was moving at a speed faster than the normal eyes could perceive, but not to them.

All of them watched as the blood lances struck while the copy tried to desperately parry and block.

But some got through its defense and tore flesh from its arms and legs.

Each one recreates the wounds that were on Bob's corpse.

"I don't know exactly what weapon Master Tobias used, but it should be either lances or swords since the cuts were shallow," Lucivar continued as if he was giving a presentation of what he deduced. "And somewhere along the way, Bob was hurled from the ground and stabbed by the blood lance through his chest."

Despite the disturbing details, the others listened and watched attentively.

Leandra and Nerissa take in the information with grim expressions, while Ravenna cries more.

But Lucivar wasn't done.

"From the bruise underneath his chin—I can tell that he was hurled by a blow. And since his jaw wasn't shattered, it must've been a clean kick instead of an uppercut." He continued, going down to Bob's to lift his head, showing the bruise and the clean break.

"Damn it, Bob…" Ravenna clicked her tongue, eyes drowned in tears.

She couldn't continue listening anymore as she wept.

Nerissa supported her readily.

It was hard for everyone to listen, but Ravenna was certainly the one hurting the most.

"But you don't have to be so sad for him…" Lucivar's voice rang again.

"What do you mean?" Leandra stepped forward, tilting her head slightly. "Lucivar, what do you mean?"

Lucivar met Leadnra's gaze and said blankly, "He died doing what he wanted to do the most."

"Doing what he wanted to do the most?"

"Yes…"

Hearing this, even Ravenna and Nerissa raised their gazes, not knowing what Lucivar meant.

Calmly, Lucivar nudged his chin towards their behind.

Almost instinctively, the three looked over their shoulders and found nothing; there was only the wall that was the silent witness of what had happened in this chamber. But Lucivar already opened his lips again before they could say anything, "Throughout the battle, he never once attacked Master Tobias. You can see from the marks along the walls."

Upon hearing this, the others' eyes widened.

It was only then did they realized that, opposite to where Bob was, the walls were completely clean.

No marks. No dents. Nothing.

Had Bob retaliated even one time, there would be marks on the wall across from him, too.

As far as Master Tobias was concerned, Lucivar knew that he had no good protective ability.

His blood shield only protected him, but it didn't vanquish the incoming ether.

So, any attack that struck the blood barrier would've scattered its force at the stream of its momentum, leaving marks ahead. That meant the wall across from Bob couldn't possibly be spotless if he had fought back even once.

Even a simple, raw blow, relying on his raw strength, would've stirred enough force to scar the wall.

Just that alone showed Bob was only defending himself.

"On that night, I noticed that Master Tobias was different. Changed. And before his death, he confessed that he had changed; he cared for Vanessa too much. So much that he didn't even think of running away alone when he could." Lucivar said, pulling their attention back to him. "Back then, I didn't know what changed him. Now, I know. It was Bob. He changed Master Tobias."

"What… What are you trying to say, Lucivar?" Ravenna asked, her voice shaky.

Lucivar shot her a smile, "I'm saying Bob died while trying to protect the family."

Deg!

Hearing this, Ravenna's heart skipped a beat.

Both of her eyes widened in realization.

"He may not be fighting back. He may not be protecting the family physically. But he did protect the family," Lucivar looked at Bob, shaking his head in disbelief. "I don't know what he did or said exactly, but I'm sure it was one hell of a guilt-trip to make Master Tobias change like that. I'm impressed."