Ascension of the Dark Seraph

Considering that none has ever managed to escape Lucivar's entanglement of wit, there's no need for Leandra to worry about him. In fact, it was stupid of her to even think that something would happen to her, as he would certainly find a way to survive.

Just like what he said last night, even if he was stabbed in a vital spot, he would not die.

Killing an avatar is a lot harder than that.

Upon saying what he said, a long pause followed as Lucivar stared at Leandra and then Ravenna.

He stared at them longer than normal, which made them nervous.

It was especially so for Ravenna.

She wasn't nervous, but she sensed something was going on in the background.

Something that she wasn't aware of.

Even when the car came to pick them up, Lucivar remained silent, not uttering a single word.

"Are you done? We're going to make the driver wait at this point." Ravenna broke the ice.

Lucivar turned to look at her and then smiled faintly, "I'm still annoyed that our night is interrupted."

"You're talking openly now," Ravenna's eyes narrowed. "Leandra is here, you know."

Hearing this, Lucivar turned and stopped when his gaze met Mirel's.

"You're the man now," He suddenly said, tapping Mirel on his shoulder. "Look after them."

Mirel sniffled and also tapped Lucivar's shoulder, harder than he intended, "Shut up and go, man. I'll see you later."

Nodding his head, Lucivar turned around to leave.

He waved his hand overhead, "I'll see you when I see you."

Nerissa was about to follow after them, but she stopped to look at Leandra and Ravenna one last time; her eyes glassy, holding back tears, "When you get there, order a cake for me, please. I'm hoping to eat as soon as I get there."

"Nerissa, come on!"

"C-Coming!"

She looked at the three and smiled innocently, "Goodbye…"

As soon as she said that, she turned around and ran after Lucivar, who went inside another car.

Leandra, Ravenna, and Mirel watched as the car zoomed away.

"I pray for your safe trip." Sabrina bowed and headed back into the building.

Once only the three of them remained, Mirel's jaw tightened; seemingly holding back emotions, but he didn't let Leandrax—and Ravenna saw it. Without a word, he took his bag, strode to the car, and slipped inside, trying to get away from Ravenna's and Leandra's gaze.

Inside, he looked down at his trembling hands as a tear slipped from his defenses.

Outside, Ravenna looked at where Lucivar's car had gone with unease.

"Why does it feel like a real goodbye?" She thought aloud.

"It is a real goodbye," Leandra chimed and headed for the car. "Remember?"

Ravenna watched as Leandra got inside the car, and then looked back at where Lucivar had gone again.

"I'm not talking about that kind of goodbye, though…" She mumbled silently.

Moments later.

Hours felt like an eternity as the drive was filled with only silence.

Mirel, who was sitting on the passenger seat, didn't say a single word or even turn to look at Leandra and Ravenna behind. Not even once. Even when Ravenna tried to make small talk, he answered, but kept his gaze straight ahead.

Even when they were about to arrive, he never looked back.

It was supposed to be a vacation, but it didn't feel like one.

"Mirel is acting weirdly," Ravenna turned to the side and whispered.

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Leandra asked, her voice overpowered by the upbeat music playing in the background. "He's not on Lucivar said, we already drilled him about it. He's probably still uneasy about what we're going to do. Don't mind him. Focus on what we're going to do."

"Then what about what Lucivar said to him earlier?"

"That he should look after us? It's boy talk; what else?"

"Do you really not find any of this weird?"

"I'm more worried about whether we can survive today—or not. Don't fret about it, Ravenna. Did you forget? We're going against Lucivar, so there has to be no mistake. Worry more about that than whatever this is. Just focus… please."

Ravenna leaned back on her seat again; there's no use talking with Leandra.

She was too fixated on what might happen to see what was obvious right in front of her.

'I know Nerissa might be saying goodbye earlier because Lucivar might be planning to kill us, but still, I don't feel like she's that type of person,' Ravenna thought, closing her eyes and recalling that moment from earlier. 'If Lucivar wanted to kill us, even if Nerissa accepted, she would want to avoid us—at all costs. She won't have the guts to look us in the eye, but she didn't. Instead, she wanted to spend more time with us…'

'Even the way Lucivar looked at us earlier—it had no malice. He seemed… sad.' Ravenna bit her lips.

Lucivar is meticulous and cunning; she understands that, but this doesn't feel like an act.

It was genuine.

But even so, she didn't know what Lucivar was planning, if not killing them.

She knew for sure that he was planning something, but what?

Upon arriving at their destination, the trio was greeted by the fresh, cool air of nature.

It was clearly a popular resort—the entire slave city had been built around this breathtaking, sparkling lake that stretched as far as the eye could see. And at the part where the running water was at its clearest, the north border of the slave city was the part where the resort was located.

For a moment there, the three of them forgot about the tension that was choking them.

All three simply enjoyed the breeze brushing against their skin and the sound of nature.

"Welcome," A warm-looking woman in a uniform approached with a beaming, friendly smile. "Have you booked your stay here, at the Lumia Lake Resort?"

"Yes," Mirel stepped forward and showed the receipt on his phone.

"Ah… Sir Lucivar," the woman smiled brighter, almost like she knew who Lucivar was. "Please, allow me to bring you to your villa. We, the Lumia Lake Resort, have reserved the best place for you. I'm sure you will not be disappointed."

"I'm not Lucivar," Mirel scratched the back of his head. "I'm… his brother. Mirel."

Leandra and Ravenna instinctively turn to look at him.

Even though they had been staying as a family, none of them had ever heard Mirel admit openly that he was Lucivar's brother. It caught them off guard. Leandra became suspicious of him, while Ravenna was becoming more and more uneasy.

"Lucivar… He…" Mirel stammered before shaking his head. "He's going to come soon."

"It's alright, Sir Mirel. Sir Lucivar doesn't need to be here for the receipt to work."

"Oh, is that so. I'm not familiar with this."

Following that, the woman led the trio to their villa, which was literally at the very top.

From that villa, they could surely see the entirety of the city snaking down the lake, which was a breathtaking sight to behold. Along the way, Leandra couldn't help but ask, "Do you know Lucivar? It seemed like you do."

"No, of course not." The woman denied. "The Lumia Lake Resort belonged to Sir Dullan, the head of the Trading Union was the owner of this entire resort. He told the staff to give the utmost service to Lucivar and his family."

"Hmm, I see…" Leandra nodded firmly. 'So that means Lucivar owned this place, too.'

Along the way, there are a few people.

Only a few visitors near the bottom of the lake, families and couples, from the looks of it.

Since they were located at the top-most villa, nobody would notice if something happened to them.

Or at least, that's what Leandra got from her observation.

'Considering that he had shown softness by giving us farewells, he most likely won't kill us directly. He might want to kill us either in our sleep, or by sending someone to do it for him,' Leandra thought, her sharp eyes scanning the place for any potential hideout. 'Either way, we're not going to be here the moment when the attack came.'

Upon arriving at the villa and the woman giving them the key, Leandra immediately went to work.

She didn't settle in or soak in the services of the resort.

Instead, she placed down her bag and took out her combat outfit that she brought along with her.

"W-What are you doing…?" Mirel asked, looking at her helplessly.

"Check the villa for anyone hiding," Leandra said as she changed into a combat-ready outfit. "I'm going to look around to find something suspicious and also secure our escape route. We only have a few hours at best, so we need to move quickly."

Ravenna nodded as she too went to take out a dagger from her bag.

She didn't bring any change like Leandra, but she didn't need to.

"Ravenna… you're going too?" Mirel turned to her.

"Yes," Ravenna nodded. "The city isn't big, but it's quite long, and there are many spaces that could be used to hide. Leandra wouldn't be able to cover the whole city, so I'm going to sweep it with her too. You check the villa, and once you're done, check near the villa."

As she said that, she raised her gaze to look at Mirel.

Crimson markings began to appear around her eyes as she activated her Predator Oculus ability.

"Can you do that, Mirel?" She asked, eyes narrowing.

Hearing this, Mirel clenched his fists and looked down.

It was clear that he was reluctant or hesitant to do this, but he agreed eventually.

"Yes…" He nodded grimly. "I can do it. Let's meet up back here in an hour, is that good enough?"

"Hmm."

"Yes, that's good enough."

Just like that, the three separated to scan the area for any sign of enemies.

Lucivar might say that he had something urgent to deal with regarding the avatar, but he could also be bluffing to catch them off guard—while they were enjoying the resort's services. None of them could lower their guards, knowing full well who they're dealing with.

As an hour passed, Leandra and Ravenna returned to the villa at the same time.

Both of them had swept one side of the slave city each.

"Found something?"

"No. Nothing. I don't know if I should feel relieved or uneasy."

"Don't celebrate yet. Even if Lucivar turns out not to be planning to kill us, we'll still escape first."

"Yes, I remember the plan. Don't worry."

Then, the two turned to the village and unconsciously frowned as they suddenly had a bad feeling.

No sign of movement inside the villa, and that made them nervous.

It wasn't helping that Mirel acted weirdly throughout the way.

Exchanging a look one last time, Leandra's eyes gleamed with a purple hue, while Ravennna's markings came back. Both of them decided to be careful without exchanging a single word, fearing that despite their meticulous drilling, Mirel was under Lucivar's control.

Once they were ready, they entered the villa again, completely different from how they entered earlier.