NOVEL NEXT Chapter 428 - The Reapers
There was just one small problem. Aiden had no idea how to reach the Emberbane Territory, he had taken a portal to reach this hidden cave that was literally in the middle of nowhere.
Finding his way in this world would be literally impossible without anyone helping him finding his way. He came out of the cave and released a sigh. This might take longer than he had expected. He flew upwards above the trees and observed his surroundings. He hadn't known about it before, but this cave was in the middle of nowhere. In fact, it was on a small island surrounded by water.
The only thing that Aiden could see from where he was standing was a small piece of land hundreds of miles on his left.
"Fuck, isn't there a faster way to get there…?"
A curse slipped out of his mouth as he started floating in that direction. He hoped that was where the rest of the founding families were located.
*Beep!*
[I can help you.]
Aiden heard the system's voice. However, he wasn't sure if taking him up on the offer would be a good idea. Over the past year, the system or the Lumithars had 100% known about his future goals. Maybe they were laughing in his face since there was still the contract he had signed back then which made it impossible for him to hurt them. However, his intentions were clear.
"What's your proposition?" Aiden asked right away. He knew that it would be a deal or something to make things easier for him. However, he would have to see if it would be worth it.
[I can create a portal that will lead directly to the Emberbane Territory. It's free of charge.]
Aiden frowned. Nothing was free in life. There must have been something going on behind the scenes. The Lumithars weren't that nice to anyone, there must be something that he ignored.
"You'll create a portal for me without the slightest inconvenience?" Aiden asked again, making sure he hadn't made any mistake.
[Yes.]
A slight pause happened as Aiden rubbed his chin.
[Do you accept?]
Aiden thought about it a little bit more. However, as far as he could tell, there was nothing wrong with this. He couldn't find the slightest reason to refuse.
"Sure. Create the portal."
Aiden didn't want to waste any time travelling, and he wanted to know about everything that had changed during his absence as fast as possible. There was a good chance that he might be teleporting onto enemy territory. However, he believed in the memo left behind by Emma. There were missing words, but he hoped it wasn't anything bad or even worse a warning.
Suddenly, energy started moving the space in front of Aiden, as it kept spinning and spinning a portal formed right in front of him. He could even see some things on the other side of it, and it was indeed the Emberbane Territory. He could recognize that place from anywhere. The colors were simply so bright and colorful that it was extremely hard to miss it.
Aiden walked through the portal and in an instant he was in the middle of an alleyway in the middle of the Emberbane Territory. He wasn't anywhere close to the Manor just yet.
He heard some voices at the end of the alley, and discreetly walked toward it. However, something was weird. It was as if the city had lost its soul, before everything had been extremely joyful around those parts. But now, there were practically no noises, only some people talking.
When Aiden reached the end of the alley, he got a peek at the road, and noticed that something had changed. There was no one in the streets except for a group of people on the left. The city seemed to have been abandoned.
Having no other idea, Aiden decided to walk toward the group of people who were whispering.
"Sorry to bother you, but could you tell me what happened to the Emberbane Territory?"
They gave him glances at the beginning as they couldn't tell if he was being serious or not.
"You're being serious?" The man asked with a frown.
"I was away for a while. I have no clue what happened recently."
The man nodded with a sigh. "Well, it might be better that way. Still, the territory has been abandoned after the Nightshades took control of it…the Matriarch was captured and they have left for the Nightshade Territory. Most of the population also followed them without a choice."
"The Nightshades, huh? Why did they take control of this place?"
The man shook his head. "All because of one man that they had been looking for. There was news about him a couple of months ago, he was said to have white hair and red eyes. I think his name was Aldin? Uh…I can't remember, it's been too long."
Aiden nodded as he knew exactly who this man was. It was him. The Nightshade had taken control of the Emberbane Territory because he had fled to join Jake and the rest of them. There was no telling what would happen next…Emma might have been captured as they were talking.
"Did they do anything else? What else happened while I was gone?"
The man released another sigh. "Well, the Nightshades took control over most of the territories and the elves surrendered to their Patriarch. To make things short, everything is literal hell apart from those living on the Nightshade Territory… They pretty much took over the world. Dictating everything that happens."
Aiden frowned. This wasn't how things had been supposed to go. Your journey continues at empire
"What about a rebel group, are there any?"
Another person from his group answered this time. "There was one. But we haven't heard of them ever since last month, after their last fight against the Nightshades."
"Their name? What are they called?" Aiden asked right away. Emma wasn't stupid, she must have used a name that he would have recognized instantly. Something that they both knew about.
"Uh…I think it's called the Reapers. Something like that."