This World Can't Handle A Cultivating Bad-boy.

About two weeks ago...

Ven and Aegon stood fists raised opposite one another in the simulation room, whilst Alex leaned against the wall in the corner.

Sweat made a light sheen coat on both their forms as they raised their fists once more.

Aegon gritted his teeth, feeling the intense needle-like pressure all over his joints. "What's the point of this again?"

"Because..." Alex pushed off the wall. "I need to make sure you can fight and handle yourself without Aether, and the only way to simulate that is to fight with Ren."

Ren, as usual, said absolutely nothing.

This exercise had been going on for a while. Due to the commonality of Aether Dampeners in circulation, Aegon had to train for the worst case scenario.

.... A scenario where he wouldn't have his Aether at all.

As the fight progressed, Ren had already stuck Aegon in several positions like he had in the past and completely shut off his reach from Aether.

But the longer he stood the longer he realized it was more than just taking his Aether away.

It was constricting his movements, blocking his pathways and making even the slightest motions come with a terrible amount of unease.

His breath felt thin, his body stiff and even though he was still standing, he could tell it was only a matter of time before Ren won.

And that was precisely how the Yamamoto Clan operated. Some like Ren still had affinities which made them a double-threat, but even those who didn't were still formidable opponents.

Aegon groaned as he dropped his hands, he was already done with this.

He turned back to Ren for a brief second, "Can you teach me that?"

"Teach you what?" Ren asked dryly.

"Teach me the Yamamoto technique."

****

Collins gaze dropped to Aegon. In that moment, he was so glad he told him the truth.

"..."

FLICK!!——

The lights abruptly died.

A collective gasp huffed through the hall as all eyes darted both ways trying to figure out what was going on.

Was this still part of the events, was this just a technical malfunction.

Aegon held his breath. 'You guys better be ready.'

The gasps turned into panic as a few guests gave a light but worrisome scream in the dark.

"What's going on here?!" Alex's yell cut through everything else.

FLICK!!——

The lights returned. The guests stood scattered across the hall, some safe but others...

Some of the waiters stood firmly behind a few guests, blade to their throat and an intent that sobered everyone up.

Nightwalker raised a brow. "What's this?" He asked, uninterested.

TAK! TAK! TAK!

Footfalls followed soon after as a familiar figure marched their way to the centre of the room.

All eyes turned to her and widened. A few took a step back—including Nightwalker.

Spectra was finally back.

SCRREEEEEE——!!

She dragged a chair from the side towards the centre of the room, not meeting anyone in the eye, including Quinn—who stood next to Zara at the side, staring in disbelief.

Setting the chair down, she stepped away once more, this time heading towards a table as she lifted a flute of champagne.

...

Back at the centre she sipped it lightly and swept her eyes across the dead silent hall.

She shrugged. "You all look like you've seen a ghost."

"..."

No one answered.

"Oh, come on, guys" she said playfully. "Don't tell me you forgot me already, have it been that long," she placed a hand on her chin. "Maybe it has been... Since you all ruined my life."

"Spectra?" The director, Anthony was the first to speak, but barely as a waiter's blade pressed drawingly close to his neck.

He was phased but only slightly—a beat of sweat trickled down the side of his temple and he raised his hands next to him.

But the others, the other hostages were staring at the blade, with trembling lips, drenched faces and silent prayers.

Anthony spoke carefully. "We can talk about this somewhere else."

"Somewhere else?" She sipped again from the glass, rolling the glass between her fingers. "Why not here? Why not where the 'Next Gen' can know how you treated the previous gen?"

The students said nothing, almost everyone was pressed against the wall—watching closely to what ensued.

"Kate." A previously quiet voice finally spoke, Nightwalker made his way back down to the main floor. "Why don't you reconsider this?"

His words felt more like a threat than a suggestion but she wasn't deterred.

She crossed her legs in the chair. "Look outside, Ian." She nudged her head towards the window. "It's nighttime, there's no sun."

"I don't need the sun to kill you." Nightwalker hissed. "I've done it before, don't make me do it again."

"I still have my God Trait." She said, meeting his eyes.

"With this amount of awakeneds in one room," He continued to move down. "You try to do that and you'll kill yourself."

Gritting her teeth, her grip tightened on the base of the glass. "Watch me."

"And you know that's not what I'm talking about..." He stopped and let his eyes trail across the room, and finally landed on her daughter.

Kate kept strong for a second then let her eyes follow his to Quinn.

Looking Quinn in the glossy eyes, as she stood confused and having a bittersweet smile on her lips, Kate answered. "I have no attachments to anyone in this room."

"..."

Those were the first words, her mother who she thought was dead and hadn't seen in years said to her.

'I have no attachments to anyone in this room.' The words that would, without a doubt, replay in Quinn's mind forever.

But for Aegon, this was unsurprising. He'd suspected this ever Spectra told him her story, and he confirmed it when Eli confessed he was the mole.

Spectra had become everything Nightwalker intended, but she wasn't a God.

Gods love being feared, revered and loved. Humans know they're capable of mistakes but Spectra...

She now believes that everything wrong with his world needs to be purged out, by any means possible and to do that, she couldn't have a weakness.

She couldn't have an anchor holding her back from doing what needs to be done, she could all be indifferent.

So, as she looked her daughter she'd previously given everything for, she could only feel... Nothing.

"..."

The room remained in silence, none sure how to follow that up.

"That was unexpected," Nightwalker finally broke the silence. "So you're telling me I can kill anyone in this entire room and you won't care."

She smirked, uncrossed her legs and let them fall down to the floor with a loud clink that startled the guests.

Chugging the remainder of the champagne in one gulp, she turned to one of the waiters holding a knife to someone's neck.

She nodded.

The waiter's grip around the blade tensed as he drew the blade in one swift motion and painted the floor red.

All guests around them scrabbled to the side as the man, suit drenched in blood, fell to the ground in a dull thud.

She turned back to Nightwalker. "I don't care if everyone here dies," she raised her brows. "In fact, I'd prefer it."

Nothing to say, Nightwalker folded his arms in light surprise.

"By the way," She faced the students. "That was Lucas Astrea. He is— well, was, one of the top recruits of The Citadel."

The Citadel is currently one of the top awakened hero organizations in Veltharion. They recruited several top class heroes and foiled countless crimes.

"But," Kat added with a high pitch tone. "He's also a trafficker, and when I say traffic, I mean traffic—

He's trafficked more than a hundred thousand girls and children, all while using the organization's account to launder the money.

But that's not why he died right now."

KKKSH!——

Kate dropped the glass and watched closely as they pushed one another further back.

She raised a finger before letting it fall on each and every one of the hostages with knives to their throat.

"If you're here, you are in some way, shape or form a scourge on this earth." She hissed through clenched teeth. "But if you have a knife to your neck, you were in some way associated with my downfall.

Lucas? He told his heroes to go on the news and feed the world lies about me, how I was 'unstable', how killing me was the only way, how much of a hero Nightwalker is."

SCREECH!!——

She suddenly stood from the chair and sent it skidding back against the floor.

"So, I'll personally make sure all of you pay for what you did to me."

---

[ Author Note ] This is the last chapter I'll be posting Shadow, you've been the only consistent reader so I decided to give you a heads up.

I'm a university student so I have to write a book that can actually bring in money.

I'll write a new book soon but this one's done for. Unless I get a promotion or something, this book isn't going to earn.

So... Thank you and I appreciate you reading.