Debris lifted into the air as Nyx's body levitated, his glowing garnet eyes piercing through the city's dense gloom.
Extending both arms, he summoned dynamic, laser-like beams of light that spiraled around his suspended form.
Lena gripped Rhea's hand. "Lady Rhea..."
"Calm down. Everything will be fine," Rhea murmured, rubbing her maid's trembling fingers.
A fierce roar reverberated across the expanse of Echo beneath a blood-red moon. The crimson light surrounding Nyx surged skyward.
"Master Nyx..." Rhea whispered under her breath.
Lena scanned their surroundings. Slowly, the townspeople began creeping closer toward the trio. What do we do now?
A sharp gust swept through, fluttering Lena and Rhea's hair while whipping Nyx's dark locks about. Golden motes materialized alongside the wind, coalescing until a group of men emerged from the shimmering particles.
Nox gasped. "Are we... here?"
Ron turned, his gaz landing on the two women standing side-by-side. "Rhea... Lena..."
Rubbing his eyes, Zigh gaped at the airborne figure above. "No way... Is he actually flying?" he muttered.
Nox quickly approached Pakis, who stood right beside him. "What is the meaning of this?"
A faint smirk played on Pakis's lips. "Master Charon is about to display the power of The Ruler of Precepts."
"Ruler?" Ron remarked.
The vermillion radiance enveloping Nyx rocketed into the heavens, striking directly at the howling black mist.
Pakis narrowed his eyes, fixating on the young woman next to Rhea. That girl...
"Hey! Don't ignore me!" Nox shouted.
"My apologies, Young Master. Master Charon will explain everything in due time."
Nox shot a glance at the floating figure. "Charon?"
"Please exercise patience, Young Master."
Ron placed a steadying hand on Nox's shoulder. "Let's just wait."
Clicking his tongue, Nox turned his head away.
Bypassing the Eosvile brothers and Pakis, Zigh strode straight toward Lena. "Lena? Are you alright?"
"Zigh! Are you hurt?"
Zigh shook his head.
"But your sleeve..."
"Ah, this isn't from the tremor. I just tore it earlier."
Lena exhaled. "Thank goodness."
"Sir Zigh," Rhea interjected. "Has Master Leuliang left...?"
The vibrant green in Zigh's eyes perceptibly dimmed. "Miss Edelweiss... Lian was taken by another man."
"Then it was Master Aidin who retrieved him."
Zigh clenched his fists. Aidin... that harbinger of calamity...
"Zigh, are you truly alright?" Lena asked, resting her hand on his forearm.
Offering a faint smile, Zigh replied, "Ah, yes. I'm fine."
Lena fell silent, letting her hand drop.
Observing from a short distance, Ashil and Vashil stood transfixed by Nyx's display of power.
Master Charon... why go so far to aid these townsfolk? Ashil wondered.
Vashil nudged his twin brother in the ribs. "Master Charon..."
"Shh... keep your voice down," Ashil hissed back.
Nox cleared his throat. "Colonel, learn to read the room, will you?"
Zigh glared back. "Keep your mouth shut, champ."
Ron looked upward, his voice cutting through the tension. "You two, focus on what's above us."
Everyone raised their gaze to the sky, where an eerie red luminescence flooded every corner of the city.
Lasers, Nox thought.
"Is that... also the ability of an Ipsix?" Zigh muttered.
"Perhaps," Ron replied.
Rhea's peridot eyes gleamed. "Rest easy, everyone. Master Charon is merely purging the intruders."
Zigh crossed his arms. "Heh. Intruders."
Lena reached out, grasping the back of the colonel's hand. "Zigh..."
With a gentle smile, Zigh clasped her hand and eased it down.
BOOM!
A deafening roar shattered the sky over the city as the crimson rays collided head-on with the swirling black mist. Cascades of fiery sparks burst across the firmament, igniting a grand, blood-red auroral display.
Nox clamped his hands over his ears. "What's happening?!"
Showers of luminous sparks descended like a cosmic rain across the horizon. The crowd stood paralyzed, mesmerized by the falling stars cutting through the vibrant aurora.
"How is this even possible...?" Ron murmured.
Nyx's feet touched the ground as the crimson moon gradually restored to its original hue.
He turned around, his garnet eyes glistening with unshed tears as he looked at Nox and Ron. Why? Why... Honest? My grandson, Honest... How could you...?
Pakis pressed a hand against his chest. Master Charon...
Moments later, golden light particles swirled once again around the shattered ruins of the Edelweiss Estate.
"Leyra!"
The desperate roar drew every eye toward Rhax, Echo's world-champion boxer.
Rhax's gaze instantly locked onto Zigh. "You! You definitely had a hand in this, Eosvile!"
Zigh puffed his chest out, stepping forward. "What did you just say?!"
"Enough!"
A single command boomed forth, causing everyone to flinch beneath the absolute authority of the Ruler of Precepts.
"Pakis... if you please," Nyx requested.
Pakis extended his arms. Dandelion blossoms suddenly sprouted across the rubble-strewn courtyard. A gentle breeze swept through, dispersing fine pollen across the entire city.
"Now what?!" Nox grunted, rubbing his eyes.
Rhax balled his fists at face level, glaring at the airborne figure. That man... he's with the group I met earlier!
However, as he prepared to lunged forward, his legs buckled. "What... why is my body..."
Nox shook his head, his vision blurring. "No... my limbs..."
Ron's vision darkened. Is this... the power of that man named Pakis?
Zigh blinked. "I can't... hold on... damn it..."
One by one, everyone present—save for Nyx—lost their footing. Yet, right before they slammed into the hard ground, their bodies caught in mid-air, floating weightlessly.
"Pakis..." Tears finally tracked down the garnet-eyed master's cheeks. "Honest...?"
Pakis bowed. "Forgive me... I failed to safeguard Young Master Honest."
"He always... always does things like this..." Nyx whispered.
Pakis remained silent.
"Tell me... did I spoil him too much? Or did I simply neglect him?"
Pakis snapped his head up. "You did everything within your power! Please, do not blame yourself, Master Charon!"
"You know whom Honest sent to face me, don't you?"
"I do, Master Charon."
Closing his eyes, Nyx drew a quiet breath. "Pakis. We are returning."
"As you command."
Nyx let out a heavy sigh, addressing the floating crowd. "May everything you have seen, heard, touched, and felt here fade away like a passing breeze."
A soft, soothing wind brushed against the unconscious bodies hovering above the ground.
Nyx snapped his fingers. A massive pillar of golden light erupted toward the heavens. As it slowly dissolved into nothingness, not a single soul remained amid the ruins of the Edelweiss Estate.
In a tranquil manor enveloped by blooming lavender, a radiant beam of light materialized, sending cascades of purple petals fluttering into the air. Nyx, Pakis, and their slumbering guests emerged from the light.
"Pakis, notify Haze immediately."
"At once, Master Charon."
Pakis turned to leave, pausing for a brief moment to cast a sorrowful glance backward. Master Charon... please stay strong.
Nyx took small, heavy steps through the flower garden, his tears dampening the soil below. His garnet eyes darkened to a shade resembling deep maroon.
My title, my authority, even my knowledge... you managed to deceive them all, Honest...
The eight floating individuals drifted passively behind him like tethered balloons, their eyes shut tight.
Where did I go wrong...? Why does everything I strive to protect always slip through my fingers?
Stopping before his estate, Nyx stared at the residence—a building designed entirely upside down.
"Even my very existence mirrors this inverted manor..."
The master stepped inside, carrying his deeply asleep guests into his home.
Ron's eyes fluttered open. "I..."
He found himself hovering beneath a ceiling illuminated by brilliant chandeliers. The blonde man looked upward in confusion. The floor and ceiling... they're inverted!
Ron scanned his surroundings. "Nox!"
"Rest assured. He is merely sleeping," a quiet voice resonated.
"Sleeping?" Ron glanced around the room. "And the others?"
Nyx offered a subtle smile. "Indeed."
The garnet-eyed man casually walked across the ceiling as though it were solid ground. With a gentle wave of his hand, he lowered Ron's body down.
Ron stood frozen in place.
"Why so quiet?" Nyx asked.
"Who... who are you?"
"Nyx Charon."
"The Ruler of Precepts...?"
"So you were paying attention to Pakis's words."
Ron took an assertive step forward. "Lower Nox and the rest. Now."
"No answer to my question, Ron Eosvile?"
"Why ask something you already know?"
"Is it not essential to verify facts?"
Taking a deep breath, Ron demanded again, "Set them down."
Nyx let out a soft chuckle. "You truly resemble him."
"Pardon?"
"Never mind. Forget I said anything."
"What are you implying?!"
"Tell me, Ron... are you aware that your uncle is standing right beside you?"
Ron's hands trembled as he retreated half a step. "You... what are you planning?!"
Nyx lowered the remaining seven slumbering bodies, resting them upright against the wall.
"Tell me, Ron. Among these seven... who do you think your uncle is?"
Ron bit his lip hard, his mind racing into turmoil. Could Rhax be my uncle...? No... that's impossible!
"Still denying reality, Ron?"
"My father was an only child! This makes no sense!"
"What a bitter irony... You cannot even recognize the face of your own kin standing right before you."
"Stop this utter nonsense!"
Nyx stared at him with a faint smile. "Look at yourself. Your body's reaction is far more honest than your words, Ron."
Tears welled up in Ron's eyes, escaping down his cheeks. He hurriedly wiped them away with his hand.
"You're manipulating me! You must have done something, Master Charon!"
Nyx offered no verbal rebuttal, answering the young Eosvile's outburst only with a smile.
To be continued...