“For the process, you need the Sovereign’s head?” Victor’s eyes widened in shock.
He stared at the Master, searching for any sign that this was some kind of twisted joke.
The Master, however, remained composed. He nodded with a serious face, “Yes, in order to initiate the process… we need the Sovereign’s head. There is no other way.”
Victor still looked utterly unconvinced, his disbelief evident. “What do you mean by her head? That sounds insane. Are you absolutely sure about this?” His voice carried both curiosity and suspicion as he narrowed his eyes.
The Master didn’t waver. “Believe me… I have my own ways of knowing things,” he said, his tone cryptic, deliberately withholding details, “I know exactly what is needed for the process.”
Victor frowned inwardly, his mind racing, ‘Tsk, I need to get more details about the Ebon Stone in the Zephyra Empire,’ he thought. The only reason he had come here was that he believed the Master knew the true requirements for the process. If that weren’t the case, then why else would the old man be going through all of this?’
He couldn’t push too hard. He needed to play this carefully. Slowly. Victor took a breath and nodded as if accepting the explanation. “I see… so for the process, you need the Sovereign’s head. But what about the other Empires? Do you need something from them too?”
The Master tilted his head slightly as if weighing his words. “The others? Well, yours and Naiadae’s are already taken care of. The only ones remaining are Void, Aurora, and… Zephyra Empire.”
“And what about them? Have you already handled those?”
The Master fell silent for a moment, his gaze sharpening as he stared at Victor with a slight frown.
Victor felt a bead of sweat forming at the back of his neck. He had been too direct. ‘Fuck!’ he cursed inwardly, realizing his mistake. But he couldn’t let the Master grow too suspicious, so he quickly shifted gears. He let out a dramatic sigh and threw up his hands, “Come on now, don’t give me that look. I just want to be involved in the fun this time. Unlike before, when you used me as bait and left me in the dark.”
He leaned forward slightly, his voice carrying an edge of excitement. “Tell me what’s going on. It’s not like I’ll get in your way. Hell, I’ll even help you more than anyone else would.” His words dripped with conviction as if he were genuinely eager to be part of the grand scheme.
The Master studied him for a second, contemplating whether to reveal more. After a brief pause, he shook his head. He had already placed too many risky pieces on the board—any more than that, and it would only spell trouble for him later. “Why are you so eager…” he muttered before exhaling slowly. “Don’t worry. Once we finish Dora… the next step will be the others, and you will definitely be involved.” His lips curled slightly in amusement.
And inwardly, he added, ‘By that time, you’ll already be nothing more than a test rat.’
Victor stared at the Master, his expression unreadable. ‘Tsk, he’s too careful,’ he thought.
“Anyway…” The Master waved his hand dismissively before continuing, “This is exactly why we need your help, Victor. We want to use you as bait to lure her out. To her… you’re the only disciple she has ever acknowledged.” His voice softened slightly as if there was a hint of regret buried beneath his words. “I wouldn’t ask you to do this if there was another way.”
Victor barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes. ‘Motherfucker… he’s good at this,’ he thought, recognizing the act. Still, he played along, his curiosity piqued. “But we’re talking about the Sovereign here… are you sure you can actually take her down?”
The Master went silent. The weight of the question lingered in the air before he finally nodded. “I can.”
Victor raised an eyebrow, his expression clearly sceptical. Noticing this, the Master sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Believe me, the only reason I failed last time was because someone betrayed me. Otherwise, there is no way in hell I would have lost.”
Victor tilted his head slightly. “Just what are you?”
The Master let out a small chuckle, a hollow and bitter sound. “Ha… Haha… nothing but a broken man,” he muttered, a distant look crossing his face.
Victor studied him for a second before nodding. “Fine… I’ll be the bait.”
The Master paused briefly, and then, ever so slightly, his lips twitched in the faintest trace of a smirk. But outwardly, his expression shifted into one of concern. “Are you sure? I mean… someone already tried to betray us once. What if they do it again?”
Victor shrugged, his voice laced with amusement. “Don’t worry about it. As long as I get to have my fun, I don’t care. And also… if it’s just Alaric… I have my own ways of dealing with him.”
The Master’s grin slowly widened, stretching just a little too much. “Then?” he said, raising his hand in an inviting gesture.
Victor stared at the offered hand, his thoughts racing. ‘I guess this is moving faster than I expected,’ he mused before finally nodding and grasping the Master’s hand.
Both of them grinned inwardly… because both of them were about to deceive each other.
A truly wonderful combination.
…..
….
Meanwhile,
Dora and Thalia sat at the table, their expressions tense as they engaged in a serious conversation. Dora’s lips trembled as she processed everything she had just heard.
Thalia lowered her head in guilt. It wasn’t that she wanted to keep the truth from Dora—she just couldn’t bring herself to say it. It had been too much, too overwhelming, too painful to even put into words.
Dora took a deep breath, forcing a weak smile onto her face. “All this time… I… I… You know, I really hated myself for not being able to help you. No matter how much I tried, it always ended in disaster… like fate itself was against me,” she muttered softly, her voice laced with regret and frustration.
Thalia awkwardly smiled, scratching the back of her head, unsure of how to respond.
Dora sighed heavily, her shoulders slumping under the weight of her emotions. “I think I need some time to process all of this,” she said, her voice quieter now. She turned to leave, her steps slow and hesitant, but before she could take a step—
“W-Wait!”
Thalia suddenly lunged forward, wrapping her arms around Dora from behind, pulling her into a tight embrace. Her voice trembled as she whispered, “I… I may not know how much you suffered for me, but… I… I’ve always been so proud of my friend—the one who became a Sovereign, the one who never gave up despite everything.” A single tear rolled down Thalia’s cheek as she tightened her grip.
Dora blinked, momentarily taken aback before a gentle smile formed on her lips. “She wouldn’t say something so sweet like that…” she muttered under her breath, her heartwarming despite everything.
Thalia’s lips twitched. She was being nice, okay?! But then, a mischievous grin stretched across her face as a wild idea popped into her head.
“KYAA!”
Dora suddenly yelped, her entire body jerking as she felt two hands shamelessly grabbing her boobs.
“Damn, girl. Those knockers… even bigger than my mother’s… Seriously, what the hell are you feeding these?” Thalia said in an amused tone, gleefully jiggling Dora’s ample chest with no shame whatsoever.
Dora flinched, her body stiffening before she whipped around with a glare. “Fucker! There you are…”
Thalia just grinned, eyes sparkling with mischief. Of course, this shameless phoenix had always been shameless!
“Get your hands off me, you perverted idiot!” Dora growled, swatting at Thalia’s hands. But despite her irritation, a part of her was genuinely relieved. This confirmed it—her friend hadn’t changed one bit, not even after everything they had been through.
“Oh? So only Aether is allowed to touch them, huh?” Thalia teased, wiggling her brows with a playful smirk. “Damn, girl. Did you—”
Her smirk widened as she leaned in closer.
“—fuck his cock with these knockers for so—”
BOOM!!!
“OUCH! What the hell?!”
Thalia groaned in pain, clutching her head where Dora had just smacked her with full force. Dora’s face was beet red as she gritted her teeth, seething with embarrassment. “H-How dare you say such filthy words!”
Yep. That was definitely her shameless friend.
Thalia, completely unrepentant, giggled like a troublemaker. “There’s no need to hide it… I mean, with those knockers, you must’ve—”
“Say one more word,” Dora interrupted, her voice dropping to a deadly tone as she loomed over Thalia like a beast ready to devour her prey.
Thalia’s face paled instantly. ‘D-Did I go overboard?’ she wondered, breaking into a cold sweat. She had only been trying to lighten the tense atmosphere… But now she was seriously regretting her choices.
Seeing Dora about to swing again, Thalia quickly shielded her face with her arms. “Not my face! I don’t wanna look like an idiot in front of him!!” she shouted in panic.
But then… nothing came.
“Huh?”
Frowning, Thalia hesitantly lowered her hands, expecting a punch—only to find nothing. Dora was gone.
“Dora?” she called out, her brows furrowing in confusion.
Just then, Raven appeared, his face serious.
“It’s Aether,” he said in a grave tone. “He called for us.”