"Ah... The audience is already here."
Wren was standing in front of them.
His voice was deep and menacing.
Nephis raised her weapon and pointed it towards him.
Seeing it, Wren tilted his head and then suddenly...
He let out single mirthful, insane laugh.
His maniacal laugh echoed in the hall.
"Changing Star... You believe you can do something against me?" His voice was laced with insidious weapon.
As soon his words left from his covered face, the followers of Nephis without her permission lunged towards him.
They were upon him.
-swish!
-thud!
In an instant they all fell to the ground, unconscious.
No one could contemplate what happened.
They didn't even see Wren move, or perhaps he did...
It was just they were too slow.
Nephis instinctively gulped, everyone did but she was more affected.
It was as if something vile and primal was pressing her will down.
Her mind wanted her to move, to attack the menacing figure but her body was against it.
The menacing figure chuckled.
"You are lucky Changing Star! It seems your body know it's limits." His voice was cold.
Suddenly, the armour surrounding the figure started to disappear and dissolve in his body, like it was extension of his, under it he was wearing a plain white shirt, black shirt and boots.
The unknown figure put his hand on his menacing mask, it started to dissolve to but...
It was dissolving in liquid darkness and the cohort knew who was capable of this...
The mask dissolved in darkness, revealing the face of a young man in his late teens, his white hair with golden ends were neatly cropped.
His eyes were in a heterochromia of pitch black and grey.
In an instant the pitch black eye returned to its original colour of grey, the man in front of them was none other than...
The Heir of Abyss from the Valor clan, Wren.
Members of the cohort knew who the identity of the menacing figure from the beginning, it was just that they were to overwhelmed in Wren's presence that fear had corrupted their mind.
Cassie and Nephis were most affected.
For them, Wren was nothing but a Madman.
He deliberately ruined their plans.
Wren stretched his body.
"This was quite refreshing." He said.
Sunny walked towards him.
"You killed everyone inside there?" He asked.
Wren shrugged.
"Not everyone but... most of them especially the main people except Seishan." He replied.
Sunny then clicked his tongue.
"Damnation."
Wren was confused.
"I did a good thing, so why are you this... angry?" He asked.
Sunny poked his finger in Wren's chest.
"I wanted to kill that hunchback, you stole it, you damn albino." He growled.
A bead of sweat appeared on Wren face.
'Albino?'
It was comical.
Sunny looked like a five year old child throwing tantrum, Wren wanted to tell that Harus was still alive but chose not to.
Sunny regained his senses and then coughed.
He then blinked his eyes, and jerked his head towards Wren.
"You didn't killed Seishan?"
Wren nodded.
"She has a special memory."
That was all he replied.
Sunny didn't dwell further, as it would be revealed later anyway.
But he was a little surprised from Wren's sudden actions, not that he minded it as long he was not involved in unnecessary mess.
The two young man started to chatter.
Meanwhile the remaining members of cohort except Nephis and Cassie were dumbfounded, in front of their eyes the two of them were having a chit-chat.
Caster was a little uncomfortable, same could be said for Effie and Kai. The talk about killing Harus seemed unimaginable, he was the grim reaper.
Killing him was like escaping Death itself.
Though... they didn't know that they were thinking about this in front of the heir of death, escaping Death? What a ridiculous statement they had made in their little minds.
Sunny was a little sad, that he couldn't reaped the life of Harus by his own hands and send him to his own soul sea.
He truly despised Harus.
Selina looked at Wren and smiled slightly.
'You were kind to him... I am glad.' She thought.
She somehow was able to point out that Harus was still alive. It was a little conflicting for her, as Wren left Harus alive but she could understand the reason.
Harus was the one of the people, she had seen with such loyalty.
Remembering about loyalty, Selina's gaze turned towards Cassie.
She smirked.
'Troubled? Serves you right.'
Cassie indeed looked troubled, her mind was racing and thinking of possibilities and opportunity she could use to turn everything to Neph's favour.
Her shoulders trembled slightly.
Wren seemed to have noticed her.
He smirked slightly.
'Troubled? Serves you right.'
***
The unconscious followers of Nephis had regained their senses a while ago. They were surprised by the real identity of Wren, all of them had many questions.
All questions pointed at one thing.
What will happen now?
Nephis and Wren were standing face-to-face.
Staring at each other.
Both of them had fierce expression, well Wren did, Nephis was as expressionless as ever, although the white flames burning furiously in her grey eyes, betrayed her expression.
Tension was palpable in air.
"So you are not going to give up your position?" Wren asked.
Nephis was silent.
Everyone waited for her.
She opened her mouth.
"No." That was her only answer.
Wren stared at her, and then he smirked.
"Very well then." He turned around and started to walk away.
The followers and members of the cohort including Sunny sighed in relief.
-halt!
Wren stopped in middle, and looked at them from his shoulder.
His gaze was pointed at Nephis.
"It seems our journey will have to end here Changing Star, be prepared because darkness and shadows always devour the light."
At the mention of shadow, Cassie trembled slightly.
Selina left the cohort, and walked towards Wren.
Standing beside him, she looked over at him.
He was smiling menacingly.
'I think Mordret and he will make a good duo.' She thought.
Wren expression returned to normal, he slightly shifted his gaze at Selina.
"Let's go, we have many things to do..." He whispered to her.
With that, they started to walk away.
Slowly the sound of their steps were growing weaker, until silence remained.
Nephis was standing still, before someone kept a hand on her shoulder.
It was Sunny.
"Take your time." His voice was low and calm.
He started to walk away, possibly going back to his hideout or perhaps to meet Wren.
Nephis could only stared at his back, for some reason she felt an emotion...
It was jealousy.
'Why, why is it not me, but him?' She thought bitterly.
She didn't liked the fact that Sunny was more friendly and closer to Wren than her.
She wanted to stop him, but couldn't find the reason to do it.
All she could do was watch his back, as he walked away from her.
Nephis bitted her lower lips, and swallowed the metallic taste of her blood.
***
Sitting inside the Saintess room in the ruined cathedral, Wren and Selina were silent.
Wren didn't minded the silence for the first time.
But Selina did.
"You left Harus alive, didn't you?" She asked with cautiousness.
Wren didn't looked very well.
He didn't replied to her, and just nodded.
'Why is he so silent?' She thought.
She opened her runes.
'Perhaps, I could find something here.'
Name: Selina.
True Name: Apostle of the Abyss King.
Rank: Dreamer.
Void Heart: Dormant.
Void Fragments: [996/1000].
Attributes: [Fate from the Void], [Peerless Talent], [The Peak of Tranquility], [Transmigrator], [?].
Memories: [White Shirt], [Black Pants], [Black Boots], [Fragment of The Divine Sky], [A Gift].
Echoes: —
Aspect: [Heaven's Will].
Aspect Rank: [Divine].
Aspect Description: [You are a being that traversed a reality to enter another, achieving something that is impossible. While your constitution is that of a normal human, your soul hides something much more, something that is divine but loved by the beings of -Unknown- making you favoured by them, the God's however consider you a threat except the most ancient one. Your predecessor was under the protection and equal of the most ancient one of the -unknown-, in your era, you are bound to your protector and equal till his death.]
Innate Ability: [King's Equal]
Ability Description: [Your soul is bounded to your equal, the denser their soul becomes yours will too, each time they took a new step towards divinity you will be with them.]
Beneath the innate ability description was a special string of information.
Bounded: Heir of Abyss
On expanding it further, Wren's runes showed up.
Observing them, Selina didn't noticed any change expect in the fragments, which she had already seen.
'All that killing... only resulting in an increase of two Void Fragments.' She thought disappointingly.
Selina wondered what would happen when their counter will reach a thousand, after all they didn't have a core but a heart.
'I wonder why our soul core is called by a heart, maybe there is something that makes it resemble...a...heart.' Selina eyes widened.
If it did what she thought... then everything would change.
Selina walked towards Wren, and shaked him violently.
The action resulted Wren get out of his dizziness.
"Huh! What now?" He asked angrily.
Selina was smiling.
Wren suddenly felt little chill down his spine.
Her smile didn't seemed good to him.
"Stand up... we are going to fill your Void Heart."
-------------------------------------------------------------
Next chapter on sunday or maybe monday.
Btw did you like Nephis in this chapter or any other character?