BXBX NOVEL Chapter 72: Keiran's Resolve
"And what\'s with the wild change in weather? I know the sun went down, but for clouds to roll in and begin dropping snow shards?" Todd finished with a "brrrrr," noticing a couple of destroyed rubble buildings off in the distance. Ty suggested, "Perhaps we settle over there for the evening, and I can get some fire going."
The rest of the evening passed in an uneventful fashion as the group huddled in a broken-down building that had once been a sign of life and happiness.
As Nana had found an old doll covered in sawdust, having had its leg missing.
"I wonder what tragedies this place has gone through. I know our world dealt with the Yami King, but it feels like this world has a much worse force going on with these creatures that seem to come out of nowhere."
Ty gave a slight nod. "It seems so. All we can do is try our best." Using a portion of the fire spirit, Ty stated he would keep watch. "So, finish up getting some sleep, and we will head out at daybreak," Todd nodded, finding a corner before stretching out fully. The heat from Ty expanded outward, giving everyone warmth.
Nana, with a slight blush, stated, "I\'ll stay up also. I had gotten good enough sleep while I was napping on Todd all that time," with a slight chuckle at the end, nodding at him as he passed out.
Their conversation carried on into the night. Meanwhile, very far away...
{Celestial Realm - Briefing Room}
Kieran stood at attention, awaiting debriefing after returning from the destroyed planet Alexiera, having successfully collected the entire planet of souls that had died due to its cleansing.
Standing in a white-shelled room with a board of three men sitting at a table, the first one, wearing white robes with slick black hair slowly falling over his face, speaks up to Kieran.
"So, Kieran," his voice traced across the room, "you went to Planet Alexira to recover the king-level soul that was detected by the 3rd division captain, but upon seeing the death of," looking down at a pile of notes, "King Yami," giving a slight chuckle, "you noticed his soul was only of Super Rare status," as a giant vault fluctuated behind the both of them.
The man, standing up and inspecting it, states, "The Demon King\'s Daughter and his new test skeleton were also on this planet, correct?"
"Did Elithira showcase a king-level soul, perhaps? She is the daughter of the Demon King," inquired the man, his curiosity evident in the tilt of his head.
Kieran, ever stoic, trying to maintain composure, responded, "I don\'t think so; however, it\'s hard to say, as my encounter with her was brief."
Pulling a file from his left side, he opened it, stating, "The human \'Ty Hockenson,\' who was kidnapped by Erebos, the Vampire Lord, and hand-delivered to the Demon King."
"You were there that night when 20 humans were killed, including Ty. Is that correct?"
"Y-yes, sir," her expression grew a bit dimmer from the flashbacks.
"And this was your first time in the human realm as well?"
"Yes, Sir."
He finished writing notes down before continuing.
"And to confirm, your travel to Planet Alexira is your first time on a planet outside of the Celestial realm as well. Is that correct?"
"Yes, Sir."
"And when you encountered Ty Hockenson back on Planet Alexiera, you witnessed him killing \'The Yami King,\'" he said with a bit of sarcasm to the name again.
"During this time, did Ty\'s soul show as any other color than Platinum, as is his listed soul color?"
Taking a short moment, she answers, "No, it appeared in its normal platinum color. However, he seemed zoned out and had lost control of himself and proceeded to absorb thousands of souls from the Yami King before I was able to break them apart."
"Is it safe to say in this moment you could have captured Ty?"
Sweat slowly coming down her forehead, she states, "Given the situation of the matter, it was less than ideal with Elithira still in the situation and what seemed to be his allies."
Taking a moment to ponder her answer, he states coldly, "You are dismissed. Your grade on this mission is a C-. You are to wait until further notice before traveling anywhere while we investigate the situation further."
Sweat slowly dripping down her forehead, she gives a slight bow, with a slight depression in her eyes. As she turns to leave, the door swings open. A large man, hovering over 8 feet tall, walks in with a purplized robe, sporting a skin-tight shirt, looking down at Kieran.
"Oh, so you survived my attack on that little pebble." With a gold belt and matching bottoms highlighting his purple aesthetic, he put his hand over her head, stating, "Good job. You\'re becoming less useless," before taking a seat where she had previously been located as she waltzed out the door.
Walking down the hall, deep in thought, she was having an internal fight with herself.
"Why did you lie to them about Ty? You saw the gold sparkles on his exposed soul. Why is everything about him? Why can\'t I just get him out of my mind?" her cheeks flushed red, confused and angered at herself.
Slamming her fist on her door, she leaned slowly against it in confusion and anger. "I could lose everything I\'ve worked hard for over a situation I don\'t understand."
"So why did I feel like it was right to lie?" she thought to herself before slamming the door open, ready to just get some sleep, until she noticed an odd-looking man standing in her kitchen area, brewing a hot cup of tea.
"Hello, Madam."
"Long time no see," he brandished a smirk she could not forget.