48 The City Lord(End)

Panic initially raced through Aaron as he heard the serious voice of the old man.

It was as if he was being eyed by a sleeping Tera which had just awoken, and it felt as if this Tera was one that could shake the earth it walked on with every step.

Aaron had experienced the might of the man first-hand, so he had no illusions whatsoever that this wasn't suicide.

Immediately, he chose the last option available to him at the moment, which he hadn't wanted to choose unless he was cornered.

Fleeing.

As his eyes darted to the only exit in the room, though, the old man sighed and said, "Don't even think about it. You're already under his surveillance. Can't you feel it? He has his eye over this place right now. I wish I had some kind of Tera which can help you escape his sight, but that is not the case. I am too weak, and you happen to be unlucky that this reached him so fast. Usually, City Lords are training in seclusion, so it would have been best if he had been doing the same, too."

W-what?

So that feeling was real?

Even Aaron who had spent so long in the forest hadn't been able to pinpoint right away that that instinctual feeling wasn't something that had appeared because of the realization about the kind of situation he was in.

How was it even possible that they were being watched when he was so far away?

This, and other questions raced through his mind, but the most important one had already been answered, which made him seriously re-evaluate just what he was supposed to do.

He couldn't flee and hope to escape, as he knew that the old man was right.

Nothing could leave this place without that man finding out, and Aaron wasn't confident enough in his power to escape even while being watched.

Just what had he gotten into?

Every time it felt as if sh*t was hitting the fan, Aaron would retrace his steps to see what had led him to his current position. If there was something to learn from that, he would, in order to make sure that it wouldn't repeat.

Now, as he did the same thing, he saw where the turning point was.

Of course, it was when he had given in to the urge to help Edmond instead of just letting Woof snack on him.

Still, how could he have known that wanting to vicariously live through others by helping them reunite with their families, which was something he wished to do, would cause him to land in this kind of soup?

With the knowledge he had now, he was sure that he would be hesitant the next time he faced something similar, as, if Aaron could say one thing with complete confidence, then it was that he was incredibly flexible.

It was this flexibility that had always allowed him to live through all the harrowing experiences that would have killed lesser people, and it would be this flexibility that would get him through this.

Telling himself this, Aaron nodded to the old man, knowing that he would have to keep his eyes peeled for any opportunity that he could use.

Of course, seeing the dead seriousness in his eyes which made it look as if he was prepared to march off to his death, the old man tried to reassure him.

"Don't worry. There is a high chance that you will get through this alive, as any World Government Official is not one to slight. They are Ascenders who reach the level of a City Lord, themselves, but do not wish to be tied down by the rules and responsibilities that exist for those who choose to take that role. In fact, it is said that only the weakest of Ascenders who reach that level choose to go to settlements instead of trying to Ascend further, as they know that they cannot go further, and would rather settle down and enjoy the benefits accorded to them by the World Government. An Official's duty is to make sure that budding Ascenders like you and your friend will not be stepped down on by figures more powerful than you, as this will result in the worst possible atmosphere where humanity will run the risk of staying stagnant instead of moving forward. The leaders of the World Government decided that this is a topmost priority after both studying history, and seeing many cases where those with talent had tiffs with those currently more powerful than them, who, in turn, killed them directly, making humanity lose a potential Ascender who would have fought against the hordes."

Speaking till here and seeing that Aaron did look a little bit better, he chuckled and continued as if to lighten the mood.

"Some joke that the leaders even took clues from books written for entertainment before the apocalypse where such things happened frequently, with those who were weaker offending those stronger than them for some reason or the other. In those stories, though, the stronger ones would foolishly allow them to grow stronger to face them, but, in reality, that is definitely not what would happen, especially in an age where survival matters the most. Anyway, you can rest assured that you will be able to live, as you will be sheltered by the Official. While we were talking, I asked the Mayor to prep your friend, too. Everything is ready. Let us depart."

All of this was interesting, and it gave Aaron a little bit of hope.

However, he had never been naïve enough to trust in such things.

Without a word, he silently kept a watch on everything as he walked out of the room along with the old man.

Anissa had been silently watching them till now without saying anything.

It looked like she would follow them, but in the last moment before she walked out of the room, too, the old man moved quickly and closed the door.

"I'm sorry, dear, but I cannot risk you being seen from up close by that man. We can talk about this later, but, for now, you're staying."

"NO! GRANDPA, I'LL NEVER FORG-"

Even before she could finish her sentence, the old man swiftly locked the door with a speed that didn't fit his age and held out his hand, causing a strange creature to appear with a red flash of light.

They had exited into a wide hall, of sorts, so there was enough open area to accommodate for its…mass.

Aaron had no idea how to describe it, as it just looked like a huge lump of mud that immediately covered the door and hardened into a rock-like material.

It had no unique features, and when it was done, it was almost as if someone had physically pasted this weird, brownish rock onto the wall.

Seeing Aaron's confused look, the old man said, "A support-style Tera. It can do wonders in a team fight. Anyway, let's go quickly. This isn't the first time I'm doing this, but this time, she has that-"

"SQUAK!"

"THUMP!"

As the majestic cry of an eagle sounded in the room, a loud sound was heard, as if something was trying to break through the door and the Tera.

"NOT THIS TIME! NOPE!"

"-that Eagle. Come on."

As her screams echoed in the room, the old man began to run, and Aaron also broke into a jog.

Soon, they came upon a huge balcony outside of which another gigantic Eagle with a room-like object on top of it was waiting for them.

At its head was the Mayor that Aaron had seen before, and as he was quickly ushered into the room, he and Woof jumped in, followed by the old man.

Instantly, the eagle set off with a cry, and the loud sounds that came from those enormous wings beating in the air reached Aaron's ears.

The box, or room they were in which had a circular sofa remained stable, though, peculiarly, and soon, they were on their way.

Aaron couldn't look out, as the 'wall's which seemed like they were made of some kind of a light yet strong material were opaque.

To his surprise, though, he detected that they had begun to descend not even 10 minutes after taking off.

"As expected. He arrived, himself, to make sure that no one would escape."

As the old man said this, Aaron shuddered, as he had been right.

Trying to run away would have been suicide.

After the eagle finally landed, the door opened and the old man stepped out, followed by Woof who was pretty peeved by the sudden flight.

However, the moment it alighted, it growled in a low voice, in the same way that it would whenever it detected a dangerous threat.

As Aaron got off, too, he saw the reason behind this.

A man wearing a red-colored cloak stood in a clearing which seemed to have been newly created, and beside him, was the same damn horse with its flaming mane and tail that had killed him so many times just a few minutes ago.