Nyx Aegis Cromwell

The figure scanned the cavern entrance, ensuring no one was nearby before entering unobstructed, as if the runes placed at the entrance had no effect on him.

"Someone has indeed entered here, but how?" he murmured, surveying the spacious cavern littered with craters and shattered rocks. Stone projectiles had embedded themselves deep in the ground, and limbs of cerbagh were scattered around.

Oddly, the only intact object was the statue of a beautiful feline woman, someone the figure had no recollection of.

Though he hadn't witnessed the events firsthand, the figure was certain that someone had breached the runes and infiltrated the place.

"And it appears there was a one-sided battle as well," he remarked, striding deeper into the cavern.

Some time later, he paused in another spacious chamber, nearly identical to the first.

However, in the middle of this cavern lay a pool of murky water, releasing miasma into the air. This pool was connected to the legendary Luminary River, which flowed through the entire Vermilion Kingdom.

Seeing this part of the cavern untouched, the man let out an audible sigh of relief.

"Glory to Hades. For a moment, I thought those country bumpkins had discovered this place," he said, patting his chest before a calculating glint flashed in his eyes.

"I need to increase our security measures… I can't afford any slip-ups now that we've come so far…"

'Just a little more, and we'll proceed to the next phase,' he thought, a grin splitting his face as he watched the murky water flow into the Luminary River. 'The exciting phase.'

On their way back to Cromwell Manor, Nox couldn't help but wonder how his grandfather and the unsettling red-eyed woman had tracked him down, though he kept his thoughts to himself amid the silence.

The quiet was a relief for now; nobody asked him any questions, which struck him as odd given that he had escaped the barony walls and ventured into the Luminary Forest in the dead of night.

Instead of feeling at ease, Nox felt uneasy. Walking along the dirt road, he glanced at Eve and then at his grandfather, squeezing the old man's hand tighter; it made him feel secure.

As for the mysterious woman, he still felt uncomfortable around her. If possible, he would have kept his distance, but his grandfather's slow pace made that impossible.

Nox had to be considerate; his grandfather was an old man, and too much stress would exhaust him. Thinking of this, Nox felt a pang of guilt for making the elderly man come all this way just because of him.

"Little Nox," Nathan said, finally breaking the silence.

"W-what is it, Grandpa?" Nox replied quickly, a bead of sweat forming on his temple.

"What happened to Fluffington?"

"Fluffington is fine! He's somewhere safe, where no one can harm him," Nox assured, his fist clenched.

"I see… My grandfather's dusty scrolls noted that those places are good for healing."

Nox furrowed his brows in confusion; his grandfather was mumbling to himself again. This was a habit Nox had seen plenty of times before. What puzzled him more was how readily Nathan believed him without asking for more details.

Focused on the conversation with his grandfather, Nox didn't notice Miss Eve staring at him like a hawk… as if she wanted to undress him with her frightening yet mesmerizing ruby eyes.

It didn't take long for Nox and Nathan to return to Cromwell Manor. Immediately, a small hand smacked him from behind, sending a dull pain radiating through his back. If not for the boost in strength from absorbing the life force of cerbagh, he might have embarrassingly fallen.

A feminine voice spoke up soon after.

"Well, well, if it isn't my silly little brother," a girl who looked remarkably like Nox, but with longer raven-black hair streaked with red, scowled at him.

"What was that for?" Nox frowned when he saw who had smacked him. It was his elder twin sister.

"How dare you make Mother worry! You kept her up all night," Nyx lashed out, her face contorting in anger. "Because of you, I looked like an irresponsible older sister to Mom. I can't even take care of my little brother!"

"I didn't just go outside for nothing. Everything I'm doing is for a reason. It's for you, Mom, Grandpa, and everyone in this barony," Nox tried to reason. With their grandfather having retreated to his study, there was no one to stop this argument. He often bickered back and forth with his sister, and only their mother or grandfather could separate them.

"For a reason, you say?" Nyx retorted. "You're so selfish, Nox. You know it's only me, you, Mom, and Grandpa, but you only think about yourself… You don't care about how Mom and I feel."

Nox felt a sting from Nyx's words, but he stood his ground. Though he felt guilty for making his mother worry, he knew it was for a just cause. Even if he could rewind time, he would still have gone to that temple.

Despite her fierce and unyielding personality that scared most boys in the barony, Nyx deeply cared about her mom, grandpa, and her silly brother. Hitting him like this was her way of releasing all her pent-up emotions.

Just then, a calm and soothing voice intervened. "Nyx, that's enough."

Nyx huffed, her face still red with anger, but she backed off and walked away.

"M-Mom—" Nox stuttered when he saw the beautiful face of his mother, her expression filled with relief as she hugged him tightly, holding him close to her heart.

"My baby, why do you always like making me worry?" Aina asked as she flicked away a tear from her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I promise not to do it again."

"Young man, you're only five, yet you've broken that promise more than a hundred times already. Is this how you'll treat the lovely ladies in your life?" Aina teased, pinching Nox's chubby cheeks.

It took some time, but with his grandfather's help, Nox came up with a story to placate his mother, eventually soothing her worries.

When he finally had some alone time, he decided to take a look at his system status.