20 - Nah, I'm good

In a small room, five people were sitting around a rectangular table. The tension was at an all-time high.

Alex, Ava, and Lucian were seated on one side of the table next to one another. On the other, Ariel and her father were looking at them with a lot of intensity… or at least, Ariel's father was.

He looked up and down every single one of them, although he briefly went over Lucian since there wasn't much to see.

'...So, uh…what's happening here? Are those two related?'

Lucian wasn't sure if Ariel and the person to her right were related. However, they both had beautiful white wings on their back, meaning they were at least both angels.

It had been five minutes since they had entered this room, and no one had spoken up yet. It was very creepy for everyone.

Lucian glanced at Ava and Alex, wondering what they were doing. 'Should I be the one who starts talking… they don't seem to care about the silence. Ah… let's just start with a couple of coughs.'

*Cough!*

*Cough!*

"So…uh, mister...?" Lucian started off.

"Michael, you can call me Michael."

Lucian nodded and continued saying, "Right, mister Michael… was there a special reason that you wanted to meet with us?"

Ariel knew the reason why her dad had wanted to meet with both Ava and Alex… it was simple: they were simply outstanding. However, when it came to Lucian, she had… no idea. They had all seen him fight, and he wasn't impressive at all.

'So, why did my dad want to see him? Did he see something in him?'

Ariel knew that her dad would never do something for the fun of it, which meant that there was something that he hadn't told her. Either way, she would soon be learning about it… the only thing she needed to do now was wait.

"A special reason? Well, I think all of you knew beforehand. However, I'm here because I'm interested in recruiting you into my family, which, in fact, is the same family that Ariel is in. The Celestials is the name of it. Maybe it's confusing for newbies, but families are basically huge organizations. It doesn't we have blood links with the members."

Lucian thought he had been dragged here because he had broken the rules, but that wasn't the case.

"...What if we don't want to join your family?"

'Ah, fuck… why is he opening his mouth now of all times?'

"Oh… you don't want to join us? Why?"

Instead of answering Alex's question, Ariel's dad redirected the question for Alex to respond. However, such a thing didn't go unnoticed by either side as they kept looking at one another without saying anything.

'Ah… why are they looking at each other like that? If this continues, we will become enemies with that guy.'

Lucian already knew that the man seated next to Ariel was incredibly powerful. He was probably Ariel's superior, meaning he was much stronger than her.

'And since he's stronger, I can't get any information from him with my special skill…'

"Seems I'll have to be the one starting this discussion," Ariel's dad finally uttered after around thirty seconds of this little staring contest.

A little smile appeared on Alex's face when he saw the man conceding his loss. From an exterior point of view, it was a stupid battle… but for Alex, it gave him a sense of superiority.

"First off, I guess I should present myself, right?"

This time, it was Ariel's dad who was smiling proudly. It was clear that he was proud of what he had accomplished, and he was sure that he would be mindblowing Alex and the rest of them.

"I'm Michael Celeste, the leader of the Celestials. I am one of those who have reached the highest discovered floor in the Otherworld, and my family is part of those who have the title of Overlord. There are only four others who have such a title. So, what do you say… you still don't want to join?"

Michael seemed almost sure it would work to make them join since his credentials were amazing. However, he had ignored one thing… the fact that Alex was probably the most stubborn motherfucker in the world. When he had decided something, he wouldn't change his opinion.

"Nah, I'm good…"

He didn't only refuse it as he slowly stood up, getting ready to leave this place.

Lucian couldn't believe what he was seeing since this was basically the best opportunity for them to take. If they joined this family, they would be able to live a peaceful life away from danger.

'Man, even their names would be enough to make most cower. I don't know what's an Overlord Family, but it sounds fucking impressive.'

Lucian looked back, and it seemed that Alex truly wasn't bluffing. He was leaving this room. He couldn't give a shit about all this. He knew that he had no use for them.

"Wait here for a second! I'll go bring him back. He's just a little…uh…confused, yeah… that must be it. Just wait a little. He didn't mean anything by this."

Ava followed him as soon as Lucian stood up, which didn't surprise Michael.

'He really got her under control, huh? I wasn't sure about it… but this confirms it.'

"Alex! Wait up, we need to talk about this!"

At first, Lucian hadn't really cared about those organizations and families thingy, but now that one of the strongest wanted to have them… He couldn't give a shit about what Alex wanted. Their best option was to join that family and live peacefully with them.

Lucian was running as fast as possible and finally caught up to Alex.

"What are you doing? This is an opportunity that we just can't miss now. Calm down, and let's go back in there and apologize to the man."

Alex didn't seem affected by those words as his face stayed emotionless.

"Stay out of my way."

"Didn't you hear him? This is incredible, quick let's go back…"

Lucian tried insisting, but Alex wasn't listening.

"If you want to join them so much, go back there. You're the one following me around like a little dog, I told you at the very beginning… you can follow me as long as you don't get in my way."