Chapter 9 Meeting

At the nearest stronghold of humanity, Rose and all the awakened that was part of the campaign finally entered it's huge gate. Yet the crowd that was supposed to cheer for their triumph was silent.

Everyone could see the injured and bandaged awakened, some even lost their limbs and being carried by other awakeneds. But in war, casualty can't be avoided, but they were just afraid and worried because the day that humanity started their campaign to reclaim earth, the earth's barrier also began to dim, almost vanishing.

"Rose! Cecilia! Your finally here." *Huff* *Huff* A short and chubby man shouted as he ran closer to Rose and Cecilia while gasping for breath.

"What happened out there? W-why..." *gasp* *gasp* "why did the barrier weaken? Why were you back so early? A-and where's jacob?" The chubby man asked while gasping for breath.

"Ask one question at a time Bars, or you might lose your breath by talking too much at this rate." Rose advised as she shook her head.

"M-my apologies. Ahem Ahem." Bars coughed in embarrassment as he took a deep breath and replied, "lets talk about the details in the chamber together with the others."

"Mhmm" Rose nodded as they all walked forward with Bars on the lead.

In the Vast, Dark chamber where all the higher ups gather for a meeting, there exists a single torch at the front Illuminating some part of the room. *Creak* the door opens and Bars, Rose, Lucian, Cecilia, and the other captains of the campaign entered the Chamber.

A strangely deep and scratchy voice asked from the darkness in the chamber, "Why... are you back so... early?"

"There was... Some unforeseen circumstances." Rose replied at the darkness.

A few seconds of silence later, the voice did not respond as if it did not exist. Everyone at the room did not mind as if it was normal as they continue walking to their chairs. Meanwhile Lucian was staring at the darkness as if he is looking at someone, he squinted his eyes as he smirked at the darkness while following Rose.

"And who is this person? I don't think we promoted a new captain did we?" Someone in the darkness of the room asked.

"He is a valuable person in our meeting." Rose replied as they arrived at their chairs as they sat.

"A random dog in the street I see." The voice in the darkness mocked.

"You!" Rose was about to stand up but Lucian blocked her as he looked at her eyes, indicating her to stay calm.

"Now that everyone is here, Jacob... The commander of the campaign, where is he?" Marco, a handsome red haired man, and also the second in command of the base asked.

Cecilia raised her hand as she spoke, "He's... missing."

Rose looked at her as she held her shaking hand, she then stood up and explained, "Commander Jacob, he is indeed missing but not because he abandoned the battlefield, but because he saved everyone with his action."

Marco smiled and replied, "I know that he will abandon himself first before abandoning his comrades. So do tell me what heroic deeds Commander Jacob did, and what happened out there?"

Rose explained to everyone what had happened, from the start of the battle, to the dimming of the barrier and the appearance of the strong sentinel class rift entities. The ambush of the seven banished men's hundred strong other side survivors which caused their side a huge casualty. Finally she explained to them about the stone, and how Jacob used the stone which shifted the flow of the battle as Lucian shifted places with him.

"He is... Lucian?" Marco asked as he stared at Lucian.

Everyone stared at Lucian, curious and doubting him.

"Yes, I am Lucian. One of the survivor of the other side." Lucian replied.

"Ha... Ha... Ha..." The deep and scratchy voice in the dark laughed and said, "So that is why... You look... Familar... You are that young boy... The youngest of us all to enter... You're strong."

"We did meet a few times after that." Lucian replied, smiling.

"Yet... Death followed every time we meet." The voice from the dark replied. "Call me

... the Darkness Demon. I already abandoned... my name and... my humanity... when I tried to learn their power... To survive.

Everyone was confused and curious as to why someone that rarely speaks a single word, even to their Commander Jacob, is now speaking and even introducing himself to a stranger.

'A... Demon? He's already as strong as a demon?' One of the higher ups asked himself.

'One of the last childrens to enter the other side? And the youngest...' A female higher up thought.

"Lord Darkness, do you two know each other?" Gard, the one that mocked Lucian, asked.

The room was filled with awkward silence because no one replied to Gard's question.

"You could say we fought together and sometimes against each other." Lucian replied, breaking the silence.

"Ahem!" Marco coughed, breaking the tense atmosphere. "Lucian, you said that there is a way to repair the barrier? Please speak, for humanity's survival is on the line." He added.

"Earth's core, that's the only place that this restriction or barrier could possibly be powered. I know some knowledge on restrictions, I could fix the restriction and give it a much stable power source." Lucian paused and held his necklace, as he continued, "I will be vulnerable while fixing the restriction, that is why I need a small team of strong and capable power wielders."

"Hmm... Considering what you said was the truth. What could possibly hinder you there despite having the power to annihilate millions of rift bugs, and even sentinels in a single move?" Marco asked in doubt.

"First, the location, because a strong ripple of powers could potentially disrupt the harmony of the restriction. That is why I can not use powerful mana there.

Second, a rift lord might have made a nest there, and now back to the first problem." Lucian explained as he shrugged his shoulders.

Everyone asked and voiced their opinions while Lucian honestly told them everything he knows and his plans. An hour later, everyone finally agreed on Lucian's plan because the Darkness Demon told everyone to trust Lucian. While it caused some dissatisfaction from the others, they had no choice but to be obedient because they were afraid of the Darkness Demon's wrath.

The meeting ended and everyone left the room, Leaving Marco and the Darkness alone.