Chapter 34: Ch 34: A Fear Unknown

When Aegis returned to the Sea God’s Palace, he found the palace very quiet.

An eerie silence spread through every corner.

His heart raced as he thought of all kinds of bad possibilities.

He slowly called out to Naida.

“Naida! Where are you? I’m back!”

His voice was loud, yet there was no answer.

The uneasy feeling in his heart intensified.

“Eterna! Flama! Diva!” he called again.

And yet, not a single soul responded.

Slowly, he started wandering through the hallway, the suffocating silence pressing in on him from all sides.

He paused at the main balcony. From there, his eyes reached every corner of the lawn and courtyard.

Still no one.

His gaze turned toward the ocean depths, sweeping almost every corner with his Sea God’s Authority. He saw the ocean filled with schools of fish, swarms of crabs, and nearly every sea creature he had synthesized.

But he didn’t find them.

Billy and Milly wandered in the courtyard, just as confused as he was, though their confusion was for a different reason.

It was the new environment they were in. Thanks to their control over their own blood, they could survive here for a few hours just fine.

But if they were not fed Sky Predator Cores, they would have to leave the Aquabyss Domain.

And unfortunately, Aegis had no Cores with him.

His hands around the railings tightened.

“There is no signs of battle or struggle. Where could they be?

They wouldn’t leave without a reason,” he muttered.

He decided to wait for a while.

He summoned the global chatobox to see if anything wrong.

[ Firestarter ]: The global event was so good. But unfortunately, I didn’t get to see Aegis.

[ ThreeBeautifulPrincesses ]: Us too. So bad.

[ DesertFox ]: @Firestarter I met him personally, and I can confidently say that he is an amazing person.

[ Holy_Emperor ]: Haha, you plebeians joined that stupid event? While you were playing around, I was conquering other islands. Check the rankings. My island is now at Stage 4.

[ Admin_01 ]: Oh, it’s true. Holy Emperor is really killing it.

[ DesertFox ]: @Holy_Emperor You’re just an arrogant brat. Aegis obtained far more than a few islands.

[ Holy_Emperor ]: Bastard! Send me your location. The next island on my list will be yours.

[ xX_GamerDad_Xx ]: I just saw the announcement. Aegis and Skadi became first. I wonder what prizes they received?

[ ThreeBeautifulPrincesses ]: I can’t wait for the next Global Event. It was so fun and exciting. Although, I do feel sad for the fallen.

[ Curious_Loli ]: Yeah. Thousands had died again.

Aegis frowned. Nothing was new. The same old chat. No news of a secret invasion, nor any kind of major event.

However, just then, his eyes involuntarily turned to the sky. There were figures above the Aquabyss Domain.

As the image became clearer, he exhaled a breath of relief.

Naida. And the two Phoenix girls, Eterna and Diva.

They were riding atop a True Fire Phoenix, its wings blazing with restrained flames.

The creature was enormous, its wingspan rivaling the Sanguine Imperial birds. Each flap of its wings emitted heat waves that distorted the very air.

The phoenix let out a clear cry as it descended, flames dimming the closer it came to the water-filled domain.

It landed near the palace balcony with surprising gentleness for a beast of its size.

Naida jumped down first.

She was relieved the moment she saw him.

“Your Grace!” she exclaimed, almost running toward him. “You’re finally back.”

Eterna and Diva followed, while Flama tranformed into human form. Both looked exhausted, but unharmed.

Aegis looked a little surprised by their growth.

His eyes scanning them carefully.

“Where were you all?”

Naida lowered her head slightly.

“We were forced to leave the domain temporarily. A foreign island arrived at the outer sea borders while you were away. They have been causing some trouble lately.”

Floating islands could move. That was natural, and it sometimes led to bloody conflict.

“Who are they? Did you ask what they want from us?” Aegis asked.

“He is a human, Your Grace,” Naida answered. “And he calls himself MadDog.”

“MadDog? Is that really what he calls himself?” Aegis said in bafflement.

“Yes. He wants us to hand over our island to him peacefully, and he threatened us with war if we do not comply,” Naida added.

Flama interrupted angrily.

“Not just that, Papa. He wanted us three sisters to become his pets and serve him. He is a very bad man. He even used vulgar words toward Sister Naida, saying she should become his personal maid, and many other nasty things.

I wanted to burn him right there, but Sister Naida said we should wait for you to come back.”

Silence.

It was heavy. Enough to suffocate.

Aegis did not speak immediately.

He stood there, gaze lowered, fingers relaxed at his side.

To anyone else, he looked calm. Too calm.

But Naida felt it.

The sea beneath the palace trembled ever so slightly. Currents shifted without command.

Far below, massive creatures instinctively retreated deeper into the abyss.

That was not anger.

That was rage being restrained.

“Pets,” Aegis repeated softly. “He spoke to you like that.”

His voice was quiet, almost emotionless.

Naida’s head lowered further.

“Ah, Yes, Your Grace.”

Flama clenched her fists,

“I swear, Papa, if you had been there, I would have burned him even if it meant dying.”

Aegis raised one hand, stopping her.

Little Flama froze instantly. The flames near her died down.

He said calmly,

“Good, You did the right thing by waiting.”

He lifted his head then.

His eyes were no longer indifferent.

They were cold. Bottomless. Like the deepest trench of the sea where no light had ever reached.

“Where is this island now?” he asked.

Naida fiddled with her fingers like a delicate woman being wronged.

“He is still hovering near our outer sea border. He did not advance further after we left.”

“Of course he didn’t,” Aegis said.

His lips curved into a faint smile.

But, it held no warmth.

“He wants fear. Submission. To see if we would kneel.”

His gaze shifted to the horizon, far beyond the Aquabyss Domain.

“But he chose the wrong place.”

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