Chapter 81: What Just… Happened?

The chains binding the Vassals still persisted as Aden’s words faded out of existence, but in the next moment, they writhed out of his hands and slithered back into the arms of the Vassals and coiled around the shadowy figures.

Aden wasn’t surprised by this development. After all, he could sense the thin veil of restrictions the chains posed after he yanked them from their grips.

Lorelei landed with a dull thud. The energy blades had already vanished into thin air as she let out heavy breaths. Thin chain marks stretched across her body, but they faded quickly as the shadowy figures returned to their bodies that laid behind Zero.

Low groans of pain sounded from their locations as the sensations once dulled by their shadow states returned in full force.

Aden stood silently in the crater with controlled breaths. The blood from the desperate attacks had already dried out into obsidian scabs, courtesy of the Entity.

’Well done, me,’ the Entity praised, his voice laced with pride that wasn’t directed at Aden.

He didn’t respond, and quite strangely, his obsidian eyes had begun staring blankly in the distance, just past where Zero stood.

The Vassals who’d already assembled before him with servitude in their postures stared at him with peculiarity in their eyes.

Zero hadn’t moved from his spot, but his hexagonal seals had vanished, and the oppressive pressure holding the cave together eased, replaced by a natural, earthy stillness.

His face was pale, a thin trail of blood leaking from his nose which served as a testament to the strain of keeping the cave from collapsing under Aden’s raw output.

Cleaning the dark blood with an unreadable expression, Zero bent deeply. “A truly impressive battle, Master,” he said.

Aden still didn’t respond. His face had grown blank, and except from the slightly irregular rise and fall of his chest, he’d be no different from a statue.

Lorelei’s fierce expression had turned confused as she took steady steps towards Aden.

“Master?” She called out lowly.

The remaining Vassals exchanged glances with each other in their crouched positions. Their Master’s commanding presence was still there, but there was an edge of unsettlement within it.

Zero who’d been watching the battle from start to finish suddenly dashed forward with a grim look. For the first time, what resided behind those whites weren’t servitude or analytic prowess, but pure dread.

Lorelei let out a low hum of surprise as she shifted to the side, giving Zero enough space for whatever he intended to do.

Speeding to a halt, Zero’s fingers stretched and fixed themselves on Aden’s forehead with a light nudge backwards. His eyelids closed tightly, tuning out the questions fired at him from all directions.

The cave eventually fell deathly silent, even the rhythmic breathing of the Vassals didn’t create any disturbance.

Zero’s fingers trembled but it was not from physical exhaustion.

Then suddenly, Aden’s voice rang. Deep, distant, and resounding. “What are you doing?”

Zero’s fingers pulled back with a shock. The gasps of the Vassals were drowned out by Aden’s tongue clicking.

Aden blinked twice and the obsidian eyes dissapeared and took on the appearance of a normal man’s eye.

His feet unknowingly took two steps back with a strange expression whilst studying the Vassals with a cold gaze.

“Master you—”

“I’m fine. It was the strain of the technique I used,” Aden interrupted.

That explanation was weak and everyone present in the cave knew this, including Aden, but the servitude ingrained within them since their creation prevented them from airing their doubts.

So, they did what every good servant would do. They bowed and respected their Master’s wishes.

Noting the lack of resistance against his words and the doubt that quietly lingered in the air, Aden stepped out of the crater with an effortless leap.

His expression had turned strangely annoyed, but there was a mix of apprehension that couldn’t be hidden by the mask of anger he stealthily wore.

He walked a little shakily to the edge of the cave and sat in a locus position. The reason for this was unknown to even him, but his subconscious saw it as a necessity.

“I need time to digest the gains of this battle. I believe the rest of you should use this chance to do the same,” he whispered, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear.

The Vassals still had endless questions in their minds, some more than the others. The need for answers was so pressing that they looked towards Zero quietly for explanations, but Zero merely sat on the ground with a serene expression and closed his eyes.

Lorelei wanted to say something to either of them, but the oppressing sense of danger that they unconsciously leaked made her rethink her action. With a low gulp, she instructed the rest of the Vassals to follow the instructions of their Master as she did so herself.

Within seconds, the Vassals all sat in a circular formation with Zero in the center, low humphs left their lips as they shut their eyes with forced calmness.

The occasional drips of water from the surface was all that disturbed the serenity of the cave. The breathing patterns of the Vassals had synced as the Void energy that had run loose in the environment all warped into their bodies.

Aden’s face remained unreadable, but if one looked extremely closely, he could see the occasional shivering of his form as he meditated.

Whatever happened within those moments of blankness had quietly been promised to be buried in the depths of Aden’s heart. The phenomenon never to be whispered to any soul, not even the Entity if he was capable of such feats.

The Void energy that lingered in the cave were duly sucked inwards by the Vassals, but the remnant Resonance energy were absorbed by Aden, and although they barely made a difference to his pool, it was still satisfying to rid the air of his energy.

Hours passed in silence. The Vassals’ expression had taken on a monk-like state, each of them fully immersed in understanding their inner workings.

Slowly, Aden’s eyes opened, but what laid beneath them didn’t quite register as calmness, or even coldness.

It was emptiness.

And as if on sync, the Vassals finished their meditation and stood up with dull cracks from their bones.

His eyes passed over them calmly. Their internal energies had grown stable, each of them emanating a sense of absence in the places they stood.

Without delay, he instructed. “We leave the cave at dawn. Prepare accordingly.”

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