Bloodline Evolution: I Can Choose Opposing Paths-Chapter 134: Frontier City

"Ugh...my head..."

Aren clutched his head with a hand as he sat upright on the bed. It felt as if someone put him in a human washing machine and left it spinning for hours on end.

He slowly looked around at the surroundings, testing his vision but mostly confused about where he was in the first place.

Rough-cut wood beams ran across the top of his room. The air smelled faintly of pine, but not overwhelmingly—just a clean and light feeling that calmed him a bit more.

Where am I...?

Outside the window, the space opened up into a wide stretch of land. Wooden buildings stood scattered across the clearing, connected by worn stone paths that had clearly seen years of use.

Beyond them, endless trees stretched up the hills like a wall of green. Aren finally recognized where he was.

The Highlands...which means—

"I was starting to think you’d sleep for another day," a voice resounded from the door as it was pushed open.

Wine-red hair spilled into his room quickly, along with the trademarked smirk of his favorite professor.

"Professor...Sterling?"

"Yep, that’s me," she replied with snarky tone. "Looks like you all kept yourselves busy while I was gone."

As soon as she mentioned it, the memories of what happened last pulled itself right back into his brain.

The caverns, the Defiler...the Fusion Art.

Fusion...

His eyes widened as he shot upright, the lingering haze in his head gone in an instant.

"Luna—!"

"Where’s Luna? And Marcus—what happened to them?"

Sterling didn’t react to the shift, probably already expecting the reaction. She took a sip of her coffee slowly before answering.

"They’re alive."

Aren’s shoulders loosened slightly, but he didn’t relax.

"Marcus took the worst of it," she continued, leaning her shoulder lightly against the doorframe. "Multiple fractures, internal damage...honestly, I’m impressed he was still standing by the end of it."

He narrowed his eyes.

How can she be so calm? She’s supposed to be our guardian on this trip?! The least she could do was show some care—

But upon closer inspection, Aren saw it. The way her hand trembled slightly as she held the mug, the small eyebags under her eye, and how it looked like she’d been in the same set of clothes the whole time.

His gaze lingered on her for a moment longer before he looked away, staring outside instead.

"...And Luna?"

Sterling hesitated before answering. "She’s fine...just resting in another room as well. You could come visit her later."

Something about the way she said it hadn’t sat right with him.

"...Fine?" he pressed, turning around to make eye contact now.

"For now," she added, almost immediately, like she’d expected the follow-up. She took another sip from her mug, eyes flicking away for half a second before settling back on him.

"Her condition’s stable. That’s what matters."

It looked like he couldn’t get any more information out of her, so he let the matter drop.

"...Got it."

Aren swung his legs over the side of the bed. The moment his feet touched the ground, a dull ache shot up his leg, forcing him to pause for half a second.

He took a deep breath, but finally noticed his arm. It wasn’t much better, wrapped in thick bandages with some ointment applied on the still tender skin.

But the thing Aren noticed most, was how the internal heat he’d been feeling was gone—effects of the dark flames were no more.

He stared at his hand for a brief moment before lowering it. "...I’m going to check on the others."

"Try not to collapse on the way there," she tried for a joke but it was clearly not reaching anybody.

Aren stepped out onto the second-floor balcony, one hand brushing lightly against the wooden railing as he steadied himself.

The space below opened up far wider than he expected.

A massive stone fireplace stood at the center of the room, its steady flame casting a warm glow across the rugged wood floors and carefully arranged furniture.

This place is kinda lavish...is this some kind of hotel...? How can such a place exist within the Highlands?

Aren decided to push the thoughts down as he made his way toward the stairs. Each step down sent a faint ache through his leg, but he ignored it.

By the time he reached the bottom—

"Yo. Look who finally woke up," Daniel’s voice cut through his thoughts.

The senior was sprawled comfortably across one of the sofas with one arm draped over the backrest and the other holding a stick of ice cream. Aren let out a quiet breath before walking over, the tension in his shoulders easing.

"Seems you’re doing well."

Daniel snorted. "Yeah, nothing your Senior can’t handle!" 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Aren didn’t reply immediately, instead dropping onto the sofa beside him, leaning back as the warmth from the fireplace brush against his skin.

"...Alright," he muttered under his breath before glancing at Daniel. "Where the hell are we?"

He gestured vaguely around them. "And how does something like this even exist out here?"

Daniel opened his mouth, already halfway into an answer—

"Frontier City."

Sterling’s voice cut in before he could finish.

Both of them glanced up as she made her way down the stairs, one hand resting lazily along the railing as she descended.

"The only established safe zone in the Wildlands," she continued, stepping off the final step before walking straight over and dropping onto the couch across from them.

"Right along the border of the Highlands."

She reached forward, setting her mug down on the table with a soft clink before leaning back into her seat like she owned the place.

Which, apparently—

"I figured you’d put that together eventually," she added.

"...A city? All the way out here?"

"Mystics need somewhere to rest," she said simply. "And people with enough money don’t like dying."

Aren glanced around the room again, the pieces slowly clicking into place. Then his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Wait...this place—"

Sterling smirked.

"Mine," she said without hesitation. She crossed one leg over the other, completely at ease.

"Or at least this house is."

Aren’s jaw dropped to the ground as he almost sprang from the couch and onto the floor. He looked at Daniel, expecting the same reaction, but the Senior casually finished off his ice cream before throwing the popsicle onto the table.

"Hey! Don’t litter in my house!" Sterling called him out on it immediately.

Daniel frowned before taking the popsicle and bringing it to the trashcan before returning to his spot on the couch.

Only by then did Aren manage to pick up his jaw. "You been here before, Daniel?"

"Oh multiple times," the Senior replied enthusiastically. "I even brought my whole family up here once, good times."

"...Right," Aren muttered. "Of course you did."

His gaze drifted back to Professor Sterling. The more he stayed in the Club, the more mysteries he’d found out.

When they first met, she’d just been a professor. A strange one, sure—but still just that.

Yet, then came her hiding her powers, along with her past at the Mangroves and finally...her lavish property in the Highlands.

Who even is she...?

But the more he thought about it, the more questions came up.

Guess everyone has their own secrets after all. Besides, she genuinely seems to care about the club and its members...

"...You’re full of surprises," Aren said slowly.

Sterling snorted faintly. "That’s one way of putting it."

The fire crackled as everyone settled into the couch, silence breaking only by the occasional sip of coffee or cough.

"...So," Sterling said, tapping her finger lightly against the side of her mug. "You want to tell me what happened out there?"

Aren glanced at her, then at Daniel.

Daniel raised both hands slightly. "Hey, I already gave her the rough version."

"Very rough," Sterling added. "More like...incomplete."

"I know you ran into a Defiler group," she added. "Stronger than what you should’ve been dealing with in that region."

"Well, it wasn’t our group," Aren replied. "Daniel and I got there when they were already fighting."

"We had no idea why Defilers would be in the Wildlands in the first place."

"That lines up," the professor said. "Iris and Emily told me what they saw."

Aren glanced up.

"They ran into the group first," she continued. "Apparently, they were tracking something. Not just wandering around."

Daniel frowned slightly. "Tracking what?"

"Some kind of beast," Sterling said, crossing one leg over the other. "Rare, from the way they described it."

Aren’s eyes widened as a small implication settled within his head.

Could it be...?

"That was Emily’s guess," she added. "She thought they were poachers at first. Said that’s how the whole thing started."

Aren immediately snapped toward Daniel, a hint of panic in his voice. "Your bag...do you still have it?"

"Huh?" Daniel blinked, reaching to the side and grabbing the pack resting near the couch. "Yeah, I’ve got it, but what does that have to do with—?"

Aren grabbed it immediately, already unzipping the pack and rummaging inside it before Daniel could finish.

Before his fingers dug into something small—

The subspace pocket, and within it...a rare creature rested inside. He held the unassuming leather bag up before muttering.

"...They’re probably after this."