Eternal Undying Chronicles-Chapter 210: One Of Our Own

A bicorn materialized from space, its arrival marked by ripples like disturbed water. Perched atop its back sat a man clad in dark vestments, his silhouette resembling a grim reaper.

He halted, surveying the docks.

'What a sight for sore eyes…'

This was the very place where he had first encountered the Strigoi Zagarath. Now, he had slain him. His revenge was complete. But he wasn't here to reminisce—he was here for the Nexus Key.

His gaze swept the area until he spotted a young man covered in blood, barely clinging to life. Not far from him lay an old man—haggard, unconscious, but in better condition.

Alicarde dismounted from Warth's back. He ignored the old alchemist and strode toward the bloodied youth.

'Hmm… this one is called Chris, right?'

He knelt, placing a hand on Chris's chest, then moved his fingers as he began to cast a healing spell.

"By water and by fire,

By bone and by flesh,

Let the wounds of suffering tire,

Let pain find rest.

Through light's gentle embrace,

In warmth, find healing grace.

By earth, by sky, by all things blessed,

I call upon the power of Healing."

A faint glow spread across Chris's body, his wounds slowly mending as the bleeding ceased. However, it was only basic first aid—healing wasn't Alicarde's specialty.

Sighing, he placed a hand under his hood and used a private network to contact Carrisa.

"I think I found the Espers… but no sign of your Nexus Key."

His gaze flicked across the dock, spotting Ping and Petra sprawled on the ground. From where he stood, he could tell they were alive. With a flick of his wrist, he used gravity to pull them toward him, setting them down gently.

He placed a hand on their chests and activated the same healing spell. Their injuries were lighter than Chris's.

Petra stirred first, her body trembling as she coughed weakly. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open. When she saw him, she let out a startled yelp, scrambling backward to put some distance between them.

"Y-you… what do you want…?"

Alicarde remained silent for a moment, his hood concealing his eyes in shadow. To Petra, all she could see was darkness.

"What happened here? And where is my Nexus Key?"

Petra glanced around, taking in the sight of Chris's bloodied form and Ping lying unconscious. She gasped, momentarily forgetting her fear of the reaper before her as she rushed to Chris's side.

"Wha… what happened to him?"

Alicarde paused.

"That's what I want to know."

His gaze shifted to the old alchemist.

"I can take an educated guess."

He strode toward the old man and pressed his foot against his stomach, but there was no reaction.

"He's alive… in shock, but alive."

With a wave of his hand, gravity constricted around the alchemist, ensuring he wouldn't escape.

Walking back to Petra, who clutched her friend fearfully, he exhaled.

"A healer should be here soon. Your friends will be taken care of."

As if on cue, a sleek luxury sedan pulled up to the docks.

Carrisa stepped out of the vehicle first, her presence commanding as always. Argint followed closely behind, with Elizalina emerging beside her. The driver's side opened, and Amena stepped out as well, her gaze scanning the scene.

Alicarde looked around but saw no sign of Malefica.

'She must be handling the aftermath of the battle…'

A small group of Nightshade operatives followed, moving with precision, and soon after, a van pulled up carrying the rest of the Espers.

As soon as it stopped, the Espers rushed forward, their eyes filled with concern as they gathered around Petra and the others, checking on their wounded friends. Christina, in particular, seemed the most shaken—Chris was her twin, after all.

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Alicarde walked toward Carrisa.

"The Nexus Key is gone. As you suspected, he must have used his power to send it somewhere."

Carrisa gave a small nod, her expression unreadable.

Alicarde's gaze shifted toward the Espers.

"What do you intend to do with them?"

A tense silence settled over the group. The Espers looked to Carrisa with apprehension. Depending on her answer, their situation could shift from bad to worse—there was no guarantee she wouldn't decide to eliminate them.

They had failed to uphold their end of the contract.

Carrisa's sharp gaze swept over them, assessing. Among them was even a middle-school aged boy, but that alone wouldn't be enough to spare them if she deemed them a liability.

Alicarde studied them as well. Sensing his eyes upon them, the Espers stiffened, readying themselves for the worst. He was more than capable of cutting them down swiftly and without hesitation.

But to their surprise, he shook his head.

"They fought as best they could. I see no reason to punish our own allies."

He glanced at Carrisa. "We take care of our own."

His gaze then shifted to the Nightshades.

"Tend to their injuries and ensure they receive proper medical attention."

The Nightshades saluted in acknowledgment, moving to carry out his orders. Carrisa's lips curved into a thin smile—he hadn't even waited for her to give an answer. And, frankly, he didn't need to. He was right.

She turned her attention back to the Espers.

"The rest of you may rest. As for the alchemist, have him sent to the dungeons. You need not concern yourselves with the Nexus Key—I imagine Chris did not wish for it to fall into enemy hands, so he sent it somewhere far beyond their reach."

Elizalina nodded thoughtfully.

"However, depending on where he has sent it, we may encounter complications. That said, I am certain it remains within this realm."

Amena cast a glance toward Chris, who was being transported alongside his friends, their faces tight with worry.

"He is the only one who knows its location. We must extract that information from him as soon as possible."

Alicarde shook his head.

"I don't disagree, Amena, but for once, we aren't dealing with random nobodies. This isn't some shady underground corporation. We can afford to wait a day or two and see what he says."

Argint smirked, clearly pleased.

"Good to know you still have a moral compass." She placed a hand on her hip, watching as the Espers were tended to.

He smiled at her.

"You're the heart of the group, whether you admit it or not. Gotta make sure we don't get too ruthless right."

The future was bound to bring more trouble.

But that was fine.