Chapter 85: A Ghostly Midnight Visit
Deep into the night, silence fell upon the Ossi Kingdom’s palace. King Kevin preferred darkness, and he had forbidden anyone from wandering the halls at night. The palace lights were extinguished, save for a few essential ones for security. Even the guards were silent, their movements hushed.
Amidst this stillness, a faint whooshing sound echoed through the air, like the beating of giant wings. The sound grew louder, closer, its rhythm steady and powerful.
What began as a gentle breeze quickly intensified into a powerful gust of wind, buffeting the palace, its trees and plants swaying wildly, their leaves rustling and swirling in the turbulent air currents.
A massive shadow descended from the sky, its long neck, powerful wings, and sturdy legs, covered in neatly arranged scales, clearly visible—it was a dragon, a creature thought to have vanished from the continent long ago.
Yet, despite the arrival of such a magnificent beast, the palace guards remained unfazed, their gazes fixed on their designated areas, as if the dragon didn’t exist. Even as the tassels on their spears were whipped by the wind, and the flames in their braziers were extinguished, they remained oblivious.
The dragon landed with a resounding thud, the ground cracking beneath its weight, sending tremors through the palace.
Four figures, three women and a man, jumped from the dragon’s back. The man looked up at the massive creature, his voice filled with gratitude. “Thank you, Little Fire Dragon! Your eyesight is truly remarkable!”
“You’re welcome, Master Abyss. It was my pleasure. I hope the three mistresses enjoyed their ride. I did my best to minimize the turbulence.”
“You did wonderfully, Little Fire Dragon! You’re the best dragon I’ve ever ridden!” Leona exclaimed, her voice loud and clear, as she looked up at the dragon’s scaled face. Riding on Little Fire Dragon’s back had fulfilled her childhood dream of becoming a dragon rider, a fantasy fueled by countless knightly romances.
It was a title even more prestigious than a Griffin Rider, a legend come to life.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave. I hope you enjoy yourselves, Master,” Little Fire Dragon said, then transformed into a swirling mist, disappearing into Abyss’s ring.
This, of course, wasn’t the real world, but Abyss’s Shadow Realm. Here, they could act freely without affecting reality. The guards remained oblivious, their perceptions altered by Abyss’s magic.
“Abyss is truly a man of action,” Rebecca said, chuckling, as she looked around. Her undead vision allowed her to see clearly in the darkness of the palace. “I thought he would rest before coming here.”
“Do you need to rest?” Abyss asked, smiling at her.
“Of course not. Now that I’m undead, I never get tired. I could brew potions all day and night without breaking a sweat,” Rebecca said, playfully poking his cheek. “We undead don’t experience fatigue. I was worried about you.”
“I’m fine. Your fatigue-eliminating potion works wonders. I can ignore physical exhaustion, and as for mental fatigue—the thought of causing chaos energizes me like a two-headed ogre’s stomach,” Abyss said, winking at her. “We won’t officially declare war on the Lord of Nightmares tonight, but we won’t let him rest easy either. I intend to thoroughly annoy him. I don’t want him lurking in the shadows, plotting against us.”
“The best defense is a good offense,” Leona said, nodding in agreement.
“Let’s visit Prince Kevin while we’re in the Shadow Realm,” Flora suggested. “We can’t attack him directly, not without causing a commotion, but observing him might be useful.”
“Indeed. Let’s find his bedchamber. I want to see what kind of person collaborates with the Lord of Nightmares,” Abyss said, heading towards the largest palace, assuming it was the king’s residence.
The king’s palace wasn’t difficult to find. They located Kevin’s bedchamber after a brief search. The area was heavily guarded, and the surrounding trees were meticulously pruned, just as Alva had described. It seemed this seemingly heartless Kevin did have a talent for gardening.
They entered the palace, then Kevin’s bedroom, using Abyss’s Wall-Phasing spell.
“Just as Alva described,” Rebecca said, unconcerned about being discovered, thanks to the Shadow Realm’s properties. She skipped towards Kevin, observing him closely.
He was a large, muscular man, not much older than Givia, perhaps three or four years older, his features similar to hers. His eyes were cold and calculating, his expression indifferent, his aura unsettling.
He wasn’t asleep. He sat in a chair, his posture rigid and unnatural, his eyes fixed on the window, as if in a trance.
He didn’t seem human. If not for his steady breathing, he could be mistaken for a wax figure.
“Is that Kevin? I don’t like his aura,” Leona said, frowning. Her instincts told her to avoid this man.
“Wearing his personality on his sleeve, this Prince Kevin is quite transparent,” Abyss said, observing him, shaking his head. “Besides staying up all night, staring out the window, there’s something else about him that seems off. I can’t quite place it. It’s more of a feeling… I haven’t found any concrete information yet, but just in case, I’ll observe him more closely.”
He began scrutinizing Kevin, memorizing every detail.
Leona, bored, asked, “ABC, how are you planning to provoke the Lord of Nightmares?”
Abyss, his gaze still fixed on Kevin, replied, “Oh, that’s simple. Look out the window.”
Leona looked. The garden outside was meticulously landscaped, its trees pruned into various shapes, a picturesque scene.
“What are you going to do?” she asked, still confused.
“I’m going to uproot all these trees and take them with me,” Abyss said, looking at her, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.
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