Kyle’s deep gaze cut through Cassian like shards of ice, his expression unreadable.
"That was the last time."
He said, voice low and sharp.
"I helped you."
Then he turned to look for an exit with the others. He didn’t forget to once again lock eyes with Ares, silently reminding the clan leader to keep a watchful eye on Cassian.
Cassian didn’t notice this exchange, so he sighed helplessly, convinced that Kyle was really serious this time. They could barely be called friends, and now even that little connection seemed to be weakening.
But even if their connection grew strained, he would stay grateful. After all, Kyle had helped him far too many times to forget.
It was Kyle who made him realize that not everyone was the same—some people had their own ways of expressing compassion. He had simply met the wrong one at first.
But his thoughts that Kyle would distance himself from him because of his greed for power were quickly proven wrong when he turned toward the mass of darkness, and Kyle’s hand shot out from behind, gripping his collar the instant he noticed his action.
Cassian let out a soft laugh at Kyle’s furrowed brow as he hastily explained.
"I’m okay. I’m just following Ares—he’s heading that way to look for an exit!"
He straightened his clothes as Kyle released him, mirth dancing in his eyes.
"I remember someone just said... they weren’t going to help me again. Hmm?"
Kyle scoffed coldly, muttering about how annoying he was, before hurriedly striding off to the opposite side, leaving behind the red-eyed man who couldn’t stop smiling.
While searching for an exit, Kyle ended up opening the large coffin, thinking perhaps the way out might be hidden inside—after all, the last chamber’s exit had been in the ceiling. But inside, there was nothing but some jewelry and trinkets gathering dust, completely useless for the group escape.
He waved away the swirling dust as he examined the collection of old items. They were arranged with meticulous care, lined up in perfect order as if their owner had cherished them deeply—even until death.
"Hmm?"
He examined a few of the items, but they were all ordinary, holding no special energy or significance. Gvette, who was standing behind him, decided to store everything in his mind space, even if it looked useless.
As Gvette began to swipe the coffin clean, Kyle’s eyes suddenly caught sight of three pairs of rings, beautifully patterned, resting at the very bottom in a box, accompanied by a small gray plaque with faded writing.
Kyle picked up the small box and studied the plaque. Most of the writing had worn away, leaving only fragments. Slowly, he pieced together some whole sentences:
"Though they are ordinary, I crafted these with my own hands from the most precious metal. For the three of us. Let us gift these to our dear partners when we find them."
He murmured softly as he examined the rings. They were silver in color, with small golden specks scattered delicately across the patterns carved into the round band.
Despite their age, the three pairs of rings appeared quite new and untouched, as if they had never been worn. Kyle placed the rings back into the box and glanced around the chamber once again, almost imagining the pride and joy their creator must have felt in presenting them to their friends.
"So, the very first three Celestials weren’t able to find partners to share these rings with? Or perhaps they were betrayed by the partners they found? There’s no record of the history, so I can only speculate."
He handed the box to Gvette. Seeing the rings reminded him that he still needed to give one to his wife, which brought a smile to his face—a smile that dazzled Gvette.
He even hummed softly as he resumed searching for an exit, muttering to himself.
"Should I make one myself? I can find the finest materials in the Celestial Realm and craft it. I am certain she will love it."
Thinking about Yue and his friends, his mind began to wander, and he decided to gather some gifts to give them once they arrived here. Lost in thought, he wandered into a dark corner around the arena and absentmindedly discovered the exit.
Everyone else, upon seeing him wave to signal that he had found the exit, was left deadpan. They had been frantically looking for it everywhere and couldn’t find it, yet he found it by wandering absentmindedly!
If that was all it took, why hadn’t he wandered absentmindedly sooner?!
Kyle couldn’t understand why Clan Leader Ares glared at him as he pushed open the dark door hidden in the shadows to leave, followed by the others. Cassian laughed. Gvette was the only person to give him a thumbs-up, looking at him with respect.
Sighing, Kyle cast one last glance at the darkness behind him before leaving too.
As he disappeared from sight, a pair of obsidian eyes with piercing purple slits glimmered through the shadows, locked onto his fading figure. In the darkness, a body had already begun to take shape, its presence growing stronger and stronger with every second as the shadows coiled around it like a living, suffocating cloak.
Then, a hoarse voice cut through the air, grating like metal scraping against stone.
"How annoying..."
"...but now we are even."
The low words were followed by a chilling laugh that rumbled through the darkness, making the walls tremble. The eyes in the darkness slowly closed, recalling the time he had been gravely injured by Nathaniel, yet Kyle, who finally could, didn’t kill him.
Therefore...
Though Azazeal could have commanded the darkness around to kill everyone who entered the area, he had stopped himself, clinging to the last shred of sanity he still possessed after sensing Kyle’s presence.
But there would be no next time. Just a little longer... a little more time... and his ascension would be complete. Then, he would unleash his wrath, destroying everything and everyone in his path.
’Wait for me... just a little longer.’