With a soft sigh, Elizabeth continued.
Surrounded by cold stone walls, Bia, Alec, and the others fell silent as they listened to Elizabeth recount everything she had learned about Kyle and why the so-called Rulers were so determined to kill them.
Elizabeth told them every rumor she had heard—both the ones that praised Kyle and the ones that portrayed him as a monster.
Although none of them had personally witnessed the events surrounding Kyle, it did not take them long to distinguish truth from lies. Knowing Kyle’s cold personality, and after everything they had experienced since arriving in the Celestial Realm, they could already tell which stories about him had been twisted by the Rulers and which contained fragments of the truth.
Bound by chains, no one spoke another word, absorbing everything Elizabeth had revealed. Their minds inevitably drifted to the three kids and Yue.
None of them knew where they were, whether they knew about the danger and had escaped safely, or if they had already fallen into the Rulers’ hands and would soon be brought to the prison like them.
With each passing second, everyone’s resentment toward the Rulers only grew stronger. It burned fiercely in every one of their hearts, filling the prison with a deep hatred that words could no longer express.
Suddenly, a faint, pained groan echoed through the prison. Everyone immediately turned toward the sound that had broken the silence.
It came from Jian’s bloodied figure.
His fingers twitched slightly before his eyelids slowly fluttered open. His crimson eyes were still unfocused, clouded with pain and exhaustion. It took him a few moments to recall everything that had happened before he lost consciousness.
The moment his memories returned, murderous rage surged through him.
He was ready to tear apart the damn bastard who had falsely accused them, even if it meant dying alongside him.
However, just as he tried to move, a metallic clink rang out.
Jian froze.
Looking down, he realized that heavy chains were tightly fastened around his wrists and ankles.
His hoarse voice, still rough from the injuries that had yet to fully heal, echoed through the prison as he cursed.
"Fuck!"
Hearing him curse, Sinon uttered in a low voice. But the winged demi-human kept his eyes lowered, struggling to suppress the emotions raging within him. His fists were clenched so tightly that the veins on the backs of his hands stood out prominently.
"You’re awake."
"Good that you’re fine."
Jian immediately sensed that something was wrong.
His gaze slowly swept across everyone.
Every face was unusually grim.
It finally stopped on Bia.
The Phoenix’s eyes were red-rimmed, as though she were on the verge of tears. It was a sight Jian had never seen. Ever since Kyle left their Universe, Bia had never cried or shown weakness in front of anyone.
Jian also noticed Mia, Elli, Elizabeth, and Lara. It seemed the four had also been captured and thrown into the prison.
A heavy feeling settled in his chest.
Finally, he turned to the one person who looked the most composed—Alec.
"What happened?"
Jian asked, his expression serious.
"Something definitely happened while I was out."
His crimson eyes narrowed.
"Tell me everything."
Alec met his gaze.
Rubbing his forehead tiredly, he raised a finger and pointed it toward Jian’s head.
Instead of recounting everything again in front of everyone, he directly transmitted everything Elizabeth had shared into Jian’s mind. As Jian absorbed the information in silence, his face grew darker and darker.
Then—
Bang!
His fist slammed into the floor.
"Damn it...!"
His breathing became ragged as his body trembled with rage.
"What do you mean his soul scattered in front of the Rulers and ceased to exist?"
He shouted.
"No... this can’t be true!"
"Kyle was always ridiculously lucky! He cheated death over and over again! Even when a fragment of his soul was stolen, that guy survived. So how could Kyle die just because he fought a Calamity?!"
His emotions spiraled out of control.
Again and again, his fist crashed against the solid floor, uncaring as the skin split open and blood seeped from his knuckles.
He shook his head before letting out a laugh.
"This isn’t true. Why was he even fighting a Calamity in the first place? Didn’t he come here following Azazeal to kill that man?"
His voice cracked with disbelief.
"He never stuck his nose into things he thought were irrelevant, so why would he put himself in danger to save this realm?"
"Yes... this has to be a lie. It has to be!"
Nine’s voice came from opposite him.
"Jian... calm down."
Jian immediately snapped back.
"How can I calm down?!"
His loud voice echoed throughout the prison, his crimson eyes filled with fury.
However, the moment his gaze met Nine’s calm golden eyes, his breathing gradually steadied. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to regain a sliver of composure.
"...Right."
A flicker of hope surfaced in his eyes.
"Use your Spiritual Gaze."
His voice grew quieter, but the urgency in it remained unmistakable.
"Tell us, can you sense him somewhere in the future, waiting for us? No matter how powerful this realm is, your Spiritual Gaze has also become powerful. You should at least be able to find some trace of him."
Hearing Jian’s words, all eyes turned to Nine. Hope flickered in every one of them.
Nine’s hand shook as everyone extended their hands toward him, hoping he would use his skill to peer into their futures. The truth was, Nine had already tried to search for Kyle many times after arriving in this powerful realm, only to fail every time.
Even so, he reached out and grabbed the hand of the person closest to him before slowly closing his eyes.
Silence filled the prison.
After several long moments, Nine finally opened his eyes.
Seeing everyone’s expectant gazes fixed on him, he forced a bitter smile and slowly shook his head. Everyone’s hearts sank, and they couldn’t help but think the worst.