Chapter 232: Into the Hidden Dark III
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Sekhmet’s eyes narrowed slightly. Pure chaos trees. That alone was enough to spark a chain of ideas.
If he could plant such trees here, then the void land would not remain a barren dark secret forever. It could become something else. A hidden domain. A living one. A place no enemy would understand until it was too late.
The thought felt too large to touch properly tonight, so he kept it quiet and gave the system a simple order.
"Notify me if you ever detect any kind of pure chaos tree seed or something similar."
[Ding! SYSTEM Notification: Command accepted.
Future detection priority added: pure chaos tree seeds and compatible void growth species.]
Sekhmet let the conversation settle in the back of his mind and turned his focus back to the others.
Sofia had noticed the grass too. Her eyes lingered on it longer than she probably meant them to. Natasha noticed everything with colder control, but even she could not completely hide the tension in her face. A prison was one thing. A prison that could evolve was another.
Auri spoke quietly, almost with pride. "The spirit leaf has been staying near that side most of the time. I thought the air there felt a little different, but I did not expect this."
Bat Bat floated upside down to inspect the grass. "Tiny plants. Very suspicious. This place is becoming decorative."
Mira slowly walked closer to Auri’s house and looked at it, then at Auri, then back at the little spread of green. "You built a house here."
Auri gave a slight nod. "A small one. For now."
Bat Bat spun in the air and announced, "Auri is a very responsible bird. He has a house. He has grass. Soon he will demand taxes."
That nearly got a laugh out of one of the maids, though she buried it quickly when she remembered there were sealed half-gods standing nearby.
Sekhmet looked around once more, then led the group farther in, to a stretch of ground far enough from Auri’s house and the spirit leaf’s area that Sofia and Natasha would have no comfort, no useful landmarks, and no false sense of control.
He stopped there.
"This is where they stay," he said.
Sofia looked at him. "You intend to hide us in a pocket void."
"Yes."
Seraphiel’s mouth moved slightly. "You are more troublesome than your father."
That sentence nearly made Sekhmet stop breathing.
Nearly.
He filed it away.
Questions later.
Problems first.
He looked at the sealed pair in silence for a moment, then glanced toward Seraphiel. "How do I keep them here safely? The seal weakens them, but if someone stronger can break it, I need more than that."
Seraphiel studied him for a second, then reached into the fold of her sleeve and brought out a ring.
It was not flashy. Not oversized. It looked almost simple at first glance, a narrow control ring of dark metal with fine inner sigils and a faint red line circling its center. The longer one looked at it, the less simple it became. Tiny laws were woven into it. Binding laws. Obedience laws. Carrying the elegant cruelty of very old craftsmanship.
She held it up between two fingers.
"This," she said, "will help."
Sekhmet’s gaze fixed on it.
Seraphiel continued, "It is a controller ring. Once linked properly, it binds them to you through the seal. Not fully as puppets. Do not get overexcited. But enough that you can control their movement limits, reinforce their restrictions, and force compliance in key situations."
Natasha’s expression turned murderous.
Sofia’s face went perfectly still.
Seraphiel looked at them with no sympathy at all. "Do not glare at me. You tried to hunt my friend’s son... my nephew. Consequences are an old tradition."
She then handed the ring to Sekhmet.
The moment it touched his palm, he felt the structure inside it. It was cold, and precise. Predatory in its own quiet way.
"Keep the ring safe," Seraphiel said. "Very safe. If someone steals it, they could interfere with the binding. If it is damaged, you will have a problem I do not feel like solving at inconvenient hours."
Sekhmet nodded. "How do I maintain it?"
"Recharge it from time to time with chaos stones," she said. "Or your own chaos energy. Your energy should work well enough, especially now."
Her eyes flicked briefly over him as she said that, clearly aware he had become stronger after the battle.
Elena crossed her arms. "How often?"
Seraphiel shrugged lightly. "Depends on how often they resist, how stable the seal remains, and whether Sekhmet keeps feeding the ring like a responsible owner instead of treating it like a piece of furniture."
Bat Bat puffed up. "I will remind him. I am excellent at shouting. Ha Ha Ha."
"That," Seraphiel said, "I believe and I can tell in this short time."
Sekhmet turned the ring once between his fingers. "And if they try something while wearing the link?"
"You can punish them through the bond," Seraphiel said calmly. "Pain. Suppression. Forced stillness. Limited command like blocking their chaos energy. Nothing elegant. Just useful."
Sofia laughed softly, but there was no warmth in it. "Your package slavery sounds very graceful."
Seraphiel looked at her with complete indifference. "And you package murder with good posture. We all have talents."
Even Elena’s mouth moved slightly at that one.
Sekhmet slipped the ring away carefully.
"I understand," he said.
He then looked to Auri, the twins, and Bat Bat. "Watch them."
Auri nodded at once. "I will."
One of the twins, Vera , asked, "How close do you want us?"
"Close enough to react," Sekhmet said, "far enough not to be grabbed."
The other twin, Vela nodded. "Understood."
Bat Bat puffed up like a tiny officer being entrusted with national defense. "I will monitor them with terrifying bat authority."
Sekhmet looked at her. "Do not get too close."
"I know," she said, then pointed one tiny wing at Sofia. "Especially to dramatic silver hair."
Sofia shut her eyes once, perhaps praying for patience, perhaps for a meteor large enough to solve several personal problems at once.
Sekhmet turned back to the group leaving. "You three stay alert. If anything changes, call me immediately."
Auri’s expression sharpened. "Understood."
The twins echoed him.
Sekhmet started back toward the entrance point again with Elena, Seraphiel, Mira, and the three maids.
Bat Bat fluttered after him at once.
He glanced at her. "You are staying here."
Bat Bat froze midair as though he had just stabbed her with betrayal. "What? No. Absolutely not. I wish to remain near you and continue being emotionally important."
"You just mocked two sealed half-gods."
"That was before I knew they were half-gods."
"You wanted to watch them just now."
"I changed my mind. My new opinion is that I should be with you."
Sekhmet stared at her for a long second.
Bat Bat folded her little wings over her chest and nodded solemnly. "It is a very mature opinion."
Mira turned away suspiciously fast.
Seraphiel’s mouth curved slightly.
Even Elena looked calmer for half a breath.
"Let her come," Elena said.
Bat Bat instantly brightened. "Elena understands leadership."
Elena replied, "No, you got homework to do."
That made Bat Bat worried and regret her decision. "I will stay here. I changed my mind."
Sekhmet exhaled and gave up on that battle because he had already fought enough monsters for one night.
"No," he said. "You are coming out. Tonight, you don’t have to do your homework."
Bat Bat made a tiny victorious sound and landed back on his shoulder, smug enough to power a small city.
So Auri and the twins remained with Sofia and Natasha inside the void land near the barren holding ground, while Sekhmet led the others back toward the entrance. As they moved, Mira glanced once more toward Auri’s house and the thin patches of green near the spirit Leaf’s place.
"This land can really change things," she murmured.
Sekhmet did not answer out loud. But inside, the idea was already growing roots.
The moment they stepped out into the familiar air of Dawn House grounds, the difference struck everyone at once. The sound returned. Lanterns flickered. The far hum of the estate came back. The ordinary world resumed like a play continuing after someone had briefly torn open the backstage wall and shown the machinery behind reality.
Sekhmet closed the void entrance behind them.
The darkness folded shut. Then it was gone.
The maids looked at the empty air for several seconds, as if hoping it would reopen and explain itself.
It did not.
For a moment nobody spoke. The courtyard seemed too small now. Too normal. Too human.
Then Elena turned toward Sekhmet. Her face was calm, but not distant. There was weight in her eyes tonight, the kind that came from years of silence finally reaching a point where silence itself had become dishonest.
She took one slow breath.
"Sekhmet," she said.
He faced her fully.
Bat Bat settled down on his shoulder at once, unusually quiet.
Seraphiel, and the maids all understood the shape of the moment and said nothing.
Elena’s voice remained steady. "I will explain everything to you. Come with me to the study room. Everyone is staying here. You three take our guest to her room."
The three maids nod. Then they started to walk and Seraphiel followed them behind.
And that is the end of volume one of Dawn Walker.
(Note: We’ve reached the end of Volume One, but the story is just getting started! 🚀 If you want to see more, please support me with Golden Tickets and Power Stones. Your shares and gifts are the best way to fuel the next volume. Huge thanks to everyone for supporting till now.