Chapter 255: Lily’s Shopping List: One Phantom, Please
I shook my head.
“No. If attacking the Holts was that easy, we would have done it already. As for the Nagas, I don’t really know what our relationship with them is, so it’s hard to say.”
I took a deep breath and continued.
“What I want from you is simple: just let them know the Ferans are working with the Holts. Tell them not to attack the Holts directly. I’m going to sabotage things from inside the realm.
When they start scrambling to figure out what’s going on, that’s when we strike hard—but we have to be careful. We need to keep in mind reinforcements from the Ferans, Peanu, or any other third party.”
I looked him in the eye. “But leave all the planning to the Empire. The only thing I’m asking is to keep the army ready and wait for my signal or message.”
Steve stared at the communicator for a few more seconds, silent. Then, to my surprise, he spoke in a low voice.
“I feel useless.”
The words hit me unexpectedly. I blinked, caught off guard.
But then I smiled.
“No,” I said gently. “We’ll change that.”
Steve looked up and met my eyes. For a moment, something unspoken passed between us—shared pain, shared resolve.
He nodded. “Yeah. We’ll have to.”
I turned back to Lily.
“Can you send him a little distance away from the Holts’ coordinates? Just to be safe. We don’t want him landing right in their base.”
Lily’s large head dipped in a slow nod.
“Come,” she said.
Steve took the communicator from me and stepped forward. Lily lowered her head toward him.
“Place your hand on my head,” she said.
Steve obeyed, placing his hand gently on her head. The air around him shimmered. Light danced along his body, pulsing like waves in a quiet lake.
And then, in a blink—he was gone.
Lily slowly raised her head and stared down at me. The vast hall had fallen completely silent.
I met her gaze and asked, “So, what happened to Azalea’s fragments?”
Lily’s voice was calm as she answered, her deep, echoing tone filling the space.
“The fragments that were being guarded by Rose and Iris were devoured by the Deathmist.
They’re gone—lost forever. As for Dahlia, she had to sacrifice a part of her own fragment to seal the Deathmist inside the mountain range. That’s why she’s in slumber.
She used up too much of her power. You could say… I’m the only one left with a complete and intact fragment of Azalea.”
I nodded slowly, taking it all in. Then I asked the next question that had been building inside me.
“So… what do you need from me?”
Lily let out a soft, rumbling laugh at that.
“And why do you think I need something from you, child?”
I looked at her, not backing down.
“You said you see everything in this realm. That means you know who I am, what I’m capable of. Then you told me Azalea’s story, piece by piece, with care—like it mattered. I don’t think you’d go to all that effort without a reason. So yes, I think you want something.”
Lily tilted her head slightly, thoughtful.
“Or perhaps,” she said gently, “I simply wanted to pass the time. I’ve been alone here for longer than you can imagine. Talking to young ones like you… brings a change.”
I frowned. That didn’t sound like the full truth, not to me.
“Is that so?” I replied. “Then how about we make a deal instead? You help my people get into this realm, and in return, we’ll owe you a favor—any favor.”
She shook her head slowly.
“No. I can’t open portals from this side. I’m not capable of pulling people in. The only thing I can do is send someone out, and even that comes with limits.”
I nodded again. That made things harder, but I wasn’t ready to give up yet.
“Alright then,” I continued. “How about this—you come with me and hold off that Hugh guy for a while. Just long enough for me to reach the portals and get my people in.”
Lily’s expression didn’t change, but her voice grew more serious.
“I can’t leave this space, either. This pocket realm is what keeps the island afloat. If I leave, it will collapse. The island will fall into the forest below—and if that happens, the two pieces of Deathmist will come together and then neither Dahlia nor I would be able to stop what comes next.”
That settled that. I gave another slow nod.
“Then tell me,” I said quietly, “what can you do? What would you like in return? You know what I need—time. A distraction.
A way to keep the grandmaster, maybe even the Ferans, tied up long enough for me to get to the portals and bring my people in.”
I stood there quietly, my eyes locked with Lily’s, waiting—hoping—she’d meet me halfway.
She chuckled.
“You’ve become so impatient all of a sudden,” she said. “Yes, I do need help. But I’m not sure whether you’re capable of giving it.”
I shrugged, keeping my tone calm. “We won’t know unless I try, right? So go ahead, what is it you need from me?”
But instead of answering, Lily responded with a question of her own.
“Why did you stay behind?” she asked gently. “What is it you think you can accomplish here alone? You could’ve left with your friend, regrouped, and attacked from the outside. So why stay?”
I didn’t answer right away. Steve never asked me that question, I didn’t need him to. He already understood.
But inside, I asked myself why I was putting myself in such danger. The answer was simple. I wanted strength. I wanted to grow powerful—and fast. The best part was, I had everything I needed to make that happen.
When I heard Azalea’s story and how it ended, I felt some sympathy for her. But deep down, I also knew I would have done the same. I would go to any lengths to get what I wanted.
So when Lily asked, I answered her with confidence.
I didn’t know how much I could really accomplish here, but I was certain about one thing—I wanted to cause chaos. And in that chaos, I wanted to grow stronger.
Lily’s voice was soft as she replied, “At least you are honest.”
I smiled at her words, but then she said something that caught me off guard.
“Can you summon Silver? I want to have a look.”
I blinked, confused by her request, but I didn’t hesitate.
I summoned Silver.
A crimson mist surged out from the generator core, swirling and coiling around me, growing in shape behind me. Soon, the sound of wings unfolding filled the air as Silver appeared, standing tall behind me. His red eyes locked onto Lily.
She whispered, “Fascinating.”
For a few seconds, her eyes glowed with a warm brown light, then slowly dimmed.
“So fascinating. This is what Azalea was trying to do with her fusion—a shared link between the Phantom and herself, a shared evolution.”
I stayed silent, finally understanding the purpose behind Azalea’s entire experiment.
Lily stared at Silver for a few more moments before asking, “Can you summon only one? Or do you have space for more?”
My eyes narrowed, trying to guess what this serpent was planning, but I simply answered, “I can have more.”
A spark of excitement flickered in her eyes.
“That’s good. Very good. Child, I will tell you how to control this entire realm—but in return, you need to acquire another summon for me. A Phantom.”
Creation is hard, cheer me up!