But then... where?
I lifted my gaze toward the sky and pushed my perception upward. Past the clouds. Past the hot winds. Past the distorted air currents. And then, finally, I found it.
A pocket space.
Just like the one in the Bloodreaver ancestor’s chamber, but hidden even better. This one moved slowly across the sky like a drifting crack in reality, carrying a teleportation circle inside it.
"Nice plan," I muttered. A moving entry point. Harder to detect. Harder to target. Perfect for dropping a phantom directly onto the city.
Once I locked onto its location, I flashed forward and arrived outside the guest quarters. I stopped in front of North’s room and knocked lightly.
"It’s me," I said, opening the door.
North was sprawled on the bed face-down, limbs dangling off the edge like a tired cat.
"I’m so tired," she groaned. "I think I got space sickness."
I chuckled and sat beside her on the bed. "Why don’t you sleep? We have work tomorrow."
She lifted her head slowly, hair messy, eyes half-opened. "Why? Did you find something?"
I nodded once. "Yeah. Kind of."
Her expression sharpened instantly. She pushed herself upright. "Tell me."
"You don’t want to sleep now?" I asked, amused by her sudden alertness.
"Nope," she said, shaking her head hard enough that her hair whipped around.
"All right then. Come with me. We need to meet Primus."
She slid off the bed and followed me out into the hallway. We then walked over to Steve’s room and pushed the door open.
He was eating.
Not just eating, he was devouring an entire table full of demon dishes like a starved beast. There were piles of roasted meat, grilled meat, boiled meat... only meat.
I blinked at him.
"What?" he asked with wide guilty eyes. "I’m in a new world! I need to experience their food!"
I raised my hands in surrender. "I said nothing."
"I can see your judging eyes, bro."
"Not judging," I said as I walked over. "Actually... I’m hungry too."
I sat beside him and grabbed a plate. The first bite almost burned my soul out of my body due to its spicy nature.
"Damn, that’s good," I muttered and gulped down the drink placed beside the meal.
North smirked and joined us, stealing a piece of meat from Steve’s plate.
We finished eating in silence, three exhausted travelers trying to make sense of a demon world over good food.
When we were done, I waved over the demoness attendant.
"Call Primus," I told her.
She bowed and rushed out.
Steve wiped his mouth and leaned back. "All right. What happened?"
"I’ll tell you when he comes," I said. "But... it looks like our stay here won’t be long."
Steve raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? I feel like things are moving too fast. We are moving too fast."
I shrugged. "This will be our lifestyle from now on."
North nodded thoughtfully. "It looks like we’re becoming space pirates... jumping from one world to another."
I laughed. "Pretty much."
Steve groaned.
"That’s life," I said.
The door slid open and Primus stepped inside, still tense from what must have been a long conversation with his family. His eyes swept over us.
"You called?" he asked.
"Yeah," I said, standing up. "We need to talk. Something urgent."
"What happened?" he asked.
I exhaled slowly.
"Primus," I said quietly. "I found something... and it concerns your entire family."
His expression tightened instantly. He leaned forward, seriousness taking over. "All right. Tell me. I’m listening."
"I will," I replied, "but first I need to ask you something. And answer honestly."
Primus frowned. "Go ahead."
I looked him straight in the eyes. "Tell me about your relationship with Lara’s mother."
He blinked, surprised by the question. For a moment he just stared at me, unsure of my angle. But then he sighed and leaned back.
"All right," he said. "I met her after I became a Grandmaster. I was young and... well, arrogant. I wanted to show off, so I went into an abomination zone to hunt." His voice softened. "That’s where I met her."
Steve grinned. "Oh? Love story?"
Primus ignored him and continued.
"She was the most beautiful demoness I had ever seen. Everyone in my world knew her name, Lana Del Rey, the Del Rey heir. I had seen her a few times when we were children, but after that she rarely appeared in public. So when I suddenly saw her again... I don’t know. Something clicked."
He smiled faintly, almost shyly.
Steve snorted. "Bro, you look like a simp."
Primus shrugged. "Maybe. I’d been with many women before her, but she was different. After I met her again, I knew I wanted to settle down. So I pursued her properly. And... I won her heart."
North smiled softly. I stayed silent, letting him finish.
Steve leaned forward. "What did you like about her the most?"
"Steve," I said sharply. "Not the point."
Steve held up his hands. "Just asking."
I ignored him and turned back to Primus.
"So," I said, voice firm again, "what was her rank when you first met her? And what was her rank when you were captured?"
"She was a Master when we met," Primus answered, thinking back. "A genius, but not at the Grandmaster level yet. By the time I was captured, she had reached Grandmaster rank."
"Her level?" I asked.
"In the 250s," he said. "Maybe around 255."
I nodded slowly, mind already moving through the possibilities.
A powerful talent. A connection to someone even stronger. Enough talent to climb to the Transcendent rank in a short time. Enough influence to order a phantom attack. Enough authority to command a Transcendent envoy.
Everything fit too well.
But nothing was fully confirmed yet. Not until I told him everything.
I rubbed my chin, thinking for a moment, then decided to just lay it all out.
"Alright," I said slowly, "while you were talking with your family and introducing Steve and North... I took a little trip to your ancestor’s chamber."
Primus let out a dry chuckle and shook his head. "Not a good sight, right? He’s barely holding on."
"I noticed," I said. "But that’s not the important part. I found a hidden portal in there," I said. "One that links directly to the Del Rey family."
He blinked once. Hard. Then again.
"What do you mean?" he asked, voice low and tense.
I repeated myself clearly.
"There is a secret teleportation circle buried inside your ancestor’s chamber. And that portal leads straight to the Del Rey stronghold."
"That’s impossible." Primus’s voice rose. "How is something like that even possible?!"
I shook my head. "I don’t know who placed it there. I can’t tell you when or how. But I can tell you what I saw. I followed the portal. I arrived in the Del Rey fort. And Primus..."
I met his eyes.
"They already know you’re alive."
Primus froze.
Steve’s jaw dropped. "What the actual hell—?"
I continued.
"And the reason they were shocked is because, according to them, you were already supposed to be dead."
"Billion," he said, voice shaking, "are you telling me... the Del Reys were the ones who planned my capture?"
I shook my head slowly.
"No, Primus. Not your capture."
His throat worked as he swallowed.
"Then what?"
I inhaled.
"They planned your death."
I waited, giving him time.
Because what I was about to explain next... would hurt even more.