Kael returned to his room and quietly closed the door behind him.
The lively atmosphere from earlier had completely faded, leaving the apartment wrapped in silence.
He headed straight for the bathroom.
Warm water washed over his body, rinsing away the dust and exhaustion that had accumulated throughout the day. By the time he stepped back out and changed into a fresh set of clothes, the fatigue weighing on his muscles had eased considerably.
Walking over to his bed, he slowly laid down.
He wasn’t in any hurry to answer Varek’s summons.
Instead, he closed his eyes.
Everything that had happened throughout the day replayed itself inside his mind.
His mother’s condition.
The successful administration of the potion.
His plans for the Mothlight Guild.
The research facility.
The countless decisions he had made one after another without giving himself even a moment to breathe.
He carefully sorted through each thought, organizing them one after another before pushing them into the back of his mind.
Only after his thoughts settled completely did he finally open his eyes.
His expression had returned to its usual calmness.
Without another word, Kael rose from the bed and quietly left his room.
His footsteps were almost inaudible as he crossed the apartment.
Not wanting to wake Lyra after their long day out, he moved with deliberate care before silently closing the apartment door behind him.
The instant he stepped outside—
His figure vanished.
A powerful burst of speed propelled him forward, turning him into nothing more than a dark blur racing through the sleeping city.
Streetlights streaked past like lines of light.
Cold night winds whipped against his face.
Within only a few minutes, Kael arrived at a deserted part of the city where abandoned buildings stretched in every direction. It was quiet enough that even the chirping of insects seemed distant.
Only then did he finally come to a stop.
He didn’t immediately respond to Varek’s request.
Instead, he slowly expanded his senses.
Invisible waves spread outward from him, sweeping across every corner of the area.
Buildings.
Roads.
Every inch within his perception was thoroughly inspected.
Only after confirming there wasn’t another living soul nearby did Kael finally reach through the mental connection linking him to Varek.
"You can open it now."
The reply came almost instantly.
"As you command, Master."
Several seconds passed.
Then—
Space suddenly distorted.
The empty air twisted violently as though an invisible hand had grabbed reality itself.
Cracks spread across space before converging toward a single point.
The fractures spiraled together, forming a swirling portal suspended in midair.
Kael silently watched the process.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
’Good thing I didn’t let him open this inside my room.’
Looking at the disturbance alone was enough to imagine the chaos it would’ve caused.
There was no hesitation.
Stepping forward, Kael entered the portal.
The familiar feeling immediately assaulted him.
His body felt as though it were being dragged in countless directions simultaneously.
Space compressed.
Then stretched.
His surroundings became nothing but endless streams of distorted colors before everything stabilized once more.
A moment later, Kael stepped out from the other end.
The massive throne room welcomed him once again.
Towering pillars stretched toward the distant ceiling while rows of silent statues stood guard on both sides.
The oppressive atmosphere remained exactly as he remembered.
Recovering from the lingering dizziness, Kael clicked his tongue.
"...Why can’t every form of spatial transportation be as smooth as the Tower’s?"
"The Tower barely feels like teleportation."
"This..."
He rubbed his temples.
"This feels like reality is trying to squeeze me through a pipe."
His complaint echoed through the otherwise silent hall when a voice cut through it.
"Varek welcomes Master."
Kael turned.
Not far from the portal, Varek stood waiting.
Compared to before, the Shadow king’s aura had become noticeably stronger. Although most of his strength hadn’t been recovered yet, but absorbing the Instance Core had clearly accelerated his recovery.
Kael gave a small nod.
"It’s good to see you."
Without wasting time, he asked,
"So..."
"What exactly did you discover?"
Varek remained silent for a brief moment.
Then he respectfully lowered his head.
"I believe it would be better if Master witnessed it personally."
He turned and began walking toward the far end of the throne room.
Kael followed behind.
Neither of them spoke, only the sound of their footsteps echoed throughout the enormous hall.
Eventually, they stopped before the ancient throne.
Varek gestured toward it.
"Master."
"Please sit."
"You’ll understand once you do."
Kael frowned.
"The throne?"
His eyes narrowed.
The last time he had entered this Instance, he had nearly been erased from existence simply for attempting to claim one of its monsters.
That overwhelming gaze...
Even now, remembering it sent a chill through him.
Because of that incident, he had remained extremely careful not to touch anything that looked important within this place.
And this throne...
It practically screamed authority.
It was clearly no ordinary seat.
To Kael, casually sitting on it felt no different from a commoner walking into a royal palace and placing himself upon the king’s throne.
If this place truly belonged to that terrifying existence...
Who was to say another divine gaze wouldn’t descend the moment he sat down?
Perhaps sensing his hesitation, Varek spoke.
"You needn’t worry."
"There is no danger."
"It is completely safe."
Kael looked at him for several seconds.
Finally, he exhaled slowly.
He trusted Varek.
If nothing else, it was because Sovereign Claim made betrayal fundamentally impossible.
Varek literally could not harbor any intention of harming him.
If he said it was safe...
Then it most likely was.
Besides...
When had great opportunities ever appeared without some degree of risk?
# #
[AN_ Hello readers, your author here.
We have one day left in the month, which officially marks the first month since this book went premium. I want to thank all of you. It’s because of your support that the story has reached this point, and I hope we can keep pushing it to even greater heights.
Thank you for your support. Please leave a comment while you read... I want to know what’s working and what needs improvement, I’m fully open to suggestions. Also, don’t forget to join the Discord channel using the link I’ll post in the Author’s Note below.]