… Somewhere outside Aetheria…
The Firefox tribe matriarch sat close to a purple bonfire with strange pears laid out on the ground. One pearl had shattered, while a few others had cracks riddled all over them. She frowned deeply as she watched the cracks on them spread, but soon a buzzing sound could be heard and when she checked it was a pearl hung around her neck like a pendant.
"Lyra…" She gasped. "No, no, no!"
She panicked as she pulled out the pearl, but it was immediately consumed by raging black flames, causing her to drop it abruptly.
Bang!
The pearl exploded, not even leaving behind a speck of dust, petrifying the Firefox tribe matriarch.
"Abyssal Annihilation!" She stuttered, her voice shaken. "He… he killed her?"
The Fox Spirit tribes had fought against each other for millennials and this war had claimed the life of her family, leaving her with only Lyra, who was the youngest. When her sister offered to go on this mission, she refused, but Lyra argued that she was the strongest tier-one fox spirit in the tribe, the only one who could get close to Sol without being detected by Chamberlain.
Lyra was afraid of what may happen to her big sister if they failed to carry out the task of the seventh finger general and put her life on the line. That was why she went as far as giving out the Firefox family heirloom just in case something happened, she would be able to save herself.
But she ended up dying…
"Your sister failed." The familiar cold voice rang like a bell, but the matriarch did not flinch this time.
She calmly rose to her feet to meet the figure's gaze, her eyes blazing with murderous intentions.
"I will kill that child myself!" She hissed before walking away.
The figure hidden in the darkness just watched in silence as she walked towards the exit, his eyes revealing his amusement.
"Finally, the full force of the Firefox tribe will befall Aetheria. I would like to see how that child deals with this!"
—--------------
Thud!
Shuffling footsteps could be heard as numerous guards led by Chamberlain ran into Sol's room.
"Young master!"
They cried out as they ran in, only to see Sol seated on the bed, breathing heavily while the pulsating red chain tattoos kept glowing. His complexion was pale, his eyes tired, and he seemed to be in pain, but upon seeing Chamberlain with the guards a small smile spread across his face.
"You are late, old man…" Sol chuckled.
Seeing his hands burnt, his body charred black by the smoke, the old butler was pained. His fierce gaze shifted towards the door leading to the veranda, and he was shocked to see the rotting black corpse, lying there. His eyes widened in surprise, and he looked at Sol with a questioning gaze.
"Yep." Sol nodded, their strange interaction leaving the guards confused.
At that moment, three more guards came in, dragging three girls in maid outfits with their fox tails sticking out. Their faces were that of defiance until they entered the room and saw Sol seated.
"How?" They muttered in shock.
Their gaze quickly traced that of the guards to the black corpse at the entrance of the veranda, and their bodies shuddered. Their legs felt weak, and they collapsed to their knees, their faces pale with a mixture of fright and disbelief.
"He killed Princess Lyra?' One of them muttered a question.
"How is that even possible?" Another asked, while the third kept staring at the corpse, unwilling to believe the scene in front of her.
Observing their reaction, Sol's suspicions were confirmed. The lady he fought was of high status in the Firefox tribe and even her subordinates held her in high regard, that explains why she had a tribe heirloom like the Emberfox mask on her.
"We have dealt with those in the castle, but we can't be certain there are not more of them living amongst the people." Sol muttered thoughtfully. "Should word about this get out, I will end up incurring the wrath of an entire race."
'Well they wanted me dead, so there is no difference' Sol shrugged his shoulders.
Meanwhile, the guards looked at him with admiration in his eyes. The intensity of his battle with Lyra could be seen from the corridor to the room, which was a complete mess. To think Sol would be able to fight this well even with the restrictions of the seal, he was truly the son of the former Kahi'k.
"Keep them locked up for now, I will interrogate them tomorrow." Sol waved the guards off, the exhaustion in his tone was audible.
He had fought two battles in one night, it was only natural he felt weak.
"Yes my lord!" They screamed and dragged the three maids along as they left the room, leaving Sol and Chamberlain alone.
Bam!
Sol threw himself on the bed, his breathing heavy as Chamberlain approached with a mixed expression on his face.
"You did it, your plan worked!" Chamberlain said, and Sol simply waved his hand lazily in response.
"We should move you to another room, this place is a mess." Chamberlain continued. "Also, I will bring a healer to deal with your wound."
Saying this, Chamberlain walked towards the exit hastily but stopped when Sol called his name.
"Chamberlain…" Sol said in a dry tone. "This is not over, and I fear our next encounter with the fox spirits will be an all out war, one more chaotic and bloody."
Chamberlain frowned as he heard this, he wanted to refute Sol's words since he had no evidence but remembering Sol's achievements so far ever since he woke up from the coma, Chamberlain felt inclined to blindly believe anything he says.
"What do should we do?" he asked.
Sol lazily sat up, his eyes stern and cold.
"Inform them of everything that has happened today, both in the academy and in the sixth tribe. We need them to get anxious, only then can we convince them to assign more guards to the southern gate. If the fox queen comes for me, that is where she will most likely come from."