As they cruised through Traffic, the distant sounds of howls began to grow louder now.
"They're getting closer," Achlys noted, sounding panicked from the driver's seat, as she kept her attention on the road, going 20 over the speed limit, occasionally checking the rearview mirror as she speed through traffic like a mad woman.
"We just need to get to the Luminaris Estate," muttered Cimon gravely, sounding calm, yet serious at the same time. "If we can reach the Luminaris Estate, we can get backup from House Luminaris and their Legacy Guard.
Meanwhile, Blake was deep in thought, albeit confused. 'Gods? Monsters? Beings of chaos? What the hell is going on? What else could be real at this point? Werewolves?'
He was laying on his side in the backseat. While the injuries he sustained throughout the day had finally closed, thanks to the Nectardrop, the internal situation wasn't the most progressive. If he moved too suddenly or at just the wrong angle, he risked opening his injuries up all over again, and possibly bleeding out over Achlys's seats. He managed to wrap his arm up with one of his only half-dirty shirts he found in his laundry bin while he was still at his house, but it only served to cushion his barely functional arm, and wrap around his ribs a few times. At least his ribs were no longer entirely broken — Just hurting mostly, probably just slightly broken for some of them, though he had no idea how he knew this.
"Demigods are insanely sturdy, especially pureborn demigods — Though Legacies are powerful, they aren't as strong as those born by a mortal and a god," Achlys stated, causing Blake to realize he said that last part out loud. "All demigods and Legacies have a healing factor, though some are greater than others."
Blake remained silent, watching the passing of the street lamps and empty roads as they passed. "Where are we going? Where is this "safe place"? And what is this "Lumanris Estate"? Who is this healer?"
"Patience, Blake. All will be revealed soon, but you need to be patient," Achlys urged, sounding even more mysterious, which only served to frustrate Blake even more. He wanted answers; not delays in getting them.
"Hard to do that, wounded and injured with rabid chaotic forces hunting me down," muttered Blake bitterly.
Eventually, he sighed heavily. Being ticked off will only serve to waste even more time. And the monsters chasing them were getting closer — He could hear their howls in the distance even when he couldn't see them.
"The healer we're going to is named Celeste Luminaris," stated Achlys. "She's the princess heiress of House Luminaris. A legacy and demigod, her mother is the Primordial goddess, Hemera, making her potential in cultivation and all things related to her exceptional, that includes House Luminaris's innate ability to heal others. Children of the Primordials are exceptionally rare and powerful individuals, as primordials never really interact with mortals that often, but I digress. Her father is the Legacy Head of House Luminaris — One of the major big houses and families of the Legacy Cultivation world. Her estate is heavily guarded and they should be able and willing to help us, especially considering your identity."
"Great Houses? Demigods? Legacies? Cultivation? Gods? It's like I;m in the Odyssey at this point… Or Percy Jackson," exclaimed an exaggerated Blake.
"I assure you, this is very real, Blake," Achlys's face darkened. "This isn't some watered down version of real events watered down to be read to children as myths. This is serious."
"What do you mean 'my identity'? And who's my father? My mother…? Do you know her?" Blake wanted to at least know this.
He's spent years wanting to meet his parents, dreaming if he ever would. Now he learns some god who could've visited him a hundred times, but never did, was his father. And his mother… He's learned nothing about her. He wanted answers, goddamn it. Still, he wasn't sure if he was angry about his situation or just disappointed. He wasn't sure what he was expecting to gain, either, from asking about his parents. He knew if they really were special, they would've been able to see him at any time in his life. Still, he couldn't help but to grasp for straws, hoping he's wrong about this.
"We don't know who your parents are, but we do know which House you hail from," Achlys said, tentatively, as Blake listened in closely for what she said, hopeful. "Fourteen years ago, a Lost Realm — A realm that was sealed during the Sealing — released a beam into this dimension, and from it, a baby came forth. That baby, is you, Blake. You escaped the Sealing, from House Orpheus of the Shadow Realm… I can sense your connection to the Shadow Realm, because I am connected to the Shadow Realm — At least my House is… I've never been, but a Blood Pact of Eternal Subservience to your house was made millennia ago by my ancestors — And Cimon's, too, of course — and I can feel the pact reactivate the moment I met you."
"We both did," Cimon nodded.
Blake began wondering if they were really cousins at that moment. He was certain that they most likely weren't, but, considering he's grown so used to calling them his cousins, he was certain that he'd still continue to call them that. They were family, even if they weren't related by blood.
With a silent nod to himself, Blake suddenly thought of something. "You said this House Luminaris would be willing to help me because of my identity? Does that mean they took that Blood Pact of Subservience, too? But you said they were a Great House, how does that work?"
"House Orpheus is one of, if not the greatest house to ever exist in its prime, Blake," Achlys state. "It has had numerous great houses under it's banner. It just happens House Luminaris was — is — one of those houses. That, and many other noble houses that escaped the Sealing."
Blake was perplexed. What was this 'Sealing' she kept speaking of? How did it relate to Blake? And would House Luminaris really help him?
Blake was about to ask these when Achlys spoke. "We don't know which one of your parents is a god, but we do know they must be quite powerful. The aura of Shadow Realm around you has always been strong, even before you awakened your bloodline earlier today. Your godly parent, and, likely, your mortal parent, too, most likely were both quite powerful in the element of Darkness and Shadows. Either way, you're very powerful, and as a result, they must be very powerful."
"Power always has a cost, Blake," Cimon said, looking at Blake through the rearview. "However strong your parent are, their enemies will be just as strong, perhaps, and they'll focus on you to get to them. These Chaos Hounds are just the beginning. It's likely someone will send an even greater force to hunt you down. When that happens, I'd be better off to know that we're under House Luminaris protection."
"But what does any of this have to do with me!? Ugh!" exclaimed a frustrated Blake, clutching his temples. "This isn't fair! Why do I have to deal with bastards that pissed my parents off!?"
"That's just the nature of the cultivating world, Blake," Cimon said simply. "Our parents' enemies become ours and our enemies become our parents and our houses, if you're lucky enough to be born in one, that is."
"House Luminaris will protect you," Achlus repeated, almost to comfort herself. "They'll have the numbers and manpower to help, and they'll be compelled to because of who you are and the Eternal Blood Pact their ancestors made. We just need to get to their estate."
"You're a demigod, Blake," Cimon said, once again. "And a legacy of one of the most powerful houses to ever exist…. Sadly, there's not much information regarding it that we have that's still valid. Our house escaped the Sealing, thousands of years ago. We're not sure of the state of House Orpheus, but maybe, with you, we can find out…".
"Whatever, let's just hurr—," Blake began, but was cut off by a loud shrill. He was annoyed but he didn't get the chance to say anything to it as suddenly the car lurched, startling the trio.
"My baby!" Achlys exclaimed, crying fiercely just as the car squealed on its wheels and hit a giant boulder. "She's ok, she's ok, she's okay." She said, as if to comfort herself.
The trio had just had time to process the crash when the back door was ripped from the hinges and Blake was dragged out of the car by a claw of hands, just in time to hear Achlys saying "Not the side door! My baby girl!"
Blake was tossed across the ground like a chew toy, by huge, red-furred, apparitions of claws, as the Chaos hound launched at him, trying to pry him open and bite his head off.
Before it could, though, Cimon had already had his spear in its skull and had killed it before it hit the ground.
Getting up, Blake studied his surroundings. There were sparse woods all around him on the dual lane roads. And, from the base of these trees and the road around them red apparition of dogs the size of wolves eyed them like food. He counted roughly 25 of these chaos hounds, and, as Achlys arrived beside them, eyeing these red canines like they broke her favorite toy[A/N: They did], Achlys summoned a black long scythe into her hands, with intricate designs and patterns on its shaft and a dark silver blade on it. It radiated a deathly purple energy.
"BAD DOGS!" she shouted as a warcry. "You FUCKED up my CAR!"
Blake barely had time to grab the discarded car door to use as a shield before she appeared before the first chaos hound, slicing it to dust.
The battle had just begun.