BAB3 -Chapter 30

# Chapter 30: Best Laid Plans

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Omar stood beneath the same sky again, but somehow, it was even darker. The endless glade wasn’t silent either.

The holy tree was farther away than it had ever been, and its glowing bark flashed rapidly, almost screaming in warning.

The moon loomed larger than ever, hanging overhead with the darkest red maleficence he had seen yet.

The air was sour, the wind dead. Screeches and howls echoed from every direction.

They were already here.

Thousands. Tens of thousands. Maybe even hundreds of thousands of grotesque creatures covered the glade.

But what drew Omar’s attention was something new and more horrible than the others, floating in the sky, silhouetted against the red glow of the moon.

Its body resembled a large tiger, but it was covered in dark, scaly flesh, and a long, serpentine tail extended several dozen feet behind it.

Its eyes were completely black, glowing with an eerie, malevolent light.

Most terrifying of all was its round, disturbingly human face. It was stretched too tight over bone, and framed by a pair of curling red tusks.

The creature turned its gaze toward Omar, locking eyes with a terrifying intelligence.

Then it grinned, wide, far too wide, revealing rows and rows of razor-sharp teeth.

**”Soon.”**

It whispered in a voice that should never be heard by human ears—a vile, discordant sound that was both far away and infinitely close.

A deep, visceral fear gripped Omar as his nose, eyes, and ears bled profusely. It was more overwhelming than anything he had ever felt.

Omar nearly strangled himself awake, gasping for air. He had been so afraid, that he’d completely stopped breathing.

Omar lay on the ground, quivering and panting. The image of that face was seared into his memory.

He could see it whether his eyes were open or closed.

When he reached up to touch his face, he realized he was crying. He’d done a lot of that over the past few weeks.

“Quiet,” Piper hissed from next to him in their little tent.

Omar quickly covered his mouth, stifling the sound.

It was still early morning, and the two of them were holed up in a small, damp cave.

They’d had to leave the commune after the others had gone crazy.

A sickness had swept through, taking many lives. Then the last few survivors turned on Piper, blaming her for everything.

Omar still couldn’t understand it.

Bert, Res, Duncan, even little Pete. All of them had attacked Piper. And when Omar tried to calm things down, they turned on him, too.

Piper saved him. But she had to kill them all.

Magic, techniques, and blood flew in every direction. Half the crops were razed, and the surviving beasts of burden fled in a trampling stampede.

It had been awful.

The sickness hadn’t taken Omar, but late at night, when he was alone with his thoughts in the dark, he felt like it had.

The life he knew had completely ended in his commune.

Now, Piper was all Omar had in this world—they were all each other had.

By some stroke of luck, the trader Ethan had passed through and happened to have travel-ready supplies on him.

Omar didn’t know what Piper traded for them, but he was grateful. Without the commune, they wouldn’t have lasted long out here in the Wilds.

Ethan had moved on, but Piper and Omar were headed to the big city, where Piper was from originally.

Omar had never been, and he wanted to be excited about it.

He really did.

But it was hard not to think about his friends.. the elder.. his father.. everyone.

Piper rolled over, and Omar gasped, trying to hold back another wave of tears.

Between the dreams, he hadn’t been getting much sleep. And now, with that new monster—Omar shuddered just thinking about it.

He hoped they would get better as he got further from the holy tree, but that hadn’t happened yet.

Omar inhaled a long, shaky breath.

He didn’t want to slow Piper down. He didn’t want her to leave him.

No matter what, he couldn’t lose her too.

***

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Seated behind his desk on the top floor of the Morwen Industries building, Anton Morwen, CEO, watched an info display on the wall.

*1,763,738 Active Users.*

The NeuroSync install base had grown to more than a third of New Meridian’s total population.

Morwen Industries had given nearly 75% of them away for free—to Awakened with C-rank or lower Sphere Skills, to members of the now-defunct Humanity First, to police officers, and to individuals within the city government.

The A.S.I.U. had officially rejected the offer, but several of their officers had still quietly signed up on their own.

Morwen Industries had even sponsored conspiracy news and garbage influencer streams to advertise the product every chance they could.

The populace ate it all up.

In other words, Desmond Knight’s distribution scheme had worked.

The only problem? The number hadn’t gone up even once in the past week.

“I believe this is what they call a saturated market,” Siren said lazily, sitting across from Anton with his feet propped up on the desk.

The man was styled as a liaison for Desmond Knight while he was out of town, but Anton had never seen such cold, calculating bloodlust in the gaze of anyone he’d ever met before.

Anton would never admit it, but Siren unnerved even him.

Over the last few months, Anton had spared no expense in cultivating his level.

He’d rented out dungeons, purchased rare aids and reagents, and refined several Essence Shards and Essence Stones.

Now at Level 36, Anton had undergone his second awakening, and his Sphere Skill had evolved into *Giant Berserker*.

***Giant Berserker (Striker Sphere) (S-Rank)** - Giant warrior who thrives in battle and bloodshed, growing stronger through pain and fury.*

Even if Siren was unnerving, Anton feared no one. He was confident he could crush anyone who stood in his way.

He exhaled a short, harsh breath of yellow vapor.

“Then we move forward,” Anton said, his finger hovering over the big red button he’d had installed in his desk for this very occasion.

Siren tilted his head back and forth noncommittally. “You could..”

Anton’s eyes narrowed. “..Or what?”

“Well, there’s something coming in the next few days that might make things a bit easier for you,” Siren said, grinning maliciously.

“Spit it out, cad,” Anton snapped.

Siren snorted, completely unfazed. “What do you know about Blood Moons?”

***

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Virgil Diamond sat in the back seat of his luxury stretch hovercraft, flanked on both sides by his six Lavinias.

“Lavinia Five, continue your report,” he ordered.

“After Dante extracted the partial location, we investigated,” she said in her dead, robotic voice.

Over the last few weeks, his Lavinias had confirmed that his failed nieces were no longer in the city. They’d last been seen leaving a Quantium Boutique.

Normally, Virgil wouldn’t have cared to keep looking. He’d just assumed they’d die out in the Wilds.

But when he learned that the boy had gone with them.. and then returned without them.. his interest piqued.

Clearly, the boy had attempted to hide them, but it was where he’d hidden them that truly caught Virgil’s attention.

“We discovered a mountain range nearly eight hundred miles out,” Lavinia Five continued.

“It was fully concealed by a powerful barrier. Several individuals were scouted around the base of multiple mountains. Our teams were unable to get a clear view of any peaks, nor could they breach the barrier.”

They were en route to said mountain range now.

Despite himself, Virgil was excited. Some mountain folk had created a stronghold just outside his city.

Apparently, the barrier surrounding it could repel high-level monsters and even dissuade Awakened from investigating.

Reports said it made scouts feel disoriented—some got lost, some developed migraines, and others simply turned back without realizing why.

It was perfect.

Virgil intended to seize the stronghold for the Diamond Group.

There, he could operate beyond the scrutiny of the other Big 5 members, bring the mountain dwellers under his control, interrogate his hiding nieces, and maybe even produce a few more Lavinias in the process.

He might actually thank the boy when they finally met. After all, he’d dropped a golden opportunity right at Virgil’s feet.

Virgil inhaled deeply, a broad smile stretching across his face. “Conquest feels good in the morning.”

He didn’t have a care in the world. He was Level 70, and each of his Lavinias clocked in at Level 60.

There was nothing the mountain folk could do to stop them.

They reached their destination in a little under three and a half hours, never stopping once to take a break.

Virgil stepped out with a gleeful grin, floating casually up the side of the shimmering golden barrier.

Before he could launch a probing attack, a small hole opened in the protection—and out stepped an old man in burnt orange robes.

His pale white eyebrows hung down to his shoulders, and his matching beard reached even farther.

“And how might I help you, traveler?” the old man asked, calmly stroking his beard.

He was clearly Awakened, but his level was either only in the mid 30s, or he had an outrageous control over his aura.

Virgil’s grin widened. “Ah, elder of the mountain folk. You see, my lovely twin nieces have been kidnapped, and I’m on a mission to rescue them.”

Virgil lowered his gaze, shaking his head with a pained expression. “My investigation has led me to this most impressive barrier of yours. Might I come in to have a look around?”

“Kidnapped, you say?” the old man repeated, eyeing the Lavinias lined up behind Virgil. “How awful. And what might the names of these children be?”

“Sasha and Sophia Diamond. I myself am Virgil Diamond,” he replied, his voice oozing false innocence. “They mean the world to me, and I just want them home safe.”

The old man nodded thoughtfully, his fingers continuing to slowly stroke his long beard. “I understand your concern. Mistreated children are something I personally cannot abide.”

“I’m glad you agree,” Virgil said, floating a little closer. “Now, if you’d kindly allow me to continue my search.”

“One last question, if I may,” the old man interrupted gently.

Virgil’s smile faltered, and his fist clenched, but he forced it open. “Of course. Anything.”

“The kidnapper..” the old man said slowly, “wouldn’t happen to be a brat about this tall?” He gestured with his hand. “Braided hair? Keeps an interesting little draconic creature around?”

Virgil’s face darkened. “Alright, enough games, old man. Open the barrier, or I’ll tear it down myself.” He huffed. “I was aiming to keep my new stronghold intact, but if you built it once, I’m sure you can build it again.”

“Ah,” the old man said, his eyes twinkling. “There it is—your true colors. No. I will not be opening this barrier.”

As he spoke, four women stepped out from behind the shimmering wall, dressed in similar robes in different colors.

Three of them radiated power—high 60s, easily—but the last, the shortest one didn’t seem Awakened at all.

Virgil gritted his teeth in annoyance. The high-level warriors would be a challenge, sure, but not insurmountable.

If they lacked proper psionic defenses, it would be over before they even knew what hit them.

But then the old man released his aura.

The pressure of an Awakened beyond Level 80 slammed into Virgil like a collapsing star, driving him down mid-air.

In that instant, Virgil felt it all—flames of death, chains of despair, the shadows of vast, soul-rending loss.

He barely managed to activate *Self Bastion*. His mental defense technique cut through the crushing waves of killing intent.

Panting, he steadied himself. “You’re going to pay for that, you old—”

He didn’t get to finish.

Something slammed into the side of his head, launching him like a missile into the ground below. The impact left a crater, dust and debris exploding into the air.

Virgil staggered to his feet, his vision swimming.

*Was that.. a rolling pin?* He blinked hard.

They must’ve slipped past his mental defenses with some kind of illusion technique.

But when he looked up, what he saw made him even more confused.

The three Awakened women were holding off his Lavinias with ease. They weren’t even using techniques, just.. martial arts?

One of his Lavinias hit the ground hard, clutching her midsection. Another stumbled back, dazed.

None of the robed women had even broken a sweat.

The old man who’d dropped his aura hadn’t moved yet either.

And the non-Awakened woman was.. gone?

Then came the footsteps.

Slow, deliberate footsteps, heavy enough to rattle the fractured ground beneath him.

Through the dust, a figure emerged. A short old woman with wide hips and thicker thighs, marching forward with the calm certainty of a judge.

She thumped an actual rolling pin into her palm as she spoke.

“You come to invade my home with slaves,” she said in the tone of a disappointed grandmother. “You lie. You insult my husband. Insult the honor of his Tudi.”

Virgil thought he heard a disapproving grunt come from somewhere, but he couldn’t focus on it.

The old woman stepped closer, far faster than any non-Awakened should’ve been able to move.

“And worst of all,” her voice hardened, “there are two young women huddled in my kitchen right now, scared out of their minds. All because of you.”

Virgil steadied himself and activated *Mind Sever*—one of his most devastating techniques.

***Mind Sever** - Perform a mental lobotomy on the mind of an enemy with psychic force.*

It was an evolved form of *Mind Spike*, but far more potent, designed to sever cognitive function and leave only a drooling husk behind.

It struck.

But the old woman didn’t even flinch. She just kept walking.

Virgil’s mind went blank. He had no idea what he was looking at. She had no aura. No pressure. There was no sense of power radiating from her at all.

“How..?”

He tried to ask, but in his confusion, he hadn’t realized she was already standing in front of him, her hand resting directly over his core.

“I hope you enjoyed your visit to my home, Mr. Diamond,” she said, her voice matronly, yet grave. “You will not be leaving.”

She did something.

Virgil couldn’t block it; he could barely even follow it.

A foreign heat surged into his body, flooding his core.

And then—nothing.

Everything went entirely black.

***

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Once Xiu destroyed the would-be conqueror’s core, the six girls who had come with him dropped like puppets with their strings cut.

Grandmaster Wu caught them with golden platforms, shaking his head.

His wives moved quickly to tend to them. Each was still alive, just unconscious. Hopefully, his people would be able to help them.

From what Grandmaster Wu could tell, none of the girls had been in control of their own bodies for a very long time.

He sighed, glancing toward the cloudy horizon, toward New Meridian.

*Avarice and cruelty have toppled many powerful men.. but in this complicated world we live in, they can attract things far, far worse.*

*Be safe, brat. I fear the challenges ahead will be beyond anything you’ve faced before.*

“Thinking about your Tudi again?” Mei asked, floating up beside him, her fan half-covering her smile.

“What?” he snapped. “Of course not. Come on, let’s get these girls inside.”

Mei gave a low, knowing chuckle. “Of course.”

After a moment, Grandmaster Wu finally realized what he’d just said.

“That brat isn’t my Tudi!”