CHAPTER 198: CHAPTER 198: UNSULLIED

Chapter 198 – Unsullied

The room was filled with unspoken tension.

Compared to the last one where there was nothing out of the ordinary, the room they were in now was big enough to fit an entire training camp without any problem whatsoever.

There were five big beds covered with bedsheets made of the finest fabric — comfortable, durable — and each of them had a color and mood that defined its owner. The ceiling was light grey, and embedded into it was a chandelier that exuded a light soft enough to illuminate the whole room in its gentle embrace.

The floor was made of hard stone, so smooth that one wrong footing and you might find yourself crashing down, your hand rubbing your back and cursing about how much it ached.

In one corner stood a desk made of hard metal, intricate like a modern one, with a chair tucked beneath. On it was a candle where a small whisper of blue flame flickered. A desk never used.

There was also a kitchen. And you would never believe who used it the most — or rather, the only one who used it...

Tristan, the Coward.

That guy could have been named a six-star chef in any big restaurant back on Earth. He was so good that Saul had to hold himself back from beating his ass every time he got on his nerves.

In short, cooking was Tristan’s alibi. He could make the nastiest jokes at your expense, then promise you a meal, and you would forgive him.

That’s how sneaky Tristan was.

There was also a bathroom, big enough to fit all of them together at once but of course, they would never do that, especially with a girl among them.

Matter of fact, Maryam always had priority when it came to bathing. The boys gave her all the time she needed.

And you already know...when a woman enters a bathroom, you might as well go find another chore, because before she comes out, you’ll have more than enough time to finish it.

Their place was undoubtedly a fine one to live in. They had everything they needed and more. That was the benefit of climbing the ranks.

But right now, this room was like a graveyard at night — no one wanted to speak, no one even wanted to breathe, afraid of awakening some forgotten ancestor.

Zaki sat at the edge of his bed, his hands gripping his head as thoughts ran in dizzying circles inside his mind.

They had no choice but to fight, but doing so recklessly, without a plan, would be suicide.

Winning or losing wasn’t the real question, here.

Zaki absolutely believed they could win. No matter what.

Granted, belief alone would not make it true, even for him. If the difference in power was too great, it would turn into nothing but megalomania. And that...wouldn’t work.

Everything had limits.

But Zaki knew they had the strength to stand against Sharky’s group. What worried him was the Master behind Sharky.

Masters were the ones who chose the Games, who kept this underground system running and self-sufficient.

Which meant they were powerful. Either in influence and money, in strength...or in both.

And Zaki and his group would rather not have someone like that coming after them. If they did, they would die.

Without any doubt.

"I don’t want to die," Tristan said, his voice trembling with dread. His face was already slick with sweat, his eyes darting frantically as if searching for a way out of this mess.

No one answered him. By now they were used to his cowardly acts.

"Do any of you have ideas?" Zaki asked under his breath.

"You can let me—!"

"I’d prefer ideas that don’t involve you offering yourself to them, Maryam." Zaki cut her off briskly, already knowing where she was going.

She wanted to sacrifice herself to Sharky’s group and spare them the fight.

But...

"Little girl, just stay put. We’ll solve this," Azad said with a reassuring smile.

Saul gave her a lazy glance, then raised his thumb — painfully slowly — before nodding.

"Y-Yes! Don’t go, how would I heal then?" Of course, that could only be Tristan’s words.

Maryam bit down on her lip as she saw all the boys shouldering the burden with her. She could see it in their eyes that none of them blamed her, none of them carried resentment for the situation.

Her eyes shimmered, and she quickly turned her head aside, wiping the tears already falling. But her body trembled as emotions bubbled like boiling water inside her chest, her throat dry as the urge to cry overwhelmed her senses.

She tried to stop herself...

But she couldn’t.

The more she wanted to stop, the faster the tears came. Soon Maryam was choking on her breath, gurgling as tears streamed down like a waterfall.

"I-I’m sorry! I didn’t want to cry...sorry..!" she sobbed, her voice broken as she desperately tried to wipe her tears away, apologizing for ruining the moment with her endless crying.

The boys looked at her, their hearts filled with something indescribable, something they all shared in that moment.

Only one thought echoed.

How can they let such a pure and unsullied woman fall into the hands of those sharks?

They couldn’t. They wouldn’t.

It didn’t matter if they had to face a Master.

It didn’t matter if their lives turned into hell.

It didn’t matter if they might die and lose everything they held dear.

No. It didn’t.

In this nightmarish place where lives were livestock, disposable. In this lamentable place where human beings with emotions, wills, and goals were reduced to objects of entertainment. In this wretched place that twisted even the most honorable man into the most despicable—

A being like Maryam was rare.

And so...she was worth protecting.

After all, whether they admitted it or not, whether they realized it or not...Maryam was like the holy star shining bright in their tenebrous nightmare.

They couldn’t afford to lose that light.

They all stood and approached Maryam in unison.

Zaki crouched in front of her, looking directly into her tear and snot-streaked face. He gently took her hands.

He chuckled.

"You’re such a crybaby, Maryam."

"Yes, don’t steal my place. I’m supposed to be the crybaby here," Tristan said, settling at her right side.

"Yes," Saul added simply, standing at her left. A softie at heart.

"Little girl, don’t cry. Before they even get to you, they’ll have to step over our corpses first," Azad said, his voice warm and lighthearted.

"And even then...we’ll drag them down with us, straight to the deepest pit of hell," Tristan growled, his expression ferocious.

The room fell silent immediately. Everyone turned to him — even Maryam — their eyes wide with shock, as if they couldn’t believe Tristan had said those words.

"Is this a dream? Pinch me."

"Well, I must be getting old, because I’m hearing nonsense."

"Did I cry so much I’m hallucinating?"

"Damn."

Tristan’s lips twitched as he turned his head away.

"No one can let me act cool anymore..." he muttered under his breath, making the group burst into laughter, the previous tense and forlorn atmosphere disappearing suddenly like a mist.

They might face disaster in the future. Something that could break them. Something that could shatter them into thousands of pieces.

Yes, all of that was possible.

But still...

They had each other. And they would endure every ordeal ahead.

All for their goal.

Yes...

They had to.

...

Darklore — Elamin’s Territory.

Elsewhere...

Inside an open training ground with the floors made of elemental stones that glowed with multiple colors, two beautiful women — eerily similar — stood face to face, their expressions serious and sharp.

"If you want to go back to Fokay, then you’ll have to impress me first." Mayari’s voice carried its usual sternness as her violet eyes crackled with subtle lightning, making them even more menacing.

Meris only nodded. Her expression was cold as ice itself.

That was her training mode.

Mayari smiled as she lifted a finger and pointed to the sky.

"Come. I’ll go easy on you, my daughter."

She grinned. And then, the once-clear sky of the training ground darkened instantly, purple clouds swelling overhead as lightning danced within them like serpents coiling viciously around their prey.

"Fall."

Mayari’s voice rang out like that of a calamitous goddess.

Instantly, a bolt of purple lightning hissed through the air, scorching it as it fell, burning the sky itself before it struck Meris mercilessly.

A roar of impact followed, a cloud of dust rising, lightning sizzling through it as the ground shook under the blow.

—End of Chapter 198—