CHAPTER 301: OLD MEN ASSEMBLE (PLUS ME)

We walked toward the spot where I had left the unconscious bodies of Grey and Bruno.

Arkas glanced at them and asked, "They were inside that realm?"

"Yes. Both of them should know some valuable details about the Holts’ plans."

He nodded and casually waved his hand. Their bodies floated into the air, suspended by his control.

Then he pulled a dark cloak from his ring and handed it to me.

"Here. Wear this. We don’t want the Holts getting any hint that you’re back."

I took the cloak, draped it over my clothes, and pulled the hood over my head. But I couldn’t help asking,

"Didn’t our little sky-duel already draw too much attention?"

Arkas gave a small smirk. "Don’t worry. That’ll be handled."

I shrugged and nodded. A second later, he placed a hand on my shoulder—

BOOM.

In a blink, we crossed the city, soaring high above it like a bolt of lightning.

Arkas’s flight speed was at least three to four times faster than mine. The world blurred around us until, moments later, we landed inside a heavily fortified military base.

Without delay, we teleported again, straight into the Military Headquarters in the capital.

I took a deep breath and looked around. This was my first time here.

The chamber I stood in was circular, wide and towering, its grey stone walls stretching up high. The air inside was dense, saturated with a quiet thrum of Essence that pulsed through the air. The entire room felt alive, like I’d stepped into the lung of some ancient machine.

Around me, eight teleportation circles were carved into the stone floor. They varied in size—two small, two medium, two large, and two massive—arranged symmetrically in a widening ring from the center outward.

There was only one exit, a single arched doorway built into the stone wall.

And right beside that door, barely reacting to our arrival, sat an old man in a leaning wooden chair.

He didn’t look like any soldier. Dressed in loose, faded robes, he had a full head of white hair and a wrinkled face buried in the pages of a book.

I caught the title as we walked past: Loneliness is a Blessing.

He didn’t glance at us. Didn’t move. Just flipped a page with one hand, lost in whatever world he was reading.

I wanted to ask Arkas who he was, but he didn’t speak and neither did we.

We stepped through the archway and came outside.

And only then did I realize we were inside a tower.

The circular structure stood at the center of a vast square field, paved with hexagonal tiles and surrounded by a tall perimeter wall. Soldiers in light armor patrolled the boundary in synchronized patterns.

Before I could fully take in the surroundings, Arkas placed a hand on my shoulder again—and we shot forward, flying through the night sky.

I had expected the royal palace, maybe a towering hall or something dripping in gold and grandeur. But instead, we landed in a quiet garden.

And standing ahead of us, casually sipping from a bottle, was Edgar.

He spotted us and grinned widely.

"Well, look who’s here."

He strolled over and clapped my shoulder with surprising strength.

"You did good, kid. Really good. Once you figured out..."—he leaned in and whispered—"that the Ferans were involved in this mess, you ended up saving my hide. I owe you one."

I blinked, confused. I wasn’t exactly sure how anything I did saved him, but I wasn’t going to argue about a favor from Edgar. So I just nodded and replied.

"It was my duty, Edgar—as a soldier of the Empire."

He chuckled, then glanced at Arkas. His expression shifted, becoming sharper.

"Mind your manners with him."

I turned to Arkas, surprised. Was he talking to Arkas? Asking him to be respectful?

Arkas let out a snort and didn’t bother responding.

Edgar put the bottle in his storage ring, then pulled out a vial of perfume and sprayed it generously on himself. The scent of fresh flowers hit my nose instantly.

He winked.

"Office hours. Can’t be smelling like liquor."

I smiled faintly. "Don’t worry. I didn’t see a thing."

He gave me a finger-gun. "Smart man. You’ll go far."

I shook my head at the old man’s antics.

Just then, the wind stirred in front of us. A controlled swirl of air condensed into a figure, sharp and precise.

Damien.

The Emperor’s bodyguard stood before us, his posture like drawn steel. His gaze locked on me.

"Nice to meet you, Billion Ironhart."

I straightened a little and replied, "Nice to meet you as well, sir."

He gave a small nod and simply said, "Let’s go."

Before I could respond, a teleportation circle lit up beneath our feet and in the blink of an eye, the garden vanished.

I reappeared inside a well-lit chamber. It wasn’t the royal throne room or some vast ceremonial hall. Just a modest, elegant space with a circular wooden table in the center, surrounded by several simple chairs.

Only one of them was occupied.

The Emperor sat casually, sipping from a glass.

He looked exactly like the images I’d seen in the news. A middle-aged man—at least in appearance. Younger than Arkas, Edgar, or even Damien. Yet I knew he was older than all of them.

He wore a plain white shirt tucked into tailored black pants. His black eyes were clear and watchful, his clean-shaven face square and sharp beneath a crown of neatly brushed white hair.

I stood a little straighter and let my presence extend slightly beyond my body, a subconscious signal of respect and caution.

He set his glass down and turned to us.

"You’re here. Come, sit."

Arkas and Edgar immediately bowed. I followed their lead and gave the Emperor a proper bow of my own.

We stepped forward. I was just about to pull out a random chair when Damien moved ahead and pulled one out for me.

"Here," he said.

It was the chair directly across from the Emperor.

I nodded and sat down, never taking my eyes off him. Edgar settled to my left, Arkas to my right, and Damien returned to his post behind the Emperor like a silent shadow.

I gathered myself and quietly expanded my perception throughout the room. It swept over Edgar and Arkas, then touched the Emperor... and Damien.

No reaction.

I relaxed—slightly.

But then, to my right, a small ripple pulsed through space.

I glanced over quickly. No one was there, but both Edgar and Arkas stiffened at the same time.

My eyes narrowed. Whoever it was... they didn’t want to be seen yet. But I wasn’t the only one who noticed.

A second later, the space unraveled, and a man stepped through.

Cassian Dorey.

General of the entire Imperial Army.

He bowed to the Emperor with a crisp nod, then sat down in one of the empty chairs. His sharp eyes landed on me instantly.

I gave him a polite smile and nodded back, trying not to look as awkward as I felt.

So far, I had met three of the most powerful humans alive in the span of minutes.

And the night... wasn’t over yet.