CHAPTER 142: THE NEXT ADVENTURE

Valeriana and Zayne stepped into the dilapidated main building. The air was heavy, thick with ash and the lingering smell of burnt flesh.

Outside, the knights were already fanning out under Valeriana’s command—searching every building, every ruined hall, and every gateway other than the one Zayne and the adventurers had come from.

Inside the corridor, what was once a majestic structure was now a graveyard. Bodies of black-masked men lay sprawled across the cracked floors, walls stained dark with soot and blood.

Valeriana slowed her steps when she caught sight of an open room. She stepped closer and froze. The scene inside made her stomach twist—corpses of the victims, people who had been experimented on. And among them, bodies of black-masked men, brutally cut down.

Zayne glanced at her from the side. "Yeah... these are the ones who were doing the experiments. Those three adventurers killed them."

Valeriana clenched her fists. Her voice dropped low. "These people... children too..."

Zayne didn’t answer. He just kept walking.

They moved deeper in, toward the leader’s chamber—but as they turned a corner, a faint red glow flickered from the end of the hall.

Smoke.

"Oh, hell no..." Zayne muttered, eyes widening. He immediately broke into a run.

"Zayne—!" Valeriana followed close behind.

They reached the room, and the sight made both of them stop.

The entire chamber was ablaze—swirling with blood-red and orange flames. The walls melted into glowing black.

Zayne’s expression turned awkward and he awkwardly laugh. "Crap... this must’ve happened when I threw him. Guess that’s where he landed..."

Valeriana’s gaze swept the room. "All the evidence—burned."

But Zayne suddenly smiled faintly. "Not everything."

He raised his hand. A bright blue magic circle spun into existence above his palm. From it, a sphere of water formed and shot into the center of the fire.

The orb burst, releasing a wave of steam as the flames hissed and died out instantly.

When the smoke cleared, something half-burned lay beneath the ash—a fragment of paper, now wet due to Zayne’s water magic.

Zayne walked forward, picked it up, and lifted his palm again.

This time, two magic circles appeared—one green, one orange, spinning together. From the intersection between them, a stream of warm wind flowed out, carefully drying the soaked page.

Valeriana said nothing... but her eyes widened slightly. Dual parallel circle magic—and he used two different elements in perfect balance.

Zayne turned, holding the page toward her. "Here, Captain."

She took it carefully. Despite being burnt around the edges, enough of it remained legible.

Her eyes scanned the writing—faint, but clear enough to read fragments:

Organization: The Vassel

Name: Darron Vekal

Position: Fief Holder

Below that, more words could be deciphered—

Two lower ranks: Watcher and The Forsaken.

Above the Fief Holder were two higher ranks: Bonded Vassals.

And above them all... the true leaders, the Vassal Lords.

Valeriana’s expression hardened. "So that’s what they call themselves..."

Zayne looked at her, his tone quiet but sharp. "Then that means Darron wasn’t even at the top."

Valeriana nodded slowly. "No. Just a middle piece in something much bigger."

Zayne smirked faintly. "Well then... looks like this just got interesting."

Valeriana’s expression darkened as she stared at the half-burned paper in her hand.

"This is... a big issue," she muttered, her tone heavy. "An unknown organization kidnapping people and carrying out these dark experiments right under our nose—for who knows how long..."

She glanced toward the ruined walls, then back at the paper. "And to add to that, this was just a sub-branch. Not even a branch... a sub-branch. Just how big is this organization supposed to be?"

Zayne chuckled quietly beside her. "Heh... looks like you’re going to have a lot of paperwork and meetings now, Captain."

Valeriana shot him a side-eye glare. "Don’t call me Captain. I’m not your captain."

Zayne raised his hands playfully. "But you said not to call you Val either."

She sighed and shook her head, brushing a few strands of white hair from her face. "You know what? Do whatever you want."

Zayne grinned. "So that means I can call you Val."

She turned away, walking toward the exit with an exasperated wave of her hand. "Whatever. Just come on."

Zayne smirked as he followed. "Okay, Val."

They stepped out of the ruined building, the sunlight from the twin suns spilling over the wrecked underground base.

Several knights stood waiting, saluting as Valeriana emerged.

"Captain!" one of them reported, bowing slightly.

Valeriana’s composure returned instantly—sharp, commanding. "Status report. Any leads? Any evidence?"

The knight shook his head grimly. "None, Captain. The broken buildings contain only basic provisions—food, water, medicine. Nothing else of use. As for the teleportation gateways, all of them have been destroyed. Severed connections, no mana trail left. The black-masked men stationed there... appear to have taken their own lives after destroying the arrays."

Valeriana’s eyes narrowed, her jaw tightening. "So they wiped everything clean... even themselves."

She clenched her fist. "No information. No survivors on their side. Nothing but a damn name and their ranks."

Her voice dropped low, laced with frustration. "Damn it."

Zayne crossed his arms, eyes glinting faintly in the orange light. "Guess they really didn’t want anyone following their trail."

Valeriana exhaled slowly, her expression firm once more. "But still we have to find them. This is not normal.. "

Valeriana exhaled, regaining her composure. "Anyway—more mages have arrived with the floating platforms," she said, turning to look toward the large circular disks descending through the open ceiling. Each glowed faintly blue, runes pulsing along their edges as they hovered in the air. "We’ll take all the survivors out of here. Everyone, get them grouped in tens and twenties."

Her order was followed instantly. One by one, survivors were guided onto the platforms, the mages controlling their ascent with precision. Slowly, the ruined underground base began to empty—people rising toward the surface in waves.

After a while, only a handful remained—Valeriana, her two knights, Daxon’s party, and Zayne and some survivors .

Another platform drifted down from above, guided by a female mage with short blonde hair and a calm face. "Captain! Get on."

Valeriana turned to the others. "You heard her. All of you—get on."

Daxon nodded. "Alright."

He helped Cassynne and Lyria step onto the glowing platform, followed by Valeriana and her two knights. The runes beneath them shimmered, humming softly as it prepared to rise.

Valeriana looked back over her shoulder. "What are you doing? Come on!"

Zayne raised a hand lazily. "Nah. I can handle this myself. Just wanted to make sure everyone else got up safely."

And before she could reply, his body began to lift from the ground—no spell circle visible, just smooth, controlled levitation. He rose beside them, hands in his pockets, completely calm.

Daxon and the others didn’t even blink—they’d already seen what he could do.

But Valeriana’s eyes widened slightly, surprise slipping through her usual stoic mask.

He knows flight magic too...? she thought. That’s not something many can manage. Even those with great power struggle with it.

Her two knights exchanged brief glances, equally astonished.

As the floating platforms rose toward the light of the twin suns, the survivors looked up from above, whispering among themselves in awe at the sight of the man who had saved them literally walking through the air beside the knights.

Moments later, they all reached the ground.

The sunlight was warm, the air finally free from the oppressive stench of smoke and blood.

Daxon let out a deep breath. "Finally... out of that hellhole."

Cassynne nodded, stretching her arms with a weak laugh. "I thought I’d never see sunlight again."

Lyria stood a few steps behind them, silent. Relief washed over her face, but so did something else—shame.

Her thoughts spun bitterly. I was planning to steal from him...

She looked toward Zayne, who was now landing softly beside Valeriana, hands still in his coat pockets, his calm smile unfazed by all that had happened.

As if I could ever have taken anything from someone like that.

Zayne dusted off his coat, brushing away some dirt and ash. "Well," he said, tone casual, "now that everyone’s out, I suppose I can go."

He turned, clearly ready to vanish into the distance.

"Not so fast, Mister," Valeriana’s sharp voice cut through the air.

Zayne paused mid-step and turned back, his usual half-smile tugging at his lips. "Hmm?"

Valeriana’s expression was unreadable, though her eyes gleamed sharply—ocean-blue with a faint emerald tint that always carried authority. She looked not only at him but also at Daxon, Cassynne, and Lyria, who stood a few feet behind, still catching their breath.

"The survivors will be taken to the nearest city for medical care," Valeriana began, voice steady and commanding. "From there, they’ll be escorted to their respective hometowns. My knights will see to it personally."

She took a step closer, her heavy silver armor glinting faintly in the sunlight.

"But you four—" her gaze lingered briefly on Zayne "—will come with me."

Daxon blinked. "W–with you? Why?"

Lyria frowned. "We just finished all this... can’t we go our home ?"

Valeriana folded her arms, her tone turning more formal. "This incident isn’t something that can be dismissed as a simple quest. A hidden base, belonging to a large unknown organization, was operating under the nose of our kingdom."

Her voice carried weight now—official, precise, like a soldier speaking before a council.

"I must report this to my division chief—and to His Majesty himself."

Zayne watched her quietly, his expression calm, almost amused.

Valeriana’s eyes flicked to him, narrowing slightly. "And since you four were the ones who discovered this place, saved the survivors, and destroyed the base... your presence will be required during the report."

Cassynne muttered under her breath, "So we’re witnesses now."

Valeriana nodded once. "Exactly. Witnesses to an event that might turn into a kingdom-scale investigation."

She turned on her heel, her long white hair swaying slightly as she began walking toward her armored horse, parked nearby.

"Get ready."

Zayne sighed softly, scratching the back of his neck.

"Well," he said, a faint grin tugging at his lips, "looks like I’m not going anywhere after all."

Zayne let out a small sigh, his shoulders relaxing as he watched Valeriana stride away, shouting orders to her knights with sharp precision.

He smiled faintly, shaking his head.

"Every time I decide to go on an adventure..." he muttered under his breath, voice tinged with wry amusement, "I always end up in these kinds of situations."

He looked toward the distant horizon—

"Well," he murmured, slipping his hands into his coat pockets, that calm, confident smile returning to his face. "I suppose this is my adventure..."

A soft chuckle escaped him as he started walking toward the group preparing to leave.

"...and honestly," he said quietly, eyes gleaming with that familiar spark, "it’s fun."