Omega Ascension System[BL]

The holographic screen flickered out of existence, leaving the red crystals dotting the hallway walls as the only source of light. "Several messages actually." Elian continued while Kyren never tore his eyes away from him. "From the time stamps, it seems she sent them like an hour before the explosion. Asking Lucian why their call ended, what happened to the network and if he was okay." Hmm... That was odd. Kyren arched a brow. "So Lucian’s communication ring was out of service for that long. But he chose to remain in the aircraft till before the explosion?" Elian swerved his head to him. "Don’t tell me you’re trying to blame Lucian for—" "I would never." Kyren paused, his expression and tone serious. Elian moved a few steps before pausing as well, turning around to face Kyren. The Rogue king had no interest in being sarcastic when referring to his little flame’s other mates for once. Instead, his mind reeled with suspicion. "Think about it." Kyren raised a finger, walking closer to Elian. "Lucian left the palace, made his call with his sister, lost his connection with her... Which is odd." Elian listened attentively, folding his arms in front of his chest. Kyren loved seeing that but he didn’t openly admit it, choosing to continue speaking instead. "But he didn’t bother stepping out of the aircraft for a whole hour before the explosion? Did he really value his ’space’ so much?" Elian seemed troubled, his eyes glinting with something almost unreadable. Almost. Kyren soon realised that there was something else he had failed to mention. "One of the messages Aurora sent him..." Elian whispered, scanning his eyes around the hallway even though it was empty. "Was her telling him to be careful of the Dark Hand. Then she mentioned something about a letter." Kyren heaved a light breath. A letter? "By the gods of the underworld." Kyren rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling like he was going to have a headache. "I’ll have Farrell make investigations on what caused the explosion in the first place. Maybe that’ll give us a clue." Elian nodded, sniffling. He’d been a sobbing mess barely a few minutes ago. It was nice seeing him up and active again. That was one thing Kyren found fascinating in Elian. His resilience. How else would an Omega deal with all the horrors of the Lunarian palace without wanting to poison someone? "You should get some rest." Kyren placed his right hand on Elian’s shoulder, his voice soft and reassuring. "Don’t bother yourself about Lucian anymore. Like the doctor said, he’ll be fine." Elian nodded once, smiling wryly. "Yeah, I know. Maybe I need a few minutes of shut-eye." Kyren’s lip curled into a smile but before he could say anything else, he picked up the sound of incoming footsteps from the other end of the hallway. His eyes fleeted past Elian, locking on Beta Axel who strutted with a calm expression. Kyren couldn’t help but squint, watching the Beta closely until Elian turned around to face him as well. "Axel." Elian gasped slightly, relief cracking through his voice as he ran to the Beta. He jumped into Axel’s waiting arms, embracing him while Kyren stood patiently, his face stoic as ever. "I’m... I’m so sorry I didn’t listen to you when you told me to turn back." Elian finally pulled away from the hug, clearing his throat with a flustered expression. "I—" "What matters now is that you’re okay." Axel interrupted with a warm smile, brushing his thumb on Elian’s cheek tenderly. A thought went through Kyren’s head just then. "Beta Axel," Kyren spoke up, tilting his head slightly. "You followed Lucian out of the training hall when he was seeking space. Right?" Axel brought his golden eyes to Kyren, nodding without hesitation. "I witnessed him stepping into the aircraft to answer a call with his sister, in fact. But I didn’t linger long."

Kyren maintained eye contact, lifting his chin slightly. The Beta was telling the truth. "That means you probably didn’t spot any suspicious activities. Perhaps from the Dark Hand." Kyren muttered mostly to himself, sighing lightly. But then— "Actually... About that." Axel coughed awkwardly, straightening his spine. "Lucian and I experienced something unsettling earlier today. After breakfast." Kyren’s brows creased while Elian glanced at him briefly before bringing his eyes back to Axel. "Something like what?" Elian queried this time. Axel seemed like he was trying hard not to say something, further adding to Kyren’s suspicions. Even a blind man would be able to notice something off about all this. "Lucian... Had a contact here in the Dark Lands." Axel finally dropped the bomb, closing his eyes for a couple of seconds like he was regretting speaking. Kyren’s eyes widened slightly... But under the same breath, his lips twitched with a sly smile. Well, well, well... "A contact?" Elian repeated the Beta’s words. "You mean like a spy?" Axel nodded. "He didn’t share details on what the man was spying on and we can’t really interrogate the guy now since... Well, he’s dead." And the plot thickens. "Are you going to drop the full intel you have or are we going to keep getting bread crumbs, Beta?" Kyren questioned, arching a brow. Axel smiled apologetically. "Sorry. It’s just I know Lucian will have my head if he finds out I told you all this." Kyren didn’t make a reaction or say anything, waiting for him to finish. "The Dark Hand somehow found Lucian’s room. Killed his spy and left his naked body on his balcony." Axel explained, his voice tense like he was reliving the whole thing. "As if that wasn’t enough, the dead body got reanimated by some sort of curse. We had to obliterate the corpse and keep it a secret." A long silence stretched between the three of them when Axel finished. Elian had his hands on his waist, seeming like he was deep in thought. Either that or he was having a little chat with his system. "This is all deep info, Axel." Kyren finally blurted, his tone neutral. "This would mean Lucian is now a Dark Hand target. And this explosion might just be the first of many warnings to come." Elian whipped his head to him. "Warning? Lucian almost died!" Kyren was unfazed by his raised voice. "Almost. I have a feeling the Dark Hand have their ways of making an isolated Alpha class wolf disappear if they were able to sneak a body into his room so easily." He had this odd feeling pressing on his chest. It was like there was something he was missing. Something he’d need to take severally steps back to discover. And he wouldn’t be able to do that from talking here. He lingered only long enough to watch Elian’s shoulders relax in Axel’s arms, then turned sharply on his heel. "I’ll leave you two to your... reunion." His voice was cool. "I have work to do." Neither of them stopped him. That was fine. The Rogue King preferred it that way. The hallways dimmed as he strode deeper into the palace’s belly, down past guarded doors and carved steps no one else dared descend. By the time the air grew cold and tinged with copper, he was standing before the sealed gates of his hex chamber. A wave of his hand and the doors split open with a grinding hiss. The chamber was alive with power.

Red crystals pulsed from the walls like beating hearts, their veins spilling light across etched runes that shimmered with raw mana. A place even the bravest witches wouldn’t dare set foot in. Kyren inhaled deeply, letting the familiar weight of it press against him. Here, at least, he could think. He reached into his cloak, drawing out a crystalline shard the colour of rotting emerald. It throbbed faintly. Sickly. Like it was whispering curses under its breath. He remembered the maid’s glassy eyes, her trembling confession before she collapsed with black veins sprouting over her body. This shard had been extracted from her by Ishtar... A Dark Hand work, undoubtedly. A curse meant to silence and spread. Kyren held it up, watching the green corruption pulse against the red glow of his Hex chamber. "So..." His lips curved into a smirk. "You’ve finally decided to play in my house." The shard hissed louder, as if in answer. Kyren’s grin widened. . "Let’s see how you like it when I play back."