As we stood in front of the Association building, I kept my senses sharp, probing for any trace of Goodman inside. Odds were, he was off somewhere doing what he did best—absolutely nothing, except socializing, sipping overpriced liquor or simping over for information . Still, I had to be sure.
Sara stood beside me, calm and silent. She knew what I was doing. Absolute Zero wasn't active, so she waited patiently, her eyes drawn to the vibrant flowers and manicured gardens arranged just before the main entryway. A couple of pets chased each other around the fountain, their playful barks echoing against polished marble.
No sign of Goodman. Not unless he was masking his signature well enough to fool even my enhanced senses, which he could do easily, admittedly. Among other things.
'Grow stronger, Lucius. Your progress is impressive—comparable to those noble brats from the central and southern regions. But it's not enough to keep Goodman at bay.'
Arcane's words echoed in my head. A warning wrapped in silk, yet sharp enough to cut bone.
"Shall we?" I asked, glancing at Sara. She gave the garden one last fond look and nodded with a smile. We stepped through the massive doors together.
Inside, the renovations were clear—sleek marble walls, reinforced structures, and new tech displays humming softly from the corners. Clearly, the city had poured money into this place. Or more likely, the upper brass had. Our taxes probably covered the less glamorous bits.
Near the main desk stood April—Ms. April now—the junior intern, and younger sister to Kiwi, the same woman who helped me on my first visit here. Back when Sia had embarrassed me thoroughly. Whether she meant to or not is still up for debate.
April spotted us almost instantly. Likely because of Sara. They used to be close—still are, technically—but their paths rarely crossed now. Different fields. Different worlds.
"It's been a long time…" April greeted, her tone flat. "Sara, you still look as beautiful as ever—like a masterpiece. And the man beside you? Just the brush that shaped it… worn, stained, and insignificant."
No smile. No emotion. Just words sharpened like daggers.
Any other day, I would've snapped back. The kind of verbal lashing I could deliver would leave her in tears. But not today. I wasn't here for the games.
Sara bristled beside me, already opening her mouth to fire back. But I reached for her hand, just a light squeeze. Not today. She paused, understood, then exhaled and shifted her stance, her fire cooling in a breath.
"Good afternoon to you as well, April," she replied calmly. "And yes, it's been a long time. But we didn't come here for you to insult my boyfriend. We have a scheduled appointment with the Guildmaster. Can you confirm and guide us?"
April nodded stiffly, already typing something onto the terminal. "Guildmaster Dargan is waiting. In his private quarters. He was only expecting you, though." She emphasised the last part, her eyes sliding toward Sara. A quiet exclusion masked in protocol.
'Bullshit,' I thought. A pathetic attempt to separate us.
April always had a thing for Sara. Not even subtle about it. Her eyes gave it away years ago, long before Sara and I got together. Sara always kept a polite distance, but the admiration never faded.
I stepped forward. "Let dargan know, he can either meet us together, or we're leaving, I don't care about the details, he summoned me here for if she's not allowed in with me..."
At the sound of Dargan's name—without his title—April flinched. Her eyes narrowed, tension spiking for a second. 'Yeah, what are you gonna do about it? Fight me?' I almost smirked. There's a reason she's a lowly receptionist while I'm an adventurer, the student of 'The Mighty One'.
But she swallowed it down, straightened her shoulders, and gestured for us to follow. A temp intern slid into her spot at the desk as she led the way down the hall.
As we walked the halls, Sara and April caught up. I let them. I don't particularly hate April. She's got a sharp tongue when it comes to me, but only because she saw through my facade when I first got close to Sara.
She knew the truth: I didn't love Sara back then. I used her to spite Lav, who adored her a hundred times more than I ever could at the time. April saw through all of it. That's the kind of person she is.
The hallway was lined with art and relics, each more rare and expensive than the last. Materials from the Beast Rims—treasures I've always avoided. Some portraits caught my eye, their subjects familiar from old hunter tales. Stories of the dungeons. Unpredictable, pitch-black places that echo with the sounds of things that shouldn't exist.
Honestly? Dungeons scare me.
They're impractical and claustrophobic, humming with dark energy and death. The monsters use sound like sonar, bouncing echoes off the walls to hunt us. My instincts hate those places. And over the years, I've learned one thing for sure—always trust your gut. It might not help you live longer… but it'll help you die smarter.
I wondered again why I'd been summoned. I'd find out soon, sure, but overthinking is a hobby of mine. We turned a final corner and stood before a grand door—brown frame, but gold in presence.
April gestured that she wouldn't go any further. Sara thanked her. As April turned to leave, our eyes met. Just for a second. A strange, unreadable moment passed between us—one I don't care to analyse.
"Howdy, friends!"
There he was. The man, the myth, the clown: Dargan Verkas. Guildmaster of the Eastern Front. Lying half-sprawled on his sofa in a room that looked more like a showroom than a workspace—sleek black and white decor, high-tech fittings, and a huge desk opposite a set of luxurious couches.
Sara sat on a single-seater. I made a beeline for Dargan's special chair, the one with built-in cooling tech. Dragged it closer.
Howdy? Really?
Secondhand embarrassment hit me like a slap. What did someone like Lady Jhansi even see in this man? Women are stupid when they fall in love. Blinded and stupid.
Sara caught my glance and winked playfully. I exhaled. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I did something right in a past life—blessed not with one, but two incredible women.
Dargan finally adjusted himself upright.
"If this is about that stupid wedding—"
"You're calling my wedding stupid?" he cut me off mid-sentence, flexing his neck.
Only because you're in it, old man.
"I don't enjoy dancing around nobles. You know that," I muttered. "So why call me here? There's got to be more to it."
He didn't answer. Just frowned and shook his head.
"This isn't about the wedding," he said at last. "That's public business. This…" He glanced at Sara. "May I speak freely? In her presence?"
I nodded. I trusted Sara implicitly. He knew that.
Dargan leaned forward. His voice dropped.
"It's about Arcane. And what happened… near the far eastern shores. Beyond the Neverending Oceans."
He paused, watching our reactions. We stayed still. Waiting. Listening.
Then he said it.
"It's the World Serpent, Lucius. It's awakened."
Silence.
Not a rumour. Not a legend. A truth. A calamity.
The World Serpent. The Demonic Calamity. A primordial, left behind by the Demon God Acronis after his defeat by the Great Emperor. A being meant to wipe out what little remained of humanity.
Thousands of kilometres long. A living cataclysm.
Of all the Primordials, it's the biggest. And the worst, probably.
This wasn't news.
It was a harbinger.
Of something vast, ancient… and far beyond anything mortals like us can handle...
"Please don't throw another twist into the clusterfuck this empire's already drowning in..." I silently prayed—whether to the gods or Dargan himself, I wasn't sure.
Not that he noticed, as he just kept talking, oblivious to the fact that only a handful of us truly understood how deep in shit we already were.