Chapter 289: Lycas ’I have to hold it in... I can’t laugh yet,’ Naelia thought, pressing her palms to her lips to hide her smug smirk. Her eyes gleamed with triumph as she stole a glance at Ira, who was still pink from her bold little kiss earlier. Naelia wanted to laugh so badly. ’She went all the way for a single kiss?’ she thought. ’I’ve done far more with him and she’s giddy over a small peck?’ She took a deep breath and pretended to look calm. "It’s just a small kiss," she said teasingly. "How about you reach for his—" Ira blinked innocently. "For his?" "Ladies, please..." Azel interrupted, rubbing his forehead as if trying to ward off a headache. "Calm down and let me eat in peace." Both girls turned toward him at once, pouting in unison. He exhaled slowly. "If you want to feed me so badly, then both of you can feed me at the same time." It sounded logical in his head... It was a quick compromise. But the moment he said it, he realized how utterly stupid it sounded. They would compete. With his mouth. "Forget I—" "Great idea!" Ira cut in before he could finish. She picked up the tray with sudden determination, holding one spoon and handing the other to Naelia. "We’ll have a challenge," she said with a bright smile. "Whoever feeds Azel the most food wins." "I didn’t agree to this," Azel muttered, but his protest died as Naelia’s lips curved into a competitive grin. "Deal." Before he could blink, both women were standing shoulder to shoulder beside him, spoons loaded and eyes blazing like rival knights before a duel. "Say ah," they said in perfect sync. Azel froze. Every instinct told him to flee. He sighed, shoulders slumping. "Ahhh—" The moment his mouth opened, two spoons shot forward simultaneously, each aiming for the same target. Both hit home, stuffing food into his cheeks until they puffed out like a hamster’s. "Mmmph—!" Ira blinked. "Did we... overdo it?" Naelia tilted her head. "I think he’s fine." Azel chewed slowly, glaring at both of them through narrowed eyes. ’It’s just as I expected,’ he thought grimly. ’This is my punishment for saying things out loud.’ ... Two days passed quickly after that... Morning sunlight spilled over the stone road as Azel and Ravik stood outside near the front gate. The air was crisp as always... birds were chirping, and Erblim rested lazily on Ravik’s shoulder. Azel had planned to leave quietly, but somehow, both Naelia and Ira found him before he could slip away. Now he stood there, trapped in a double embrace. Naelia’s head rested on his left shoulder, while Ira clung tightly to his right arm. Their warmth pressed close, and even Ravik looked slightly awkward. "Please take care of yourself," Ira said softly. "And come visit us soon," Naelia added quickly. Their words overlapped perfectly, as if they had rehearsed them together. Azel smiled. "I will." They squeezed him tighter. "Be in one piece too," Naelia said, her voice muffled against his shoulder. "I promise," Azel said. "I won’t do anything dangerous." He paused for a moment, glancing at both of them. "Probably." Naelia frowned. "That doesn’t sound reassuring." "I’ll take care of him, my ladies," Ravik said suddenly, his deep voice cutting in like a loyal guard’s oath. Naelia sighed. "Good. Because if anything happens to him, I’ll haunt you." Ravik blinked. "That’s... fair, I suppose." Ira chuckled softly. "Oh, and tell Mother I miss her," Naelia added, smiling again. "And that I hope to meet her soon." "Will do," Azel said warmly. As he started to turn away, a small voice called out. "Sir Azel!" He looked back and saw Elizabeth running toward him. Her golden hair fluttered behind her, and in her trembling hands was a folded piece of paper. "Ermm..." she said shyly, cheeks flushed. "Please give this to my mother. Don’t open it." She looked like she was holding back tears, so Azel smiled gently and accepted it. "I’ll deliver it," he said. "Completely intact." Elizabeth’s eyes brightened with relief. "Thank you... and be safe." He gave a small nod. Behind her, both Naelia and Ira were waving though Naelia still puffed her cheeks as if trying not to cry. Azel turned and began walking down the sunlit road, waving back until the mansion was out of sight. Only when they were far enough from the estate did he finally let out a quiet sigh. "Alright," he said, glancing at Ravik. "Let’s go to Gravegrounds." Ravik nodded silently. Erblim shifted on his shoulder, stretching his wings lazily. "I still don’t understand why humans build graveyards so far away from their towns," Erblim said telepathically. "It’s tradition," Azel replied. "Also, it keeps restless spirits from wandering into people’s houses." They walked through the roads for nearly twenty minutes. The road grew rougher until they finally reached a place that felt cut off from life itself, well except for the outskirts. The Gravegrounds. It stretched across a wide plain at the edge of the town... an expanse of earth covered in crooked tombstones and old iron fences. Moss grew thick between the cracks, and one could still smell the ash in the air. Azel stopped at the entrance, his cloak fluttering lightly. "So this is it," he murmured. "The only part of Karan Town that was still standing in the game." Azel stepped past the gate, his boots crunching against the gravel. ’Wow,’ he thought. ’This graveyard sure looks gloomy.’ He walked slowly, reading names carved on the stones as he passed. "John, John, John..." he muttered. "How many Johns did this town have?" Erblim perched on his shoulder again. "Maybe they ran out of names." They walked deeper into the graveyard until they reached the largest tombstone at the center. It was old and so weathered that half of the words had eroded away. The remaining letters spelled only one thing clearly: Elrik The surname had long been lost to time. "This is the one," Ravik said. "He was the first soldier buried here and the gateway to our land." Azel crouched, brushing dirt off the stone. "Elrik..." he murmured. "A forgotten name for a forgotten man." He was strangely feeling poetic. "Boss," Ravik said, stepping back a little. "The key." Azel nodded. He reached into his inventory and pulled out a small, silver key... the Key of Lycas. The moment it touched the air, it began to glow faintly with pale light. The light reflected in Azel’s eyes as he raised it toward the tombstone. The glow brightened until it was almost blinding. For a long second, nothing happened. Then the air trembled. Azel frowned. "Did I—" The ground rumbled beneath their feet, cutting him off. Cracks spread across the dirt like veins, glowing with the same light as the key. Then everything gave way. The ground shattered completely, the tombstone collapsing into fragments as an unseen force dragged them downward into darkness. Erblim squawked loudly, his wings flaring. "Not again—!" Ravik reached for Azel, but the pull was too strong. The world spun, colors twisting into streaks of black and white. And then... nothing but falling. Falling into the unknown. ... Azel was falling. He could feel the rush of wind slapping against his face, his cloak flapping wildly behind him. It was dark but even without sight, he could feel gravity pulling him down. After a few blinks, his vision cleared. What he saw was unlike anything from the world above. The sky wasn’t blue... it was crimson, glowing like blood under light. And hanging in it was a crooked, misshapen moon that looked as though it had been cracked and stitched back together. "Does this usually happen?" Azel asked dryly, glancing at Ravik who was free-falling beside him. "Well, my lord," Ravik said with a sigh, his voice oddly calm despite plummeting through the air, "it usually happens when someone new enters. The realm likes to... prank newcomers." "I see," Azel muttered, the wind whipping his hair back. "Well, not that I care. Erblim... carry me." The crow let out a tired groan before bursting into light. Feathers stretched into arms and legs as Erblim transformed midair into his humanoid form, dark wings spreading wide behind him. He caught Azel by the shoulders, slowing their descent with a few powerful beats of his wings. "What about you, Ravik?" Azel called. "I’ll manage, my lord!" the werewolf shouted before slamming into the ground moments later with enough force to make a crater. Dust rose around him as he staggered to his feet, shaking his head. "See? Perfect landing." Azel landed softly soon after, boots touching the cracked earth. In front of them stood two armored werewolves gripping spears, their yellow eyes narrowing in suspicion. Behind them stretched a poor, worn-down town... mud huts, patched roofs, and roads of dirt and ash. "Who are you," one guard snarled, "and what are you doing with a banished one?" Azel only smiled. With a flick of his fingers, a gust of wind erupted sending the guard flying backward into a shack, reducing it to splinters. "I’m here," Azel said, his grin widening, "to take over Lycas." That sounded cool...