In one of the most expensive and prestigious restaurants of Rinto City, two beautiful women met. While the two had only gotten to know each other a few weeks ago, they quickly became close due to the painful experience that they shared, heartbreak.
"So, are you getting used to the sect, Lisa?"
"Yes, thanks to you Cleia. Things have been going well so far, both with my social life and my cultivation."
"I'm glad to hear it. By the way, have you heard from Clyde?"
"No, that idiot said he wasn't coming back until he made his breakthrough. The last time I heard from him he said was going to travel across Malirin Forest."
Although his clan had branches outside of the five cities, Clyde vehemently opposed moving there and stayed with Lisa in Rinto City. Even though he wasn't the successor of his clan, he was still a talented youth so they didn't agree easily, but when he threatened to cripple his cultivation they reluctantly gave up.
Fortunately both of their parents were impressed by his loyalty and tried to get the two engaged, but Clyde promised that he would make Lisa accept him first.
His actions had definitely managed to move her heart, but since she didn't like the confident smirk he had at that time she hid that feeling.
"Malirin Forest, huh? That reminds me of..."
As she noticed the melancholy in Cleia's expression, Lisa could barely hold back her sigh. She was long used to this maiden being reminded of that guy and getting herself depressed, but it was never a pleasant sight.
'If it still bothers you so much then stop talking about it.'
Lisa shook her head before responding, "By the way, have you heard of the situation in Cyrus?"
Though she knew that just the mention of that town would trigger her sad memories, she also knew that if she avoided this topic it would only make Cleia feel sorry that she had to be considerate of her. Additionally, even if she didn't bring it up, it was a serious topic that was all over the city. It was recent news that hadn't reached Pemacreba yet since it was farther from Cyrus than Rinto City.
Still with a darkened expression, Cleia answered.
"Yes. Every one of the five cities have been affected by the emergence of the chimera lord, but I think Cyrus got hit by the worst of the aftereffects."
Lisa nodded while thinking about the news that she heard. About the ones who had taken over Cyrus and made it their playground.
"He'll probably be really angry when he hears about this."
Lisa had meant to say this in her head, but once she noticed Cleia flinch, she gasped and turned away.
"Yeah, you're probably right."
Meanwhile in Cyrus, the citizens seemed be going along their daily routine but regardless of whether you were returning or a first time visitor, it would be easy to notice that something had changed. For example, the light green translucent dome which covered the town that the citizens kept glancing at.
The things that had occurred in the past couple days seemed like stuff out of a dream, but every time they looked at the sky they were reminded that this was their reality. Even the bars couldn't escape from being filled with silence and despair.
However, this wasn't because they were so lifeless that they didn't have the urge to complain, rather it was the people who swaggered down the streets in red and black outfits that stopped them from expressing themselves. Though they would gladly pay for the chance to see them dropped to their knees, they all had seen what happened to those who stood up against them.
Even the mayor was unable to resist this group of invaders.
In this Cyrus where the people lived in fear and oppression, there was a figure clad in loose fitting clothing and carrying a bag of cooking ingredients. Like the other residents, when this figure looked up at the dome that blocked a clear view of the sky, they sighed and hung their head, but their reason was different.
'I wonder it managed to reach him. If only I had tried to reach him earlier...'
Even though their family had agreed with their choice, they couldn't forgive themself. They wanted to take care of this matter or at least have it under control without bothering the young master, but now they couldn't even contact him anymore. They had desperately tried to reach him once they realised the threat of the dome, but it was too late. Although they thought that a connection was made, they didn't receive a response before it was forcibly cut.
'Hah... If only I-'
"No! Please no!"
Shaken from their own thoughts, the figure's attention was drawn by a wail of despair from a young woman. The scene was as clear as could be, there was one man holding her hand while another two blocked her way out. It was obvious what would happen to her next, but forget helping, the spectators didn't dare to stare at the scene for too long.
The three men were only in the Mortal Realm, which was nothing special, but the clothes they wore stopped any interference. Those red and black outfits stopped any would-be heroes.
As they passed this scene, the figure bit their lower lip until it bled but they didn't act. Even if their own identity wasn't revealed, this woman would be targeted and would likely meet a worse fate. So while they wanted to help, they didn't allow that selfish urge to force their hand.
With their head forced down, the figure pushed their feet away from the scene and went straight home. Their house was a two-storey building in what used to be a relatively peaceful part of town, but now such a place didn't exist.
"I'm home."
Once she was home, Lily removed her cloak and moved to the kitchen/dining area where she found Lilia with two other mature women. One of the women was graceful with a curvy body that could turn heads when she walked down a street, while the other was a cold beauty with a pair of black-rimmed glasses and a ponytail.
"Welcome back, Lily. Did you run into any trouble?" Lilia asked.
"...No. Miss Jeanne, Miss Jay, will you be staying for dinner?"
"No, I appreciate the offer but after this we'll head back to check on the girls."
Jeanne tried to respond with her usual elegance, but though makeup could conceal the bags under her eyes it couldn't hide the fatigue and depression in her eyes. Jay who was beside her wasn't doing any better. They should have been busy trying to expand the store, but because of the invaders they had to put all of those plans on hold.
As a business with an all-female staff, Jeanne had gotten used to attracting the wrong kind of customers, but the customers she might attract now weren't the type who would be satisfied with just a look. If one of the rude invaders came looking for a partner in bed there was little she could do to stop them. If they wanted one of them, they just had to point her out and that was it. She had already lost two members of her family like this so all she could do was try to stop any more losses.
"How are the girls holding up?" Lilia asked in worried tone.
"For now we can manage with our savings and thanks to those cloaks you lent us we can go shopping without fear so we're okay for now but,"
"The situation isn't pretty." added Jay.
Jeanne nodded and continued, "Most of them still can't accept what happened to Ali and Ria. And there's nothing I can say to comfort them. If they get caught then that's it, there's nothing I can do to help them."
Neither Lilia nor Lily, who was listening in, could say anything in response. They were in a better position thanks to the arrays and funds that Shui left here, but the fear was the same. Cultivators fought to take control of their own fate, but those here had lost that ability.
After a depressing chat with Jeanne and Jay, Lilia stayed at the table while Lily watched the boiling pots. Ryan and the rest of the family were also at home, but the silence that filled the house seemed to contradict that truth.
"Lily, would you think less of me if I said that I wished Shui was here? Not to save us, just to give us hope that we could make it past this."
"How could I when I'm not any better? Besides, I'm sure he would be glad that his presence can offer you piece of mind."
"Maybe so, but I can't forgive myself. Even though his mother entrusted him to me, he's always been the one saving our family. I wonder if I've ever been a proper guardian for him."
"Don't say that. Shui once told me how much he appreciated you for raising him, about how he thinks of you as his second mother. I'm sure he wouldn't want to hear such words from you."
"...Thank you."
"I didn't do anything but, you're welcome."
For a period, the two shared a feeling of peace, but that time ended when Lily looked towards the entrance with a solemn expression and Lilia followed suit. Lily started moving towards the door while taking off her apron, but before she was finished Ryan came out from the cultivation room.
"Stay inside. I'll go."
Without waiting for a response, he walked past them and left the house. By now, Ryan was stronger than her if she didn't use her resonance series artifact or borrow power from Shui, so Jeanne wasn't worried about letting him go.
'Based on the way they're acting I doubt it's an enemy, but I still have a bad feeling about this.'
Waiting outside the house was a middle-aged man with a roughly-trimmed beard. He didn't seem to have come with any malice, but Ryan couldn't let his guard down as this man was in late Soul Realm.
"What business do you have with us?"
The man didn't answer, he only stared at Ryan for a minute before reaching inside his coat and taking out a letter sealed with a familiar crest. The moment he noticed this crest, Ryan reached for the sword by his waist, but even then the man showed no intent to fight.
"This is a message from my master. He says that he won't be able to protect your family for much longer."
"What?!"
Shocked by what he just heard, with one hand still on his sword Ryan quickly got closer and took the letter from the man, but he didn't open it just yet.
He watched as the man bowed and then left before opening the letter.
'!'
The moment he read the contents of the letter, Ryan rushed back into the house with this news with a grave expression.
The common folk weren't the only ones who were suppressed by the invaders, in fact, it was those who were originally in power that felt their oppression the most. One of the most obvious examples of that was the fact that the mayor, Henry, was imprisoned. It would have made more sense if they simply killed him, but even though he was alive none of the citizens believed he could save them. After all, they were there to witness the day the invaders took over.
Their eyes clearly saw the mayor be completely defeated by one of the three elders that represented them. This was the natural result considering the gap between their cultivations, but knowing the result and witnessing it was different. Since they had seen it for themselves, no one had any hope that Henry would be able to change this situation.
The influential figures thought the same, so they quickly bent their knees and became sycophants for the new rulers. While some who were loyal to the mayor weren't like this, such people were quickly replaced. Just like how the headmaster of the martial academy was killed and replaced by deputy headmaster Rizer.
The Wright family also couldn't escape from this fate. Though their connections went as far as the capital, the invaders weren't afraid of such a distant influence due to their own backers. Therefore the old head, Anders, was decisive in siding with them, even helping with the execution of any rebels or opposition. The current head, Jacob, didn't say anything though he saw this as his father stealing what should be his job, but when he heard the latest plan of his father that changed.
From a logical point of view, Jacob didn't see anything wrong with his father's plan. Though it would end up angering that person, surely he wouldn't be able to defeat the invaders, but as if a tightly locked box had been opened, Jacob suddenly discovered a strong repulsion to the idea.
He didn't openly show this dissatisfaction, instead he took his time to think about why he felt this way and came to a reasonable conclusion.
'He did this to me.'
The original promise had been for him to take care of his father, but it seemed he had been tricked to take up another task. However, he didn't feel like he had been tricked. If he hadn't compared his current thoughts to his previous ones it would seem completely natural to him. Furthermore, even though he was sure that he did this to him, he couldn't find the urge to be rebellious.
'If it was my past self he would never take this risk, but it's something I've wanted to do for so long. At least now I'll finally be able to make an attempt.'
It was then that Jacob finally made his resolve to kill his father. Of course he didn't walk up to his room with a knife, Jacob took his time orchestrating the perfect death for his father while subtly crushing his plan to earn favour from the invader. As Jacob's plan progressed, he felt more and more confident in its success. Finally, he would be free of his father's shadow. However, the day before that letter was sent to Ryan, he was called to his father's room.
"So, how's your plan going? Ready to kill me yet?"
"..."
Despite how his world shook at his father's question, Jacob didn't show it on his face, but his lack of a response was enough.
"You know, I wondered when you would decide to kill me, but I must admit I didn't expect a coward like you to make an attempt in a time like this. Tell me, what gave you the final push?"
Before he answered, Jacob hastily tried to figure out how Anders found out about his plan before stopping on the most obvious method.
'I missed one of his spies.'
It was a fatal mistake but one that he didn't have time to regret or fix.
"I can't allow you to sell my little cousin for favour."
Anders wore a smile that made it look like he knew everything, but he raised an eyebrow at Jacob's answer.
"Hmm? What garbage are you talking about? There's no way you of all people care that much about your cousin's child."
"If you think I'm lying then why do you look so surprised?"
"...Odd, unless you've suddenly been blessed by the god of tricks there's no way I shouldn't be able to see through your lies. But, I can't believe that reason of yours either."
"That's your problem, not mine."
"Hmph, fine then. I'll look deeper into that answer while I have you locked up in the basement."
Anders then raised his hands to snap his fingers, but Jacob gave him a cold look.
Before his two fingers could make contact, Anders felt a surge of fluid rising up his throat. When he spit it out it was black, but he was sure that this was his own blood.
"What..."
"You're the one who forced me to do this, father."
Jacob's original plan was to slowing weaken his father by using faint traces of poison around the house, but since he was pushed this far he chose a more drastic method. The moment he entered the room, he had unsealed a bottle of gaseous poison that quickly filled the room. Naturally he had already taken the antidote so all he had to do was wait for his old man to croak. Still, when he looked at the wide-eyed corpse before him, he felt neither joy nor relief.
'So this is where my journey ends, huh?'