After crying for over ten minutes, the mother and daughter finally managed to calm down.
Astrae, still sniffling, explained to Lydia what had happened. Learning that her daughter had been betrayed by her roommates, Lydia's heart ached even more.
"My poor girl!" she said, pulling Astrae close.
Roy glanced at the unconscious girls sprawled on the floor. "So, these are the ones who betrayed you?"
Astrae nodded, tears streaming down her face.
Roy pursed his lips. He'd initially considered saving them, but now? Maybe it was better to let them stay like this for the rest of their lives.
"You two take your time. I'm stepping out to call the FEA and have them clean up this mess," Roy said.
Since the basement had no satellite phone signal, Roy went back to the surface and dialed Gerald's number, filling him in on the situation in Acton.
"Angela… that name rings a bell," Gerald said. "I was just a senior agent back then, but I think it was about ten years ago, not long after the FEA was founded. We handled a case involving her."
Ten years ago? That made sense to Roy. Acton was under LA County's jurisdiction, so it was odd the FEA wouldn't know about Angela. If it was a case from the FEA's early days, it wasn't surprising they'd missed some loose ends. Back then, the FEA was underpowered, and the FEAR task force didn't even exist yet.
They might've simply overlooked the House of Hall.
"Mr. Orin, send someone over to handle this ASAP. I'm worried things could blow up if a few people go missing," Roy urged.
No kidding—seven students vanishing from a school would have the faculty and parents in a panic.
It'd take official intervention to keep things under control.
"Got it. Agents will be there before dawn. Mr. Black, please stay at the House of Hall until they arrive," Gerald replied.
That was a small favor Roy could easily manage. "No problem."
Shortly after hanging up, Lydia and Astrae emerged from the house.
They'd gotten their emotions under control, though tear stains still marked their faces. At least they weren't crying anymore.
"You two okay now?" Roy asked.
Lydia nodded and gave Roy a deep bow. "Mr. Black, thank you so much for saving my daughter."
Roy flashed a faint smile. "So, you believe I'm one of the good guys now?"
Lydia's face flushed with embarrassment. Just half a day ago, she'd been convinced Roy was a demon plotting to destroy the world.
"Of course I believe you!" she said quickly.
Astrae watched their interaction with curiosity, finding their dynamic odd. "Mom, is he the boyfriend you mentioned on the phone? He's so young!"
Lydia's embarrassment deepened. "Astrae, don't talk nonsense! Mr. Black is your savior!"
Astrae stuck out her tongue, sizing Roy up cautiously. To her, this man was practically the prince charming of her dreams—handsome, powerful, and mysterious.
If he wasn't her mom's boyfriend, that'd be perfect!
Sadly, Astrae's hopes were just a fantasy. Roy had zero interest in her.
Honestly, the girl hadn't inherited her mother's youthful beauty. If anything, sleeping with Lydia would be a better bet—at least she'd look stunning in normal clothes.
But Astrae's comment sparked an idea in Roy's mind for luring out the Nether Archmage.
"Ms. Foster, I've got a plan that might draw him out," Roy said.
Lydia blinked. "What's the plan, Mr. Black?"
"Simple. We stage a wedding."
Lydia's face turned beet red. She hadn't expected to feel so shy at forty years old.
"M-Mr. Black, please don't joke like that! There's a kid right here!" she stammered.
Astrae's jaw dropped, big enough to fit a fist, as she stared at her mom and Roy.
Roy spread his hands, exasperated. "What are you thinking? I'm talking about a fake wedding! That guy's obsessed with marrying you, right? If he hears you're marrying someone else, he'll probably show up to crash it."
Lydia let out a relieved breath, though a tiny part of her felt oddly disappointed. "Oh, I see. But Mr. Black, he knows what you look like. If he sees you, he might not show."
"That's an easy fix. I'll just wear these glasses." Roy pulled Nidi's black-framed glasses from his inventory and put them on.
Instantly, his aura and appearance shifted, blending into the kind of face you'd forget in a crowd. Lydia and Astrae were stunned.
"Mr. Black, with those glasses, we might actually have a shot at catching him!" Lydia said, her eyes sparkling with hope. She could finally see a way to end her twenty-year nightmare.
But Roy's goal wasn't just to catch the Nether Archmage—he wanted to eliminate him for good.
"We need to plan this carefully. We'll likely only get one shot. If he figures it out, he won't fall for it again."
Lydia nodded, fully on board.
Astrae, however, was confused, not following their conversation. "What are you guys talking about? Who are you trying to catch?"
"It's nothing, Astrae. This is between me and Mr. Black. You don't need to know," Lydia said, defaulting to the classic parent tactic of brushing her off.
Astrae's face fell, clearly disappointed.
Roy understood her frustration. At her age, Astrae probably felt grown-up enough to be involved in big family decisions, or at least to be in the loop.
But like most parents, Lydia saw her daughter as just a kid who shouldn't worry about adult problems.
That kind of disconnect often caused misunderstandings between parents and kids.
So Roy spoke up for her. "Ms. Foster, I think you should tell your daughter what's going on. It's better to be upfront about some things."
Lydia glanced at Astrae, noticing the rebellious spark in her eyes, and realized Roy was right.
"Alright. Astrae, this is about a nightmare that's haunted me for twenty years—a terrifying specter."
Lydia recounted what happened two decades ago, and Astrae began to empathize with her mother.
"So that's what you went through at my age?" Astrae said, softening.
"Exactly. So don't just focus on your own struggles—think about what others might be going through too," Roy added.
Astrae lowered her head, deep in thought. She wasn't a hopeless case; she still had basic empathy.
Lydia couldn't help but hug her daughter. "Astrae, I'm to blame too. I've been so focused on my career that I've neglected you."
The moment turned tender again, leaving Roy feeling a bit like a third wheel.
Before long, a FEAR-marked assault vehicle rolled up. It was 4 a.m., still dark out.
Gerald was true to his word.
"Mr. Black, I'm here to handle the House of Hall incident," said an unfamiliar agent, likely a senior one, who treated Roy with respect.
Roy's reputation in the LA FEA branch was legendary. No agent would dare treat him like Terrence Kaufman once did.
After briefing the agent on the situation, Roy prepared to leave the House of Hall. The FEA was better equipped for the cleanup.
He headed back to Lydia's family home, where Astrae, exhausted from her ordeal, rested under her mother's care.
Roy hadn't slept in days and had fought multiple battles. Though his mind was still sharp, there was no need to push himself, so he crashed in a guest room Lydia had prepared.
By afternoon, Roy woke up, declined Lydia's offer to stay longer, and drove back to LA to strategize with Lilith and Dorothy.
But when he arrived at the suburban villa, it looked like a war zone. Furniture was scattered everywhere, and puddles of water dotted the floor.
Lilith and Dorothy sat on opposite sofas. Lilith was barely holding back laughter, while Dorothy looked utterly miserable.
"What happened here? Did you two fight?" Roy asked.
It didn't look like a fight, though. Dorothy was disheveled, but there were no signs of a brawl.
Seeing Roy, Lilith's eyes lit up. She rushed over, wrapping herself around him. "Roy, you're finally back!"
She planted a passionate kiss on him that lasted a full five minutes, leaving Dorothy even more sulky.
"Lilith, what's going on?" Roy asked.
"It's all because of that misfortune divination. That night, Dorothy fell into a manhole three times and nearly got hit by cars four times. When we got here, she tried to take a shower, but the pipes burst. Then a bunch of other crazy stuff happened. In one word: unlucky."
By the end, Lilith couldn't hold back her laughter, which infuriated Dorothy. She grabbed a nearby pillow to throw at Lilith, but the moment she picked it up, it tore open, spilling stuffing all over her.
This only made Dorothy look more pathetic, and Lilith burst into full-on laughter.
"Argh! I can't take it anymore!" Dorothy yelled, standing up as if to storm out of the villa. But as soon as she took a step, she slipped on something and fell flat on her face.
Lilith laughed so hard she fell off Roy.
"Lilith! Stop laughing! If it wasn't for your man, would I be in this mess?!" Dorothy snapped, her cursed threads barely holding her together.
"Dorothy, I'm professionally trained. I'd never laugh unless I can't help it! Hee hee hee…" Lilith giggled.
Roy patted Lilith's shapely backside, signaling her to tone it down.
Dorothy wasn't wrong—she'd gone through all this because she divined for Roy.
But it wasn't like Roy meant for this to happen. He'd never even seen that succubus. If he had, he'd have recognized Adra right away and wouldn't have needed the divination to know Asmodeus was behind it.
"Ms. Dorothy, maybe it's safer if you just… don't do anything for now," Roy suggested.
Dorothy, sprawled on the floor, didn't even want to move. Her curves formed an impressive arc, but she was too miserable to care. "Even if I do nothing, bad stuff keeps happening."
As if to prove her point, the ceiling chandelier crashed down right after she spoke.
Luckily, Roy reacted fast, zipping over to her side and kicking the chandelier away, sparing the Death Witch another disaster.
"Ms. Dorothy, you're really unlucky," Roy said, looking down at her with a mix of pity and disbelief.
Dorothy rolled her eyes. "Hmph! You didn't come here just to point that out, did you? Or are you just here to flaunt your lovey-dovey nonsense with Lilith in front of me?"
"No, I've actually got a plan to catch that guy, but I'll need some help."
At the mention of catching the Nether Archmage, Dorothy scrambled to her feet—only to nearly fall again. Roy caught her, and she ended up in his arms.
Up close, Dorothy froze, struck by Roy's flawless face. From any angle, he was perfect, stirring something in her long-dormant heart.
Unfortunately, Roy wasn't feeling the same spark. Dorothy smelled… off. Really off.
"Ahem, Ms. Dorothy, you okay?" he asked, snapping her out of it.
Realizing she was in her best friend's boyfriend's arms, Dorothy blushed. "Sorry!"
But Lilith, watching from a distance, was eating it up. "No worries, keep going! Get even closer!"
Dorothy shot her a glare but, being no saintly maiden, quickly changed her tune. "Fine! Don't come crying to me later!"
"Hee hee! The only one crying will be you! You don't even know how amazing Roy is. Why do you think I'm trying to recruit you?" Lilith teased.
That piqued Dorothy's curiosity, but with Roy right there, she wasn't about to ask. She'd grill Lilith about Roy's abilities in private later.
"Ahem! Let's get to business," Roy said, laying out his plan to stage a fake wedding to lure out the Nether Archmage. "The problem is, his abilities are so weird, I'm not sure I can catch him even if we draw him out."
Dorothy nodded. "His powers are bizarre. If they weren't, I wouldn't have been taken down by him back then."
Keep in mind, Dorothy was a millennia-old witch, famous since before the Great Flood. For her to be defeated by a wizard who'd only studied magic for a few years? That was beyond absurd.
It'd be like Faker playing League of Legends on the Chinese server and getting crushed in Iron rank. Unthinkable.
Then Lilith spoke up. "I've got an idea. Not sure if I should share it."
Post a picture of the flower instead.