Chapter 206: The Wild lands split away.

Julia stepped in front of Seraphine, her face unreadable. "We did what we had to do to survive the storm, Divine maiden. If we waited another thirty seconds, the wave would have dragged the plane into the ocean. We saved who could be saved. One of the planes was blown off course, we can’t reach it or the wardens and guards. It must have crushed by now, unfortunately. We are going to need to do a head count and roll call. The wealthy families whose daughters are missing will be demanding answers."

Trinity didn’t even yell. She just glared up at the black, twisted sky, cursed under her breath, and stormed off into the dome without looking back once. The only thought on her mind was that luckily, they had allowed most of the Soul maidens from the privileged clans to leave yesterday for the tournament. Otherwise, she would lose the support of those clans. As long as the dead or missing ones were not from powerful families, it was okay.

Adelphina stood there, her chest heaving as she watched Trinity’s retreating back. A bitter, sarcastic smile touched her lips. What did I honestly expect? She thought, wiping a smear of ash from her forehead. Did I really expect Trinity to scold her favorite little minions for a tragedy she probably doesn’t even care about?

She turned around and looked at the shivering, broken girls left standing in the rain. They were battered, terrified, and stranded in the Mystic Sanctum. They were not even welcomed there! Were Soul maidens not valuable anymore? Why were they being treated like this?

Where was the privilege they used to have? Where was the respect they commanded naturally? Was Claudia right about the need for a rebellion in their ranks?

Adelphina clenched her fists. They had to figure out a way to escape this place. After all, it was crystal clear now_ they were doomed if they stayed under Trinity’s thumb, and doomed if they tried to run. But at least if they ran, they’d die on their own terms. There was one person powerful enough to help them that she knew; Sabrina Kaelion.

****

It was not long before the floods reached the mainlands.

The water didn’t just flow with ease, it boiled, bubbling, scalding hot as it poured across the earth. With every passing second, the steaming current tore into the ground, wedging the giant rifts even wider.

Up in the higher tiers of society, the crisis was merely a distant inconvenience. The first and second citizens were already tucked away safely inside their lavish or moderate private sky-high bunkers, sipping hot tea. Even the low-borns who served them had been herded into heavily fortified government shelters.

Low-borns with money had also paid for shelter in crowded government bunkers. As for the rest? The poorest of the poor, they were left to fend for themselves outside.

Deep-sea beasts, flushed out from the abyss by the scalding tides, lunged onto the muddy shores. To them, the abandoned low-borns with nowhere to run were nothing more than a buffet. Screams echoed across the distant plains as the beasts feasted, their scaly tails whipping through the rising steam.

The earthquakes raged on, violently shaking the world like a giant shaking a dice cup. The entire continent felt like it was shifting on its axis.

Yet, deep within the Beast Valley, things were shockingly calm.

The valley was protected by invisible barriers, and the scalding floods hadn’t managed to break through. Up above, giant rooftop trenches remained strong under the pressure, cleverly diverting the wild waters far away into the surrounding ravines.

Inside the valley’s security room, Zyra and Hunter were settled in comfortable chairs in the security room checking the perimeter.

"Beauty," Zyra said, leaning over the console. "Can you get a wider view of the Wild Lands?" She put her hands around the warm cup of milk, allowing the warmth to seep into her gloved hands.

[Scanning host.]

Through the ceiling vents, dozens of tiny, metallic aerial robots zipped out into the stormy sky. A second later, glowing light projection screens flickered to life across the dark walls, displaying crystal-clear footage of the outside world.

The scenes were frightening. On the screen, a colossal, endless chasm split the earth in two. It ran so deep and wide that it completely severed their portion of the Wild Lands from the other nations.

Hunter pointed a scarred finger at the giant gap, his brow furrowing. "Well, getting in and out of the Wild Lands on foot just became a nightmare. We’re practically cut off from the rest of the world now."

Zyra stared at the steaming water swirling inside the bottomless canyon. A small, dry smile touched her lips. "I guess the earthquake just worked in our favor. Look closely, Hunter. That rift is acting as a natural moat. It’s swallowing the worst of the floods before they can even reach our valley." She let out a quiet breath, her eyes softening. "It seems the heavens haven’t completely abandoned the helpless people out here."

Hunter grunted, adjusting his sword belt. He quieted for a second, then looked sideways at her. "How’s Malia doing?"

Zyra’s smile vanished. She rubbed her temples, looking suddenly exhausted. "She’s acting_ completely normal."

Hunter grimaced. "That’s terrifying."

"Tell me about it," Zyra sighed. "I’d rather throw a chair at my head than sit there smiling and sipping soup."

Hunter nodded in solemn agreement, offering no further advice_ mostly because he was wise enough not to get too involved in other people’s troubles. "Bad time to be a poor low-born." He muttered.

Zyra sighed. "Yeah," she said softly. In her last life, the water had receded after eight days. 567,000 people had been declared dead or missing. 348,000 happened to be poor low-borns. Some died in the water; some died in the jaws of the beasts. Even Soul maidens had not been spared. Zyra had been lucky to get space in a public government bunker. And this was only because her uncle signed her up as a cook. So, even in hiding, she had been working hard to stay in the clan.

The reminder made her clench her hand around the cup, nearly breaking it.

"Come on," Hunter touched her shoulder, urging her to get up.

They left the security room and walked back toward the open courtyard of the living quarters. Outside, the valley residents were loitering around in small groups. Some were roasting dried meat over fires, while others were lazily playing games on link bands, completely unbothered by the disaster happening outside the mountains. The Soul maidens were leading the children in a portal tag game.

Near a stone bench, Aunt Denea was sitting with a wooden comb, trying to braid little Yaya’s unruly hair.

The second she spotted Hunter walking down the steps, her little face lit up like a bright lamp.

She broke free from Aunt Denea’s grasp, her half-braided hair flying everywhere, and stomped her little feet right toward him.

"Daddy! Swing! Swing!" Yaya chirped, stopping right in front of Hunter and pouting her lower lip out as far as it would go. She reached her short, arms up high into the air.

Hunter stopped dead in his tracks. His whole body went rigid as a bronze statue.

The last time he had seen this little girl was yesterday, watching cartoons provided by Beauty in Zyra’s arms. The child had hidden her face when he got close, resulting in Zyra kicking him away as if he was the enemy. How on earth had he suddenly been promoted to ’Daddy’ between then and now?