Chapter 396: The last way out.

Ava opened her mouth to say something comforting, but her throat felt like it was full of sand. She was completely tongue-tied. Finally, she swallowed hard and muttered, "Look, just calm down. This was an unexpected complication but we can get over it and continue on with the mission. There are always casualties in every war.

Trinity and her clan have more blood of innocents on their hands that we do. When we get back to the other side, I’m going straight to Ivar. I’ll report everything. Leif will not be allowed to come with us on any other missions going forward."

"Casualties of war!" Kirsten laughed. "Do you hear yourself? There is not one ounce of guilt in your voice. I am beginning to think that you are not that different from Leif." She shook her head so fast her hair whipped her face. "I am not going back with you beyond the veil. I am truly done. I’m going to find Yuda."

Kirsten pushed open the door and stumbled out into the cold air. She ducked into a quiet, shadowy alley just outside the house, finally letting her tears fall freely.

"Pick up..." she sobbed, pulling out her communication device and dialing a friend. "Yuda, please answer..."

Kirsten froze suddenly. A sharp, icy pain suddenly bloomed in the middle of her chest. She lowered her eyes, confused, only to see three inches of a pitch-black dagger sticking out through the front of her shirt, dripping red onto the ground.

The device slipped from her numb fingers and cracked as it hit the ground.

A pair of strong arms caught her before she hit the floor. She tilted her head back, her vision blurring fast, only to look straight into Leif’s cold, dead eyes.

He leaned down close to her ear, pressed a bloody finger to his own lips, and whispered softly, "Shh... quiet now, little maiden. You talk way too much. I can’t have you messing things up for me."

The last thing Kirsten did as she was dying, was to attempt a soul communication with Yuda. All she could think was that she needed to warn her friend.

*****

By late evening of that same day, Lita and her entire family had officially become the biggest joke in the city_ at least to the people who were still alive and healthy enough to laugh after the terrifying chaos at the stadium.

The Grand Elder had already formally announced three days of national mourning to honor the fallen and make some political shuffles. But a little solemn grief couldn’t stop the news from reporting the most gossip worthy news.

In fact, some media houses cared about it more than the beast horde. The internet was buzzing like a disturbed beehive, splashing headlines everywhere about Lita carrying a dirty bastard child. They dug up Elliot’s ex-girlfriends and interviewed them. An anonymous doctor provided proof of his inability to have children because of faulty equipment.

Lita’s reputation was lower than a street dog’s, at the moment.

Lita had barely escaped the clutches of the determined Loveline earlier. If her lazy bear hadn’t sunk its razor-sharp teeth into Loveline’s hand as she tried to drag Lita back into the mansion, Lita would probably be a prisoner right now.

Instead, she was cooped up in a tiny, filthy shack in the slum district reserved for low-borns. She sat on the edge of a creaky bed, holding her breath to keep out the foul stench of rotting garbage and mold. A tiny bed bug crawled across the mattress, and she slapped it away with a grimace.

"Dad! We have to leave this place!" Lita pinched her nose, her voice sounding like a squawking duck. "This bed has more bugs than a forest! It’s disgusting!"

Samuel sat on a rickety wooden chair across the room, staring at Lita with pure, unadulterated disgust. In his eyes, Lita was no longer his golden ticket to wealth and status. She was just a useless, pregnant mouth to feed.

What a colossal waste of my resources, Samuel thought to himself, letting out a heavy, dramatic sigh. He was deeply regretting every single life choice that had led him to this smelly room. Why should I go down with this sinking boat? I’m the victim here! I was scammed by two dumb women!

A sinister idea sparked in his mind. I need to ditch them and run for my life, but not before I squeeze one last bag of energy stones out of these two.

Samuel cleared his throat, suddenly putting on a serious, heroic expression. He nodded solemnly at Lita and her mother, Ursula. "Listen to me. There is only one way for us to survive the Kaelion family’s wrath."

Ursula and Lita blinked, looking at him at the same time. "How?"

Samuel pointed a greasy finger at Lita. "Your biological father. He’s the only powerhouse in this region with enough political weight to pull us out of this giant pile of pig manure."

Ursula jumped to her feet as if someone had stuck a hot needle in her seat. She glared at Samuel, her eyes bulging. "Never! Are you completely insane?! We would rather eat poison than go to him!"

She gave Samuel a death stare that could melt iron. "First, you blackmail my daughter by kidnapping the baby’s father, and now you want to throw us into the lion’s den?!"

Samuel rolled his eyes and waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, please. That useless guy Jimmy is already dead, and your daughter had become completely uncontrollable! I had to improvise!"

Lita scoffed in utter disbelief, shocked by Samuel’s shamelessness. But then she paused and turned to her mother. "Mom... do you have any better ideas? Because right now, our only fate is getting turned into fertilizer by Sabrina and Andrea. As long as my mother-in-law is alive, we are not safe! Even if she is taken to prison, her guild will continue to act on her behalf." She raised her frantic voice. "Mom, you have to help me. I don’t want to die."

Ursula stammered, her hands trembling. "I... well... no, but..."

The truth was, they were backed into a corner with nowhere left to run. But Ursula knew the truth about that man and she wanted nothing to do with him. He was probably worse than Sabrina.

"Lita, you don’t understand!" Ursula pleaded, looking at her daughter with terror. "Your real father might look like a polite gentleman on the outside, but he is a demon! He hates anyone who stands in the way of his ambitions, and right now, you are a giant, walking obstacle to his political career! He will never let the public know he sired an illegitimate child! One who has offended the Kaelions and humiliated herself before the world at that!"

Lita rolled her eyes so hard she nearly gave herself a headache. "Oh, come on, Mom. You’re being dramatic. I’m sure my father and I can come to a mutual understanding. Parental love is a powerful force, you know! Besides... who is he anyway? Stop keeping secrets!"

Ursula bit her lip and stayed silent, wringing her hands in pure terror.

Samuel sneered and blurted it out without skipping a beat: "Logan Spegger."