Chapter 410: Tongue Biting Villain.

He motioned for them to sit down on the soft couches. His relaxed old man face transitioned into an expression of serious gravity. An expression that they could not ignore, so they sat down as he instructed.

Hunter slipped one of his hands into Zyra’s. It was tense, like he was worried about what his grandfather had to say.

"While you kids were trying to figure out how to crack open that spaceship yesterday, the Soul Maidens approached me," the Grand Elder explained, pointing directly at Zyra. "They were begging and desperate for me to tell you this."

"Me? What is it?" Zyra asked, sitting up straight.

The Grand Elder recounted everything Yuda had revealed_ the secret plots of the Somnivores, their hidden forces, and what they had been planning behind the scenes.

Hunter listened carefully, then let out a thoughtful hum. "Well... looking at the bright side, it’s actually a good thing that some of the Somnivores want peace. You just said a lot of the low-born citizens have already run off to the other side of the veil and are living peacefully like normal folks. I guess there must be a good number of hybrids then. Maybe, even Somnivores walking among us already. Looks like the Somnivores might not be so bad after all."

The Grand Elder and Zyra both turned their heads slowly, staring at Hunter with blank, bewildered expressions.

Hunter blinked, raising his hands defensively. "Hey! Don’t look at me like that! It’s not like I’m automatically taking their side just because I have their DNA sloshing around in my veins!"

The Grand Elder let out a long, heavy sigh, massaging his temples. "I certainly hope not, you rascal. I certainly hope not."

Zyra winced, rubbing her forehead in confusion. "Wait a second, if those Somnivores genuinely want peace, why on earth did they send swarms of terrifying beasts to attack innocent, harmless humans?"

The Grand Elder blinked, nodding in agreement. "Ah, excellent question." He tapped his wrist link band, scrolling through a holographic gallery of glowing images. He finally stopped on two pictures and projected them into the air_ one showing a stasis prism, and the other displaying a metallic canister with alien markings carved onto it.

"These two alien devices were found in different parts of the stadium," the Grand Elder explained, tapping the glowing projection. "Yuda confessed everything. It turns out that her group, along with a secret low-born rebel faction, planted those canisters on purpose! The whole goal was to emit a gas that would weaken the half-life beasts before the Somnivores could come here themselves demanding to sit on around table."

He leaned back, sighing like an exhausted old laborer. "On top of that, the Somnivore leader has actually sent countless peace messages to our Sanctum, practically begging us to sign a peace treaty between our two species. But Trinity ignored every single one of them! In fact, Trinity together with the black flower guild secretly sent human scavenging teams to raid their towns beyond the veil, rob their secret research labs, and loot their storage facilities! They just escalated the feud."

Hunter shook his head in absolute disbelief. "Unbelievable. If anyone still thinks Trinity and my mother are sweet, innocent angels, they must be completely out of their minds!"

Zyra shrugged, her lips curling into a frown. "So... the Somnivores were just getting revenge when they sent one of their own to release all those beasts?"

"It probably is," Hunter agreed, folding his arms tightly over his chest. "So, either we are going to war, or we are all going to the negotiation table. At this point, all we can do is wait and prepare. I’m willing to bet my left boot that the Somnivores will try to reach out to us again soon."

"Agreed," the Grand Elder said. He glanced at the digital clock floating on his wall, his eyebrows twitching. "Ah, look at the time! Sabrina and Trinity’s trial is about to start. Though... to be honest, I wouldn’t expect much of a dramatic confession from those two women_ especially Sabrina. She literally bit her own tongue off in her cell last night just to avoid talking!"

Zyra’s eyebrows practically flew right off her forehead and hit the ceiling. "Whoa! She bit off her own tongue?! She’s totally hardcore, I’ll give her that much!"

"And now, Hunter cannot ask her about his birth father." The Grand Elder said sadly.

Hunter jumped up from his seat so fast his chair wobbled. "No worries, before the trial starts, I have to talk to Trinity. Let’s do so, right now!"

"Go on then," the Grand Elder waved his hand dismissively.

Zyra paused right before following Hunter, a sudden thought popping into her mind. "Wait, Grandpa....have the Demerides siblings reached the capital yet?"

"Not yet," the Grand Elder replied, shaking his white head. "I’ll notify you the exact second they step foot in Concordia. If they don’t come, within two days, you can go to Aurora yourself."

Zyra nodded solemnly. The Demerides siblings were her only remaining lead to her mother; they had apparently gone treasure hunting beyond the magical Veil, but the grand elder had sent for them. So, all she could do now was patiently wait for their return. The grand elder would not hear of her going beyond the veil.

"Zyra, wait a second. Give this old man a moment," the Grand Elder called out softly.

Hunter gave Zyra a quick nod. "I’ll wait for you outside." He quietly slipped out of the lounge, closing the heavy doors behind him.

Once they were alone, the Grand Elder looked down at his own hands, his voice dropping into a gentle, apologetic whisper. "Zyra... I want to apologize to you for bringing Ian here earlier today. I just... I was foolishly hoping that maybe..."

Zyra cut him off gently before he could drown in his own guilt. "Grand Elder, you don’t have to apologize. Sometimes, blood just isn’t thick enough to overcome everything." She offered him a small, knowing smile. "Just look at you and your daughter, Sabrina. You’re wonderful, and she’s... well, a tongue-biting villain."

The Grand Elder stared at her for a second, then gave a single, solemn nod. "Yeah... I get it."

Before the heavy mood could linger any longer, Zyra suddenly stepped forward and threw her arms around the old man in a tight, warm hug. "Thank you for trying, though. You’re a good old man."

The Grand Elder froze in surprise, then slowly let out a soft, bittersweet laugh, patting her back gently. "Ah, you silly rascal.... go on now, don’t keep Hunter waiting. Lord knows I want answers to how I ended up with a half-Somnivore grandson as well." Just how had he missed such a big secret under his own roof?