Chapter 415: The missing girls.

The Grand Elder froze. He slowly closed his eyes, his old shoulders slumping as he swallowed the sharp, bitter pain in his heart. Sabrina sat on the council for Soul maidens, which punished soul maidens that betrayed the human race and their cause to wipe out Somnivores.

Over the years, how many girls had Sabrina punished? And yet, she turned around and had an affair with a Somnivore! Even going on to have his child in secret!

He patted his chest, feeling constrictions in his chest. If this news came out, would their Kaelion family survive the storm? More than that, how was Hunter taking the news?

"Ah... that poor boy," the Grand Elder murmured softly, shaking his head. "Hunter has suffered so much in his life, and he’s still suffering now. Honestly? If you ask me, Hunter should just condemn both of his parents to hell and be done with them!"

"He’s emotionally much stronger than you think, Grandpa" Zyra said warmly, stepping closer. "He isn’t going to let their dark past ruin his future."

The Grand Elder opened his eyes and looked at her, his expression softening into deep gratitude. "Well... that is all thanks to you, my dear."

Zyra stretched her hands out with a playful grin. "Hey, not just me! It’s thanks to you too! Another person would be preparing to chase him from the family to protect themselves. But not you. All you are thinking of is how he is fairing. If there is an award for best grandfather, you are taking it."

The Grand Elder smiled softly, his heart feeling a little lighter.

"Anyway, I came to tell you that I’m leaving now for Beast Valley city." Zyra said quickly.

The Grand Elder’s warm smile instantly vanished, replaced by a clear look of disappointment. "Leaving already? I was really hoping you’d stay at the estate for a little while..."

"Grandpa, I have an entire city to run! Those dragon snakes could be turning it upside down as we speak, with Scotty cheering them on." Zyra chuckled, waving her hand dismissively. "Besides, don’t look so sad. I promise to return and visit as often as I can. Have you forgotten that I can literally teleport anytime I want?"

The Grand Elder shook his head with a small laugh. "Ah, right. Teleportation... must be nice to have such convenient tricks." He paused, remembering something. "Oh, by the way, a few of our family members mentioned they’d love to visit Beast Valley soon to see Denea."

"That can easily be arranged," Zyra said with a nod. "Just let me know when they’re ready so that I can prepare proper accommodations for everyone."

The Grand Elder stepped forward to close the gap between them, opening his arms to give her a warm, grandfatherly embrace. "Take care of yourself, kiddo_"

Before his arms could even wrap around her, Zyra vanished into thin air right from inside his embrace! A tiny swirl of residual wind blew past his empty hands, ruffling his beard.

The Grand Elder stood there hugging nothing but the empty morning air.

Taken completely by surprise, his jaw dropped in absolute disbelief. "Hey!" The Grand Elder bellowed at the sky, stomping his foot on the wooden deck. "You little rascal! At least let me finish hugging you before you disappear!"

He shook his fist at the empty air as if he was filled with rage. An affectionate, helpless smile quickly crept back onto his face as he turned back to feed his fish.

Zyra materialized directly in front of the courtyard of the main house. Realizing she couldn’t possibly take a personal walking tour of the entire sprawling city right now, she commanded her system, "Beauty, run a full scan of the area for me."

[Scanning...]

After two minutes, a cheerful chime sounded in her head, followed by Beauty’s crisp voice: [Scan complete, Host! Everything seems to be in perfect order.]

Zyra smiled warmly_ she expected nothing less from Malia and Crispus’ iron leadership.

Before she could take another step, Tessi, Etania, and a new face whom Zyra figured must be Yuda rushed up to her.

"Is it really true?!" Tessi burst out, her eyes wide. "Has Trinity actually gone mad!?"

Zyra nodded, unable to help but chuckle at their ridiculously cheerful, relieved smiles.

Yuda stepped forward quickly, bowing her head. "I am Yuda! It is an honor to meet you, Divine Maiden!"

Zyra let out a tired sigh at the heavy title and glanced at Tessi, whose wide smile suddenly melted into a heavy frown.

"What’s bothering you, Tessi?" Zyra asked, raising an eyebrow. "Is someone causing trouble in the valley?"

"Oh, no! All the residents are on their absolute best behavior," Tessi explained quickly. "Nobody wants to get kicked out of a place that serves endless free food! It’s actually... about Ava and Kirsten."

"Mostly Kirsten," Etania chimed in, shaking her head.

Yuda sighed, describing Kirsten: "She’s basically a little lost sheep who follows people blindly until she finds herself in strange places. A few days ago, I received a flickering soul message from her. I didn’t pay much attention back then, but now the connection has been completely severed for quite a while, and her phone is off_ which is unlike her. Kirsten would never ignore me. She’s like my loyal puppy, always following me around."

Zyra raised her brow. Did Kirsten know that Yuda said or thought this about her?

Yuda shuddered, her voice dropping nervously. "I was getting worried, and then this morning I got a frantic message from Ava! She said they were taking Kirsten to the Hollow Cradle... and then the message cut off abruptly! I think the Somnivores have done something. If those the Soul Maidens want to leave, they can’t just let them_ especially Ava! She knows way too much about their plans."

Zyra narrowed her gaze, her eyes turning cold. "So... those Somnivores aren’t quite as sweet and peaceful as they’ve been painting themselves to be."

Tessi gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "If that’s the case, then all the innocent humans living in their territories are in extreme danger! We have to go save them right now!"

"Hold your horses," Zyra said, raising a firm hand to halt their panic. "Look, as heartless as this might sound, I am not going to blindly charge into unknown territory beyond the veil to rescue your friends. Those humans went into their territory willingly_ nobody forced them. I need to assess the full situation and get the other leaders involved first before I decide our next move."

She pointed a finger at the three of them. "In the meantime, do nothing reckless. Just keep trying to reach their phones and gathering information on what’s going on beyond the veil. That is an order."

Zyra turned and walked away toward the beast pavilion. This wasn’t something she was going to rush into blindly; those Soul Maidens had been utter fools for trusting aliens in the first place. They were responsible for the king beast horde that had resulted in the death of hundreds. Whenever they were found, they would have to be punished for what they had done.