Chapter 68: Arriving at Zeph’s Family Mansion

Zeph had asked for my help right before he passed out on that mountain. But that was when he was basically about to die. In that state, of course he’d swallow his pride and ask for help.

Now that his condition had stabilized a bit, things were different.

I stepped into the pocket dimension and walked slowly over to the cabin. He was already outside, sitting on a chair out front.

The moment he saw me, Zeph’s face darkened, looking pretty annoyed.

"Where the hell am I? I tried to leave, but there doesn’t seem to be a way out. What the fuck is this?" he said, slowly getting up from the chair.

His body was still too weak, so any movement was exhausting for him.

"You’re inside my ability," I replied. "It’s my private world where I live, and I left you here since you were totally fucked up."

Zeph frowned.

"Seriously? I thought your ability was C-rank, which is supposed to be trash. This doesn’t look like something a C-rank ability could make."

In the school records, my ability was indeed still listed as C-rank, even though it was already A-rank.

"My ability is A-rank," I said. "The school was just keeping it a secret. I bet they did the same with you, right?"

As soon as I said that, Zeph’s expression shifted instantly. He didn’t look at me with that angry, disgusted glare anymore, but like an equal. His mindset was just like I thought.

He used to treat me like that because he felt superior having an S-rank ability while I only had a C-rank. Now, even though an S-rank ability would theoretically be much more powerful down the road, we were much closer in standing than before. Zeph started treating me differently.

"Why hide your ability and not Camille’s, though? She has an A-rank ability too."

"I think it’s because of the nature of my ability. This world I can create is pretty similar to what we see inside rifts."

Zeph started putting the pieces together.

"That’s why Lion Heart wrote you a recommendation letter, and why the academy principal and everyone else seem to back you up. Everything makes sense now..."

"And that’s probably how you survived the Unstable Rift. If your ability is similar to rifts, then you must have found a way to make it out alive using it."

His train of thought surprised me. Zeph was smarter than I thought. Not that it was super hard to figure out, but he connected the dots really fast after I told him, especially since he was still covered in injuries and his head was a mess.

It made sense. Coming from a wealthy, practically noble family with several powerful hunters in his bloodline, of course he had a different upbringing, being trained much harder from a very young age.

"Yeah, something like that. Could you just chill in here? I’m taking you back to your family in Lake Crescent. Balthazar asked me to help you out. Actually, you’re the one who asked while you were all beat up."

Zeph turned his face away. "Forget that shit. I was just talking nonsense because I was delirious. I didn’t need your help."

This idiot was way too proud, holy shit. But honestly, I didn’t want to start a fight. The whole situation was already shit, so why make it worse?

"We’re already in Port Angeles, so we’re close. Should I be worried about visiting your family? Are they going to attack me?"

Zeph was already kind of crazy sometimes, so his family might be too. I wanted to know what I was getting into before heading over there.

Zeph sat back down in the chair, sighing.

"Look, my dad is a little... peculiar. He’s not a normal hunter. When he gets hired, it’s to track down and assassinate villains. He doesn’t get called in to capture them, he gets called in to eliminate them."

Just great. Exactly what I wanted.

"They won’t attack you out of nowhere, though. Just make sure you approach our house along the main road without using your skill. Just walk. There’s a gatekeeper who will stop you, and you can explain everything and tell him you’re helping me."

I asked him to show me the best way to get to his family’s place. Balthazar had given me the address, but it was just a general location.

The mansion was deep in the forest near Lake Crescent. Without knowing where the roads were, I could run into trouble. What if I ended up flying too close and got attacked? I needed to avoid that.

"Stay here and rest. You need to recover. The last thing I want is to arrive at your place and find you dead inside. Then I’d really be screwed."

Even with all his flaws, Zeph wasn’t someone who wanted to die. As soon as I said that, he nodded and went back into the cabin, lying down on the bed. He really should eat something, but I didn’t have the patience to cook for him, so screw it.

I stepped out of the pocket dimension and flew around Port Angeles, only watching the city from a distance. There were several boats out on the water near the city. Plenty of people who owned boats had decided to get in them and flee, just like that old guy I’d seen on Whidbey Island.

While flying, I noticed a few creatures that had escaped from the rifts down on the ground. Since I was pretty high up, most of them didn’t notice me. Even if they did, none of them could fly or attack from a distance, so I was safe.

Unlike the cities, I didn’t see anything on fire or any massive destruction. This area, isolated out in the woods, was totally different.

After flying for a few minutes near the lake, I spotted the road leading to the mansion where Zeph lived. It was a dirt road, pretty narrow, and basically terrible for any kind of vehicle.

His family was rich and full of hunters. They either left the place using their own physical strength and speed, which was way better than any vehicle, or used a helicopter from time to time. Cars weren’t necessary.

I stepped off the cube and walked down the dirt road. I didn’t rush, and I didn’t make any sudden moves. There was a strong chance someone was watching me, so any sudden movement could cause a huge mess.

I felt like someone really was watching me. Maybe it was just in my head, but I didn’t think so.

And even with my Primordial Serpent bloodline, sharp senses, and an absurd ability to notice any strange movement, I didn’t spot a thing. If someone was out there, they were seriously powerful.

Luckily, no one showed up before I reached the gate to Zeph’s mansion. It was an iron gate with a rustic look. The wall was the same, made completely of solid stone.

And the house was built from a kind of dark brick, giving the place an old vibe as well. Honestly, it was exactly the kind of house I pictured a spoiled rich kid like Zeph living in.

Near the gate was a guardhouse where the guard lived. He quickly stepped outside and came over to confront me. Visitors weren’t common, but they weren’t impossible either.

"Who are you?" the guard asked.

He looked at my clothes, which were all torn up. It was the uniform from the academy where Zeph studied too, so maybe he was already getting a general idea of who I was.

"You probably know what’s happening across the country, with the invasions and everything," I started explaining. "The New Order’s Hunter Academy was attacked too."

The moment I mentioned the academy, the guard started to get anxious.

"We escaped through a secret exit, and a few hours later, I found Zeph all beat up. I decided to help him out and brought him back to his family."

When I mentioned Zeph’s name, the guard couldn’t keep his cool anymore. 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

"Where is Young Master Zeph?" he demanded. "You said he’s with you, but I don’t see him."

"He’s safe inside my ability," I replied. "If you want, I can talk to him and ask him to come out, but he’s badly hurt and needs rest. It’d be better to get a proper room ready for him first."

The guard was a little skeptical about what I said. But in the end, he decided to let me in. Maybe because he knew I didn’t have enough strength to try anything against them anyway.

"Come with me."

He opened the gate and walked with me to the front door of Zeph’s mansion. Before we could even open the door, a tall, muscular guy jumped out of a 3rd-floor window, landing right in front of us.

"Where’s my little brother?" he said.

I felt killing intent aimed straight at me. This didn’t look good.