Eternal Undying Chronicles

The espers were in a cheerful mood, for reasons Alicarde couldn't quite grasp.

'Were they truly so terrified of me that they didn't even dare to fight?' Alicarde mused with dark satisfaction.

The violet glow of his eyes had faded, leaving his hooded face shrouded in a lightless abyss.

Carrisa allowed them a moment to celebrate, but after a few minutes, the leader, Caden, approached the laptop.

"If I may inquire, who exactly are you?" Caden asked cautiously.

"I am merely a well-wisher," Carrisa's voice echoed through the device, refined and composed. "However, if a title is necessary, you may refer to me as 'the Princess.'"

'Some well-wisher, wasn't she planning to kill them?' Alicarde mused.

Caden exchanged glances with the others before turning back to the laptop.

"I was privy to your conversation. While I may not have gathered every detail, I believe I have sufficient understanding to make certain conjectures. Your current situation, I find, is far from ideal."

"What do you mean by that?" John asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"It means I wish to assist you in escaping your predicament—truly escaping, in a way that those you presently serve could never offer. My intent is to provide you with a path to freedom," Carrisa stated calmly.

Caden looked at the others, uncertainty written on his face. "What exactly are you proposing?"

"This is kinda sus if you ask me," May whispered.

"Is it really possible?" Summer added, her tone skeptical yet intrigued.

"Is she trying to help us?" Chrona asked.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Ping, ever the practical one, adjusted his glasses. "Don't be naive. Why would she help us? What's in it for her?"

"For starters, consider whether this place is truly suitable for ladies to reside. Surely, you are deserving of accommodations far more fitting than this dilapidated structure," Carrisa suggested, her voice calm, almost regal. Explore stories at empire

Caden looked at the girls in the group. They were clearly moved by her words. An abandoned factory wasn't the ideal living space for anyone, and it was the girls who had made it somewhat livable by gathering what they could while staying off the radar.

"Why should we trust you?" Christina asked, her voice filled with suspicion.

"We don't even know your name," Petra added, echoing Christina's concern.

"Then perhaps we should arrange a meeting," Carrisa suggested, her tone polite but firm. "I do not shy away from introductions. I would be more than willing to meet with you in person."

"You want to meet us? Why? And how can we trust you?" Ping's voice was tinged with skepticism.

"If my intent were to harm you, I assure you, I would have already done so. Have you forgotten who intervened to prevent your untimely demise?"

"We are grateful for that, but we have no real reason to place our trust in you… especially considering the Reaper did come here to kill us," Summer said, her tone filled with uncertainty.

"You sought out Anne because you believed she could lead you to the nexus, did you not?" Carrisa continued, her voice calm and calculating.

"However let us assume, hypothetically, that you do manage to obtain the nexus—though I assure you, with your current knowledge and abilities, you will not. What then? Do you truly believe those who have sent you on this mission will allow you to walk away unscathed?"

"What does she mean by that?" May whispered to Summer.

"She means they'll kill us after we have outlived our usefulness," Summer replied quietly.

Carrisa's tone grew chilling. "To them, you are nothing more than government property—expendable assets they liberated for their own purposes. Do you know why they went to such lengths? It is because they view you as disposable."

"We…" Caden began, but fell silent, the weight of her words sinking in.

"I see one among you possesses the pragmatism to grasp the truth. You are mere pawns. The harsh reality is that they do not expect you to succeed, you are simply expendable scouts, sent to test the waters."

Caden frowned, Carrisa's words striking a nerve.

"You are all going to die," Alicarde spoke for the first time since Carrisa had intervened. His voice was calm but laced with a sinister undertone.

"If you can't even defeat me, you stand no chance against the three major powers of this world, and trust me—it gets much worse."

The others exchanged confused glances, hearing about such powers for the first time. However, they were too fearful to question further.

Anne looked up at him, her expression puzzled. "Three major powers? What are you talking about?"

The Reaper's hood shrouded his face in darkness as he crossed his arms with disdain.

"The three major powers are the true rulers of this world. They are, the Order, a religious faction comprised of all faiths across the globe, the Magician's Guild, an assembly of mages who hold dominion over magical matters, and the Truth Association, a body of alchemists with power equal to the other two.

Together, these three have maintained the secrecy of the supernatural world for many millennia."

Caden and his group listened intently, each making their own conjectures.

"Yes, that is correct," Carrisa confirmed, her voice steady and authoritative.

"Though it is the Truth Association that primarily concerns itself with maintaining secrecy. Which brings me to my question, for which of these three powers are you a pawn?"

"We aren't pawns!" Oliver protested, his youthful voice filled with indignation.

Caden, regaining his composure, exchanged a glance with John, who nodded in silent agreement. "Let's say, hypothetically, we are pawns. How do we know you won't betray us?"

"That is the beauty of this situation," Carrisa replied, her voice as smooth as silk.

"You do not. I do not require your trust, nor do I necessarily need your cooperation. I could have you eliminated here and now. I choose not to. After all, I have a certain fondness for those who have lost everything—a soft spot for strays. That is why I am extending my hand to you."

Christina glanced at the Reaper, who stood silently, as if in agreement with Carrisa. The thought that this woman could order their deaths so easily made her shiver.

"We really don't have much of a choice," Christina said, her voice tinged with resignation.

"Before they helped us break out, they made Caden sign some strange contract with his blood. The terms were clear, we have to inform them if we find the nexus."

Caden turned to her, surprised by her boldness in revealing such information.

The others spoke up in quick succession.

"I don't trust them," Chrona said, her voice filled with doubt.

"Why should we trust you, after all the lies we've been fed?" Petra asked.

"We aren't fools," Christina continued, her expression firm despite the trembling in her hands.

"We've endured too much to blindly trust anyone—not the man who freed us only to throw us into danger again, and not you. Back then, we had no choice—it was an offer we couldn't refuse. You're just like him, using our lives to pressure us. Fine… I'm willing to make a deal with the devil, but on one condition, if we accept your offer, my friends—no, my family—must survive this."

Christina's eyes were filled with suppressed tears, her voice a mix of rage and indignation.

Caden gently held her hand, feeling it tremble with emotion.

"We still can't trust you. At least give us something concrete to work with."

Carrisa's voice remained calm, almost soothing. "How about I assist you in nullifying the effects of the pact you signed? Furthermore, I would be willing to sign a new pact with you, allowing you to dictate the terms of your employment."

Caden's eyes narrowed, the offer too tempting to be without a catch.

"In return, you would aid me in my endeavors, functioning as my employees. Naturally, you would be compensated accordingly, I would not expect you to work without reward."

John's gaze hardened as he leaned closer to the screen. "What's the catch?"

Carrisa's voice was cool, almost dismissive. "The catch, as you put it, is simple, you serve me."

The group exchanged uneasy glances, each weighing the pros and cons.

"How can we trust someone we've never met?" Maya questioned, her tone skeptical.

"She could be setting us up for a bigger trap," May Summer muttered, her voice low.

"If she wanted us dead, we would be dead already. No point in arguing now, our situation can't get any worse than this," John said, looking at Caden.

Caden remained silent, deep in thought. Finally, he spoke. "We need more than promises. We need assurance that we won't just be trading one master for another."