"But Katherine..." Advika began, a hint of protest in her voice.
"What? Are you going to defy your own mother?" Katherine countered playfully, turning to Advika with a teasingly raised eyebrow.
Advika sighed, her gaze montarily drifting upwards in resignation. "Okay..." she conceded.
"Good! Now, co with , both of you!" Katherine declared, turning and walking towards the entrance, followed by a slightly bewildered Sylvia and Advika.
"Mum, I’m not sure when we’ll be back—" Advika started to say, glancing back at her mother.
"—Don’t worry, Aunty," Katherine interjected with a reassuring smile. "Nothing will happen to them. The Valhalla family invited them, so we will be responsible for their complete safety."
Anna nodded, a small, trusting smile gracing her lips. "Take care, you two," she said warmly.
"Yes, Mum!" Advika and Sylvia replied in unison, then followed Katherine out of the grand mansion.
RING!
Advika stopped abruptly, pulling her phone from her pocket. Sylvia and Katherine also halted, curious.
Advika answered the call and held the phone to her ear. "Yes?"
"Miss Advika," a smooth, businesslike voice ca from the other end. "The company owners are prepared to finalize the sale, and the land acquisition is also ready. Where would you prefer to et to conclude everything?" he inquired.
Advika glanced at Sylvia and Katherine, a thoughtful expression on her face. After a mont of consideration, she nodded decisively. "Tomorrow, 5 PM... at the main branch of Cordelia Bank," she stated.
’We can easily stop by the bank tomorrow and take care of this before heading to the mountain,’ she thought efficiently.
"Excellent! I will ensure all the necessary paperwork is prepared!" the voice on the phone replied enthusiastically.
"Thank you," Advika said with a curt nod, then disconnected the call.
"Who was that?" Sylvia asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Work," Advika replied simply, then turned and followed Katherine, who was already heading towards her sleek yellow Ferrari parked in the driveway.
___
[Back To Christopher.]
[07:00 PM.]
Christopher’s eyes fluttered open. He scanned the dimly lit cave, his gaze finally settling on the translucent figure of Tiamat, her physical form now seemingly ethereal.
"What happened to you?" he asked, his voice tinged with surprise as he stared at her spectral form.
"Don’t be so astonished, child," Tiamat replied, a serene expression on her phantom face. "This is the natural state for us once a chosen one absorbs our fragnt. In this form, I can communicate with you directly, and I reside within your consciousness... specifically, within the sea of your life force."
"If you had told this even a few days ago, I would have dismissed it as utter fantasy, but now..." Christopher pushed himself up from the cold stone floor, brushing dust from his clothes. "How can you reside in a consciousness?" he asked, his eyes fixed on the phantom. "And what are your abilities in this form?"
"Well... only you and your beasts can perceive , either visually or audibly. To the rest of the world, I am essentially non-existent," Tiamat explained. "As for my powers... I can now pass through any physical object and assist you in absorbing other cores. I can also serve as an early warning system, alerting you to potential dangers."
"Okay... so you’re essentially useless in a direct fight but have beco a rather effective spy," Christopher sighed, then turned and walked towards the fountain.
"Where in the hell are the Tears?!" he exclaid in mild horror, noticing the empty fountain.
Lazarus, Lucas, and Reaper all pointed towards the spectral figure of Tiamat.
"What did you do with the Tears?! Don’t you realize—" Christopher began, his voice rising in alarm.
"—Quiet down, impetuous child," Tiamat interjected, a slight frown on her ethereal brow. "The water is gone because it is now integrated into your very blood. With my essence now connected to yours, your blood possesses the complete power of the Tears."
"Oh... so that ans I only need my blood now?" Christopher asked, a flicker of understanding dawning in his eyes.
"Precisely," Tiamat nodded, then floated to a position in mid-air, watching him intently. "What are you waiting for? I have perused your mories, and I know you typically have dinner around 7:30 PM... So, hurry and resurrect your final beast."
"You read my mories?" Christopher asked, a mixture of surprise and unease in his voice.
"Indeed," Tiamat confird. She floated closer, circling his body. "We are now intrinsically linked... I can perceive your thoughts, just as you can perceive mine. I can sense your emotions, and you can sense mine. You can access the mories contained within my fragnts, and I, in turn, can access all of your mories, both past and present."
Christopher stared at her, a deep frown creasing his forehead. After a mont of contemplation, he sighed. "Give so space," he requested.
The three beasts nodded and took a few steps back, creating a small clearing around their master.
Christopher knelt on the ground and began to ticulously draw a complex rune circle. Tiamat observed his every movent with keen interest.
"Tell ," Christopher said, his focus unwavering on the intricate design, "what is the primary ability of the master of those three monstrous beasts? I an, the Tar you ntioned."
"Oh... now? Can’t you see I am currently learning this ritual?" Tiamat quipped, a hint of amusent in her spectral voice.
Christopher shot her a glare, while she chuckled lightly. "Alright, alright... His most prominent ability was the power to raise the dead – that was his core strength. However, his most feared power was his capacity to directly seize and consu the souls of others... This forbidden skill allowed him to amass even greater power..." Her voice trailed off.
"What happened?" Christopher asked, noticing her sudden silence.
"A few days ago, I sensed his presence nearby... but now, I can no longer detect him," she said, her voice tinged with confusion.
Christopher paused his drawing. "You felt him? Does that an soone has already acquired his fragnts, or has he sohow returned?"
"His return is highly improbable, bordering on impossible... but I am almost certain soone has obtained at least one of his fragnts," Tiamat sighed. "Let’s not dwell on it for now. If I sense his presence again, I will inform you imdiately."
Christopher nodded in agreent and resud his drawing. "I have a friend," he ntioned casually.
"So?" Tiamat asked, her spectral brow furrowed in confusion.
"She has the Fire Goddess residing within her."
"What?! Are you absolutely certain about this?!" Tiamat asked, her spectral form flickering with shock.
"Yes... I witnessed it with my own eyes," Christopher confird, adding the final lines to the intricate circle.
"Where is this friend of yours?" Tiamat asked eagerly.
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