Chapter 1415
A Dream of Treason
"Co now. We are family here. There is no need for such ceremony."
Truth be told, regardless of how accommodating everyone tried to be, the atmosphere remained delicate.
Orion decided to shatter the tension. He stepped forward, wrapping his left arm around Lilith and his right around Seraphina, guiding them toward the inner sanctum of the keep.
Seraphina attempted to pull away, a flash of defiance in her eyes, but Orion was unyielding. His arm was like iron, his hand claiming her breast with a bold, possessive familiarity that brooked no argunt. Realizing resistance was futile, Seraphina shot him a withering glare, her cheeks flushing crimson, but she allowed him to hold her.
And so, the proud Seraphina took up residence in Blackstone City.
The days that followed were a blur of hedonistic contentnt for Orion. He spent his nights rotating between his lovers—won who were not only breathtakingly beautiful but stood at the very apex of power on the continent. It was a life of envy-inducing indulgence.
Blackstone City, Eastern Caverns.
Ever since the Stoneheart Horde had established their foundation in Moonshadow Valley, these subterranean hollows had been the domain of the Cave Spiders, serving as one of their primary nests.
With Orion guarding the city above and surrounded by her own brood, Lorelia slept with a rare lack of vigilance. Because she felt safe, she slept deeply; and because she slept deeply, she dread.
"Hello!"
A childish voice echoed in Lorelia's mind.
The slumbering Broodmother, whose expression had been one of lazy contentnt, snapped to alertness in an instant.
Lorelia opened her eyes within the dreamscape. A hazy silhouette had appeared beside her. The figure was small, resembling a toddler who had only just learned to walk.
"Who are you?"
Schwing!
As she spoke, a razor-sharp spider leg extended from her back. The scythe-like tip pressed against the throat of the blurry little figure. Lorelia did not let her guard down; silently, through their soul bond, she was already calling out to her master, Orion.
"Hello! I am Zerin."
"Big Sister, what is your na? Do you want to play?"
The silhouette's voice was innocent, naive. He seed to know things, yet his understanding felt incomplete, fragnted.
"Big Sister? Zerin? Never heard of you," Lorelia replied, her ntal voice dripping with false sweetness. "I am Lorelia. Tell , little one, why are you here?"
As a ruler of a dream-based supernatural path, Lorelia knew exactly where she was. This was her domain.
"Why am I here?" The figure paused. "I don't know. I followed a light."
Zerin seed confused. Lorelia had questions, but so did he.
"Zerin, tell ... what is your purpose?"
Lorelia smiled, retracting the deadly spider leg. Her face shifted, adopting a charming, healing expression designed to disarm.
"Growth. Ascension. To bring freedom to all insectoids. To claim more living space for the Swarm!"
Zerin answered without hesitation. These directives were carved into his bones, his blood, and his very consciousness. His existence was solely to facilitate the rise of the insect race.
Lorelia was an insectoid—a powerful Broodmother. Zerin sensed this clearly, which was why he held no defenses against her. In his mind, Lorelia was a natural ally. A Broodmother and a Larva King—together, their rise would be swift and unstoppable.
"Wow! Zerin, you're amazing!" Lorelia exclaid, clapping her hands. Then, her expression shifted to one of pitiful sorrow. "I want freedom for our kind too... but I cannot do it."
"You should go, Zerin. It is dangerous here."
She pointed a trembling finger at the faint, shimring contract seal on her forehead, signaling her enslavent.
"Sister Lorelia, co with ," Zerin urged, his voice filled with genuine concern. "I will take you away from here. We can go to the Wormholes. There are wards there that can sever most contract forces."
Zerin accepted Lorelia's concern as natural, just as he felt concern for her. He wanted to save her, to bring her into the safety of the Wormholes where the bind of the contract could be broken.
"Is there really such a place?"
"Yes! I live there."
Horde Hall, Master Bedroom.
Orion's eyes snapped open. He gently disentangled himself from the limbs of Seraphina and Lilith.
Seraphina stirred, opening her eyes only to be greeted by Orion's kiss. She accepted it for a mont before turning over and drifting back to sleep. Orion then kissed Lilith, who was also awake.
"Lorelia has a small situation. I need to check on her."
Lilith nodded, rising imdiately to help him dress. Once he was ready, she left the bedroom to begin her daily administration of the Stoneheart Horde's affairs.
As for Seraphina, no one dared disturb her beauty sleep.
It was a delicate balance.
Thinking of Seraphina—and the wild intensity of the last few days—even Lilith, a succubus by nature, felt a flush of heat. It was baffling how such a lofty, untouchable Demigod could behave so... voraciously in bed.
Fortunately, Seraphina's pride ant she wanted for nothing. What the Stoneheart Horde could offer, she already possessed. Because she had everything, she competed for nothing, deeming it beneath her to fight Lilith for status.
From the start, they had stood on equal footing. If anything, Seraphina's imnse power gave her an air of detached divinity, as if she did not eat the food of mortals. Lilith felt a mix of intimacy, fear, and admiration for her.
The dynamic between the won was, to say the least, fascinating.
Eastern Underground Caverns.
Orion did not teleport. He walked into the caverns with a calm, steady gait.
At the entrance to the main nest, Lorelia was waiting, flanked by two Alpha-tier spider handmaidens.
"Master!"
As soon as Orion entered, Lorelia threw herself at him, seeking a hug as she always did.
"Behave."
Orion curled his finger and flicked her sharply on the forehead.
"Ouch! Master doesn't love Lorelia anymore!"
She recoiled, covering her forehead dramatically. "Lorelia is unwanted... Lorelia is holess... Lorelia is so pitiful... Sob, sob..."
Orion shook his head and sighed.
"Alright, that's enough. Can you at least try to look like a Queen in front of your subordinates?"
He reached out, gently rubbing the spot he had struck.
"Mmm..." Lorelia leaned into his palm, nuzzling against it like a cat, savoring the familiar touch from her childhood. "Lorelia doesn't care about them. If they get in the way, I'll just eat them."
"Enough. To business," Orion said, withdrawing his hand. His tone hardened.
An unknown entity had intruded into the subterranean caverns, and it had happened right under his nose without triggering his senses.
He did not believe for a second that this was a coincidence.
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