Chapter 55 – Echoes of Chaos and the Monarch's Bath
The morning after the love drama, Diana was in her room when her communicator vibrated. The name on the screen? Lorien Valtier.
— "Hey, my favorite phoenix!" said Lorien with a teasing smile.
Diana sighed, adjusting her hair.— "What do you want, Lorien?"
— "Whoa, why the cold shoulder, my little phoenix?"
In the background, some of the students started overhearing the conversation.
— "Ew..." one of them commented, making a face.
— "This is so cringe..." muttered Inavy, fiddling with his Thunder Pendant and frowning.
Lorien heard it and didn't miss the chance for a joke.— "Oh, is that Inavy I hear back there?"— "Yes, it's him," Diana replied.
Lorien widened his eyes on the screen.— "Damn... the kid's looking fierce! White highlights in the hair? And his eyes... crimson? Turned into an Uchiha, huh?"
— "He fully awakened the Chaos," Diana explained with a slight smile. "That's his new form."
Lorien let out a long whistle.— "Looking good, not gonna lie. But I'm still hotter."
Diana chuckled.— "Lorien-goofball."
— "Ugh..." Inavy rolled his eyes.
— "Call him and Darius over for a sec, will you?"
The two boys approached the screen. Lorien flashed a wide grin.
— "Now this is what I'm talking about, Chaos bearer! Three months in and you're already a shounen protagonist. Following in my footsteps, huh?"
— "Trying to catch up to you," Inavy replied, more serious, but with a faint smile.
— "Speaking of which... got some great news. Your brother, Ron, made the Draft. First pick." Lorien announced proudly.
— "For real!?" Inavy perked up. "Which guild?"
— "Guild of the Thousand Lights. Awesome, right?"
— "Damn... that's awesome! Is he doing okay? Fought well?"
— "He's ahead of his generation, Inavy. A prodigy, just like his big brother. Don't worry, he's in good hands," Lorien said with a more serious tone.
— "Please, take care of him," Inavy asked.
Lorien nodded and looked to the side.— "Now, time to embarrass a birthday boy... Darius! Happy 17th, little bro!"
Darius smiled.— "Thanks, Lorien!"
— "You've grown a lot, but don't forget this..." said Lorien, opening an old photo gallery. One showed Darius running in a diaper with a lollipop. Another had him sleeping with a spoon hanging from his mouth.
— "NOOO!!" Darius shouted, trying to cover the screen.
Rose burst out laughing.— "Aww, he's so cute..."
Darius turned completely red, muttering under his breath.— "I hate you, Lorien..."
Night falls over Nionderland...As the moon shone above the royal gardens, Inavy drifted to sleep... but what came wasn't rest. It was a strange dream.
He saw Kelvin, sinking deeper into a dark abyss. Shadows wrapped around his body. Dark hands tried to drag him down. But other hands — golden, human — tried to reach him... without success.
Inavy woke up drenched in sweat.— "Kelvin... I hope you're okay, man."
In the depths of darkness...Tyrus stood in his shadowy dimension, facing a massive ritual cauldron. A sorcerer approached him.
— "My lord, the Monarch's Bath is ready."
Tyrus stared at the boiling black liquid.— "He still tries to resist... that insolent soul..." he muttered, sensing the last sparks of light within Kelvin.
— "But it will be in vain. This bath... will mark the end of Kelvin Nox. His soul will become... just a faint echo inside me."
Tyrus stepped into the cauldron, as his monstrous energy merged with the shadowy liquid.
Meanwhile, somewhere... Kelvin's soul was sinking even deeper — just as Inavy had seen in his dream.
Tyrus, with a cruel smile, whispered:— "This boy... he's stubborn, I'll give him that."