"Legacy of a dead goddess," Lily muttered a moment after they returned to their old position on the couch. "Kinda bonkers if I say so. And you think her brother is the one responsible for manipulating me and the others?"

Leo frowned, tapping a claw on his knee. "It would make a lot of sense, but in the end, it's still just a theory. I might have a way to prove it, but I want to leave it as the last resort."

"That Void merchant of yours?" She quirked an eyebrow. "You really have encountered some very interesting people."

"Don't I know that," he snorted. "But yeah. If all else fails, I can always pay him for the info. Until now, everything he had sold me has been legit. I just don't want him to learn about what’s happening here. Void knows to whom he can sell that information if it's really Geron who messed up with your minds and initial evolutions."

"If he's as powerful as you say, he most likely knows already," Lily reasoned before frowning. "Also, 'Void knows,' really Leo? What's up with that?"

He grimaced, cursing his slip-up. He should have known it would bite him in the ass sooner or later. "Nothing I can do about that," he explained, trying to look normal. "I don't even remember when I began to use it like that; I just did. At least I can blame my connection with the Void for that."

His sister's frown deepened. "But it isn't manipulating or changing you, right? I don't want you to become a slave to some ancient god. Not like I was."

"Not gonna happen, don't worry. Nobody is manipulating me," Leo quickly replied before Lily's mood could worsen again. "As for changing? Well, I won't say I'm the same person you spoke on the phone with a few weeks ago. Neither of us are. That's just the way this world works now. You either adapt or die. For better or worse."

She scowled. "I really hate it."

He furrowed his brow. That came out of nowhere. "What?"

"This System slogan," she jumped and started pacing around the small room. "Adapt or die," she mocked. "Is that the best bloody advice an all-powerful entity can offer us? Fucking thank you a lot. I figured out as much by myself."

Huh, that's a new one. Most people I met accepted this saying for what it was: the way of the new world. Figures she would be different. Leo held back a snort. "I already told you why it can't do much more. Nothing we can do to change that now."

"I know," she growled, dropping back on the couch like a sack of potatoes. "It's just frustrating. Superclusters, nests, ancient gods, Gates, and thousands of Voidlings... All this and the System's only words to us are 'Adapt or die?' Bloody hell!"

He didn't say anything right away, as there was no good way to respond to that. However, he also couldn't really complain about the System. Without it, they would all be dead after all. If what Nyx told him was true, it wasn't the entity's fault for how it was created.

Not gonna lie, though. It would be nice to be able to speak to you again face to face, System. I have so many questions...

"Sorry," Lily spoke up. "I had been holding this inside me for a while now. And... after you explained the System's true purpose, I guess I just couldn't hold it back anymore."

"Don't sweat it, sis," Leo offered her a weak grin. "Like you said, it's frustrating. I understand it better than most."

Silence consumed the uneven, dug-out room once he finished speaking. A single glance at Lily confirmed that her mind had to be a mess at that moment. As such, he stayed silent, giving her a minute or two to process everything.

How is it going outside? He opened the link to Nyx instead. Saw something interesting?

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

'Not really,' the feline grumbled. 'We are just standing a few feet away from the door, getting gawked at by everyone around. The Abyss Walker tried starting a conversation, but as I can't speak out loud, it didn't really work out. It's getting... awkward, as the humans would call it.'

Leo winced, though he wasn't too surprised. Sorry. We should be done here soon. I will call for you.

'Please do. Too many people...'

This time, he had to hold back another chuckle. Who could have known? The mighty Apex Shadow Claw, scared of big crowds. More blackmail for him.

"Leo," Lily's voice snapped him back to the real world. "What about... about Adam? He is inside your soul, right? But what now? How do we help him?"

Ah, here it is. He sighed. Of course, this had to come up sooner rather than later.

"Honestly?" He looked at his sister. "I have no idea. I wish I could give you some miraculous solution, but I just don't have one. All we can do for now is wait for him to wake up. After that? We will see."

She bit her lip. "What if... what if I could help? My light affinity can also heal. Maybe it will work."

"Maybe, but I doubt it," Leo grimaced. "He isn't sick or hurt, Lily. He has evolved into a Voidborn; there might be nothing to heal there. Not unless you can somehow reverse the evolution."

She shook her head. "I can't, but there has to be a way to save him. I need to at least try."

"If that's what you want, I won't stop you. Just... just let's wait for Adam to wake up. I also don't want to bring him out of my soul unless absolutely necessary."

"Do you think you can drag me into your soulscape?"

Leo gave her a quick once over, then glanced at her level again and snorted. "Yeah, that ain't happening anytime soon. For all I know, my success with Adam might have been a fluke made possible thanks to Takeover. We're not risking it."

Lily flinched. "Right. Your ability to control Voidlings. I still can't get my head around that. Will you keep hiding it?"

This one time, he didn't have a problem answering. After all, he had been thinking about this for a while now.

"No," he shook his head. "With how London is, I can't limit myself like that. Only my connection to Nikra has to remain a secret. I can't let it get out. The Traveler was right about that."

"I figured as much," the woman sighed, leaning back into the couch. "Malcolm and your companion are still waiting, I should call them back. We still have a lot to talk about."

Yet, even as she said that, she didn't stand up. Leo could understand why, but she was also correct. They had a ton of stuff to discuss with everyone present.

As such, he opened the link with Nyx and gave her the signal. With that done, he turned to his sister. "They are coming."

Lily instantly sat up straight, blinking. "What? How did y-"

Before she could say more, the door opened, and Malcolm, accompanied by Nyx, slipped inside. The Abyss Walker seemed somewhat confused, but he still closed the entrance, silencing the murmurs coming from the tunnel.

"Man, that's bloody weird," Malcolm muttered, looking right at Leo. "You two can communicate telepathically? That's gotta be how she knew to move."

Leo nodded, refusing to hide something so noticeable. "It's useful when we are out there."

"I can imagine that," the man snorted. "So what? You are really siblings?" Upon Lily's nod, he shook his head. "God damn, what are the odds? And both of you are powerful and have unique evolutions. If that's a coincidence, then I am the Queen."

When he put it like that, it really became obvious that some third party had to be involved. What if Geron, in fear of his sister's power, somehow still managed to influence the world and created an entire group just to hunt down Nikra’s shard. Going by the dreams he experienced before the Outbreak, it wasn't even too big of a reach.

If it's really him, his alliance with Nikra to create the System must have been weaker than even Nyx described. Shit... those two idiots really are the root of every problem in this damned world.

"Don't look into it too much, Malcolm," his sister finally replied as he dealt with the mess in his head. "Coincidence or not, there's nothing we can do about it. We have better things to worry about for now."

The Abyss Walker quirked an eyebrow. "Oh? Am I missing something?"

Lily let out a heavy sigh. "A lot. Sit down. I will give you a quick rundown. Then we can figure out how to deal with my old group and that bloody Supercluster. We have been on the defensive for too long. Thanks to Leo, we just might survive."

"Finally." A large grin spread across Malcolm's face as he dropped onto the nearest chair.

Huh, I think I might have started a war…