How did this happen?

How was any of this possible?

It made no sense at all.

Shade mentally sighed as he pondered the questions racing through his mind, he’d previously easily seen all the answers but now… now he wasn’t so sure.

Where once he’d been able to recognize the patterns unfolding, now he only saw a jumbled mess he’d never seen before.

Things occurred that he could’ve never predicted, outcomes that he’d previously only thought as impossible.

Yet now here he was, witnessing these new possibilities first hand.

First there was the fact that someone had already become a proper Lord Candidate, Ryder of all people as well.

Normally that kind of thing wouldn’t have happened yet, not for a long while anyways… and no one had previously been able to get Omen’s compliance, was he the key to that path all along?

Then there was Lily’s absence, while not unusual it did worry him greatly, especially with the fact that she wasn’t dead yet.

Every time she’d gone missing previously it was always in this type of situation, and it’d always resulted in a bad end.

So what could’ve been so different this time?

Lastly there was Oto, while much about him hadn’t changed, there was a big difference now.

His power, it’d never reached this point so quickly before, that kick was too powerful for someone not using gauntlets and greaves.

What had changed about him?

What had Feros done differently to save his life from that curse?

Oh and how could he have forgotten the storm, something that normally took them weeks to get past, finished in record time.

Out of all the oddities he’d seen this was the weirdest, it worried him to no end, especially because they might not be prepared for what awaits them now.

Though, at the end of the day it didn’t matter, the plan was still in motion and things were moving smoother than expected thanks to these changes.

Once he could confirm the safety of all targets then he’d leave, after all his presence here could have a bigger alteration than the earlier one.

There were already too many unknowns as is, anything further and he might as well be wandering around blind.

“Hey, are you listening or what?” Oto’s rather angry voice called out to Shade, causing the Lord Hunter to look over at him.

Sitting there in the cave was the entire group, everyone taking a small break to hash things out and explain the situation.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Admittedly he hadn’t been paying attention, he’d stayed close to the cave entrance just so he could have a bit more time to think with less noise.

“No, I wasn’t, I figured you wouldn’t want me listening in on your conversation.” Shade remarks without much care, his nonchalant attitude seeming to irk Oto further.

“You-” Oto begins, only to be stopped by Feros.

The Ashen Haired swordsman stopping him with just a hand, before looking at Shade, seeming to try to read the Lord Hunter.

Feros had always been the most perceptive of the group, that’s why running into him was always a concern, time and time again it was always such a hassle.

He always had to figure out some way to throw Feros off his trail.

“Learn to keep his anger in check, lest he become as good as a rabid dog.” Shade coldly commented, keeping his back to the wall and using his hood to break eye contact with Feros.

This comment was clearly enough to anger Oto, yet Feros surprisingly kept his calm, still keeping Oto in check.

“It would be best if you listen in.” Feros began, now turning his attention back to Aranea. “If you are going to stick with us then you should at least know our current plan.”

“Or don’t, something tells me you’re the type who doesn’t understand the first thing about teamwork.” Oto angrily remarks, letting his emotions get the better of him. “People like you are always only thinking of themselves.”

“Alright settle down.” Aranea commands, sighing as she crosses her arms. “We’ll just go over the current situation and plan one more time, alright?”

Shade shrugs a little, trying to keep up his uninterested guise. “Fine by me, though don’t expect me to fully listen.”

“Go ahead Aranea, he’ll listen if he wants to.” Teach says, his voice seeming surprisingly neutral. “Besides, we have time to kill until this one wakes up.” as he says this he nods to his left, where Melia is sleeping.

“Right, well then, back to the beginning I suppose.” Aranea says before clearing her throat, preparing to go over the plan one more time for everyone.

Though he rolled his eyes a bit, finding the situation rather ridiculous, Shade still attentively listened to the plan this time.

Calling it a plan though was a bit generous, it was more just a general idea really.

Simply stay grouped up and move to a safe spot that Aranea knew of, likely from the alpha or beta testing days.

From there they’d try to reconnect with the others.

Granted it wasn’t a terrible idea, just not a lot to it.

They could easily make it to the mansion, they had a straight shot from here and the mobs hadn’t fully woken up yet, but what then?

It wouldn’t exactly be possible to just call reinforcements over, especially with them likely having taken the only boat over here.

“So, when are you lot leaving then?” Shade asks, clearly wanting to get this over with as soon as possible.

“As soon as everyone is rested up.” Aranea says, leaning back against the wall now, slightly closing her eyes. “I know you’re probably not tired, so feel free to leave if you please.”

Shade scoffed a little and looked away, how could he leave now? Sure things had changed but would they really survive without the backup?

Teach was strong, but not strong enough… and even if Ryder was the one who managed to kill Alice, he wasn’t here to help them.

“I’ll stick around for now, just to make sure you all don’t die off right away.” he calmly but coldly states, watching the outside of the cave.

It was easy to hear Oto scoff and begin to complain, but it didn’t bother him, Shade had to do this.

If he didn’t do this, it could easily lead to another awful outcome.

Silently he gazed out into the horizon, finding a bit of peace in gazing out into the nothingness before him.

Soon, soon it’d be over.

Then he’d never have to worry again.

He’d finally be able to rest.

Finally he’d be free.