Chapter 78 Heart's Despair

Nyx's POVInside the golden beam, a wave of fatigue crashed over me, signaling the depletion of my soul sense. I couldn't afford another attempt, let alone resist the overwhelming force I had just encountered.

The sheer power and mastery behind the destruction of my spear were beyond comprehension.

Disbelief and despair clawed at my soul. Whatever this mysterious entity was, it had demonstrated insurmountable strength that I wasn't even able to fathom it leaving me utterly powerless.

Worse yet, I still had no clue what form of magic or ability it had used to obliterate my dark spear.

Depressed, I dragged my broken beam through the depths of the Astral Realm. Each pulse of my soul sense was a reminder of the failure that now weighed so heavily on my heart.

I needed to cross the Eclipse Void again, that treacherous expanse that teemed with obscurities to return to the astral region where my soul's anchor point resided.

The Astral Realm was not a unified sanctuary of interconnected souls, as one might naively assume. Instead, it was divided into countless regions which were individually vast and isolated and each realm was a realm of its own.

Living beings had their souls anchored randomly in one of these regions at the moment of their creation. This was why I needed Ethan's eyes as a medium if I wanted to locate the specific region where his soul was anchored.

The Eclipse Void lying between the cracks of these regions was a dark and perilous zone. Obscurities thrived there and their nature was predatory and unforgiving.

Fortunately, the astral region where my soul's anchor resided was not far and I could already sense its presence amidst the tumult of my soul.

What kind of useless Master am I? The thought lashed at me like a whip and each strike deepened the pit of guilt and sadness that weighed down my heart. I can't even protect my disciple the first time he faces a life-threatening situation.

Suddenly, the image of Ethan lying in a perpetual coma surfaced in my mind. This unbearable possibility seemed to tear at the fragile seams of my composure.

I didn't want to go back to those old days, those cold, empty days when I was alone in my dark lair and when my equally dark heart was only an echo chamber of solitude.

Ethan had changed all of that. His arrival was like a sunbeam breaking through the endless night.

I had gradually begun to feel warmth where once there was only an icy void. His presence, his eagerness to learn, and the diligence with which he approached every task had brought secret smiles to my face.

Smiles I had never let him see because to do so would betray the growing attachment I feared to acknowledge.

I had only truly recognized the futility and emptiness of my existence after meeting Ethan as it was only then that I felt a warmth I had never known before.

In these three years, I realized how much I cherished that feeling. The thought of never seeing his earnest expression again, of never hearing his excited voice or feeling the comfort of his steady presence in my embrace made my soul tremble.

The prospect of losing him and never again experiencing the simple joy of his existence disoriented me. My golden beam wavered and it was on the verge of shattering.

I hurriedly stabilized it with a lot of spinning thoughts in mind that blurred together in their urgency.

Calm down, Nyx. This isn't over. It's not final. Little Ethan will bounce back. He has to. He will. After all…

He has to come back to me.

A wave of determination rippled through me, dulling the edges of my despair. Ethan, you have to come back to your master.

With that thought, my golden beam surged forward and cut through the beguiling colors of the Astral Realm. It vanished into the swirling mist and plunged deep into the dark eclipse void beyond.

Altheria's POV

It had already been three hours. Could Nyx be facing some unexpected problem? The thought gnawed at me as I dissolved the crimson barrier. There was no one in the room besides the three of us.

I had already dismissed the siblings and ordered them to retire to their rooms for the night. Now, the room was eerily silent but the tension in the air remained palpable.

If anyone entered this room now, they would first see a tall armored woman with flowing black hair and ominous-looking black dragon horns glued protectively to a figure lying seemingly asleep on the king-sized bed in the center of the room.

Suddenly, the sound of panting broke the stillness. I turned my head hastily toward it and my worry intensified. Nyx was awake.

She was sitting on the bed with her hair falling messily over her face, shrouding her eyes and obscuring the turmoil within them.

"I want to vent, Altheria. I want to kill someone," she said, her voice low and menacing. When she raised her head, her slit-pupil gaze burned with a ferocity that made even my seasoned soul shudder. Searᴄh the Nôvelƒire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

The veins near her eyes were dark and pulsating, the vivid purple hue giving a physical manifestation to her rage.

"…I want the details of that wretched Countess and her family."

There was no need for further elaboration. I nodded solemnly, placing a hand over my chest. At my silent command, a tall and curvaceous red shadow emerged from my body. Its form twisted and shimmeried like liquid fire as it hovered beside me.

Go and find out everything about the Blood Countess. Her lineage, ancestral residence, connections, and contacts. Your next read is at My Virtual Library Empire

Investigate her secret meetings over the past few months, her dealings whether shady or otherwise and even the most minor of her activities. Use the family's intelligence network and any resources you need to complete this task.

I relayed the command telepathically, the bond of blood and soul ensuring every nuance of my will was understood.