............"Swish...!" Suddenly, a sound cut through the silence, catching Aarav's attention and heightening his senses as he prepared for whatever might come next."Bammn...Crashhh...!" Aarav swiftly sidestepped just in time to avoid whatever had flown past him.As he turned to inspect the source of the noise, he was taken aback by what he saw. A short black gleaming knife hung in the wall, its impact shattering glass and scattering wooden splinters."Clap...clap, not bad, you reacted quite well!" A sarcastic voice accompanied the clapping sounds, drawing Aarav's attention to a figure emerging from the inner office of the café."Well, that should be expected from the God's Heir, isn't that right, Lord Aarav Veridian!" Another voice chimed in, causing Aarav's senses to sharpen as he realized that these newcomers were aware of his true identity."Huh...you." Aarav's voice held a tinge of surprise as he pointed his finger at the familiar face among the two newcomers."Hahaha, what a
............"Have a taste of this...I don't fucking believe that you can get away from this masterpiece of mine...!" he taunted, a twisted grin spreading across his face as he prepared to inject Aarav with the deadly serum."What's that...you fucking shit...Whatever it is, I won't let you get near me!" Aarav's heart raced as he noticed the syringe, the swirling tendrils inside filling him with a sense of dread. He recognized the ominous feeling from his encounters with the disgusting Malevolent Worms and knew it spelled trouble."Swiish....Swooosh...!" The man launched an attack, but Aarav was prepared. "Bammn...Sliid...!" With lightning reflexes, he delivered a powerful roundhouse kick, sending the man staggering backward and to which the man preventing himself from crashing onto the pavement like his partner."Swiish...!"The attacker recovered quickly and surged forward again, but Aarav remained vigilant.His heightened senses allowed him to anticipate the man's movements and
............"Hahahaha....!" The man's laughter echoed triumphantly, confident in his perceived victory as he believed the cheap imitation of the Devouring Plague would soon finish off his opponent."Argh...Ahhh...Shit...!" Aarav's cry of pain echoed through the air as he desperately tried to rid himself of the syringe, but it was too late—the vile contents had already entered his bloodstream.His legs convulsed and trembled uncontrollably as he felt a crawling sensation creeping from his leg up toward his torso, moving with alarming speed."Fuck...fuck...!" Aarav's curses filled the air as panic surged through him. He swiftly lowered himself to the ground, tearing off his shirt in a frantic attempt to stem the spread of the Malevolent Worms.With shaking hands, he tied the fabric tightly around his thigh, hoping to block the Malevolent Worms' advance."Hahahaha...you are finished now...nothing can save you now, Hahahaha!" The man's laughter echoed like the cackling of a madman as he
............"Bammn...!" "Gahhhh...Shit...!" Aeliana scrambled to grab something from her bag, holding it up as a makeshift shield. But the force of the enraged beast's attack shattered whatever she was holding, sending her flying back several steps onto the pavement street."Cough...cough...!" Aeliana struggled to sit up, coughing amidst the swirling dust. She clutched her stomach, feeling the sharp pain coursing through her.It felt as though she had just been hit by a speeding car."Astrid and Phia, when are you going to take him down... cough... Cough!" Aeliana shouted angrily through the communication."On it, but are you alright?" They replied, concern evident in their voices."I'm fine, for now. But if you two don't do something about him, I won't be able to defend myself a second time!" Aeliana said, clutching her stomach and backing off hastily as the raging man approached her.She didn't have anything on her to defend against his deranged attacks, so she could only try to
............"Ohhh, you're back!" When Aarav heard their call and turned back at the same time, they let out a sigh of relief, realizing it was a false alarm.It was just their misunderstanding."Yes, my Lord, is Aeliana fine now?" They shook their heads before waving at them and asking about Aeliana's well-being.Even though their eyes still held a deep stare, like a fire had been ignited inside them.Phia and Astrid thought in their hearts that they needed to step up their game and become more active to become favorites of their Lord."What's wrong, Astrid and Phia? Give me a hand here and help Aeliana up; we need to leave from here!" Aarav gestured for them to assist Aeliana, unaware of the tension brewing between Astrid and Phia."On it, My Lord. But what about this man?" Phia and Astrid nodded before supporting Aeliana by her shoulders. Astrid pointed at the man lying not far from them and asked what their Lord had planned for him."For now, Aeliana, get your men to capture this
............He knew how much the house meant to Aria, and he felt the same way. It was the only tangible connection they had left to their parents, so Aarav had never seriously considered selling it.Instead, he thought about hiring a household agency to take care of it for them, hoping it would ease their worries about leaving it behind."Hmm, good!" Aria's smile widened upon hearing Aarav's response. It was comforting to know they could revisit their home whenever they pleased in the future.As Aria, Astrid, and Phia headed to her bedroom to start packing, Eina and Aeliana remained in the living room to assist Aarav with packing his belongings."Oh, right. Tomorrow, I need to visit someone, so we'll be leaving the day after tomorrow. Aeliana, what about your plans?" Aarav suddenly remembered his prior commitment, realizing he hadn't seen someone important in a while.He wanted to pay them a visit before departing the city indefinitely.Curious about Aeliana's intentions, Aarav inq
............"No... no, it's just a dream, but...!" Elara tried to shake off the lingering unease, but her eyes kept drifting back to the contract file on her desk, a tangible reminder of the recent conversation with Astrid.As she pondered the changes in her husband, a sudden shout from her sister Bella, and a knock on her door jolted her back to reality."Sister... Big Sis, knock... knock... come down, someone is here to meet you!" Bella's urgent voice echoed through the room."I'm coming... Right away!" Elara responded, her heart still racing from the remnants of her dream. She quickly made her way to the bathroom to freshen up before leaving her bedroom, her mind swirling with thoughts and emotions.After getting dressed, Elara descended the stairs and entered the hall. She saw her sister chatting and laughing with a young man, piquing her curiosity about the guest."Oh, Sis! You're here, come over... He's been waiting for you!" Bella waved at Elara and gestured for her to sit b
............"Um... Elara, I'm sorry if I ever caused you trouble because of my incompetence in the past. I apologize for any pain I may have caused you. As I'm leaving the city, I don't want there to be any bad blood between us. I hope we can still be friends like we were before," Aarav began, expressing his regret for his past mistakes. He knew all too well the scorn she might have faced because of him.Despite enduring humiliation and abuse from her friends and family, he didn't want to harbor any resentment.He had already cleared his heart of such feelings, now seeing them as mere clowns making a mockery of themselves."Huh... no, why are you apologizing? It should be me who needs to ask for your forgiveness," Elara said, her voice soft with regret. "It was my selfish wish that dragged you into the mud with me. How could I hold ill feelings for you?" She glanced at Aarav, a hint of sadness flickering in her eyes before she masked it behind a composed facade.Aarav felt a mix o