The Citadel of the Lord of Shadows was known to be able to move. It had disappeared mysteriously a few days after the sinister man's death people assumed that Lady Nephis bestowed it to one of her Saints, but nobody knew for sure.
The Lord of Shadows... Shadow Clan...
June looked at Awakened Kim with suspicion.
No one knew where the Lord of Shadows had come from. Considering his great power and vast resources, though, there had to be some sort of faction standing behind him - it was simply unthinkable for a solitary Awakened to achieve all these feats alone.
The Lord of Shadows was dead now, having without a doubt left behind a masterless faction. People assumed that it had been quietly obliterated by the Ivory Tower, but what if Lady Nephis assumed control over its members instead?
Nephis assumed control over its members instead?
That would explain a few things.
"How many members does our clan have?"
Awakened Kim looked at him calmly.
"Around two hundred. Half of us are operatives, the other half is involved in information gathering, logistics, and construction. Don't worry, though, most of us are friendly people. You'll fit right in, Corsair. Just... apart from the boss, you need to be wary of three individuals."
June tensed a little.
"They are?"
At the same time, he shook his head slightly, bewildered.
The elevator was still descending.
'Just how far down are we going?"
Awakened Kim spoke in a serious tone:
"First and foremost... our Mayor, Aiko. Also known as the Shadow Fairy. If she starts demanding rent money or charging you for mission supplies, come find me. I can't guarantee that I can stop her, but I'll at least try to distract her."
June stared at Kim, trying to understand if she was joking.
Surely, she was...
But why was her tone so somber?
Meanwhile, she continued:
"Second is our princess, Rain. She's actually wonderful... but our boss might kill you if he catches you looking at her funny. And just so that you know, being killed by our boss is not an escape from suffering. It is merely the beginning..."
June coughed.
'Don't look at the princess funny. Got it.'
But what if she started looking at him funny?
June was not very self-absorbed, but he knew that he was quite a handsome man. Tall, cold, with black hair and blue eyes... he had been known to get a lot of attention from women. Which was actually a bit of a detriment in his profession.
So, June suddenly felt uneasy.
'Princess of Shadows... yeah, I'd better stay away!'
"Who's the third?"
Awakened Kim gave him a long look.
"The third is a man called Luster. If you hear him talk nonsense about the female members of our clan, come tell me immediately."
June's expression soured.
"Why? Does he have unsavory habits?"
He hated people like that.
Awakened kim lingered for a bit, Then suddenly let out a laugh.
"No... he's my husband. I'm going to give him hell at home."
June's calm and collected expression cracked for a moment.
At that moment, the elevator finally stopped.
The gates slowly opened, revealing a vast underground chamber.
The chamber was cylindrical in shape, the ceiling towering somewhere far, far above. June guessed that it used to be a water reservoir, now empty and repurposed for some other use.
The scale of the underground reservoir it was still quite daunting.
However, he was in no mood to pay any attention to the size of the secret chamber.
Because at its center... something that should not have existed stood, towering at hundreds of meters in height.
It was a black rift in the fabric of reality, full of cold, impenetrable darkness.
At first, June tensed, assuming that it was a Nightmare Gate. However, he did not hear the maddening whispers of the Call...
Which meant that it had to be something entirely different.
It was a Dream Gate.