Eternal Freedom's Ascension-Chapter 102: Worship Island

"That is our own concern, though. Don’t look so glum." Anna smirked, then carried the roasted meat off the bonfire.

Using her knife, she cut a portion of the wing, then invited them to join her. Alex also took her own portion, gnawing the meat off the bone.

Kaiser took a bite, feeling the familiar taste of seasoning.

’Hm. Not bad.’

It didn’t taste as good as the cafeteria meal back in the academy, neither was it as good as his own personal cooking, but it was definitely better than what he had eaten this morning.

After eating to his satisfaction, Kaiser stood up and removed the bandages around his torso. He checked his body, seeing nothing but pristine skin without a hint of scars.

"Woah. Your build is so...amazing."

Alex gawked, unconsciously staring at his abs. Even Anna was a little surprised, but she covered up with a faint smirk.

Kaiser paused, then turned to them. "Do you have a source of water for use?"

"Oh!" Anna blinked, then summoned a jade jug. "You didn’t bring a water storage relic with you while coming? That’s quite dumb of you."

She passed the jug to him along with a cup, allowing him to drink his fill. Afterwards, Kaiser asked casually.

"How much water does it contain? I want to clean myself." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Alex turned to him sharply. "Hah? You want to use our water to bathe? This guy..."

She felt it was too assertive of him. After all, they had just given him water to drink. Anna was also surprised, but acted more mature.

"You’re depending a lot on us already. You wouldn’t mind tagging along with us tomorrow, right?"

Kaiser seriously considered the proposal. ’They must be conversant with this island. Perhaps I can leverage on their knowledge to cross to the Third Isle.’

Also, the jug seemed to be a nice relic to borrow. Holding it in his hand, he nodded. "Agreed."

"Well, you can go on, then. The water there is plenty." Anna said, then put off the bonfire herself.

Darkness swallowed the entire cavern, and nobody was able to see. Well, Kaiser could still ’see’ anyway.

After he confirmed both sisters were not observing him using any special means, he took off his clothes and took a cold shower. Although it was weird using the water from a jug, he still washed himself clean.

Afterwards, he wore the undershirt of his armor, then went to sleep.

......

Early the next morning, the underground cavern was still covered in thick darkness. Kaiser awakened to the sound of water splashing.

Instinctively, he stretched out his shadow senses, only to witness something private.

The voluptuous young lady was cleaning herself in the darkness, thinking her sister and Kaiser were already asleep.

The young boy retracted his senses, unwilling to further intrude her privacy. However, that short image he had glimpsed refused to exit his mind, stubbornly repeating itself and interrupting his thoughts.

’Sigh. This must be teenager’s instinct.’

The feeling he got when his senses swept over her—it wasn’t just seeing. His senses mapped every curve with uncomfortable clarity.

’Now I’m starting to resent my own memory.’ The exact size, shape, and quality refused to leave his head.

He closed his eyes, remaining still while actively isolating that part of his memory.

By the time he became conscious again, light had already entered through the ceiling. Anna stood in her golden armor, trying to wake Alex by kicking her in the butt.

The girl grunted, carrying the expression of a bully victim.

"Big Sis! Shouldn’t you stop it already?"

Scowling, she rose to her feet, dusting the dirt off her body. Kaiser also stood up, his expression unreadable.

His gaze lingered on Anna for a second longer, then he said. "Happy New Day."

Alex folded her arms and retorted. "Day and night ratio here in the Aether Skies is not equal to that of Earth."

Kaiser didn’t argue, as she was correct. Also, he didn’t try to prove his point, as it would only be a waste of time.

"Let’s get up."

Anna said, climbing out of the underground cavern through the opening she had created. Alex and Kaiser followed after her, climbing onto the surface.

Kaiser looked around, seeing nothing but broken statues and pillars. One particular statue of an angel rested on the ground, its last remaining wing stretching towards the sky.

"There seems to be no danger around?" His brows furrowed.

Anna folded her arms. "This island is quite safe. Though only during the day."

As they walked forward, Kaiser asked. "What happens at night?"

Alex replied solemnly. "You wouldn’t want to know."

The three of them approached the broken angel statue, studying it curiously.

Staring at the statue, Anna calmly explained. "At night, the surface of this island repairs itself, and so does the broken statues. The statues come alive, moving around the worship palace like guards."

"That’s quite disturbing." Kaiser said, a hint of interest in his eyes. He tilted his head curiously. "Why haven’t you tried crossing during the day, then?"

This time, Alex answered him. "Because we need the island repaired to reach the edges."

Immediately, Kaiser understood. It was no wonder they were stuck. Although daytime was safe, it wouldn’t help them with crossing. And as for nighttime, he guessed the statues were too dangerous for even Anna to fight.

’She’s a Rank 3 Awakened—just like Kara.’

He gave her a side glance, the memories of his Assessment Trial flashing in his heart.

He quickly stopped thinking about it, refocusing on the problem at hand.

"There is no other choice than to go at night." He said, doing some light stretch.

’Destroying the statues is of no use—they’d get repaired. Throwing the statues off the island would be stupid—they’re too numerous. The only option is to slip through their defense and reach the other end of the island before daybreak.

"We’ve been trying to do that for a week now. What makes you think you’d be of any help?" Alex asked, looking unimpressed.

Kaiser turned to look at her with a single, emotionless eye exposed. "It is not a matter of whether I can. It is only a matter of whether I want to."