SUPREME AWAKANED SENSE-Chapter 63: Memories: Mirror of the Soul ( 21 )

As they arrived at the Command Quarters, they sensed several presences inside. "Wait, I'll check inside," Lyra said, transforming into a shadow that passed through the room's door effortlessly.

A few minutes later, the door opened from the inside, and they saw Johan. This time, he wasn't only with his portal teammates but also with people who seemed agitated. Tilda was confused.

"Johan?!"

Tilda's astonishment was palpable. In front of them, Johan stood in the doorway, his face etched with stress and fatigue. Behind him, the room was buzzing with a dozen people that Lyra had sensed: visibly panicked civilians and a few familiar faces from Nox's initial group.

"Tilda! Jack! You're alive!" exclaimed Johan, immense relief sweeping away his worry. He took a step toward them, then stopped, his eyes fixed on Lyra and her squad of masked assassins. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"What... who are they?" he asked, his gaze moving from Tilda to Lyra, then to Tiffa.

"They are allies, Johan. Unexpected allies," Tilda replied in a firmer voice, regaining her composure. "Who are these people?"

"They are family members of all the Guardians targeted by the empires. Nox told me he was potentially in danger too, and my role was to bring back those who wished to follow us. There are more of them than expected, but these people, I had to bring them all back..." He gestured to the civilians behind him. "Who knows what the empire would be capable of to cover up this whole story."

"Far worse things," Jack interjected. "Nox wasn't just arrested for killing Tilda. Sirius pinned our deaths on him. You know what that means, right? Officially, we are all dead. If they notice any of us alive, they'll kill us without remorse. How could people have degenerated to this point?"

Lyra, the assassins' leader, stepped forward. "Half an hour before Sirius arrives. We don't have the luxury of a meeting." His tone was sharp, devoid of emotion. He gestured to the panicked group inside. "The priority is to escape from here before they arrive. We cannot be burdened with this weight."

"That weight is made of innocents!" Jack flared up. "We're not leaving them to be massacred by Sirius's team just because they were in the wrong place!"

"Calm down," Tilda intervened, stepping between Jack and Lyra. She addressed Lyra: "Your help is invaluable, but if you want our agreement to hold, you help us, we help everyone."

Lyra remained silent for a moment, his gaze impassive. "Very well. But my objective remains the survival of my Princess, and the execution of Nox's plan." He turned to Johan. "How many people in total? What are your teleportation capabilities, and to where?"

Johan swallowed. "We are fifty, counting Tilda, Tiffa, and Jack. I can teleport everyone, provided they can find a spot in this circle."

A circle 10 m in diameter materialized around them in the room. "The destination is Nox's secret rallying point, outside the capital."

"You mean the basement of that tavern near the border by the Nefaria Forest?" Lyra asked.

"Yes, that's it," Johan replied.

"Good. Let's go without losing any more time."

Johan nodded in response, then the magic circle lit up.

"Enter the circle," Johan ordered. After making sure everyone was inside, he activated it, and they vanished in the blink of an eye.

...

[ Ralia, Border Town between Kyralia and Erian ]

The group instantly found themselves in the basement of a tavern near the border of the Nefaria Forest. The air was cool and damp, and the stone walls seemed to absorb the light from the torches that illuminated them.

"Welcome to Ralia, or more precisely, to the tavern: 'Alcohol is Life,' our rallying point," Johan said, a smile of relief on his face. "We are safe here."

The city of Ralia was located near the border between Kyralia and Erian. But the most important thing was its geographical location. It was also not far from the Nefaria Forest and the Holy Kingdom. This made it the continent's largest crossroads, a city rich in color where cultural blending was at its peak.

Although the city was not very large, it was crowded with strong economic growth and heavily secured due to the threat posed by the forest. Hiding there was purely strategic.

The group looked around, noting the details of the environment. The tavern's basement was spacious, with wooden tables and chairs, and a stone bar that seemed to have been carved into the rock itself. The smell of beer and food hung in the air, and the sound of muffled laughter and conversations came from the floor above.

"Ralia is a fascinating city," Tilda said, her gaze sweeping the room. "I've always loved the atmosphere here."

Lyra nodded. "Yes, it's a city that has a lot to offer. But we are not here for fun."

Johan agreed. "I agree. We need to gather information and devise a plan to infiltrate Sirius's palace."

"What are you talking about? It sounds like Nox didn't tell you everything. What do you think this tavern is for? It's an information network. Nox built an information guild here."

This revelation shocked most of the people present. Even Tilda and Tiffa were surprised.

"Well, it's nothing," Lyra said, clearing his throat. "You will stay here quietly without doing anything. Nox will be back tomorrow for the final phase of the escape plan."

Lyra turned to his team of assassins. "Settle each of the civilians and watch them. We can never be too careful."

"Understood, Chief," they replied in unison before starting to execute their task.

Looking back, Tilda realized that Nox had given each of them the bare minimum of information to ensure their cooperation. She felt like she didn't really know Nox anymore.

Tilda watched Lyra's assassins move away, a growing sense of unease within her. She turned to Lyra, who was checking his firearms.

"Lyra, can I talk to you for a moment?" she asked, her voice low.

Lyra turned to her, one eyebrow raised. "What is it, Tilda?"

Tilda hesitated for a moment before answering. "I'm wondering if Nox told us everything we needed to know. I mean, he gave us the bare minimum of information to get us to cooperate, and now we're here, waiting for his return."

Lyra looked at Tilda with an evaluating gaze. "You're starting to understand how Nox operates, aren't you?" he said, with a slight smile.

Tilda nodded, feeling a shiver run down her spine. "Yes, I'm starting to understand. And I'm not sure I like it."

Lyra moved closer to Tilda, his gaze intense. "Nox has his reasons for doing things this way, Tilda. And we must trust him. For now, we need to focus on the mission."

Tilda nodded, feeling some of the tension dissipate. But she couldn't shake the feeling that Nox had led them into a trap, and that they were just pawns in a much bigger game than they could imagine.

She inhaled, then took her communication orb to establish contact with her mother. She had to explain the situation to her.

...

[ In the Dungeons ]

Meanwhile, in the dark cell, Nox faced the assassin sent by the Emperor. The man, tall and hooded, emitted no aura of power, but his silence was more intimidating than any threat.

"I was expecting you," Nox repeated.

"You were expecting your death," the assassin replied, his voice low and hoarse. He slowly raised a dagger forged from a strange, black material.

Nox smiled. "If I were you, I'd be more worried about mine. The Emperor sent you to eliminate me, didn't he? A quick, discreet execution to hide his own machinations." "I'm curious, I can accept that he wants to eliminate me, but why involve Tilda and the others?"

The assassin said nothing but lunged. The dagger traced a deadly arc toward Nox's heart.

Nox smiled, his gaze fixed on the assassin. "I see you're a professional," he said, his voice calm. "But you underestimated your opponent."

Just as the dagger was about to reach his heart, Nox raised his hand and caught it mid-flight, his movement fast and precise.

The assassin's eyes widened, surprised by Nox's speed. But he didn't give up and tried to stab Nox with his other hand.

Nox dodged the attack with ease, his body moving with fluid grace. Then he materialized a sword made of aura, landing a multitude of blows on his opponent. The assassin parried all of Nox's strikes with incredible speed before attempting another thrust.

The fight between Nox and the assassin was intense, both opponents moving with incredible speed and agility. Blades clashed with a metallic sound, echoing through the dungeons and attracting the attention of the other prisoners.

Fighting in such a cramped space as a dungeon was not easy, but Nox didn't seem too bothered.

The assassin was a formidable opponent, but Nox seemed to be on a superior level. He parried every attack with ease, his sword moving with deadly precision.

Taking advantage of a margin of maneuver from the assassin, Nox sliced his mask, revealing his face.

The second his eyes were revealed, Nox's eyes became glassy and met those of the assassin. Suddenly, a flood of information poured into his head. He had just used one of his skills: [ Mirror of the Soul ]. A skill that probes the soul, revealing the most buried secrets.

The assassin was briefly destabilized, and Nox took the opportunity to finish him off, but he vanished.

"Damn, he ran away? But it's alright. I finally understood the essential. Should I go immediately to Tilda or should I pursue this assassin?" he wondered, breaking the cell bars to exit.

A/N: I am happy to announce that this will be the second-to-last chapter dealing with memories. Hahaha, I know. It was long.

Coming back to this chapter, know that all of Nox's skills will be revealed later. I know some of you are curious to see what his stats window will look like, but be patient. This whole story is much more complex than you think.