"So, will you finally tell me where you’re taking us?" Leo asked as he, Nyx, and Lily dove deeper and deeper into the tunnels of the ex-Supercluster.

  His sister looked over her shoulder and grinned. "You will see soon enough."

  Leo exchanged a look with Nyx, and they both rolled their eyes. Although, with their link open, he could feel that the feline was at least a bit amused. How surprising…

  Thankfully, just as Lily said, after a few more twists and turns, they arrived at a small opening in the tunnel wall. He had to duck to fit through, but once he laid his eyes upon their destination, he couldn't stop the involuntary hum that escaped him.

  It was a simple cave chamber, not too large, not too small—a perfect space for storage or living chambers for a couple of people. Yet, aside from a desk with a radio similar to the one he had seen today, there was nothing else there.

  Leo turned to his sister and quirked an eyebrow. "So—"

  "Do you like it?" Lily cut him off, the grin still present on her face. "I know it isn't much, but we really didn't have time to decorate."

  "Right…" He stopped himself from sighing. "Lily? What am I even looking at? Communication room? Why did you bring us here?"

  His sister pouted. "You can be so clueless sometimes… Come on! It's your room… Well, yours and Nyx's. I thought you two would appreciate a place for yourself away from the crowd. Hardly anyone comes down here."

  Leo scanned the chamber once more. "My room?" Lily nodded. "Huh… Thanks, I guess. Could use a door though… among some other stuff."

  The woman grimaced. "Yeah… You're gonna need to place a task in the System for that or figure all that out on your own. We're a bit swamped."

  He waved her off. "Got ya, don't worry. For now, it's fine anyway. I doubt I will spend much time here."

  "Figured as much," Lily said before her brow furrowed. "Speaking of… What are you planning next? I know Malcolm said we would appreciate some help with the nests we found around London, but aside from that…"

  As she trailed off, it was Leo's turn to grimace. Until now, he had omitted to mention his plans to hunt gods to anyone but Naz'Tor. With the entire trip into the Void and then Sazim, he just didn't want to worry his sister too much. In hindsight, it might have been a mistake.

  Oh well, time to face the music.

  With a deep sigh, he dropped onto the cold ground next to the makeshift table and patted the space next to him. "Sit down. This might take a while."

  Lily's expression tightened, her good mood evaporating in an instant. The moment she heard the tone of his voice, she must have realized that something was wrong. And well, while that wasn't the exact truth, his issue with Ruination was anything but simple.

  "Remember when I told you that using too much Ruination at once damages my body?" he asked and continued upon Lily's nod. "Well… When I spoke with the System after the mess with Geron, it told me why."

  From there, he proceeded to carefully explain everything about Ruination and its current limitations. Lily didn't stop him once, not even when he moved onto the subject of godlings and the idea of hunting them. Hell, she remained silent even after he told her about the deal with Naz'Tor and finished speaking.

  "Lily?" Leo whispered, gently touching her shoulder. "Come on, sis, say something."

  Lily looked up at him, her face unreadable. They held each other's gaze for a moment before she finally looked away and let out a tired sigh.

  "I guess expecting you to stick around and slow down was too much to ask for, hmm?" she muttered, leaning against the wall. "Godlings, Leo? Really? Wasn't Geron enough for you?"

  His mouth opened, a retort ready to slip out of his lips. However, Lily once more was faster.

  "I know… you don't have a choice. You're just doing what's necessary to grow stronger. I just wish…"

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  She trailed off, but it didn't matter. He understood perfectly what she wanted to say. They had this conversation before, multiple times at that. Still, at least today, it didn't end in an argument. Progress, as some would say, or maybe it was just Lily finally realizing that there was no point in trying to hold him back.

  Either way, the changes continue…

  "It's gonna be okay, Lily," Leo promised, offering her shoulder a light squeeze. "I'm following Naz'Tor's plan this time. He won't send me to my death."

  "You trust him this much?"

  He chuckled. "Trust is such a big word, but yes… I think I trust him, at least enough to believe he wants me to stay alive. He also knows most of my secrets now, so there is that."

  Lily groaned. "Fine, fine! You're really not making it easy not to worry about you. I swear you're lucky I probably can't get a heart attack anymore." She shook her head. "Godlings… Really, there are probably so many different creatures in the Universe, but you need to hunt gods."

  "Trust me, I like it even less than you do, but what choice do I have? It's either that or letting a good chunk of my power go to waste for quite some time."

  "Yeah, yeah, I know," she grumbled. "So when do you begin?"

  Leo shrugged. "No idea. First, I gotta wait for Naz'Tor's call and use that Sealed Dimension. Doubt I will be going anywhere for a few days."

  "Good," Lily declared, standing up. "Don't rush into this, Leo. According to what you said, you have time. And if you need help with training or anything else, just say the word."

  "I will." He nodded. "You're leaving already? I thought you missed your beloved brother."

  She rolled her eyes. "Unlike some of us, I have a job to do. We're raiding a nest at the edge of the city."

  "Right, right… Don't let me stop you then. Off you go." Fighting back a smile, he shooed her away.

  Lily shot him a glare. "You know, you could have at least offered to help."

  "Yeah, no. Have fun, though."

  The woman huffed and stomped out of the room. Leo snickered, Nyx joining in the laughter. An angry shout of "Shut up" reached their ears a moment later.

  "I think your sister is a bit mad," Nyx pointed out.

  "She will get over it," he said after a final chuckle. "I bet she will forget about this by the time she gets back."

  "You two are really easy to rile up."

  Leo shot her a blank look. "Pot, kettle, Nyx."

  The feline huffed, only proving him right. "Whatever… I'm going to take a nap. Wake me up when you decide to finally use that Sealed Dimension."

  With that said, she moved to the room's opposite corner and lay down, curling around herself. Their link shut close, and Leo had to resist the urge to forcefully pry it open and annoy his companion further.

  Training it is then… Or, he glanced at Nyx again. Maybe I should take a nap too… Nah. Rest can wait a few more hours.

  Decision made, Leo sat cross-legged and pulled on his pure Essence. First, Reinforcement activated with naught but a thought. Right after that, he focused on his new skill and slowly infused every possible part of his body with energy hardened to its limit.

  In the beginning, it went well, but once Steel Body settled in his organs, the skill refused to go any further. It was as if Reinforcement was blocking it from advancing.

  What if I do this…

  Leo pulled Reinforcement back, lowering its output until the skill barely remained active. With that done, he pushed Steel Body forward again, frowning as it still struggled to make any progress.

  So combining them won't be easy. Got it.

  He had expected this—why wouldn't he? Though, deep inside, he was hoping that maybe he could make it work without falling back onto his bloodlust.

  Apparently not.

  Leo didn't have time to waste to find out how to combine skills without it. Besides, there was no reason to even attempt that. Bloodlust was a part of him, a tool for him to use just like the ancient Akirians told him.

  Well then. Let's begin…

  By the time Nyx woke up on her own, Leo had made only a bit of progress in combining his two skills. Bloodlust helped, just like it was supposed to, but in the end, Reinforcement and Steel Body refused to work together. He had to constantly push them together, all the while reworking parts of both abilities to make them fit better.

  For now, out of all ideas, weaving Reinforcement into Steel Body worked the best. There were some issues—because of course there were—but at least he was getting somewhere. Now, he just needed more time to practice.

  Not today, though, he yawned, stretching his arms about his head.

  "Are you sure this is a good time to try it out?" Nyx asked, watching him with a frown. "You look dead on your feet."

  He waved her off. "It will be fine. Just got to consume a Voidling or two."

  "If you say so…"

  Leo ignored her and pulled out the Sealed Dimension out of his soul. The light blue cube fell into his open palm, and he motioned for Nyx to come closer. She did just that and placed the tip of her tail on the item.

  "Ready?" The feline nodded. "Here we go then."

  A spark of Essence dived into the cube, prompting a System notification.

  Warning! You are attempting to enter a Sealed Dimension of a D+ threat ranking. Please make sure you are safe before entering. Do you wish to proceed?

  "Yes."

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