"Legacy of a dead goddess," Lily muttered a moment after they returo their old position on the couch. "Kinda bonkers if I say so. And you think her brother is the one responsible for maniputing me and the others?"

  Leo frowapping a his knee. "It would make a lot of sense, but in the end, it's still just a theory. I might have a way to prove it, but I want to leave it as the st resort."

  "That Void mert of yours?" She quirked an eyebrow. "You really have entered some very iing people."

  "Don't I know that," he snorted. "But yeah. If all else fails, I alay him for the info. Until now, everything he had sold me has bee. I just don't want him to learn about what’s happening here. Void knows to whom he sell that information if it's really Geron who messed up with your minds and initial evolutions."

  "If he's as powerful as you say, he most likely knows already," Lily reasoned before frowning. "Also, 'Void knows,' really Leo? What's up with that?"

  He grimaced, cursing his slip-up. He should have known it would bite him in the ass sooner or ter. "Nothing I do about that," he expirying to look normal. "I don't even remember when I began to use it like that; I just did. At least I bme my e with the Void for that."

  His sister's frown deepened. "But it isn't maniputing or ging yht? I don't want you to bee a sve to some a god. Not like I was."

  "Not gonna happen, don't worry. Nobody is maniputing me," Leo quickly replied before Lily's mood could worsen again. "As for ging? Well, I won't say I'm the same person you spoke on the phoh a few weeks ago. her of us are. That's just the way this world works now. You either adapt or die. For better or worse."

  She scowled. "I really hate it."

  He furrowed his brow. That came out of nowhere. "What?"

  "This System slogan," she jumped and started pag around the small room. "Adapt or die," she mocked. "Is that the best bloody advi all-powerful entity offer us? Fug thank you a lot. I figured out as much by myself."

  Huh, that's a new one. Most people I met accepted this saying for what it was: the way of the new world. Figures she would be different. Leo held back a snort. "I already told you why it 't do much more. Nothing we do to ge that now."

  "I know," she growled, dropping ba the couch like a sack of potatoes. "It's just frustrating. Superclusters, s, a gods, Gates, and thousands of Voidlings... All this and the System's only words to us are 'Adapt or die?' Bloody hell!"

  He didn't say anything right away, as there was no good way to respond to that. However, he also couldn't really pin about the System. Without it, they would all be dead after all. If what Nyx told him was true, it wasn't the entity's fault for how it was created.

  Not gonna lie, though. It would be o be able to speak to you again face to face, System. I have so many questions...

  "Sorry," Lily spoke up. "I had been holding this inside me for a while now. And... after you expihe System's true purpose, I guess I just couldn't hold it baymore."

  "Don't sweat it, sis," Leo offered her a weak grin. "Like you said, it's frustrating. I uand it better than most."

  Silened the uneven, dug-out room once he finished speaking. A single g Lily firmed that her mind had to be a mess at that moment. As such, he stayed silent, giving her a minute or two to process everything.

  How is it going outside? He opehe link to Nyx instead. Saw something iing?

  'Not really,' the feline grumbled. 'We are just standing a few feet away from the detting gawked at by everyone around. The Abyss Walker tried starting a versation, but as I 't speak out loud, it didn't really work out. It's getting... awkward, as the humans would call it.'

  Leo wihough he wasn't too surprised. Sorry. We should be done here soon. I will call for you.

  'Please do. Too many people...'

  This time, he had to hold baother chuckle. Who could have known? The mighty Apex Shadow Cw, scared of big crowds. More bckmail for him.

  "Leo," Lily's voiapped him back to the real world. "What about... about Adam? He is inside your soul, right? But what now? How do we help him?"

  Ah, here it is. He sighed. Of course, this had to e up sooner rather than ter.

  "Holy?" He looked at his sister. "I have no idea. I wish I could give you some miraculous solution, but I just don't have one. All we do for now is wait for him to wake up. After that? We will see."

  She bit her lip. "What if... what if I could help? My light affinity also heal. Maybe it will work."

  "Maybe, but I doubt it," Leo grimaced. "He isn't sick or hurt, Lily. He has evolved into a Voidborn; there might be nothing to heal there. Not unless you somehow reverse the evolution."

  She shook her head. "I 't, but there has to be a way to save him. I o at least try."

  "If that's what you want, I won't stop you. Just... just let's wait for Adam to wake up. I also don't want t him out of my soul unless absolutely necessary."

  "Do you think you drag me into your soulscape?"

  Leo gave her a quice over, then g her level again and snorted. "Yeah, that ain't happening anytime soon. For all I know, my success with Adam might have been a fluke made possible thanks to Takeover. We're not risking it."

  Lily flinched. "Right. Your ability to trol Voidlings. I still 't get my head around that. Will you keep hiding it?"

  This oime, he didn't have a problem answering. After all, he had been thinking about this for a while now.

  "No," he shook his head. "With how London is, I 't limit myself like that. Only my e to Nikra has to remain a secret. I 't let it get out. The Traveler was right about that."

  "I figured as much," the woman sighed, leaning bato the couch. "Mal and your panioill waiting, I should call them back. We still have a lot to talk about."

  Yet, even as she said that, she didn't stand up. Leo could uand why, but she was also correct. They had a ton of stuff to discuss with everyone present.

  As such, he opehe link with Nyx and gave her the signal. With that done, he turo his sister. "They are ing."

  Lily instantly sat up straight, blinking. "What? How did y-"

  Before she could say more, the door opened, and Mal, apanied by Nyx, slipped ihe Abyss Walker seemed somewhat fused, but he still closed the entrance, sileng the murmurs ing from the tunnel.

  "Man, that's bloody weird," Maluttered, looking right at Leo. "You two unicate telepathically? That's gotta be how she ko move."

  Leo nodded, refusing to hide something so noticeable. "It's useful when we are out there."

  "I imagihat," the man snorted. "So what? You are really siblings?" Upon Lily's nod, he shook his head. "God damn, what are the odds? And both of you are powerful and have unique evolutions. If that's a ce, then I am the Queen."

  Whe it like that, it really became obvious that some third party had to be involved. What if Geron, in fear of his sister's power, somehow still mao influehe world and created aire group just to hunt down Nikra’s shard. Going by the dreams he experienced before the Outbreak, it wasn't even too big of a reach.

  If it's really him, his alliah Nikra to create the System must have been weaker than even Nyx described. Shit... those two idiots really are the root of every problem in this damned world.

  "Don't look into it too much, Mal," his sister finally replied as he dealt with the mess in his head. "ce or not, there's nothing we do about it. We have better things to worry about for now."

  The Abyss Walker quirked an eyebrow. "Oh? Am I missing something?"

  Lily let out a heavy sigh. "A lot. Sit down. I will give you a quick rundown. Then we figure out how to deal with my old group and that bloody Supercluster. We have been on the defensive for too long. Thanks to Leo, we just might survive."

  "Finally." A rge grin spread aal's face as he dropped onto the chair.

  Huh, I think I might have started a war…

  Chaos65