The general didn’t respond right away.
His lips pressed together as if weighing something difficult.
Even with all his experience, even with decades of battles behind him, he was afraid.
It wasn’t something he tried to hide either.
Phantom Voice was the kind of creature that stripped away bravado.
Finally, after another minute of silence, the general nodded again, this time slower.
“Be careful,” he said, and left.
An hour later, the evacuation was complete.
The Horizon Institute’s stronghold—usually a place buzzing with activity—stood quiet and still.
The streets, corridors, and checkpoints were empty.
Everyone had been moved via teleportation portals toward the nearest Sanctum of Masters stronghold.
Everyone except Catherine.
She stood alone at the top of the watchtower built into the city wall.
The tower was tall, higher than most of the buildings in the stronghold, and there were dozens like it all around the outer perimeter.
Right now, she was the only one using them.
Her phone had been vibrating nonstop.
Messages, calls, and even recorded voice memos were piling up.
Guild leaders, territory administrators, and more than a few powerful Awakeners had reached out.
Most of them were trying to confirm if the reports about Phantom Voice were true.
She didn’t answer any call or message.
Her gaze was fixed on the horizon.
The mist had begun to rise. It was faint at first, barely more than a shimmer. Then it started growing.
A thin line of white and gray crept along the earth like spilled ink, heading directly toward the stronghold.
It moved slowly.
Eventually, it reached the outer wall.
Then it slipped through.
Catherine could hear the slight hum in the air as the barrier set up by the Horizon Institute shattered without resistance.
The mist entered.
Within seconds, it was everywhere.
From where she stood, it looked like a sea of clouds had settled over the streets.
Buildings disappeared into the fog. Landmarks she knew vanished from sight.
It was beautiful, in a way. Almost like something out of a dream.
But she didn’t let herself fall for it.
Because she knew what was inside that mist.
The fog rolled underneath the tower. Then it kept going.
It passed through the stronghold without attacking the infrastructure, just like she expected.
Walls remained intact. Drones and machines were ignored.
And the Phantom Voice moved on.
Catherine didn’t stay behind.
She followed it, but she made sure to ’hide’ herself.
The mist moved north, past the stronghold and deeper into the Fortified City 89.
She saw other monsters on the way.
A few low-level beast-types. One mid-tier flying serpent. Two Champion-ranked bipedal creatures that had wandered too far from their territory.
She watched them see the mist and try to run.
The mist swallowed them anyway.
None of them came back out.
They didn’t even scream.
The fog just surged forward like a tide, indifferent to what it consumed.
Catherine moved behind it carefully, making sure to remain hidden.
She could have fought the thing already.
But she had more important objectives to complete first.
’I need to be absolutely sure it’s heading toward Isaac’s farm before I engage it.’
’And… I can’t afford to be seen.’
Her expression tightened.
The last time she had fought against the ’Sentinel’ during the Metavore Hunt, she’d been marked as a target for elimination.
The city still didn’t work properly, and it was the only reason she wasn’t being actively hunted.
But if she fought again inside the city, the city system would likely send another Sentinel.
That was a risk she couldn’t take.
So, she would wait until the last moment, and dispatch Phantom Voice quickly, then make an escape before a Sentinel was sent to deal with her.
She glanced forward again.
The mist was getting closer to the Sanctum of Masters’ border.
It hadn’t reached the stronghold yet, but it was nearing.
Isaac’s farm was close to that side of stronghold’s border.
If the mist reached the stronghold, he’d be the first one swallowed.
Catherine clicked her tongue and slowed her pace.
It was time.
She was about to engage in a battle—
Then she heard something.
Her head snapped to the right.
In the ruins of an old high-rise building, now barely a steel frame covered in cracked concrete, she caught the faintest traces of sound.
“Should we… leave…?”
“No… we should fight…”
“…last chance…”
The voices were hard to understand from this distance.
’It can’t be an awakener.’
’The warning should’ve sent all of them away.’
Catherine moved forward slowly and used her ability to suppress her presence completely.
Her body remained hidden as she stepped into the shadow of a leaning wall and emerged near the base of the ruined building.
From there, she moved silently up the side, her boots barely making a sound even on metal.
As she reached the fourth floor, she found them.
A small group of Nagas.
They were looking at the city, and the Phantom Voice.
…
Vale POV
A Few Hours Ago
The tunnels beneath the Central Sector were narrow and suffocating.
Years ago, they might’ve been sewer lines or transport ducts, but now they were more like graves waiting to be sealed.
Moisture clung to the cracked walls, and the air smelled faintly of rot and metal.
Vale walked through them without slowing.
Eventually, the tunnels opened into a wide underground chamber.
A faint flickering light, likely from cheap rune-crystals, cast shadows across the dozens of Nagas gathered within.
Some were meditating. Others were sharpening weapons or murmuring quietly in small groups. Quite a few of them were injured.
All of them stopped what they were doing when they saw him.
Every eye turned his way. Tension flooded the room like a rising tide.
They knew who he was.
More than that, they knew what he could do.
At his command, their hearts could stop. Literally.
The skill was called [Heart Branding Curse].
It was the cursed seal he’d placed on each of them the day Governor Calder first found them.
It had been a compromise: survival in exchange for obedience.
They hadn’t been in any position to refuse back then.
A tall Naga male broke through the crowd and approached.
His gait was slower than usual.
He looked exhausted, like someone who hadn’t slept properly in weeks.
His scales had dulled. His eyes were tired.
Orun, the current leader of the Naga survivors.
When he finally stopped in front of Vale, he gave a faint bow.
His prideful demeanor had disappeared. He said, “You’ve come earlier than expected. Please follow me, let’s talk somewhere private.”
Vale didn’t respond.
He stood there silently.
He hated what he was about to speak, but the governor’s orders were absolute. He could only hope Isaac had listened to his advice and left the stronghold.
Orun waited, then forced himself to speak again, lowering his voice.
“Please.”
Orun didn’t want to Vale to reveal whatever news he had brought in front of all Nagas. It would hit their morale badly.
Vale still didn’t budge.
He simply reached into his coat and pulled out a small stack of printed photos.
He held them out to Orun.
The leader took them carefully. His eyes scanned each one.
The first showed the outskirts of a region with transparent dome.
Beyond it were farm fields.
The second was a map overlay, highlighting the perimeter and patrol timings.
The third was a blurry image of Isaac walking toward a farm, holding what looked like a hoe.
Orun’s hands trembled.
“This… this is near the Sanctum of Masters stronghold,” he said slowly. “Does this mean—”
“Yes,” Vale cut in. “You’ll attack the stronghold tonight, and destroy the farm alongside everything else. Don’t kill the farmer, but make sure you put enough fear into him that he won’t sleep for a week.”
Orun looked up, more confused than afraid. “But that farm is important, isn’t it? And the farmer is a precious resource? Even Governor said—”
“Orders have changed. Do what you are told now.”
Orun’s brow furrowed. But he nodded nonetheless.
Vale turned without another word and walked away.
As he made his way back through the tunnel system, his thoughts wandered.
’I gave Isaac a warning. Hopefully, he listened and got out.’
Still, he didn’t believe things would go smoothly.
Even if Isaac escaped, the attack would destroy his farm.
Vale reached the surface exit and stepped out into the dusky light of the early evening.
The city skyline was fractured in the distance, like a broken crown. He glanced toward the direction of Isaac’s farm.
If Isaac hadn’t left the stronghold….
’That woman.’
Vale had never seen her fight before, but he could tell she was stronger than what she let on.
Even during the Metavore hunt, she must’ve been the one who defeated the Sentinel.
He couldn’t confirm if that was true.
But he trusted his instincts.
’With her around, Isaac should be safe.’
He stopped at a quiet alleyway corner, leaning against the wall for a moment.
’But even she won’t be able to protect everything when Nagas use summons to attack.’
The thought made him grimace.
Each naga was capable of using dozens, and sometimes hundreds, of summons.
Against that overwhelming number, Catherine would find it difficult to protect Isaac and deal with nagas.
A sigh escaped Vale’s lips.
He prayed everything would go smoothly.
…
Orun (Naga Leader) POV
Back underground, Orun stood alone in the chamber Vale had left.
The other Nagas were waiting for his command.
Many of them looked uneasy. The younger ones in particular looked toward him with mixed expressions: uncertainty, fear, anger.
He looked down at the photos in his hand again.
The face of the human boy—Isaac—stared up at him.
He looked up and gave a small sigh.
“We will attack tonight. Start the preparations,” he said finally.
His voice was quiet, but it carried across the chamber.
Murmurs rose immediately.