“Welcome back, my lord. Allow me to take care of this matter.” Trishula stepped outside of the shadows in all his glory and Neah felt her temper calm down.

The timing of his arrival had been unexpected for Neah. It stumped her for a second before she gathered herself.

Trishula’s magic felt familiar against her own. The searching motion felt familiar and welcoming. It becomes Neah to accept the offered help.

Still, she had not lost herself to her newfound powers.

If these people believed her to be anyone other than ‘Neah’, then they were sorely mistaken.

“I don’t know who you are. But your magic feels familiar to me. Are you going to become a problem for me?” Neah asked.

The amused smile on Trishula’s face made her feel uneasy. It felt so nostalgic and trusting to her. Neah did not even remember ever receiving such trust.

It made her uneasy.

“Rest assured. I will never be a hindrance to your cause. I swore to serve your soul. Even when it has lost all its powers, I still wish to hold on to that promise.” The teen bowed.

Neah felt uneasy but she did not back away either. She held her ground firmly.

“Trishula, you! You talk like you knew this was going to happen like this. Is that why you ignored me when I proposed the plan to you?” Ashura sounded angry.

Once upon a time, Neah would have cared enough to ask him about it. Now, she did not care about anything related to him.

“To be honest, that was because I do not like you. You’re a problem and you can’t seem to let go of your past. Our master is dead in everything but the soul. But you could never accept it.” Trishula sounded bored.

Ashura’s face looked like it would explode in anger. The atmosphere was turning tense.

Neah featured for the other two to interfere but they seemed to be ignoring her.

No. The other two were behaving as if they had never even seen Neah’s plea for help. It was so much worse than being ignored.

“Our master is not dead. He is too strong to be dead. He is back as Neah, isn’t he? Her standing there is proof of his existence.” Ashura cried out.

Neah had never thought she would say this, but Ashura looked like he had lost his mind.

“Ashura, listen to me.” Hopeful eyes turned toward Neah.

“I am not your ‘master’. I might have bid my soul and powers but I am my own person. Either accept it or leave this place.” It hurt Neah to speak those words.

It hurt to speak those words to Ashura. The elder had been like a father to him.

“I can’t accept it. I want to accept you but I can’t. Because if I did, then it would mean that everything I did this far was worthless. I can’t allow the upper realm to win this war.” Ashura sounded tired.

Lady Karin and Alester averted their eyes away from the grieving figure. But Trishula did not have any such intention.

“If you can’t accept it, then you are not needed. You are a danger to us all and you need to atone for your sins. Your fury has blinded you. Don’t worry, we will carry out what you could not in your life. But you need to rest now.” Trishula raised his sword.

Lady Karin and Alester turned toward Neah to wait for her next order.

If they wanted to see Neah save Ashura, then they were sorely mistaken.

The elder might be like family to Neah but he did hold the same spot as Maria in her heart. And if Ashura had become an enemy of Maria, he had become an enemy of Neah.

“M-My lord. Just know that I did not regret what I did. In the end, you did awaken.” Ashura sounded delighted.

Neah closed her eyes as Trishula’s sword came down on the elder’s head.

“I will leave this place in your care. Make preparations to chase that abomination and take it down.” Neah expected to be stopped and questioned more.

But no one even spoke words to her. The air was filled with shocked disbelief at the actions that had just transpired.

“Of course. Things will be done to your liking.” Trishula bowed again as he promised.

And Neah believed him. He had a genuine tone of his magic. Neah felt like she could believe him.

“By the way, how did you know that I was your master? You did not seem surprised to see me like this?” Neah asked.

It felt weird to call herself the ‘master.’ She was not used to the term. It felt invasive and not right to her.

“Your scent was familiar. I met a girl who carried your scent on her body and instantly knew that the time had come. After all, the last oracle did not leave us empty-handed.” Trishula explained.

Neah did not know what that meant but Aleater looked like he did.

“Couldn’t you have told us about it? Why did your wife tell you about our lord’s incarnation but not us? It could have saved us so much grief.” Alester moaned in defeat.

“I thought you knew. Was that not why you sent the oracle to collect the Gem of Requiem?” Trishula asked.

“Wait? It has been found? I send her there to drag you out. Fuck. Things are getting more and more complicated.” Lester cursed.

Neah did not want to get involved in any more of this talk. But the talk had diverted to the oracle and she felt like she had to stay now.

“Gem of Requiem? What is that?” Neah chose a light question to start?

The other three shared a look between themselves. It irritated Neah but thankful, she did not have to wait long before they spilt the beans.

“I guess you of all people should know. Gem of Requiem was the source of our master’s powers. It was something that allowed him to contain his massive powers and suppress his node.” Lady Karin started.

“And?” Neah knew she sounded impatient.

“And it allowed him to channel the power of the upper realm. It made him a god. But then he got cursed and his gem. It is a necessity to awaken your node. The fact that you awakened now means that someone triggered your gem.” Lester explained.

Neah waited for someone to add anything else. But it did not look like they wanted to tell her anything more.

But Neah could conclude her one thought.

“So, do I have the power of two nodes in me now?” Neah asked.

The answer was a hesitant ‘maybe.’

It did not assure Neah but she also knew there was nothing she could do right now.

“What do you want to do now? Do you want us to chase the oracle and bring her back? She will be a great asset for us.” Alester asked.

Neah wanted nothing more than to take his offer. She wanted Maria with her. But she felt like she could not take that risk right now.

She might have caught Ashura but it did not make things safer for Maria.

There was also the issue of Howl and her brother. Neah could not risk that much right now. She needed time.

“Let things be for now. We have Albest to deal with. We’ll get the Oracle once everything has been sorted out.” Neah promised.

The other three did not contradict her words. It almost seemed as if they trusted her words.

But Neah knew that she did not have their trust. Not yet.

Not even Lady Karin’s. And the female had vowed to be under Neah’s command.

But she was too tired to deal with it all now. Her magic was being sucked out of her and Neah could feel someone pushing against her core and pulling at her magic.

Neah fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Her body’s fatigue finally caught up to her.

She felt her consciousness drifting apart as she fell deeper and deeper into sleep.

‘Wake up.’ The voice felt familiar. So did the hands on her body. It felt good to Neah’s senses and finally, her body respond to that touch.

Neah’s eyes opened slowly. They gazed into a familiar pair that made Neah doubt if she was still asleep or not.

‘Don’t suppress your desire. Take what you want to.’ The voice in her head was bewitching. It was egging Neah to proceed with her claiming.

Maria looked like a dream come true for her. That flushed face coupled with the heated look made Neah want to devour Maria without leaving a single trace.

Neah’s mind was empty as she reached for Maria’s body. This might have been a dream conjured by her tired mind, but Neah no longer cared.

She was tired go this world and suppressing her emotions. She wanted to take and devour.

Her hands finally touched Maria and she clutched the younger to her chest. Neah needed Maria.

She needs her so much.

And now she finally seemed to have caught her in her dream.

“Neah? Where are we? Is this a dream? Or was it the node?” Maria asked. She sounded cohesive and in her mind.

And she was solid to Neah’ss touch as well. Was this really a dream? Or something more?