Bloodline Evolution: I Can Choose Opposing Paths-Chapter 135: Before One Of You Dies

Aren sat there with the subspace pocket for a while before Daniel finally leaned forward and spoke up.

"So...gonna tell us what’s inside?"

Sterling raised an eyebrow but otherwise didn’t comment on it further, this was the first time she was patiently waiting for something.

Aren hesitated.

If the Defilers really were going after this Drake...this really isn’t something I can handle alone.

He shifted slightly in his seat, straightening up as his fingers loosened the strap from above.

Almost immediately, light spilled from inside the subspace and a creature leapt out. It blinked once, twice, trying to adjust to its new environment before its gaze locked onto Aren.

"Papa!" It called out, eyes bright as it hopped onto Aren’s lap and began nuzzling against him.

Professor Sterling, who had taken another sip of her coffee, had almost immediately spat it all out on her luxurious leather sofa.

"Wha—what the hell is that?" Daniel shot up from the couch. "Is that what you were hiding when I was being held at blade point? And why the hell is it calling you Papa?"

Aren sighed, already feeling the headache coming. "Long story..."

"Well, we have all the time in the world, don’t we?!" Daniel threw up his hands. "Start talking!"

"Alright, alright—calm down. I’ll tell you about it."

Aren slowly slid the now snoozing drake from his arm and onto one of the comfy pillows, where it rested without a care in the world.

"Remember the Reverse Waterfall? Well, I sensed some kind of energy behind it and thought it was a treasure. Once I got through, this drake suddenly approached me and started calling me Papa."

"Did it ever say why?" Daniel asked.

Aren hesitated.

Daniel already knows that I have the Dragon Bloodline...But Professor Sterling. Is it alright for someone as mysterious as her to know?

"Well, I think it’s because—"

"You have a Dragon Bloodline?" Professor Sterling cut in.

Aren’s head immediately snapped over to her, eyes wide with confusion. She just shrugged before pointing an index finger up.

"You know...a gigantic dragon made of lightning coming from the skies to blow up an entire cave is not exactly...subtle."

Shit...

"How many others know..." he asked immediately.

"I used my Art to try and mask most of it. If there were any others within the Lagoons, it’s highly unlikely that they’d see it," the Professor answered. "But...the whole club knows."

Aren’s eyes drifted downward, already pensive about the situation.

The more people that know, the worst its just gonna be...

"...Relax," Sterling said after a moment, her tone surprisingly even. "You’re not the first one I’ve met."

Aren’s head lifted immediately.

"...What?"

The professor leaned back slightly, a finger on her chin as she tried to recall something from her past.

"Strangely enough," she said, "I studied at Imperial Mystic College too."

Daniel blinked. "Wait—seriously?"

Sterling ignored him.

"There was someone there," she continued. "With the same Bloodline as you."

Aren straightened without realizing it, the ache in his body momentarily forgotten. "Another...Dragon Bloodline?"

Sterling nodded once. Aren’s thoughts immediately began racing.

A senior! Finally, I could ask them questions. Someone who’s already braved the trials would surely hold valuable insight.

"Do you still have contact with them?" he asked quickly. "Or anything—name, location—anything at all? I just—"

Aren calmed down to take a breath, but the urgency didn’t leave his voice at all. "There’s a lot I need to know."

"He’s dead."

Words that were about to form on Aren’s tongue immediately dissipated like smoke.

What? Dead?! How—what—why?

Aren’s fingers curled slightly against his knee before he chose his words carefully.

"...What happened?"

She turned away instead, her gaze settling on the fire as it crackled softly in the center of the room. For a moment, it looked like she wasn’t going to say anything at all.

"Ironically, it was the same situation as now. He died a while ago, in a Wildlands expedition."

Aren felt the urge to press further, to ask what exactly had happened, what kind of mission it was, how someone with a Dragon Bloodline could just—

But he stopped and saw it clearly...from the faint tremble in her hands, the tightness in her lips, and the sheen of tears forming in her eyes—

It was clear this was someone important to her.

Daniel seemed to notice the same thing, as he spun almost immediately and changed the subject. He pointed at the sleeping drake. "Why the hell are demonic cultivators hunting this thing anyway? There’s no way it’s just to extract its ether, right?"

"No," a voice answered from the stairs. "They weren’t."

Aren glanced up.

Emily and Iris made their way down, both looking far more rested than before. Without hesitation, they dropped onto the sofa between him and Daniel like they’d always been there.

"Awwww, what’s this little thing!" Emily lit up instantly, practically shoving Aren aside as she leaned in closer to the drake.

"Look at it!" she gushed. "The blue scales, the tiny horn—are you kidding me? It’s adorable!"

The drake stirred slightly at the attention but didn’t wake, curling in a little tighter against the pillow.

Iris crossed her arms, leaning back as she eyed it with a small smirk. "Guess that’s what they’re after."

"What did you mean earlier?" Aren asked, glancing at Iris.

"Well, I caught something from their conversation that was a little bit strange," she started. "They were clearly sent here by another group, which they called ’freaks in the lab’."

"Demonic cultivators and a lab working together?" Daniel started, already staring at Aren.

"Yeah...seems like they’re causing trouble even from out here," Aren nodded.

"What, what? Who are we talking about again?" Emily finally snapped out of her whimsy and joined the conversation.

"You should know this group well, remember what happened to Miu?" Aren nudged his chin in her direction.

She sat still for a moment. Aren could visibly imagine the gears turning in her head before her eyes finally widened.

"Could it be...Aetherion Research?!"

"Right on the money."

Emily slowly leaned back, her earlier excitement completely gone as her gaze drifted toward the drake resting peacefully on the pillow.

"You know I actually used to respect them for their work..." her voice dropped near the end, like she didn’t quite believe it herself.

Daniel let out a low whistle, rubbing the back of his neck. "Man...that just keeps getting worse, doesn’t it?"

His eyes remained fixed on the small creature, its steady breathing almost at odds with everything they’d just said.

It looked harmless. Fragile, even.

But—

"They weren’t holding back," he said quietly. "Not even a little. If they were willing to send that many people..."

"They’ll come again," Iris finished for him.

Sterling exhaled softly, putting her mug back on the coffee table before looking at them.

"I’m...familiar with Aetherion. They don’t waste resources. If they’ve started something, they won’t stop until they get what they want."

Daniel frowned. "Yeah, well—what exactly do they want out of it? It’s just a baby..."

Aren’s gaze remained fixed on the drake, its small body curled up against the pillow, breathing softly and completely unaware of the conversation happening around it.

"...It told me something," he said finally.

Daniel frowned. "The drake?"

Aren nodded.

"When I found it in the cave," he continued, "it kept talking about its mother."

Emily tilted her head slightly. "...Its mom?"

"Yeah," Aren said. "It said...’bad people’ took her."

"And not just her," he added. "Her friends too."

Iris leaned forward. "...Friends? What does that even mean?"

Aren shook his head. "It didn’t explain it properly. This could’ve happened in recent history—"

"Or thousands of years ago and we wouldn’t know..." Daniel cut in.

Iris crossed her arms, frowning slightly. "...That’s it?"

"No...it mentioned something else," Aren replied. "Something about a cat, a turtle, and a bird?"

He trailed off briefly before shaking his head.

"Doesn’t matter," Aren muttered. "Point is—they’ve already been taking things from the Wildlands. This isn’t new."

"...Professor. You’ve been out here longer than any of us. So tell me something..."

"...Are there creatures stronger than the region’s apexes?"

Daniel blinked. "I can’t imagine anything stronger than that Mangrove Tyrant if I’m being honest."

All eyes shifted to Professor Sterling as she tapped the couch cushion slowly, eyes narrowed as she tried to remember.

"...In theory?" she said slowly. "Maybe. We know that in the past, the region was a lot more dangerous and uninhabitable. So the existence of even stronger beasts isn’t completely out of the question."

The professor didn’t say anything else for a moment before standing up from the couch. The movement was sudden enough to draw everyone’s attention, her relaxed posture from before gone entirely.

"Alright," she said, tone completely different than before. "That’s enough."

"Whatever this is," she continued, "it’s not something you should be getting involved in." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Daniel frowned. "...What do you mean?"

"I mean exactly what I said," she replied, crossing her arms. "Return it to where you found it. Put it back in that cave and walk away."

The fire crackled softly in the background, the only sound in the room.

"That’s not—" Daniel started, but Sterling cut him off immediately.

"This isn’t our problem," she said sharply. "And it’s not some opportunity either. This isn’t something college students should be stepping foot in."

"Return it," she repeated, gaze lingering on each of them.

"Before one of you dies."