God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.-Chapter 1107: Peace Talks (2).

The silence stretched out for what felt like eternity.

Finally, Nockt sighed and stared up at Cain,

"We cannot grant you a negotiation right now. But, what we can give you, is help."

Cain raised a brow.

"Nockt, what are you saying?" Night leaned towards the older man and asked.

Nocked sighed, "We have no other choice."

He smiled bitterly, "There is no getting out of this one, huh..."

Then he turned to address Cain and the others,

"The call to attack you all has been sealed in stone. There is nothing we can do about that. But we will not be attacking you. Those idiots aim to claim the seat of the sect leader with underhanded means. But I will strive to take that satisfaction from the?".

He looked Cain right in the eyes,

"We will be helping you fight in this battle. We are on your side."

"Nockt, what are you saying?!" This time, it was Dravok who spoke.

Nockt turned around to face his old friend.

"Dravok, I have entrusted you with my life countless times. This time, I hope you will let me do the same."

Night clenched her fists, while Veyra snorted and glared at him,

"Old man, this pathetic look on you is a good fit."

Nockt shrugged, "If that is how you see it, then I will not stop you."

Neyra shook her head, "I refuse to side with a cowardly defector. Night..."

The woman in the dark clothes was silent.

Then she turned to Nockt, "You better have a good explanation for this."

Nockt nodded seriously, "Of course, I do." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Then he turned to Cain,

"I do not truly believe the Matriach is still alive. But regardless, it doesn’t matter anymore."

He pointed at Night, "In return for joining you, I want your help in making her the next Matriach of the Sect."

Everyone was taken back by such a wild suggestion.

Night especially.

"You...!"

Nockt turned to her with a serious look in his eyes,

"That is the reality of our situation, Night. The former Matriach might be alive and well, but it does not matter because she is not here. And without her here, the sect loses its stability. The Sect needs stability. It needs a new leader. Those fools are right about that, at the very least."

Seeing this, Cain smiled,

"If that’s the case, then sure. Why not. I’ll agree to that."

Nockt nodded then turned to face Veyra, who glared down at him with a disgusted look in her face,

"Think of me how you wish, but I stand by my decisions. You can turn around if you want, but I highly doubt you’ll be doing that."

Veyra gritted her teeth as her gaze turned colder. However, when she glanced at Night, her gaze softened.

After a few seconds of hesitation she cursed out loud then turned around,

"You’ve turned us all into traitors, you old bastard."

Nockt shook his head,

"That is not the case."

He turned back to Cain,

"The other elders are readying their forces. I’m the meantime, we can sneak you in."

Cain shook his head,

"No. That would be too inconvenient."

Nockt’s eyes narrowed, "Then what do you have in mind."

Cain stretched his arms wide open,

"This seems like a good place to Duke it out, don’t you think?"

"Cain, that’s..." Gilead started to say.

Nockt had a frown,

"Do you believe I plan to sabotage you?"

Cain shook his head, "No, that’s not it. However, I would rather we fight it out here."

A strange, mischievous glimmer appeared in his eyes,

"On the other hand, you will be our poisoned seed, attacking them from behind the lines. I believe this is the best way to work together."

Nockt’s frown deepened, but he fell silent as he seriously considered Cain’s words.

Cain threw something into Nockt’s hands, turned around and began walking away,

"That is a communicator. Let’s keep in touch."

The others silently followed behind him, leaving them staring at their backs and the wind.

"That guy. He’s too damn arrogant!" Veyra grumbled through clenched teeth.

Night turned to Nockt, "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Her original plan was to buy more time. According to her contact within the Golden Asura, Cain was supposed to go along with it.

Nockt sighed, "It’s either that, or we go ahead with those idiots."

He turned to Veyra, his eyes dark and cold,

"You might not realize it, but those idiots are leading us all down a path of sure damnation. If they fight amongst themselves, the losses will be too great. And if that happens, we will be unable to stop a full attack."

He turned around and sighed, his expression forecasting his troubled mind.

"A full scale attack would spell disaster. Even if we win, it could take at least a dozen years for us to recover. Those Devils aren’t going to wait a dozen years to destroy our world. I hope you realize that."

Veyra grimaced, "But—!"

"But why side with him?" Nockt finished.

He turned and stared deep into her eyes,

"The existence of an external catalyst might very well be the change we need to stop this madness. Those idiots are fully intent on burning everything to the ground for their own selfish purposes. If it comes to that, I’d rather they are all wiped out."

Veyra went silent.

Nockt turned to Dravok,

"Let’s go back and begin our preparations."

***

Cain’s body slowly sank into the shadows.

Within Evangeline’s {Shadow World}, darkness did not exist. Only shadows.

That created a strange paradox that was difficult to explain and envision.

Standing on the swirling shadows, Cain’s expression was calm. Far more calm than his dark turbulent gaze.

He glanced around and Evangeline was nowhere to be seen.

However, he knew she was there.

Maybe she was even right behind him.

In the {Shadow World}, she was the supreme ruler.

Despite that, Cain was completely unbothered,

"Come out, Eva."

His next words were tinged with subtle rage,

"I know it’s you..."