The Grand Duke's Son Is A Heretic-Chapter 488

As the two of them moved deeper into the city, Ariana suddenly noticed something strange.

They were not meeting anyone.

There were no guards,no patrols nor any ambushes.

Kael moved with certainty, stepping through empty streets and broken paths as if he had walked them countless times before.

Ariana finally spoke, her voice low.

"Where are we going?"

"To the core of the inner city," Kael replied without slowing down.

"Do you know the way?" Ariana asked, her brows knitting together.

"Hm."

That single sound was all the answer he gave.

Ariana did not question further. She simply followed his movements, trusting his pace even though unease crept into her chest.

CLANG!

The two landed in a narrow alleyway. It was strangely peaceful, untouched by the chaos raging outside.

There was no gunfire nor any screams. Unlike other areas it was completely drowned by silence.

Kael reached into his coat and pulled out two dark cloaks. He draped one over himself and tossed the other to Ariana.

She caught it and wrapped it around her shoulders, muttering, "I wonder why every secret group uses cloaks."

"It’s simple," Kael said.

"Why?"

"That’s to hide their ugliness."

"???"

Kael noticed her stare and smiled faintly. "I’m not joking. Only the ill fits of society join this. Most of them are just plain ugly and horrendous."

"That’s body shaming," Ariana shot back.

"Also, aren’t there beautiful people too?" she asked.

"Of course there are," Kael replied calmly. "They wear cloaks to hide their beauty."

"???"

Ariana opened her mouth, then closed it again.

"Okay... enough talk. Let’s go," Kael said.

He stepped up to a plain wooden door at the end of the alley. He knocked five times with a slow and deliberate rhythm then lowered his voice and recited:

"Primordial Driver of Madness,

Watcher of the Abyss Below,

You who offer solace to the forsaken,

You who shelter those who do not belong,

Open the path for those who walk between."

Ariana stared at him with wide eyes, her heart pounding.

’Is that... correct?’ she wondered.

The next moment, the door creaked open.

There was no guard.

No one stood behind it.

Only darkness.

Pure, suffocating darkness spilled out like a living thing.

Ariana froze. Her breath caught, and without realizing it, she grabbed Kael’s arm.

Kael pressed her palm gently, his voice calm and steady. "Just follow me. And don’t lose your hand."

With that, he stepped inside.

Ariana followed with her heartbeat racing. The moment she crossed the threshold, a strange sensation washed over her. It felt like the world tilted, like an invisible force tugged at her body and soul at the same time.

This was not a normal space.

Her eyes widened.

The building structure remained the same, but everything else had changed. The sky above was no longer the night sky of Creole. It was twisted, filled with slow-moving clouds of violet and black. Stars flickered in unnatural patterns, blinking in and out of existence.

Ominous particles floated in the air, glowing faintly as they drifted like ash. The ground beneath her feet felt solid, yet hollow, as if it could dissolve at any moment.

"This is..." Ariana whispered.

"A separate dimensional space," Kael said quietly.

He pulled out a small token and spoke into it. "Where are you? I’m inside and standing at the entrance."

A reply echoed directly into his mind.

[Stop there. Don’t walk away, or else you might get lost.]

[I’m coming to you.]

"Come quickly," Kael replied.

Ariana narrowed her eyes at him. "You sound very familiar with this place."

Kael coughed lightly. "It’s a spy."

Her eyes widened. "You have a spy here?"

"Not me, but a Veydrin spy?"Kael hurried to correct it.

Ariana stared at him in disbelief. "Just how far did Veydrin stretch its hands?"

Kael did not answer. He only watched the shifting darkness ahead, his expression unreadable, as footsteps echoed from somewhere deep within the twisted space.

.......

While war was being waged in the Eastern territory, a moment of peace had finally settled over the capital.

The city was calm, but the silence felt heavy rather than comforting.

Roosevelt sat behind his desk, stacks of documents spread before him. With Martina’s assistance, he had successfully taken over the throne, yet worry still lingered in his eyes. His fingers tapped lightly against the desk as he read through reports, one after another.

He finally looked up and asked,"Any news from the Eastern front."

His voice was steady, but there was impatience beneath it.

"It’s been a month since Kael went. How are things going?"

Martina nodded and stepped forward. She took out a thick stack of intelligence reports. She skimmed through them, pushed aside the less important ones, and focused on the latest updates.

"They are making their way to the core of Nightstar camp"

"Creole..."

Roosevelt raised his brows slightly and nodded in understanding. He leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly.

"Knowing Kael and Duke Serpentine, they might make it easily. In fact, Duke Serpentine wouldn’t have lost if not for the betrayal."

For a moment, Roosevelt seemed ready to relax. However, his eyes caught Martina’s expression. Her face had gone pale, and her lips tightened as if she was holding something back.

"What happened now?" he asked, straightening up.

"It’s about Creole," she spoke with a heavy heart. Her voice dropped slightly."It seems they are doing some weird rituals again."

Roosevelt facepalmed, pressing his fingers against his forehead as he tried to control the urge to curse out loud.

Since the moment he became Emperor and started reading the reports, he had already come across countless instances of these cults performing rituals here and there. Every new day brought news of another ritual.

The bullshit was too much.

He let out a long breath and shook his head.

"Let’s not hit our head against the wall. I am sure they will take care of it. We need to look forward."

Martina placed the letter back onto the desk and raised her brows slightly.

"Forward.."

"Yes forward..." Roosevelt replied as he stood up. His posture straightened, and determination filled his eyes.

He walked toward the window and looked out at the capital, bathed in calm sunlight.

"After this is over, using the connection they arrived with, we will directly jump to Nightstar capital and finish this farce once and for all."

His voice was firm, leaving no room for doubt. The peace in the capital was temporary, but he intended to make sure it would not be fragile forever.