Chapter 321: Zeraphine’s Choice

Lara waited silently as she began to rise to the top of the sea. She had even prepared to give the orders for the Pioneers serving under her and considered doing a personal check on all of those serving under her.

She was scared. For the first time in a long time, she was scared.

Her father was very strict and did everything to ensure that she would become smart and well-prepared. But no matter how hard she tried, her father never was satisfied. In almost every situation that she thought she would make her father proud, it turned into criticism over the smallest details that she missed. It was later that her father ridiculed her to force her to move here. 

But now she understood.

"This is the fear that dad kept feeling…" Lara reflected.

"You always told me that I would die… That I would die… But I never really understood it…" Lara kept recalling her ridiculous attempt to figure out more of the Progenitor. If she had not taken the very precautions that her father instilled on her, she would have been discovered by this Progenitor!

"Maybe dad's right…" She sighed. It was the first time in so long that she called him 'dad.'

Discovering that Garenjazz was her ward made her begin to think more fondly of her father.

"My dad sent me here to escape the changing landscape of our home planet. But now… The battles and conflicts he feared I would face are now happening here. I hated being called a Princes but now…" She gritted her teeth.

"I must ascend! If I can get my hands on the techs of that Progenitor and that traitorous Lost Primordial, I can be a Principal!" Lara vowed in her heart.

"You seem to be lost in thoughts, Miss Diamon." Scribs smiled.

"I am. It's just… there is a lot to do." She smiled.

"Miss Lara… If I may. Seeker may not tell you. But he's been through many horrors. Although his chastity is thankfully preserved, his road is not pleasant. This Progenitor is both protecting Seeker, but at the same time, prepared a treacherous road for him. The missions he has… it's insane. This trip to South America… Is a mission rather than some vacation trip."

"Really? I was under the impression that this was to protect him from future wars."

"Yes. But think about it. Do you think that everyone who goes there is our allies?"

"You mean, the Lost Primordial will be there!"

"Of course they will. Seeker is a chess piece—a lure to bring out the big fish. Seeker's value is more or less likened to a powerful soldier. Important, but ultimately expendable."

"How do you know this?"

"We all have different orders, Miss Diamon. The Progenitor is quite wise. Harker, me, Earl, and Tyler each have different commands and instructions that even we don't know off. At this time, you can't really trust everyone. Who knows? I could be one of those Programmed and Reprogrammed slaves. It's very difficult to trust anyone now. I suggest you do the same. Inform, and keep them uninformed. Direct, and do not direct. Order, but do not expect loyalty. It saves you of any possible heartbreaks." Scribs smiled.

Lara nodded.

"I'll keep that in mind." 

The door slowly opened, and Lara was in the Tatsulok Aguinaldo.

Lara began to descend the stairs as she reached the windy and loud boarding platform of the Tatsulok.

"The frost and the Pidgeon is free. Let the WGP care for them!" Scribs suddenly called out to Lara and walked back in.

Lara felt her legs turn weak. But she kept walking as if nothing was wrong and that the windy and wet floor almost caused her to lose her footing.

A limousine waited, and several people from the Diamon family were there.

"Miss Lara! How was the trip?" One of the people smiled.

"Give me some privacy. There is an important business that I need to attend to. Hand me my phone." She said coldly as she moved and sat on 

"As you order, Miss." The men nodded and handed her a small bag.

Lara sat on the back of the limousine as it began to move.

As Lara was left alone, her body kept trembling and trembling. She wanted to stop, but she couldn't control it.

"It's a Presider… It's a Presider…?!" Lara kept whispering this sentence.

She was immediately able to guess the hidden message in that statement. The rollercoaster of emotions of fear and relief happened again. Whoever this Progenitor was, he or she was already aware of her true allegiance.

Frost, Pidgeon, and Free were the keywords. But then, the word WGP also appeared.

Crostfree, Pridgeon, and the WGP were all linked together.

"Is Crostfree the traitor? Is it both of them? I thought Pridgeon killed Crostfree. Is anything going to make sense here? Who is the Progenitor?" Lara felt very frustrated. This was something she couldn't comprehend.

"The WGP is involved?! What's going on? Who is the enemy?" Lara cursed.

She then opened her phone and dialed strange commands. Her fingers were trembling as she typed the numbers.

Even now, she was very careful. When she infiltrated the Diamons, she only took over the heads and the rising daughter Lara. But everyone else was normal, so to hide her real identity. Yet now, she was unsure. What if there were spies among the Diamons? But she hesitated in calling any Pioneers in case some of them might also be among the traitor. With all the Presiders now attacking and infiltrating each other's rank, she began to grow fearful and perplexed.

It was then she recalled the plan that Harker put in motion.

"An enemy! Someone no one expects!" Lara was shocked.

She began to use the phone. Her phone allowed her to remotely control certain techs that she had. And the encryption was so hard because it required the fingerprints of the most unlikely of people. Yet through that, she began to activate the Displacement Tech and enable the double agent protocol. She was set on calling a certain Presider. While it seemed unlikely, it was better not to trust Garenjazz. What if being her ward was a ploy? She could not help but wonder.

It was then that her phone rang.

"Hello."

"I never expected you to be so foolish as to displace one of my Pioneers. To think-"

"We could die anytime." Lara interrupted.

"I nearly died. Another enemy is called the Progenitor. All your Pioneers may be double agents. I need help, Straviaa. The one person I am sure isn't an ally of the Progenitor or this Presider who masquerades as the Lost Primordial is you. Of course, it's possible that the Progenitor left you the same message. About how the Frost is well in the WGP?" 

"...What happened?" Straviaa's arrogant tone disappeared.

"Find a way to get to South America. A gathering is happening there. A Presiders wants to devour all of us. Someone has access to that tech. That useless and unused tech that we have seen! Someone among the Presider wishes to eat us all up! I think it's even thinking of eating a Principal!" Lara continued.

"What?!" Straviaa was now as shocked as Lara.

"I'm not sure. But I know your heritage and circumstance. No one would want to ally with you unless you offered it first. But Crostfree lives! He's with the WGP! We'll talk more in South America. Get connected with Unlocked Industries and try to find a way into an Underwater City! This is why I revealed my spy to you. We can die, Straviaa. Our dads were right in their insanity. Right now, we are here, and we will probably die if we are careless. Don't let any Presiders near you!" Lara immediately disconnected the call.

Straviaa was silent. But she finally began to tremble. The revelation of Pridgeon's secret strength shocked her. And even Enderk couldn't understand what Phallic Tech was.

"If Zeraphine went straight to me… and even used that technology that would cost her so much energy… then she must be serious. Pridgeon tried to kill Crostfree… But it seems Crostfree is alive. Just how complicated is the alliance of these idiots?!" She smashed her fist into a nearby table.

Back in the King Naga, Seeker was observing the screens and kept replaying the secret cameras that recorded Lara's expression.

"She's afraid. Well. I did as Arthur asked." Seeker smiled.

"This will create a war against the WGP?"

"Yes. We can't be a City of Refuge if the WGP exists. We need it out. And the best way to do it is not to do it with our hands. We invoke these Presiders to take action. If Arthur is right, that Pridgeon must have found a way to kill Crostfree. The lack of actions in Australia confirms it. Even the Realm King sensed that the mysterious changes in the realm of Australia had grown differently. At this point, we need to cut our loose ends. And that is Pridgeon. The Presider who has seen Lowengren and the Tyrant Empress. So we pit several Presiders against him."

"To think this Pridgeon would be strong. I mean, after what we did to him in China…" Cliff shook his head.

"It only means he placed his bets on some technology that is weak and only strong when something succeeds. And this is why we're taking Pridgeon quite seriously. Anyways, they are Arthur's problem now. If he's right then, those countries will begin to collapse soon. To think a simple, well-placed bomb can bring down three nations and destabilize the European Nations." Seeker shook his head.

"And here I thought your plan to reshape the Americas wasn't crazy enough." Lynd laughed as he returned.

"How was selling your light to the Pangean Elites?"

"It'll work. Just as you and Harker planned, they will be secretly turning the Pioneers into Programmed Slaves. SPU also agrees to do this. When are we going to become the South Pacific Confederate?"

"When America finally becomes ruled by the South. Also, it looks like my little experiments are finally coming to fruition. Those kids are all in Central America now. And with the collapse of the wall, the Americas will surely begin to attack the Rotting Lands." Seeker began to access the recordings of several young teens who were being secretly monitored in the Central Americas.

"This is the future Squadron that you lead?"

"Yes. In my past life, they were only Inhumans. I'm aiming to make all of the World Champions in this life."

"You lead them to a hopeless situation, and then you appear as this strange Messiah. And you'll even be using confirmed Pioneers to do the dirty work."

"I want them to have just as much faith as you guys have in me. That way, should things turn sour, they won't need me to be there to protect them."

"How did they die anyway?" Lynd suddenly asked.

"Wow. So upfront!" Cliff was amazed.

"It's better you guys know. Zeraphine killed them." Seeker explained, and not even Lynd's Path can see through Seeker's emotions.