Chapter 158: Where are we? What is this place?

Although Asher was a little irritated by their conversation about trusting him, which sounded like he was not in front of them, he understood their reasons for such doubt since Cecil had suffered much because of trusting the wrong person.

Also, the way they exchanged these words resembled more like they would walk through the gates of hell to redeem themselves.

"Alright. Now hold on to each other tightly and close your eyes." Asher said before moving forward and kneeling in front of the girls, who looked up to him with uncertainty in their eyes.

"Just do as I told you without asking any questions or opening your eyes until I say so," Asher said in a calm and confident voice while placing his right palm on top of Cecil's hand and his left hand on Scarlet's hand, who were still embracing each other.

Soon, Scarlet and Cecil followed his instructions, closing their eyes and waiting anxiously for what would happen next.

After a moment, the girls could feel some warmth flowing out of his palms and seeping into their bodies, gradually spreading throughout their systems.

They could sense this energy leaving some kind of mark on their hands while also giving a strange and indescribable sensation of security and comfort.

After that, Asher's lips curled up into a smile as he removed his hands, seeing that the soul marks of the Astral Nexus Core orb were etched onto both Scarlet and Cecil's hands.

"Now it's time to take you to a place where I can save your friend's life." He announced, making the girls open their eyes in surprise and look at him in confusion.

"Wha... What do you mean by that? Weren't we going to do that in here?" Scarlet stammered, unable to understand what Asher was saying. "We don't have that much time to go somewhere else. If we move Cecil from this place, then her injuries will get worse quickly, and she won't last long..."

"Tch... Stop with the worries already. Can't you wait for a single second without questioning me all the time?" Asher clicked his tongue and stood up while shaking his head in frustration.

She hesitated for only a split second before proceeding to comply with his instruction and removing Cecil's clothes from her body, leaving her stark naked in front of them.

"Cecil... just bear with it for a little longer... Alright?" She whispered to her friend in a comforting manner and started removing her own clothes too.

Cecil didn't have any strength to act shy or embarrassed and just gave a bitter smile while closing her eyes.

'My life is already at its end. No matter what happens or where I will go after this, I will gladly accept it.' She thought to herself.

Within a few moments, Scarlet stripped off both of their garments, leaving nothing on their bodies.

"Good. Now, make her sit on the platform while you take her position on the other one, and make sure that you relax your mind while closing your eyes. Let me handle the rest." Asher instructed, pointing towards the other platform across the room.

Scarlet was feeling quite strange being naked in front of the man for the first time, yet the man didn't give a single glance at their bodies and always made sure to look them in the eyes while giving each instruction. It was as if he wasn't interested in their bodies in the least.

'No! What am I thinking about when my friend's life is at stake? Gosh, I'm losing it. My head is completely messed up and out of control. I need to focus.' Scarlet mentally chided herself before following his instructions.

Once they finished positioning themselves as he commanded, Asher moved towards the center of the star-shaped formation and sat down cross-legged in the middle, closing his eyes and calming his mind.

A few moments passed, and soon, the entire chamber started to emit a dim glow around him and the formation while the mysterious symbols began glowing with various colors.

Then, at the very next moment, a strange bubble formed around the two girls on the platform, hiding their nude bodies from the outside.

It startled Cecil and Scarlet, but remembering the earlier instructions, they kept their eyes closed and relaxed their bodies.