Chapter 145: Welcoming Kiera

Chapter 145: Welcoming Kiera



Knocking on the gate of the oh-so-familiar base, Emir and Lyra waited for a few moments... "Emir!"

Only to be met by a flying gate as Kiera rushed at Emir, crashing into him with a hug.

He could've easily avoided her, but he knew that she was better off relaxing now before he dropped the truth bomb on her.

Looking at Lyra's jealous-filled face, he embraced Kiera back, patting her head in the process.

As he gently pulled away from the crying Kiera, he telepathically said:

[Don't kill her when I'm not around, alright?]

Lyra looked to be suppressing a pout from forming on her face.

[I might be jealous, but you know I wouldn't do anything that would harm you.]

Locking his eyes with Kiera, he said:

"I know, I know..."

Answering both Lyra's statement and Kiera's hug.

"Thanks for the lovely welcome."

Kiera let out a chuckle while she wiped her tears.

"I-I thought that we had lost you... Why didn't you tell me that you were leaving? It was ELEVEN whole months, you know! It's almost been a whole year!"

"...My bad, my bad, but it wasn't my fault though. I had no idea I would've been away for so long."

He paused and looked around for a moment.

"...Now why don't we continue this conversation inside? You've got some stalkers."

Nodding her head, she led them into the warehouse, and they were welcomed by all of the gang members standing in attention just after the entrance.

Emir looked at them and recalled some names:

"Jack, Evan, Hiro, Sarah, and Leo. It's been a while hasn't it?"

After a collective nod, they all replied in unison:

"Yes Sir!"

His brows raised in surprise as he thought:

'They grew up in the time I wasn't around...'

[Lyra, judging by how long you were in contact with them, do you think they could be useful as a part of the main group?]

[Yes. And it wouldn't hurt to have more people involved.]

[I see. Then do you have the capsules prepared already?]

[I do, I expected that you would ask me for them, so I already bought some of them from the shop's storage.]n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

[You know me quite well...]

[That I do, though it's a logical choice, a choice I knew you would make.]

[Heh, thanks for the compliment.]

Nodding back, he said with a tone of authority:

"Follow us if you wish for a chance to change your fate. But be warned, your life will be on the line, even more so than now."

Not hesitating for even a second, all of them walked forward and stood behind Emir and Lyra. 'They've got enthusiasm at least...'

"Alright. Kiera, show us to your meeting room, and it seems that you've been upgrading the base quite a bit while I wasn't around."

Showing a bright smile, she began leading the way while walking next to Emir.

"Of course, we had to become something; otherwise, how would we repay you for all the generosity you showed us? Even giving our weak members a job at Prince Emporium... It gave us something stable to fall back on when we almost went red with operational costs." With a chuckle, Emir replied:

In an instant, a soft, azure glow enveloped the table, almost as if the surface was coming to

life.

A series of projections materialized in front of all six of them, casting holograms of the same contract they had presented to Nathan, hovering just above the table's surface.

Lyra then spoke, her voice unwavering as she addressed them, and her eyes locking on each

individual:

"Before we talk, we need you all to sign this contract..."

"And just know that doing anything against this contract would instantly kill you."

A chill ran through the room at her words, the magnitude of the contract's implications

sinking in.

This wasn't just a holographic piece of paper; it was a binding oath that held their lives in its

balance.

A silent, unspoken understanding passed between them, and with a shared glance, they knew that any hesitation could be fatal.

They turned their attention to the contract, and the urgency of the situation seemed to

override any doubts or lingering questions about what might be hidden between the lines.

As if giving up all signs of caution, they signed, their hands moving with swift determination.

Seeing Emir nod in approval, Lyra continued:

"Welcome, Kiera. Jack. Sarah. Hiro. Evan. Leo." Her voice was steady, and welcoming, yet

laden with the weight of the knowledge she was about to share.

"All of you are now celestials, like me and Emir."

Their gazes locked on her, and the room seemed to blur around them as they were enveloped

in the revelation.

The term 'celestials' echoed in their minds, a word fraught with mystery and power.

A word Kiera had only heard once before, surprising her as she subtly understood its

importance.

"But what is a celestial, you might ask?" Lyra continued.

"...We are those that have left mortality and have ascended into something greater with the

power of Aether, and you all will soon experience that change. What you swallowed just then is an Aether Core, something that would cost you one Valora, meaning that whatever debt you had with us has just more than quintupled."

"Don't ask me questions now. Let's first start the process of crossing the Aetheric Threshold."

Watching their reactions, which ranged from exacerbated, shocked, to confused, and excited, reminded Emir of when his mother and sister went through the same process.

Something that he could unfortunately only see through Lyra's memories. "C'mon, Kiera chop chop. We have a lot to get through today." He said, snapping them out of

their mind-numbed state.

Steeling herself, Kiera was the first to stand up from her chair, stepping back to sit on the

ground with some open space around her, allowing for any thrashing that she might

experience.

Lyra approached her, saying:

"Good thinking. Now brace yourself, you will experience a world of pain..."

"Good luck and have fun." Emir snickered while leaning back on his chair as if watching a

show.