Chapter 229 — A Broken Promise

Chapter 229: Chapter 229 — A Broken Promise

Chapter 229 — A Broken Promise

Victor headed back to the apartment.

As he approached, he noticed something strange.

He couldn’t feel Lyra through their Soul Bond again.

This time, however, he didn’t panic.

She’s probably practicing Shadow Walk again.

After what she’d pulled earlier, Victor wouldn’t be surprised if she was waiting behind the door for another chance to scare him.

He opened it and walked inside.

Nala was on the bed, chirping almost manically.

Victor noticed her behavior but didn’t think much of it at first. He glanced around the apartment.

"Lyra, where are you?"

No response.

Victor shook his head.

"You’re not going to scare me again. You already got me once with this. Come on out."

He waited.

Nothing.

"Lyra?"

Still nothing.

Victor’s amusement disappeared.

"This isn’t funny. Where are you?"

Nala continued chirping frantically from the bed.

Victor slowly turned toward her.

Suddenly, her behavior made a lot more sense.

Lyra wasn’t hiding.

She was gone.

Victor closed his eyes for a moment.

"She promised me."

?

Far across the market district, Lyra moved silently through the shadows.

Her new ability concealed her almost perfectly. Whenever she activated Shadow Walk, her body seemed to merge with the darkness itself. Her presence disappeared along with her, making her nearly impossible to see or sense.

There was a determined look on her face.

Yet underneath that determination was hesitation.

She knew what she’d promised Victor.

She also knew he meant well. Everything he’d said made sense, and part of her understood that waiting for Elder Benton was probably the smarter decision.

But her parents were so close.

After searching for them for so long, how could she simply sit in the apartment and wait?

If she could save them now, wasn’t that the entire point of becoming stronger?

She’d finally reached the Beast Soldier Realm. She had Shadow Step, and now she had Shadow Walk. With her new concealment ability, Lyra believed she had a real chance of getting inside the estate, finding her parents, and helping them escape without ever having to fight anyone.

She knew the danger.

But she also knew what was waiting at the end.

Her mother.

Her father.

"Hopefully Victor will understand."

Lyra disappeared into another shadow.

She moved quickly through the market, alternating between Shadow Step and Shadow Walk as she traveled. One shadow connected to the next, allowing her to cover ground without revealing herself.

Her citizen ID remained active, the map guiding her toward the elevator Victor had described.

Around fifteen minutes later, Lyra arrived.

She hid nearby and waited.

The biggest problem was obvious.

She couldn’t access the third floor herself.

Someone with authorization would have to enter first, and she would need to follow them through.

After forty-five minutes a familiar figure appeared in the distance.

Lyra’s eyes widened.

Zack.

A smile slowly appeared on her face.

Perfect.

As Zack approached the elevator, Lyra slipped into the shadows behind him.

He didn’t notice a thing.

That gave her even more confidence.

Before coming here, Lyra had spent some time testing Shadow Walk around stronger cultivators in the market. Ordinary Spirit Gathering cultivators couldn’t detect her at all. Even those around Rank Eight, Rank Nine, or near the peak only seemed to occasionally notice that something felt slightly strange.

None of them had been able to pinpoint her.

If she was careful, she could do this.

Zack entered the elevator.

Lyra slipped inside behind him.

The doors closed.

Zack pulled out his citizen ID and authorized access to the third floor, completely unaware that he had company.

Lyra almost couldn’t believe how smoothly everything was going.

One of her biggest worries had been Victor catching up to her before she could reach the third floor.

Now it was already too late.

The elevator began rising.

After a moment, Zack pulled out his citizen ID and called someone.

"I’ll be there in about thirty-five minutes."

A voice answered from the other side.

"Good. We need to get this figured out as quickly as possible."

"I’ll be there soon. We’ll figure it out."

The call ended.

Lyra remained perfectly still.

The elevator continued upward.

Eventually, the doors opened onto the third floor.

Zack stepped out, and Lyra silently followed.

A carriage was already waiting for him.

Lyra glanced down at her map, but most of the third floor showed restricted access. She couldn’t rely on it to guide her directly to the Graveborn estate.

For now, Zack was her best option.

The moment he entered the carriage, Lyra Shadow Stepped onto its roof and settled into place.

As the carriage started moving, she began cultivating.

Shadow Walk didn’t consume much Spiritual Energy, and as long as Lyra remained still and cultivated, she could recover more energy than the technique used.

It was almost the perfect hiding ability.

For the next thirty minutes, Lyra remained on top of the carriage as it traveled through the third floor.

Eventually, it slowed.

Lyra opened her eyes.

They had arrived at what appeared to be a market district.

As Zack’s carriage stopped, Lyra slipped down and moved away. She’d hoped he might lead her directly to the Graveborn estate, but this was still progress.

Now she just needed information.

Lyra moved through the market beneath Shadow Walk, listening carefully to the conversations around her.

It didn’t take long.

"Where do they have you going tonight, Billy?"

Lyra stopped.

Two guards stood nearby.

One of them sighed.

"Oh, man. They’ve got me going to the Graveborn estate."

Lyra immediately focused on them.

The other guard laughed.

"You got the rough duty tonight."

"Yeah, yeah. Not everybody can be as lucky as you, Drew, having the Draven family request you every night."

"Don’t be jealous, man. Sometimes you just get lucky."

Billy shook his head.

"I better head out. It’s about a thirty-minute walk, and I can’t afford a carriage. Not with what they’re paying me right now."

Drew looked at him sympathetically.

"It’s that bad, huh?"

"Yeah. I’ll see you later."

"Later."

Billy started walking.

Lyra followed.

She stayed several steps behind him, hidden within the shadows as they left the market and continued through the third floor.

The farther they traveled, the quieter the surroundings became. The crowded market slowly gave way to wider roads and larger estates, each separated by stretches of carefully maintained land.

Lyra kept her distance.

Thirty minutes passed.

Then she finally saw it.

A massive estate stood ahead.

Huge stone pillars marked the entrance, and displayed prominently across them were three fireballs rotating around one another.

Lyra’s heart began pounding.

Victor had described that symbol.

The Graveborn insignia.

She had found it.

Somewhere beyond those gates were the two people she’d spent years searching for.

Her parents.

For a moment, Lyra simply stared at the estate.

She was so close.

After all this time, they were right there.

Her earlier hesitation disappeared.

Now she only had to get inside, find them, and get them out.

Lyra disappeared into the shadows and rushed toward the Graveborn estate.