Chapter 117: The Ruins of the Conclave

Lady Aisha acted swiftly, arranging a comfortable, high-tier suite for the Ashwood family without a moment’s hesitation.

After the healer treated her with holy energy, Elene’s face regained a semblance of vitality, and the persistent bleeding that had plagued her for days finally began to ease. Once Aisha was satisfied that there was no immediate threat to Elene’s life, she returned to her private office, taking Ethan with her. She had already ordered her staff to provide fresh clothes, warm meals, and every other necessity the family might need so they could stay without a single worry weighing on them.

The private suite on the third floor was a world apart from the cramped, drafty inns they’d stayed in earlier. The difference was like night and day. Warm magical light spilled steadily from enchanted circles embedded in the walls, driving away the chill of the North. Elene lay resting on a soft, feather-stuffed mattress, already drifting into a peaceful sleep now that her symptoms had finally eased and exhaustion had claimed her fully. William sat beside her in a wooden chair, holding her hand, his posture rigid with an exhaustion he hadn’t allowed himself to feel until now.

Anna and Sepharina stood near the door, their hands clasped together, still visibly reeling from everything that had happened over the past few hours. The man who had just treated their mother was a Bishop, someone they’d never imagined they would stand close enough to even glimpse, let alone speak with. The careful, genuine respect he’d shown their family only deepened their understanding of just how much influence Ethan actually carried.

Meanwhile, inside the private room...

"I heard from Elena, in her letter, that you’ve been getting yourself involved in a lot of dangerous things lately," Aisha said, looking at Ethan with open concern.

"It’s nothing, Lady Aisha."

The moment the words left his mouth, her hand shot toward his ear. Ethan reacted instantly, tilting his head back in an attempt to dodge. He knew exactly what she was about to do, but before he could slip away, her fingers had already reached their destination.

Pinch!

"Now then... what should you call me again?" Aisha asked, a sweet, dangerous smile gracing her lips as she gave his ear a gentle twist.

Ethan stuttered, the word tangling awkwardly in his throat. He was utterly embarrassed to call her Aunt, but seeing the stubborn look in her eyes, he knew there was no escaping it.

"A-Aunt..."

"Good." She released his ear at once, breaking into a brilliant smile as though the whole exchange had never happened.

How is she this fast, for a mage...? Ethan could only sigh internally.

"I ran straight over to check on you a few weeks back, but that bru— no, the Commander told me you’d gone off on another mission. Then a few idiots caused me no end of trouble besides," she said, her expression shifting rapidly between irritation and genuine worry.

Ethan couldn’t help but smile as he listened to her talk. He guessed Elena must have written to her about his breakthrough, along with everything else he’d accomplished before the war. If there was one person Elena confided in about her happiness and her worries, apart from her own family, it was always Aisha.

They spent some time talking about smaller, more ordinary things afterward, including how Ethan was settling into Northwatch, his recent promotion to Captain, and his plans to participate in the next Beast Tide.

"Ethan, I know you’re strong, but you must always be careful... okay?" Aisha warned, her tone softening as she offered a few more earnest pieces of advice. Finally, she paused, her expression becoming cautious and gentle.

"Ethan. You do know there’s no true cure for Silveravyn apart from high-tier elixirs or those refined by the elves, don’t you? The most any healer can manage is easing her symptoms," she said carefully, clearly unsure whether he already understood the full weight of what he was dealing with.

"I know," Ethan replied calmly.

He already had the solution in mind: the Purified Elixir of the Life Fruit, sitting in the War Merit Store, was precisely suited to cure Silveravyn completely. But even with the recent War God Exchange Coupon’s discount, he was still nearly fifty thousand War Merit short. And even if he managed to acquire it, the elixir wasn’t something he could simply administer to Elene as it was. Her body, already weakened by the disease, couldn’t withstand the raw potency of something that powerful without careful preparation beforehand.

There was still considerable work ahead of him.

Seeing Ethan sink into deep, quiet contemplation, Aisha completely misunderstood his silence, assuming he was disheartened by the stark reality of the disease.

"Okay, okay, don’t be sad!" she chimed in brightly, puffing out her chest proudly. "This Aunt will do everything in her power to help you find a way."

Ethan looked at her for a moment before smiling faintly.

"Alright."

"I have to get back to my duties now... but do visit your Aunt from time to time, understood?"

Ethan blinked, looking at her with sudden suspicion. "Don’t tell me, you got into another fight?"

"It’s not as bad as you think. Just a small disagreement with the Commander, that’s all. And how dare he go and bar me from seeing you, or from visiting the Inner District at all?"She launched into the full story of what had happened, huffing defensively and completely forgetting her usual composure and etiquette along the way. Listening to her recount everything, Ethan could only sigh.

He’d always known the two of them fought like cat and mouse, constantly bickering in a way that somehow never seemed to damage their friendship. But he hadn’t expected her to go so far as to attack Marcus directly simply because he’d refused to tell her where Ethan had gone.

"Don’t worry... hehe. I can’t come find you for a while," she said, giggling despite herself, "but you’re always welcome here whenever you’d like. And if he dares say a word again... just tell me." She raised her fists playfully and gave him a sharp wink.

Unknown Place — Eclipse Conclave

A few days prior...

The hidden city stretched for hundreds of kilometers, with a colossal black tower standing at its center. Now, it lay devastated in multiple places. Entire sections of the surrounding structures were engulfed in flames, while others had been torn apart as though enormous claws had ripped through them.

Smoke rose in thick, black columns from what had once been the city’s outer residential quarters, drifting upward until it merged with the low-hanging clouds.

The ancient barrier that had shielded the city for hundreds of years now stood riddled with gaping holes, its once-seamless magical lattice flickering weakly. Even the massive black tower, a structure that seemed to pierce the heavens, bore fresh scars where its walls had been ripped open, revealing glimpses of the ruined chambers within.

The masked man stood suspended in the air above it all. The horns jutting from his mask made the surrounding space seem to shrink beneath his presence, while the ambient mana bent unnaturally around him, as though reluctant to touch him.

Where he stood, not a single scratch marked the tower’s surface.

His eyes drifted slowly across the destruction, taking in the collapsed halls, shattered ritual chambers, and scorched remains of what had once been a thriving stronghold. Thousands of dead cultists lay scattered below, their faces frozen in expressions of horror and helplessness.

He observed it all with total calm, as though the devastation before him amounted to nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

He took a single step through the open air and vanished.

In the next instant, he reappeared inside the highest floor of the tower, the distance between them collapsing as though it had never existed at all. He settled onto his bone-carved throne.

The moment he sat down, the shadows in the hall rippled violently. The same black-robed man emerged from the darkness and dropped heavily to his knees.

"Did you find out?" the masked man’s voice echoed, flat and devoid of emotion.

"No, my Lord..." the robed man said, swallowing hard before forcing himself to continue. "They... were found dead."

"Hmm..."

The masked figure fell silent.

The robed man’s fingers trembled visibly, cold sweat gathering along his spine. He didn’t dare utter another word, his eyes fixed firmly on the floor beneath him, every instinct screaming at him to remain perfectly still. He knew with certainty that the moment he misstepped, his head would roll across the hall.

His thoughts drifted back to everything that had happened only a few hours earlier. The colossal ancient beast had caused all of this destruction, tearing through defenses that had stood for centuries in a matter of minutes. Anyone else would have been boiling with rage at the devastation and staggering losses they had suffered in a single, sudden strike. And yet his Lord’s expression remained terrifyingly serene.

Finally, the masked man broke the suffocating silence.

"Clean up this mess." His gaze returned to the ruined expanse of his city, his voice betraying not the faintest trace of emotion over the losses scattered beneath him.