Chapter 987: Alternate Timeline: Saving Wester?

[Ding! You received an Emergency Quest, Save Wester Silver.]

Quest: Wester Silver is truly repenting his actions and deserves a second chance to redeem himself. Get him out of the prison using whatever method.

Reward: 1000 credits

[Accept?]

The moment the notification appeared before Kiara’s eyes, the dim prison corridor suddenly felt even quieter than before, and for a brief second, she simply stared at the translucent screen floating in front of her.

"Only one thousand?"

The disappointment surfaced inside her mind almost immediately.

Usually, whenever the system issued an Emergency Quest, the rewards were absurdly generous, especially when the matter involved major changes in fate or hidden opportunities that could affect her future plans, yet this time the reward was so small that it practically screamed one thing into her face.

This quest was optional.

The system itself did not consider saving Wester Silver particularly important.

Still...

Kiara slowly narrowed her eyes.

The fact that the system acknowledged his repentance at all was something she could not ignore completely.

For Arceus’ sake, she decided she could at least take one careful step forward and test whether this middle-aged man truly changed or whether this was merely another performance born from desperation.

But even then, she was not foolish enough to risk her goals or future because of a man who had tried to destroy her life repeatedly.

In truth, Wester should already consider himself fortunate that she had not killed him during the engagement ceremony itself.

After silently thinking through several possibilities, Kiara finally spoke.

"One last chance, Wester."

The words caused Wester’s dull eyes to move again.

He slowly raised his head in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

Kiara folded her arms calmly.

"I will give you an opportunity to make amends for all the wrongdoings you did to your son."

The prison torches flickered across her face.

"But in exchange, I need something from you."

Wester stared at her silently.

Kiara continued.

"It is not complicated. You only need to protect my fiancé, your son, during my absence."

For a moment, Wester failed to process her words properly.

Then suddenly his exhausted face changed.

Hope.

Real hope.

It appeared so abruptly that even his posture straightened slightly.

"You... you will ask the Emperor to release me?"

His voice trembled faintly.

"Will you get me out of this prison?"

Even now, despite everything, escaping the Black Citadel still mattered more to him than redemption itself.

Kiara noticed it immediately.

And strangely...

She did not blame him for it.

Anyone trapped inside this underground tomb would desperately cling to freedom.

Still, she calmly shook her head.

"No. I don’t have that intention. Even if Arceus were my fiancé, I wouldn’t lower myself to ask the Emperor for a favor to release you. Moreover, I do not wish to go against Arceus’ feelings either. He is the victim here."

"And the punishment tied to his case belongs only to him."

Wester frowned slightly.

"Then...?"

Instead of answering directly, Kiara suddenly reached into her inventory.

A wooden table appeared first.

Then paper.

Then ink and brush.

Wester silently watched her movements in confusion while Noah remained standing nearby without making a sound.

Kiara calmly lowered herself onto the chair and began writing across the paper with steady movements.

The brush scratched softly against the sheet.

Wester gradually realized something.

She was avoiding speaking openly.

Several moments later, Kiara finally finished writing and raised the paper toward him.

Wester quickly read the contents.

As he read each line, his eyes slowly widened.

"I will remove your seal right now and restore your cultivation."

"You will escape the prison yourself after midnight. How you do that is up to you."

"Regardless, once you escape, you will remain branded as a traitor, and a Wanted Death/Alive bounty might be issued on your head."

"But I will provide shelter."

"You will hide inside my territory and protect Arceus in my absence."

"You will never expose yourself publicly to anyone, including Arceus, and neither will you try to contact your wife or your trusted friends."

"If you betray the agreement, I will kill you immediately."

"There will also be a hidden tracking seal placed inside your body that cannot be removed even by a 9-star rank. So, once you accept, there will be no escape."

At the bottom were only two choices.

Accept.

Or refuse and remain imprisoned forever.

Wester slowly lowered the paper.

His chest rose and fell heavily.

He was not stupid.

He understood perfectly why Kiara chose to communicate through writing instead of speech.

A guard might be unintentionally listening.

No one could know.

For several seconds, he simply stared at her.

Then, suddenly, he nodded vigorously without hesitation.

Kiara quietly put the paper away, storing it in the inventory again.

Then she slowly raised one hand.

Her eyes closed.

A faint pressure spread outward.

"Seal Breaker."

Mystic symbols immediately emerged around her palm like glowing fragments of ancient scripture before shooting toward Wester’s body.

Everything happened too quickly.

Before he could even react properly, the symbols already struck him and disappeared into his chest.

The next second—

Crack.

A strange sensation spread through his entire body.

Then another crack followed.

The suppression seal shattered apart like invisible glass breaking deep within his meridians.

Wester’s eyes widened instantly.

Strength.

His strength had returned.

After days of helplessness, he could finally feel ether energy flowing through his body again like a violent river breaking free after being trapped behind a dam.

For one dangerous second, instinct almost made him release his aura completely.

But he forcefully suppressed it.

He controlled every breath.

Every strand of ether.

Because one mistake would expose everything.

Then, suddenly, he lowered himself and knelt to her.

"Thank you."

Kiara merely glanced at him calmly.

"I am done here. Take care of yourself."

She turned around immediately afterward, maintaining the appearance that nothing had happened inside the cell except another harsh conversation.

Noah silently followed behind her.

Meanwhile, Wester remained kneeling there long after they disappeared from sight. Only after Kiara’s footsteps fully vanished into the distance did he slowly raise his head again.

His eyes were wet.

He wiped them roughly before mumbling under his breath.

"Arceus is safe with Kiara..."

His voice trembled faintly.

"But what about Selene..."

Fear finally surfaced inside him again.

"Once everyone learns I escaped, the House Elders may target my wife next."

His fists slowly tightened.

"I must move her somewhere safe."

Afterward, Wester slowly lay back down on the cold prison floor and closed his eyes, pretending to sleep while silently waiting for midnight to arrive.

***

Several hours later.

Around three in the morning.

Imperial Palace.

Inside the Emperor’s chamber, Alexander Phoenix was sleeping deeply beneath thick silk blankets while soft moonlight filtered faintly through the curtains. And beside him, Callista Frost remained asleep as well, their discarded outer robes scattered carelessly across the floor from the intimate night they had shared earlier.

Then suddenly—

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

The loud sound shattered the silence of the chamber.

Callista immediately frowned in annoyance.

"Can they not wait until morning..."

Her sleepy complaint sounded muffled as she slowly sat up and reached for her outer garments.

Alexander also rose from the bed with visible irritation before quickly dressing himself and walking toward the door.

The moment he opened it, his expression changed.

General Calden stood outside.

And the Northern General looked panicked.

Alexander immediately understood the matter was serious. "What happened?"

"Your Majesty," General Calden said quickly, "Wester Silver escaped from prison."

The Emperor’s eyes widened.

"What?"

His voice echoed loudly through the chamber.

"How?"

General Calden shook his head.

"We do not know yet. Either he somehow broke the seal himself... Or someone helped him from outside."

The Emperor’s face darkened instantly. "The Church of Doom..."

That possibility surfaced immediately in his mind.

"Summon Xander Cross at once. And wake Magnus immediately. I want them in the throne room."

Without wasting another second, Alexander strode rapidly through the corridor toward the throne hall while palace servants hurriedly scattered aside in fear.

Behind him, Callista narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.

"That fool escaped..."

Her expression became colder.

The first thing she thought about was Kiara.

"I sincerely hope he is not stupid enough to target Kyra again."

A dangerous chill flashed through her eyes.

"If he dares... I will reduce him to ashes myself."

But then her thoughts slowed slightly.

"No... Wester is not the true problem. Kyra can handle him easily. The Church of Doom is the real danger."

Her brows furrowed deeper.

"As long as that old monster remains inside the tower, I cannot move freely near that place."

Then another thought surfaced.

"But according to Guinvere, they were ordered not to interfere until the Seed of Fire appears. So perhaps this was not their doing after all."

She slowly crossed her arms.

"If the Church truly rescued him, the guards would not merely be unconscious. They would be dead. And honestly... If I were Wester, I would also kill witnesses while escaping."

Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

"So this was likely done either by some hidden organization... Or by another faction entirely."

Still, the matter no longer interested her enough to lose sleep over.

With a quiet sigh, Callista simply returned to bed and resumed sleeping.