Abyss Draconis

Chapter 951: Catching Up With Asteralaxia

At first, he found it confusing.

What was this place, and how had he woken up only to find himself in Asteralaxia’s room?

She understood his confusion and offered to explain with a little walk around.

This time, Ryuk got to see more of this world, and he quickly understood what it was.

It was like a clan, filled with many cultivators.

Though it was late at night, things only grew slightly quieter.

There were still several beings walking around, and Ryuk naturally drew attention due to his differences, though none approached.

They simply passed a nod to Aster, who returned their nods, before walking past.

“Most here are pure-blooded Stellis, and they’re quite friendly once you get to know them,” she said, as he silently nodded.

According to her, this place was known as the Stellis Clan.

A clan belonging to one of the most powerful Astral Cultivator races in the Upper Realm: the Stellis race.

It took only about ten minutes of walking before they reached their destination:

A marble bridge, beneath which flowed a river whose surface reflected the starlit sky.

It was a beautiful sight, the breeze silently whooshing past and sending their hair fluttering.

“A favorite spot?” he asked, watching her lean slightly over the bridge, taking in a quiet inhale before exhaling deeply.

“The most favorite spot,” she replied with a smile, turning her head to look at him.

They stared silently, and she noticed his eyes slowly shifting toward her ears.

She immediately knew.

‘They’ve turned red again…’

The realization made her feel like jumping into the river.

“How did you find me? I don’t remember ever using… this,” he said, his hand shifting out as the device appeared.

It was the same device she had sent for Isha to give to him after her departure.

Something to be used only during an emergency.

(A/N: Chapter 635 Goodbye Asteralaxia)

Her embarrassment faded in that moment, replaced by focus.

“It was Lord Stella,” she said. “She’s the mightiest in the Stellis Clan and one of the Seven Lords of A.E.R.”

Ryuk quietly remembered that.

“You mean the Anomalous Existence Regulation Corp?” he asked, and a gleam of quiet surprise crossed her eyes.

“You know that?”

“I do,” he replied.

“Lord Stella summoned me about two months ago, asking me to come with her.”

“We descended upon the barren world of Iodio, where we found you in slumber underwater,” she explained.

And it finally dawned on Ryuk.

The A.E.R. had tried to make him come with them the last time under the order of one they called Lord Asgard, but they had failed.

Ryuk could tell they wouldn’t give up after that.

Not when their mission was to maintain order in the universe, and he had nearly rendered the Knull race half-extinct.

They must have tracked his location and sent one of the Lords to him, Lord Stella.

As for why she had brought Asteralaxia along, it was probably due to the thought that her presence would make him come willingly.

But he had been in slumber then, and that had never been needed.

One thing left him in quiet contemplation, though:

How had she joined the AER?

Was it because she was an anomaly?

Or did something happen on her journey?

“Your mind…” she said, bringing his attention back to her. “It’s very hard to read.”

“But I can tell from your expression that you’re confused by something,” Aster said.

She had tried reading his mind, to listen to his thoughts, but it was like ramming an egg against a sky-reaching mountain.

Simply unshakable.

But his facial expressions were still vivid.

“The Stellis Clan is part of the A.E.R., right?” he asked, and she nodded.

“Then I was just wondering how you got here. I thought you would have returned to the Soul Flora race,” he said.

She was part of the Soul Flora race, and he had thought she would have returned there, though she had also mentioned having some trouble with her family and the Eternal Warlock of War.

(A/N: Chapter 620 – Asteralaxia’s Past)

“I never went back,” she said, and he paused.

“On my journey back, I got into a little bit of a pinch, ended up getting myself abducted by a Void Pirate group,” she continued,

“But we were all saved by the AER, and that’s where I met Lord Stella, who just happened to be of the same race as I am.”

“She took me in, and I joined the Stellis Clan.”

She explained, and he nodded.

Now things were a lot clearer.

“Miss home?” he asked, and she paused for a while before responding.

“SoulFloris used to be home. Now…it’s not anymore.”

‘She still hasn’t made amends with her royal sisters,’ he thought silently.

“But even though it’s been less than three years, this place is quite great too.”

“Difficult at first, you could bet, but it became safer, more comfortable… and now, it’s my new home,” she said with an exhale.

He looked at her silently, noticing how carefree she seemed as she spoke.

She truly felt this place was her new home.

At that moment, a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips, followed by a sensation.

His heart grew warm, its beat becoming firmer and alive.

It was strange, almost unsettling, yet gentle.

He silently pressed a hand against his chest.

‘I’ve never felt this before…’ he thought, the warmth spreading like a current through his body, almost as if her happiness had somehow awakened something sleeping inside him.

[That’s Empathic Warmth.]

The panel blinked before his face, then silently faded.

“What about you?”

“I remember you were after the goal of reconciling with your race and getting back all that was taken from you.”

“How’s that going?” she asked, blinking her starlight eyes in curiosity.

“I did get back all that was taken from me…” he said, raising his hand and staring at it.

The sight made a smile bloom on her face.

“That’s great.”

“I never got to reconcile with them, though.”