The Unity Council? Where did my stupid sister take us to?

  Although her appearance was somewhat surprising, considering all the supernatural creatures he encountered at this point—this was nothing.

  "Well, I sure hope I'm supposed to be here. Do you know a young woman by the name of Falina, by chance?" he asked.

  The woman noted Irva’s unconscious presence, still wrapping her head around the green ethereal lights encircling them.

  "Never heard of her. State your business." The bolt in the crossbow emitted a soft glow.

  "Well, that's unfortunate. Because she's the one who forcefully dragged us here through some kind of portal. We're currently injured at the moment and seeking aid."

  "And you expect me to believe that someone is capable of summoning portals in Lady Viraka's establishment? What a poorly thought-out lie."

  She fired the arrow.

  With the X-lens, Hezekiah quickly threw two cards the second he saw her pull the trigger. One of the cards precisely struck the bolt, killing its momentum as it splintered apart.

  The other continued towards its target.

  The creature dived beneath the card and materialized another bolt. Hezekiah unlatched the black rod he obtained from Konathan from his belt.

  "Your quick thinking and precision indicate that you're an assassin, and yet you dare play ignorant." She fired again.

  The rod immediately separated into seven fragments, one of them blocked the incoming attack.

  Just say you were never interested in talking to begin with. Hezekiah observed the fragments shielding him, their pulsing glow reminiscent of a heartbeat.

  "I’d rather not resort to more extreme measures. Surely there's someone else I can speak to."

  Using the pen will kill Irva. Since I already invested in her, it's preferable to avoid that outcome if possible. Especially since her abilities permanently affected my overall power.

  "Foolish confidence. You approach with a Huska Tool and consider yourself a threat?" She stretched out her hand, swarms of buzzing were heard below.

  Flies, wasps, mosquitoes, and everything he couldn't name suddenly filled the open view of the landscape.

  She commands bugs!? What the hell is she, the Queen of pests!?

  The balcony door slid open. A veiled woman stepped through, she held a glass of water.

  Another enemy?

  "Restrain yourself, Zizi."

  The insect woman dropped beside the veiled individual.

  "Lady Viraka, as your Guardian, I must fulfill my role!"

  "Do I have to repeat myself?"

  Zizi flinched. "Forgive me, my Lady. I had no knowledge he was acquainted with you."

  Hezekiah attempted to make out the person's appearance, but the veil carried an unnatural darkness. Not even the X-lens could peek through with its night vision feature.

  —Facial scan failed. Cannot identify individual. Automatically performing External Analysis—

  —Type: Human—

  —Physical Conditions: Alive, Healthy—

  —Mental Conditions: Amused, Curious, Somewhat Annoyed—

  She better be related to that reckless sister of mine.

  "You're mistaken, Zizi. I'm simply wondering how he arrived here without anyone noticing. I'll take it from here."

  Zizi took one final look between the two before ascending off the ground. Lady Viraka normally didn't involve herself with intruders, but if she was stepping in, it must be something serious.

  "As you wish." The insects dispersed, returning back to the forest beneath.

  After watching Zizi depart, Hezekiah spoke first. "It's probably pointless to ask, but you wouldn't happen to know someone named Falina, would you?"

  "You wouldn't be here if I didn't. I apologize for the rude greeting, but I hope you understand her suspicions."

  "Can't say I have the right to blame her."

  "Then with that settled, care to walk with me? There are a few matters I would like to discuss with you." She took a sip of water, yet not even that revealed a shadow of her appearance.

  Hezekiah nodded. As he went to pick up Irva, his wrist was suddenly caught.

  Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  "She stays," she warned.

  I didn't even notice her approaching.

  Her grip reminded him of that blood sword-wielding maniac, Ayona. Abnas really are something else.

  "And the reason?"

  "Do you think I have to give you one?"

  "I suppose not." He answered, briefly considering her intentions. After following her through the doorway, the mansion was luxurious as expected. Wide spaces, fancy stairways, and chandeliers worth more than a small company's assets.

  Although there was no solid reason to believe he was in danger, it wouldn't hurt to be cautious.

  Why did Irva have to be left behind? Does she potentially sense her being a threat?

  After walking through a long hallway, they entered a small living room. "This is appropriate. Take a seat, please."

  After sitting down across from her, he curled his knuckles. Wait, doesn't Irva still have the rules sheet on her?

  At some point, he expected the Unity Council to investigate the hospital incident. Those rules should still be on the front desk, but if they saw a similar list on Irva as well, it was going to be more difficult to deny his involvement.

  "Is your sister doing well?" she asked, crossing her legs as she adjusted herself on the armrest.

  "Hard to say—" he paused. "Hold on, how’d you know she's my sister? You already know me?"

  "More or less, but it's somewhat annoying when she claims you’re not meeting expectations."

  Hezekiah pressed his back into the chair, crossing his arms. "Right... whatever that means."

  "You still don't know? And here I thought you were an Abna by now."

  "Abna? And what exactly is that supposed to be?" For the longest time, he'd been using Hyonda's definition, which is when a human possesses Abna Energy. But another reason to ask is not to come off as knowing too much.

  She crossed her legs the other way, resting her head against her palm. "Depending on what you know, I might be willing to answer that. But first, I'll need you to explain a few things."

  "If you insist. So what is it that you want to know? My sister’s whereabouts?"

  "That's not a concern." Her eyes drifted up to a metallic sphere that hung from the ceiling.

  Following her gaze, Hezekiah noticed his reflection on the smooth surface.

  Slits suddenly breached it, and split it apart as if being peeled by a knife.

  A bright light shot forth, revealing an image on the table.

  Hezekiah felt his stomach drop. Why does she have that…?

  A holographic image of the photo Kiann took of him was displayed before them. His face was mangled and unrecognizable, but the location and the clothes he wore that day were all the same.

  "You look somewhat shocked, and believe it or not, we were surprised as well. To see you alive, that is."

  Hezekiah took a deep breath. All of his efforts to make sure that photo didn't exist were in vain. He hesitated to play ignorant, but was telling the entire truth the best action? They could help, but that was an assumption.

  Hyonda mentioned that the Unity Council was strict about keeping the existence of Abnas under wraps. He should’ve suspected the possibility that Sunset Garden was monitored by them, gathering intel on their activities.

  It was likely they received the photo in their possession as they scraped data from the servers.

  Falina was the one monitoring them and feeding them information wasn't she? Our "leaked" data wasn't done out of pure amusement, but as an undercover operation. And I just jeopardized the whole thing.

  "I'm just confused. What am I supposed to be seeing exactly?"

  "You're not that unaware. This is the photo that Kiann took of you after your demise. I'm sure you recognize the location."

  Hezekiah gripped the end of the seat. "You can't be serious. I never died that night! How would I be here if that were the case?"

  "Never died? Well, that is more plausible. Even resurrection is impossible for an Abna. Speaking of which, you asked what that was."

  The holographic image dispersed. Clumps of white cubes took its place as they orbited around each other.

  "These cubes exist on a cellular level, officially labeled as Abnormal Energy, though most commonly referred to as Abna Energy. An Abnormal is human who possesses this energy that circulates through their veins."

  That's all there is to it? Well at least my source is no longer a deep-sea freak.

  "So Abnas is just a shortened term for Abnormals?"

  "Not complicated, is it? So now that you understand, I want you to reiterate your events of the story. From the time you were defeated, all the way to this point. That wouldn't be a problem, would it?"

  Hezekiah readjusted his posture, his eyelids growing heavier as he replayed the events. He couldn't remember when he last rested, the closest being when Irva temporarily put him to sleep. But even then, he was still observing his situation through her senses.

  "Too exhausted to even bother. It's been one hell of a day, and my eyes are about to fall out. Can't this be done some other time?"

  "Are you unable to speak in your current state?"

  He didn't respond immediately, and leaned back on the sofa. "I wasted a whole day, risking my life trying to save someone who didn't need it. Is requesting to rest too much to ask?"

  A momentary silence hung in the air before she responded. "Very well." With a wave of her hand, the holographic display disappeared. "In that case, I'll have one of my servants escort you to a bedroom of your choice."

  Hezekiah tensed as he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning around, a blue-eyed girl with horns greeted him.

  What's with everyone sneaking up on me? Was she behind me the whole time?

  "Insydious, he's in your care now."

  Her lips perked. "You can count on me!" She yanked Hezekiah into the air, catching him in her grasp.

  "What in the!? Put me dow—"

  "We're going to have SO much fun! Wait, have you gotten a tour? We gotta do a tour!"

  "All I want is to res—"

  "The waterfalls are to die for! If you haven't seen them, we'll make sure to—"

  Forget it. Her voice drowned out in the background, he strung together ideas on what to say the oncoming day. In truth, his fatigue had finally caught up to him.

  But the main reason he wanted to discontinue the discussion was to formulate a plausible story regarding what the Unity Council already knew about him.

  If I'm correct about what Viraka’s intentions are, I'm going to have to take a gamble.

  ***

  Viraka rose to her feet when they turned the corner, smiling within the darkness of the veil. "You can buy yourself all the time that you want. I'm curious what you'll come up with."

  "Lady Viraka." Zizi flew into the living room, her wings folding after she landed. "Your honored guest has returned, but I decided it best for you to conclude your meeting first before she greeted you."

  "Didn't I tell you that it's fine if it's her?"

  Another figure followed behind Zizi, wearing a particular blue robe that distorted one's perception of them.

  "I-I see. I'll swear that to remembrance next time. You have my word!"

  "I expect so. Leave us."

  After Zizi nodded, she hastily departed, as if her presence were a nuisance to her company.

  "Still the same as ever, I see." The hooded figure plummeted herself onto Hezekiah's seat, kicking her feet on top of the table.

  "I'll take that as a compliment. But what business does an ordinary housewife have in another dimension? Has nostalgia aroused your spirit again?"

  "This land means nothing to me. But you should know, I'm a thin line away from severing the peace the Unity Council has maintained with the Old Dimension."

  Without saying a word, Viraka sat down beside her, gently placing her hand upon hers.

  Despite her robe being able to manipulate others' perception of her, it didn't prevent Viraka from seeing the woman's dried tears.

  "It's okay, Kura. Tell me what happened."