Summoning the courage to finally go back, Sero found himself in the arcade booth once again, where Nala, Luna, Amaya, and Elizabeth were quietly waiting for him.
"So, you've been gone quite a while, Sero," Amaya said casually. "Any interesting insights?"
"Er... yeah," Sero replied cautiously. "Turns out the pendants aren't as dangerous as the outbreaks and require multiple conditions for them to activate. If we can find the other pendants before they get discovered by unknowing civilians, we can sort of contain them. There's also a very high chance that they're distractions put in place by Culling so it'll throw us off their trail."
"That's... interesting," Amaya replied, narrowing her eyes. "Do you have any idea where we should start looking for them?"
"Nope. Only thing I can think of is returning to the abandoned house and seeing if we can get any clues from there."
"That's as good a place as any," Elizabeth agreed, nodding. "Although we should also keep an eye on the news and social media. People might start talking about strange occurrences around the area."
"Good point," Amaya conceded, "in that case, we should spread out and cover more ground. Luna and Nala, you two can start by searching online at Gregor's while the three of us head back to the house."
Sero wasn't sure why, but it seemed like something had happened while he was with Aphiel. He caught Luna's glance, but the succubus shook her head ever so slightly, as if she'd explain later.
Their food arrived and drinks arrived, they began to eat in uncomfortable silence for the whole duration. Finally, Sero excused himself to the restroom, with Luna jumping up to join him.
When they were far enough from the group, Sero turned to the succubus with a curious look.
"Did... anything happen while I was gone?"
Luna made a face. "Sero, for someone whose class is the Scholar, you are really dense when it comes to this, aren't you?"
"What are you talking about?" Sero frowned.
"You and Amaya have a complicated situation, and here you are saying you might have a thing for Elizabeth right in front of her. You don't think that would cause problems?"
Sero's face flushed. "So... did they talk about that?"
"No," Luna shook her head. "It seems like they're playing nice with each other for now. I have to say though, I definitely didn't see this coming."
Sero scratched his head, still feeling a bit confused about the whole situation. "So...what should I do?"
"Be honest, but also sensitive. You already know Amaya's still conflicted about her feelings towards you, and now you're saying you might be getting closer with another girl. Not to mention that very girl might feel the same way about you."
"Wait, are you saying Elizabeth–"
"I'm not saying anything right now," Luna stopped him with a hand. "I'm just saying, after that little outburst of yours, I sense that she might not realize those feelings yet."
Sero nodded, still looking uncertain. "I just...I don't want to make things awkward between us. And I don't want to hurt Amaya, either."
The succubus gave him a reassuring smile. "If it helps, I've noticed your personality has improved in such a short time. That and the passive of the Charm skill you copied from me makes you much more attractive. It's no wonder you're finding yourself in a love triangle."
Sero blinked. "Wait, Charm has a passive? I thought it was an active skill."
"It's both," Luna smiled wryly. "The active part forcefully makes the target infatuated, but the passive enhances the user's appearance and desirability. Those with strong wills are able to be resistant, however. I mean, have you ever seen an unattractive succubus?"
"I- No, I haven't." Sero admitted, feeling a bit flustered. "I guess that makes sense." He took a deep breath, trying to compose himself. "Alright, I'll be careful. I'll talk to them both, figure out what's going on, and... I'll do my best not to mess anything up."
"I'd say good luck, but..."
"No, I know," Sero scowled. "Haven't had much of that lately."
After lunch, Nala took Luna back to Gregor's home so that they could start combing social media for any mentions of pendants and the like. Sero managed to teleport both Amaya and Elizabeth back to the abandoned house, successfully executing his first three-person teleport.
When they arrived, they saw Kaizo, Cassandra, and Ione still working around the scorched earth where the first pendant had exploded. The rest of the Ascendants and officials had left after securing a restrictive perimeter around the house.
Sero expected Kaizo and Ione to question why he was there instead of staying out of things, but to his surprise, it seemed as though they were willing to allow him to observe.
"Just... don't make any rash decisions, okay?" Kaizo said to Sero as he, Amaya, and Elizabeth joined them.
"I won't," Sero replied, though he could tell Kaizo wasn't completely convinced.
"Anyway, this is what we have regarding information about the pendant," Kaizo continued. "It's made of a rare metal and mineral combination I've never seen before, which is incredibly resistant to magic. The pendant itself seems to be a focus item for channeling and storing magical energy, but the exact nature of its power remains a mystery. The only thing we know for sure is that it's incredibly dangerous."
"Well..." Sero hesitated, then began to tell Kaizo and the others what Aphiel had said about the pendants.
"So it's a network of keys that requires souls... but the method to farm these sacrifices is inefficient," Kaizo muttered to himself after Sero finished his explanation. "You may be right about this being a distraction. I'll have to inform the alliance of this. Ione, Cassandra, would you both accompany me?"
"Of course," Ione said immediately, while Cassandra hesitated a moment before nodding, giving Sero a sullen glance.
The three S-ranks left, causing Sero to stand awkwardly with Amaya and Elizabeth.
"Should we-"
"Sero and I will search outside if you want to check inside the house, Elizabeth," Amaya suggested. "Maybe we'll find something else that could help."
Elizabeth looked a bit miffed, a new expression Sero had never seen on her before.
"Fine," she said at last, reluctantly. "I can search the house. But if you find anything interesting, don't forget about me."
She walked into the house, leaving Sero and Amaya outside. Sero felt a bit awkward standing there with Amaya, unsure of what to say. He glanced around, noticing that some of the charred wood had been cleared away. The damage from the explosion seemed even more extensive now that it wasn't obscured by debris.
"So," he said to Amaya, trying to make conversation. "What do you think about all this?"
She shrugged. "It's a lot to take in. I mean, I've never really dealt with anything like this before."
Sero nodded in understanding. "Yeah, me neither. But it's good that we're here, right? To help?"
"I guess. I just hope... we can save Casey in time."
Sero clenched his jaw at the mention of the boy. He knew that the longer it took for them to find him, the higher chance that Casey might...well, he didn't want to think about it. But he had to believe that they would find him in time. He looked at Amaya and forced a smile.
"We will. Trust me." Sero said, trying to sound more confident than he felt. "We just have to keep looking. And if we find anything that might help, we'll make sure to let everyone know."
He snapped his fingers, conjuring Moss and Lime. The dragon pups chirped happily upon seeing Amaya, bounding over to her and nuzzling against her legs.
"Girls, I need you to focus," Sero called to Moss and Lime. "Go and sniff around the area, see what you can find." The dragon pups obeyed, scampering off in opposite directions. Sero watched them go before turning back to Amaya.
"I'm sure we'll find something soon," he said, though he couldn't help but feel doubtful. "And in the meantime, we can always keep an eye on the area, make sure nobody suspicious comes by."
They stood in silence for a moment, watching Moss and Lime as they sniffed around the perimeter of the property. The surrounding forest stretched out before them, a lush carpet of green and brown that seemed to go on forever. The air was cool and crisp, carrying with it the scent of pine and damp earth.
"Hey, Sero," Amaya said softly, her voice breaking the silence. "Do you ever get scared?"
"Hell no," Sero replied. He paused, turning to her with a soft smile. "Duh. What kind of question is that? Of course even I get scared, though my Rationality usually helps with the fear. Why?"
Amaya looked surprised by his response. "I just thought... you know, you always seem so confident and in control. I didn't think you ever had any doubts or worries."
Sero scratched the back of his head. "To be honest, I actually didn't when I resurrected on Earth. But then my entire life got turned upside down and now I'm not so sure anymore. I mean, yeah, I've been going through shit ever since I participated in the Ascendants Tournament, but at least I had a purpose back then. Now... I don't know. I guess it's just hard to feel in control when everything around you is so different."
Amaya chewed on the nail of her thumb, deep in thought. "I guess I never really thought about it like that," she admitted. "I mean, you always seem so sure of yourself, saying stuff like you're 'so fucking cool'."
Sero snorted. "Yeah, that was a bit much, wasn't it?" He chuckled, shaking his head. "I think I just do that to hide how much I'm really struggling."
The Spellblade fell silent for a moment, turning to gaze at Sero. Under her blue eyes, Sero shifted awkwardly.
"What?"
"Nothing," Amaya shook her head. "I just... you've been open and honest with your feelings with me lately. I can barely remember the lecherous, skill-obsessive, and lazy man I first met."
"Uh, ouch?" Sero winced, rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean, I'm not perfect, but I'm trying to be better, you know? Morality aside."
They both turned to watch Moss and Lime as they sniffed around the perimeter of the clearing. The dragon pups were still searching, their small noses twitching as they caught scents on the breeze. The silence stretched between them, and Sero found himself wanting to say something else, anything to break it. But before he could think of anything, he felt a prickle at the back of his neck.
"Sero?" Amaya's voice was barely more than a whisper. "Do you sense that?"
"We need to regroup with Elizabeth," Sero hissed back, summoning Sting. The Joker bowed her head and dashed into the abandoned house after telepathically receiving Sero's orders.
Without a word, both he and Amaya summoned their mana blades, with Sero running through his entire skill rotation of buffs. He hoped that Sting would reach Elizabeth in the house in time as he watched a crackling black barrier spread over them.
"Did we fall into another trap?" Amaya cried out, channeling mana through her body. Moss and Lime regrouped with the pair, growling out at the forest.
"Probably. Let's just hope we make it out alive for a third time," Sero muttered as he scanned the area. His stomach throbbed painfully, and he became aware that his body wasn't completely healed yet.
It was eerily silent, the only sounds being the wind rustling through the trees and the distant crackling of mana as the barrier surrounding them continued to glow with a hellish light. The tension was palpable, and Sero could feel Amaya tensing beside him. He glanced over at her, noting the way she held her sword with practiced ease, her gaze darting around the forest in search of any sign of an enemy.
Sero sensed the presence of three powerful energies, immediately casting Burning Spirit on himself to boost his strength. He wasn't going to be caught off-guard this time.
"Oh? Looks like we caught three little Ascendants," A sinister voice called out behind them.
Amaya and Sero whirled around, finding a woman standing on the roof of the house. She was dressed in a black cloak, her pale face obscured by an obsidian mask. In her hands, she held two dark red whips, dangling by her sides. The whips seemed to glow with an unholy light, and Sero could feel the power emanating from her.
"Can't you count, Tenda? There's only two Ascendants; the one inside is just a regular human," Another voice, masculine this time, spoke in front of them. Sero and Amaya turned their gaze to the source of the voice, only to see a figure leap from the branches of a nearby tree, landing gracefully on the ground. He was dressed in red and black robes, his face concealed by the same obsidian mask the woman wore. His hands were empty, but Sero could feel the presence of powerful magic emanating from him.
"So what? Human, Ascendant, does it matter? They're still prey." The woman named Tenda retorted from the roof.
"Tenda, Brunn, enough," One last voice called out from the forest. A man, seemingly the strongest of the three, walked out from the shadows. Also donning an obsidian mask, the last figure was dressed in a black kevlar suit, with silver lines running down the length of his arms and legs. "We've been tasked with retrieving them alive, not killing them outright."
"Aren't you on good terms with those old Pillar geezers, Kael? Just say they were too rowdy to be caught." Tenda pouted, crossing her whips in annoyance.
Kael sighed, shaking his head. "No, Tenda. We have our orders. Now let's just get this over with."
