Chapter 15: Teleportation Formation

The three of them quietly made their way to the station. Julius didn’t know what was happening outside the ward. He didn’t see or hear anything. It was odd. Nobody was coming to check on their Patriarch. Admittedly, there weren’t many combatants on the estate, but Julius still expected some like Samuel or others to investigate.

However, there was no noticeable attempt to help the three of them out. The fact that someone who had access to the property’s wards had betrayed them, plus the fact that nobody was coming to help, was a troublesome sign. This was all looking very shady.

That said, Julius didn’t understand enough about the family’s political environment to make any speculations.

The way to the emergency teleportation was too quiet; there wasn’t a single sound except for the shuffling of their feet. The station was set up beneath the dining room, in a hidden underground chamber.

Edwin moved a large shelf that covered up the entrance to the chamber. However, Julius got that feeling again, the one he got earlier when walking back to his room. Using [Spatial Perception] he tried to see beyond the door but due to his overuse of the skill or something else blocking it, he couldn’t see what was behind it. He quickly placed his hand on Edwin’s, who was about to open the door.

“I can’t see what’s inside. Something feels off.” Julius said.

Surprisingly, Edwin looked at Julius and seriously contemplated what he just said. It seemed like Edwin trusted Julius’s judgment and took his words to heart.

“We don’t have many other options.” Edwin finally said.

“I know that, but if it’s a trap, we don’t need to waltz right into it,” Julius argued.

“You’re right. Edwin, you should hide while Julius and I enter, then come in from behind. If someone is waiting for us, they might just think it is the two of us.” Lukas said from behind Julius.

Edwin thought about it and nodded his head, quickly disappearing from view. Lukas summoned his golden barrier again, placed his hand on the door, and opened it.

Inside was a dark space with a glowing platform at its center. Julius nervously looked around, scanning the surroundings with [Spatial Perception]. It seemed like the skill worked again once he got inside.

Before he could even react, a wall of blue flame smothered the golden barrier. Julius could feel the intense heat from inside, roasting him like a chicken in the oven. The barrier that had held against all the assassins’ attacks earlier was now showing signs of cracking at the edges.

The wave of fire finally let up, and Julius saw several figures standing before a platform. He didn’t immediately recognize any of them, except for one. The man standing directly in the middle was Samuel. The same man who was at his baptism and who was supposedly a loyal member of House Hyperius.

It seemed he no longer felt that way.

Lukas didn’t look that surprised, only angry and disappointed.

“Samuel,” Lukas said quietly while staring directly into his eyes.

“I’m sorry, Lukas. We received an offer from Duke Greyson that guarantees House Hyperius’s safety. But it came with one condition,” Samuel apologized, sounding quite ashamed, to Julius’s surprise.

“What was it? To slit your own family’s throat in their bed?” Lukas needled at Samuel.

Samuel shook his head. “Don’t be like that. You know that the house comes before everyone, even you.”

“Yes, but we don’t sell out each other,” Lukas said.

“What did you expect? We are stranded in the middle of the ocean, and there’s blood in the water. Everyone is coming after us to get a piece of our flesh. If we don’t do something, House Hyperius won’t survive. This was the only way.” Samuel said heatedly.

“No. It was just the easiest way.” Lukas said disappointedly.

A flash of guilt went across Samuel’s face. “You’re right. It was the easiest choice, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t the best one.”

As Lukas and Samuel went back and forth, Julius took a look at the other figures in the room with them. Now that he was looking closer, there were half a dozen of them. He spotted a man and a woman who he thought were present at his baptism as well. This meant that Samuel wasn’t just doing it alone; others in the house went along with this plan too.

He also vaguely sensed Edwin. It was always hard to track Edwin when he hid, but Julius was so familiar with his presence that he could still feel a wispy aura sneaking its way to the platform.

Lukas is distracting them so that Edwin has time to prepare the transport, Julius thought. It wasn’t a bad idea, so far, it was their only chance out of this mess.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Julius could feel the pressure exuding from the other figures. They were all on par with Samuel. Furthermore, Samuel was a Tier 5, a strong one at that. So that must’ve meant that they were potentially facing six elite Tier 5s.

Lukas was their only Tier 5 combatant. Edwin was only a Tier 4, and Julius was a Tier 1 who was physically and mentally spent, as well as having practically no mana. Even though Lukas was renowned for his ability to fight beyond his tier, fighting six-on-one while protecting a child was too tall a task.

It was looking bleak, and Lukas seemed to understand this as well.

His uncle looked at Julius with calm eyes. “Go,” he said softly.