Ascenders Rift

When Leo finished his words, everyone looked towards him with a tinge of solemnness in their eyes. They knew that as he was now the Acting City Head, anything to do with the Qeodreona would fall on his shoulders, and while it was a tremendous task to handle at this stage, he had no other choices.

Leo faced every person before he spoke once more, "As you've all witnessed, we aren't doing well; our situation right now could be called a mess and our outside enemies have yet to arrive in full. Not to mention, those meddlesome Body Shifters that are out there lurking around this space."

A few officials had eyes filled with hate at the mentioning of the Body Shifters, but they knew full well that it would be difficult to find them; that was the task of the Brain Lab.

Livia was also amongst the other officials; her eyes seemed to be going over a series of information that flickered on a small screen.

Leo paused to catch his breath before he continued his words, "That was only one aspect, we've also lost all of the former heroes, including Vernisa, who made a great sacrifice, and now even my father, who's on his last steps. However, even if grim and hopeless, we owe those others who have fallen in those battles. For them, we must do our best to the very end!"

Oron, Julie, and the other officials had a small flame in their eyes; Leo's words echoed in their minds as it firmed up their hesitant will to a small degree.

Leo looked at this change and nodded, he knew that it might not have been perfect, but it was enough to jolt their spirits to start the official meeting.

"Good, now let us begin, we will be discussing the measures necessary for the steps ahead, but if any of you have questions you'd like addressed, you may say so now."

After Leo's words, the officials remained silent as some showed hesitant looks; Evan and his party watched this before they looked at each other and nodded.

Breya then raised her hand and spoke, "I have something I'd like to share."

Leo, Julie, and those of his party looked at her in surprise. Leo then asked, "Miss Breya, do, please tell us what's on your mind?"

Breya smiled before answering, "It's quite simple. There's no need to treat this battle as a lost cause; we have yet to report our side's results."

"Huh? Are you implying that you've defeated those of the Mosquito Army?" Leo curiously asked as he initially thought that they might have escaped from the battle against Marlin and her minions.

The officials also thought the same; as did Julie, Oron, and Razel, who gave them a strange look.

Breya shook her head and answered with a smile, "Repelled? Mr. Morison, you've grossly underestimated our strength, the only reason we've returned is to signify our victory in battle and to check on some details from the Brain Lab."

"What?" The officials cried out in alarm.

Leo trembled as he spoke stutteringly, "Then, are you saying that...?"

Leo was about to say something, but Breya's mouth curved into a cheeky smile as she made a V sign with fingers and replied, "Yup, we've taken care of both that Mosquito Queen and her entire horde. As for the Bee Army, we've already annihilated all present forces in the city of hope."

When Leon's group and the officials heard this, their faces showed looks of shock, before transitioning to joy and excitement.

"Did they really kill those monsters by themselves?"

"Haha, damn, these guys sure are something else!"

A few officials couldn't help but lose their formal demeanor and express out loud; it could be seen by this just how affected they were by the previous change.

Leo was excited beyond the norm, but he couldn't break the room's flow by showing such a mood at his position. He took a deep breath and stared at the side, seeing the joyful looks on Julie, Oron, and Irene's faces.

'I truly am glad we got such good news,' Leo thought to himself as he stared at them; he then glanced at Razel, who made a slight smile that seemed a bit dismal.

'Razel...' Leo thought before shaking his head; he knew what he must be feeling right now, even more so now that his father was one step from meeting Vernisa's fate.

The peals of laughter continued for a while until Leo stared at everyone and spoke, "I am delighted about this news, Sir Evan, Miss Breya, your party has done us a great deed, if there is anything we can do to repay you in the future just ask on—"

Leo was about to say something, but Breya stared at everyone and cut off his words, "Repay? You don't need to do anything like that; as allies, it's natural that we'll help you in your struggles."

When Leo and those of Qeodreona heard this, their eyes turned slightly moist as they showed moved expressions.

Breya stared at them with a more solemn look and spoke again, "Also, there's another thing I'd like to gift everyone, do please take care of her."contemporary romance

After saying this, Breya waved her head, causing the metal casket to appear at the center of the room. Everyone looked at this with puzzlement, but as Razel realized something, his eyes widened in shock as he Vernisa inside.

"Mother!" Razel exclaimed as he hurried over towards it and touched its surface.

A few other officials also hurried closer, but as they did, they soon realized that she had already passed away; their eyes had traces of disappointment.

Nevertheless, no one showed signs of complaints; the very fact that they could retrieve her despite that sacrifice was already a noteworthy thing.

Razel, who bottled up his mood, made a slight bow towards Breya and spoke, "Miss Breya, thank you all for bringing her back to us, I'll ensure that my mother gets the burial she deserves."

Breya nodded, saying nothing, as Razel then looked at a few officials and took up the casket; he then left the room as he brought it to a more suitable location for temporary storage.

As Razel left the room with those individuals, Leo sighed before clapping his hands and speaking, "Okay, everyone, we should—"

Leo was about to suggest the continuation of the meeting, but as if Breya wasn't finished, she spoke again, "Oh, forgive me once more, but I heard you mentioned something happening to your father. Can you take me to him?"

Leo and the others were stunned at this, as they didn't know what Breya wanted to say. Breya shook her head and spoke again, "Ah, let me be a little clearer, you might not know this, but our race has means of treating even the deadliest wounds. While it was too late for Vernisa due to the nature of her injuries, it wouldn't be much to us if the injuries affecting Sir Milon were of a standard scale."

As soon as everyone heard this, their faces showed surprise as Leo, who tried to keep a stern look, started to burst out with tears, his arms trembled as he stared at Breya and tried to speak, "I... I..." 

"It's oaky Leo, you don't need to be tough at moments like these," said Julie, who sat by his side with tears flowing down her cheeks as she held his hand.

Oron and Irene watched with a smile; they knew he wasn't built like his father; he wasn't the type to sit those shoes or take up such kind of leadership; it was just too much for Leo's character.

The officials also smiled at this and said nothing. Evan seeing the situation rose to his feet and spoke, "How about this? We can temporarily adjourn this meeting to deal with the remaining affairs; that way, we can all meet in a more fitting atmosphere on a different day."

Leo, who tried to calm himself, wiped the corners of his eyes and spoke, "I couldn't have asked for a better solution."

After saying this, Leo stared at the officials and everyone with a face of smiles as he spoke, "Everyone, this meeting shall be temporarily put off, do please take this chance to rest up and recover from your wounds."

"As the Acting City Leader wishes!" The others said in happiness as they rose from their seas and left the room in announce.

Leo soon after followed behind Breya with Julie, Oron, and Irene.

Evan watched as the current mood shifted from gloominess with a smile on the corner of his lips as he thought, 'Breya is truly quite gifted; with just a few words, she could ease the tension and shift the mood. Now, once the others return to their quarters, this news can quickly spread over the entire camp, easing even more of the atmosphere.'

While Evan was in thought, Layla tugged his sleeve and asked, "Evan, are you coming?"

Evan looked and saw that only Layla was left with him in the room. He held her hand and smiled as he replied, "You just couldn't leave me behind, eh?"

Layla blush as she turned her face to the side and spoke, "So... what if I couldn't?"

Evan chuckled as he whispered in her ears, "You'll find out why later..."

Layla's ears turned red at those as she knew what he meant; the two then left the room as they headed towards Milon's room. 

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