Chapter 22
"Let's begin," the man sitting at the head of the table said, his tone calm and composed as ever while his gaze moved from face to face.
Before he could say anything else, a childish yet furious voice burst out.
"Hey James, Luiz isn't here again. Why. Why why why would he choose not to attend and not get punished."
The one who spoke looked like a young lady, but her appearance was strange. Strange enough that calling it clothing felt wrong.
She wore different mismatched dresses layered together in a disturbing way, each extension making her look more and more unnatural.
As if that was not enough, her face was painted creamy white and pink, clearly meant to look cute.
Whoever applied the makeup succeeded in making her far more terrifying instead.
Despite her creepy appearance, none of the people present looked afraid. They simply sighed, like people who had gone through this exact scene too many times.
"Noi," the man with the glasses said, trying very hard not to lose his patience,
"you do know that although this meeting is important, no one is forcing you to be here."
Noi did not seem to hear him at all.
She stood up heroically, her face filled with indignation. "This group really needs a punisher. Let me do it. I will punish Luiz first. He deserves a good beating."
The entire group turned to stare at her, their expressions a mix of pity and disbelief, as if she had just announced her own execution.
It took a moment before Noi realized something was wrong. She looked around at the others.
"Stop being so dramatic," someone said flatly. "We all know if Luiz were here, you would be timid as hell. You would barely speak. Every time he is not around, you start this act."
Noi's smile twitched.
Slowly, it faded.
Her face turned red. Whether it was anger or embarrassment, no one could tell.
The one dressed like a caveman, Yuro, glanced toward another figure who was already fast asleep before the meeting even properly began.
The man wore a daoist robe, a hat covering his head as if he were worshiping the Dao itself. His hands were pressed together solemnly. The loud snoring coming from his mouth ruined everything.
Yuro's mouth twitched slightly.
"I think RAO deserves the punishment Noi is talking about," Yuro said.
Noi's expression instantly brightened.
She raised her hands. Energy surged violently through them, wild and completely unstable.
"First punishment coming right up," she said happily.
She hurled a ball of utter destruction straight toward Rao.
The rest of the group instantly formed shields around themselves. The man with the glasses reacted at the same time, erecting a barrier around the two of them.
If that attack was not contained, forget the cave. The entire region would be wiped out.
A deafening boom erupted as a dome of energy sealed shut.
Moments later, it slowly opened.
Inside, Rao stood gripping Noi's wrist.
He would have looked impressive.
If half of his hand was not burned black from the attack.
Rao looked down at the annoying little Noi, who tilted her head and smiled cutely at him, fully aware that she was in danger.
After a long moment, the daoist took a deep breath and released her.
"Did you let me go because of my cuteness," Noi asked, flashing a cute smile.
With that makeup, it only made her look more disturbing.
"You are dreaming. I just don't take revenge on immature kids," he said, his voice straight and unflinching.
Ehhh! Noi's face turned bright red with embarrassment as she prepared another energy ball.
But before she could launch it, a hand snapped, and she froze midair, stuck as if time itself had paused.
"That is not a way to treat a child Lana!" Noi screamed, though her voice came out muffled, trapped like Noi's.
The one she referred to was sitting close to James. Everything about her screamed authority and elegance.
She wore a long blue dress paired with a black leather jacket, her black hair fanning gently, framing scarlet eyes that glistened like sapphires.
"You are really shameless, Noi. You are old enough to be my grandmother, yet you call yourself a child. Of course, your reasoning and your actions are far too childish. Stay restrained," Lana said, before turning her gaze to yet another figure, barely seen in the shadows.
"You are not in your best mood today, Knut," Lana asked. She seemed to speak to nothing at first, until the figure responded.
He was covered head to toe in black wrappings, like a mummy. But that did nothing to make the plain blackness of his eyes comforting.
"You have keen eyes… Lana. Something is wrong with the primal essence. It's as if it's being absorbed, and I can't find a way to stop it. This is a serious problem. If it is not contained in time…"
Knut sighed, exhaustion dragging from his voice. Lana released Noi and leaned back.
"Let's start the meeting. I may need to meet the old man soon after this if I still cannot stop the primal energy absorption." Knut said.
The others nodded, aware of the seriousness. Primal energy was the lifeblood of the realm.
If it was fully absorbed, ecosystems would collapse and catastrophe would follow.
Snapping her fingers, Lana unsealed the space around Noi. Noi disappeared with a flash and shot Lana an annoyed glare but she simply shrug.
Beneath the table, Noi's hands were already shaping another ball of energy.... bigger, wilder, more destructive than the last. This meeting was going to end with a bang. The target of her attack was none other than…
Sensing something off, Lana's gaze flicked to Noi, who was still looking elsewhere, smiling faintly. Her mouth twitched. She knew she might get burned soon.
Why was Noi even allowed to attend this meeting? Lana sighed inwardly.
James raised a single finger, snapping everyone's attention back to him. He leaned forward, voice sharp, cutting straight to the core.
"Let's get down to it. We all know about the strange phenomenon in the world's energy. The amount of mana and qi forming across the realms is rising with every passing second. And this is by no means good news."
The others nodded. They understood the implications. As guardians, it was their duty to ensure the mortal realm survived any crisis.
"I believe the primal energy is being absorbed by whatever is causing the crimson hue in the sky," Knut said, his tone deadly serious.
Silence fell over the room. No one spoke. They already had their guesses.
The primal energy that composed the world was being absorbed, feeding the surge of mana and qi.
On the surface, that might have seemed like good news.... but if the primal energy was completely drained before the world could generate more, countless lives across the realm would die.
The danger was far worse than anyone realized.
A figure watched sharply, dressed simply in black, moving with the precision of a hawk. Her name? Hawk. Her gaze was piercing.
"Exhausting the primal energy isn't our biggest problem," Hawk said, voice calm but firm. "Without it supplying the seals, the world's defenses will crumble. Soon, whatever is behind this will break through into the realm."
No clarification was needed. Everyone knew exactly who she meant.
"What is causing this?" Yuro asked, voice grave. "Hardly anything ever forces we guardians to intervene. And when it does… it's catastrophic. Beyond anything easy to face."
He shook his head, frustration and determination coiling in his tone. "It isn't fair. But I will not let the world I fought so hard to survive be destroyed by a phenomenon we cannot even comprehend yet."
"I can say one thing for sure," James spoke, eyes sharp and calculating. "Whatever is happening must have a physical origin. A powerful treasure, a spatial anomaly, or some other object being formed.
Though anything forming should not be superior to the realm itself… yet whatever this is, it's stronger than the realm as a whole. That is unprecedented."
Noi's cheerful voice cut in, light but still carrying weight. "Or… what if it's not a treasure? Or an anomaly? What if it's something else entirely?"
All eyes turned to her, curious, waiting to hear what she had to say. Noi paused, letting the tension stretch. Then she spoke, tone half in awe, half in disbelief.
"What if… a powerful entity has been born in our realm?"
The group froze. Even Noi knew it was impossible.... but watching their reactions was worth it.
"That's impossible," someone finally said, scoffing. "No realm could support the birth of a being that powerful. Enough of the jokes."
But it wasn't Noi speaking this time. James's calm voice cut through, catching everyone off guard.
"I'm not saying Noi is right, or that a powerful being has been born," he said, eyes on the group. "But according to a prophecy from five thousand years ago… that figure would be reborn around this time."
The room went silent. The prophecy had lain dormant for centuries. There was no guarantee it would come true, but neither could they dismiss it entirely. They needed to investigate.
The meeting continued for several minutes, the guardians discussing strategy. Finally, they agreed.... they would spread out and find the source of the anomaly.
Whether it was an object, a treasure, spatial turbulence, or a strange birth, they had to locate it. Its power was superior to the realm itself, and it could not be left unchecked.
Lana was preparing to leave when a calm, cheerful voice whispered near her ear.
"Hey Lana, it's my turn."
She froze, already raising barriers, knowing what was coming.... but it was too late. Noi's hand, filled with destructive energy, slammed into her back.
If the energy she used against Rao had been around forty, this one hit with ninety. A deafening explosion roared, shaking the room and finally waking Rao from his nap. He looked at the empty table.
"Oh… they're done," he muttered.
Outside, he saw Lana flying through the air, screaming curses, while Noi followed close behind, her creepy grin sharp in the moonlight.
"You forget the saying," Noi called, voice chilling yet playful. "Revenge is best served cold."
To be continued.....