Chapter 415: A Piece Of Bad News
Bella, who had been busy working at her desk, suddenly sensed several presences outside.
"Is it Albert again?" she wondered.
However, when she looked through her Third Eye, she froze in disbelief.
"Surprise!" Belial said with a wide grin as he pushed open the door.
Following behind him were Celeste, Vienna, and Bianca—and lastly, Aengus.
Bella rose from her seat, her hand covering her mouth as if struggling to believe what she was seeing.
"Father... Mother! When did you—?"
Belial chuckled lightly. "Your husband brought us here, of course. How have you been, my dear daughter?"
"I'm fine, Father. I'm really happy to see you all!" Bella answered stepping forward.
Before she could say more, Celeste quickly stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Bella in a gentle embrace, her eyes clouded with unshed tears.
"It's been so long, sweetheart. I've waited for years... I thought I would never see you again," Celeste said, her voice trembling with raw emotion.
"Years?"
Only then did Bella notice the subtle yet undeniable changes. Her mother now had faint wrinkles—barely visible, due to her Eternal Phoenix bloodline in her .
But her father, looked aged.
And then there was Bianca—no longer the young girl Bella remembered. She had grown into a mature woman, her demeanor poised yet tinged with nostalgia.
Bella took a slow breath, understanding that what had been lost to time could not be undone.
"How much time has passed, Mother?" she asked, her tone calm despite the ache in her heart.
It was Bianca who answered, her voice steady but filled with suppressed emotion.
"A decade, Sister Bella... Time is truly heartless you know. I've missed our days together so much."
Her eyes were cloudy, trying to hold back the tears threatening to fall.
Bella looked at Aengus, confusion flickering in her eyes.
In response, Aengus simply shook his head, a hint of helplessness in his expression. He had no idea something like this could happen—but what could he do? What was in the past was done. There was no use dwelling on it.
Perhaps he was simply too indifferent to such matters. Too heartless to care too much.
But Bella's heart clenched with worry.
"What if he had gone to fetch them too late?"
"Wouldn't they have died—without me ever getting to say goodbye?"
Thankfully, that nightmare hadn't come to pass.
Taking a steadying breath, Bella turned back to Aengus, suspicion creeping into her voice.
"Husband... did you bring everyone from Mythraldor here?" she asked, recalling the recent tremors that had shaken the Dual Continent.
Aengus nodded, his tone calm and matter-of-fact. "Yes. Practically everyone."
"Then… have you told Aria's family about what happened?" Bella asked.
"Yes, I did."
"How did they react?"
"They were saddened," Aengus replied calmly, his composure unshaken. "But they understood—at least, some of it. And I promised them I would bring her back."
Bella sighed in relief. "That's good… but I still don't know how to face them. They might see me as a selfish woman, trying to take everything for myself. I can't help but feel guilty."
Aengus reached out and gently took her hand.
"You don't need to. It's not your fault," he said firmly. "Just take care of yourself, my wife. I'll handle everything else."
Celeste nodded in agreement, her gaze lowering to Bella's belly.
"Your husband is right, dear. You're going to be a mother now—you need to take extra care of yourself."
Bianca beamed, her excitement barely contained.
"Yes! I'm going to be an aunt! It's still hard to believe."
Belial let out a hearty laugh. "Haha, what's so hard to imagine? I'm going to be the grandfather of a genius boy!"
"Ehh.. And how do you know it's a boy, Father? It could just as easily be a girl, right?" Bianca said as if protesting.
At her remark, everyone chuckled, smiles spreading across their faces. The warmth in the room grew, filling the air with laughter and love.
---
In the Kievan Continent, those primals who aspired to grow stronger and conquer new heights were granted residence in an unoccupied land.
Cities were being built almost overnight, stunning the original inhabitants. Yet, rather than resisting, they welcomed the newcomers with open arms—not out of obligation or fear, but out of respect for their Emperor, who had already demonstrated remarkable promise and a vision for development.
Just as everything seemed to be settling peacefully, a shocking piece of news sent waves of unease across the land.
The Kievan Empire's territories had been attacked.
And it had happened in the most mysterious way.
"Is it true, Sir?" a young soldier in military uniform whispered, his voice laced with anxiety as he turned to his superior.
The officer's expression was grim.
"Yes, it's true," he confirmed. "Seven small-sized Life Worlds have vanished from their axis… completely erased. Some malevolent force must have devoured them for its own dark purposes."
A heavy silence followed.
Beside him, his fellow sergeants stood frozen, their faces etched with sorrow and grief.
"What should we do now, Sir?" a young soldier demanded, his voice trembling with emotion. "My family was in one of those worlds… How can I accept this? No—I won't accept this! I must find them and have my revenge!"
Consumed by grief and fury, he turned to storm off.
But before he could take another step, a stern man stopped him, placing a firm hand on his shoulder.
"Calm yourself, junior Officer," the man said, his tone commanding yet steady. "You are a proud warrior of this empire. Your loss… is one we can never truly repay. But vengeance is not a path to walk alone. Trust in the army, in your comrades. And above all—believe in our new Emperor. I have no doubt he will show no mercy to those responsible."
The young soldier's breath hitched. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, his shoulders trembling under the weight of his sorrow.
"Y-Yes, Sir…" he finally responded, his voice barely above a whisper.
The tragic news spread like wildfire, reaching not only the military but the common people as well.
Panic.
Despair.
A sorrowful silence settled over the continent, heavier than any storm.
This wasn't just a loss of territories. This time, they had lost their loved ones—nearly tens of billions of innocent lives, wiped away in an instant. Find your next adventure on My Virtual Library Empire
They were in grievance, and enraged.