The Reapers eyed Meera warily as she laced her fingers behind her head and lay on the bed. She waited for them to come at her. They glanced at each other, and something must've passed between them. They rushed her with swords pointed at her.

She used Mirror Bolt to chuck chakrams at them. They deflected with their swords, but the chakrams reversed course mid-air and came for them. They blocked them, but she kept up the assault. She didn't give them a moment's reprieve. They were driven back to the door.

When she grew tired of this game, she flicked a finger, and her chakrams broke their swords in half. The metal spun through the air before embedding itself in the bed's wooden frame.

"Oh, my bad," Meera said. "Do you need other weapons? I have weapons that you can borrow if you wag your tongue and tell me who sent you."

The taller Reaper grunted, tossed his broken blade to the ground, and jumped on the bed. She rolled to the side and kicked at his ankle. He tumbled and almost fell on top of her. She activated Druvis Might and kicked him into the opposite wall. She felt some ribs crack under her foot.

He spat out blood as he tried to pick himself up off the floor.

His friend didn't go to see if he was okay. Instead, he pulled out a small stick. She saw Mana move from his body to the stick, and a long, shadowy rope extended out of the shape like a whip. He snapped the whip, and there was no sound like whiplash. The whip snapped towards her. She tried to cut the shadow in half, but her chakram passed through it.

Meera rolled to the side to avoid being scourged. She gritted her teeth and brought out her protectors of shadow. She activated Spectral Dominion and called forth two shadow warriors. She told them to subdue the Reapers but not kill them. After all, she still needed answers from them.

The warriors descended on the assailants, and Meera sat back to watch the show. The Reaper tried to whip the shadow warriors, only for the whip to sail straight through them. On the other hand, they had no defense against the shadow warrior's shadowsteel blades. They dodged as best as they could.

The Reaper with bruised limbs was slower and made a horrible mistake. He teleported behind the shadow warrior and whipped his hand downward. A slash of pure darkness tried to cut the warrior in half, but he didn't realize how quick Meera's shadow warrior was.

The warrior turned and slashed in a precise arc and cut the Reaper's arm.

The only sound from the Reaper was a muted groan like he was trying not to scream. The other Reaper made a disgusted sound. Meera looked from one man to the other, realizing they had no genuine camaraderie.

She decided to end it. She activated Nightstalker Bindings. Two ethereal, shadowy chains shot out of her hand and ensnared the two men. It coiled around them until their arms were pinned to their sides. She could feel the chains' effect draining the men of their Vitality and sending it to her, even though she didn't need it.

"Tell me who sent you, and you're free to go?" Meera asked.

None of the men replied.

"Oh, come on, don't be like that," she called. "I can easily have my warrior take your heads off, but I would rather avoid that. So, tell me your leader's name, and you can go on your way."

They stayed silent, wriggling to free themselves of the chains, but it was useless.

Meera sighed and looked at her shadow warriors. "Beat them."

The shadow warrior closest to the Reaper, with the stump, whacked the flat of his sword into his stump. He screamed finally.

Meera couldn't abide torture in any shape or form, but this needed to be done. She was no seasoned torturer like Aksha, who enjoyed others' screams, but she had still become numb to them. In a very short span of time, people had become enemies or allies to her, and she had no mercy for her enemies.

The shadow warrior must've sensed her intent as he whacked him two more times until the man finally gave in.

"Stop!" He cried. "We-We—"

"Shut up!" the other Reaper snapped. "You disgrace us with your weakness."

Meera extended her chains and wrapped them around his mouth to get him to keep quiet.

"Yes, you were saying," Meera said to the one inclined to speak.

The Reaper huffed. "We are working…" He looked to his brother, whose eyes flashed a warning. "We're working for…no one."

Meera sighed. "Kill them."

Her shadow warriors raised their swords to end their lives, but then the door to the balcony burst open. A third man wearing all black jumped into the room.

[Reaper – Level 356]

It took him a moment to absorb the scene before he got into action. He drew his swords and threw himself at the shadow warriors. The man was clearly skilled with the blade because, in less than a minute, he had driven her shadow warriors back. Then, he chucked an orb of darkness at Meera.

She raised a Mirror Tower Shield. The orb burst against her shield, unleashing a blast of darkness and shadows. It had the intended effect. She was distracted for a second, and in that time, the new Reaper freed his brothers.

Before Meera could retaliate, the trio of assassins were gone.

Some light came from under the door to the hallway. It meant that the Reapers had created the darkness as she expected. She wondered if it also subdued any sounds from escaping the room.

She dispelled her shadow warriors, and they dissipated like smoke in the wind. The Reapers had taken the severed arm with them. It was good, as it made the cleanup easier. She didn't want anyone to know that she had been attacked. At least not until she could confirm who her enemy was, and she had a strong feeling about who was behind the attack.

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She went to the closet, which held many expensive clothes. She took the least expensive-looking one, then went to the bathtub, which still had her bath water. She cleaned the blood as best as she could. She went to the balcony and, with the least amount of Mana, used Shadowflame Devastation. The dress burst to cinders in her hands, leaving nothing but ash.

Meera dusted the ash off her hands. She plopped herself down on one of the divans and opened her notifications. She hadn't expected to gain many levels from this pathetic fight, but when she saw nothing, she had to admit that she was a little heartbroken. But at least she still stole some skills, which was good.

*ding!*

[Class Ability Activated. You have stolen the skill Umbra Sword – Level 157. Umbra Sword – Type: Active. Affinity: Dark Affinity. You can create a sword of pure darkness that tears through magical defenses. The sword is practically invisible in darkness and leaves a chill as it cuts into your foes. Would you like to acquire this skill?]

*ding!*

[Class Ability Activated. You have stolen the skill Midnight Blanket – Level 213. Midnight Blanket – Type: Passive. Affinity: Dark Affinity. You can summon a veil of living darkness that spreads over the battlefield, muffling sound and dimming all light. While active, enemies suffer reduced perception, and stealth-based actions become harder to detect. Would you like to acquire this skill?]

She had to admit. They were both good. Midnight Blanket felt like a different version of Dusk Veil, and since Dusk Veil worked better as it was Shadow Affinity-based rather than Dark, she passed on Midnight Blanket. As for Umbra Sword, she thought really hard about it, but her chakrams were better than any weapon she could conjure up with a skill.

*ding!*

[Class Ability Activated. You have stolen the skill Death Mark – Level 96. Death Mark – Type: Active. Affinity: Death Affinity. You can mark a target with the Death Mark. It will cause them to take increased damage from your attacks, weapons, or skills. Would you like to acquire this skill?]

*ding!*

[Class Ability Activated. You have stolen the skill Wailing Legion – Level 182. Wailing Legion – Type: Passive. Affinity: Death Affinity. You can summon tormented souls from the nether world, sending them shrieking toward your prey in a wave of spectral fury. There is a grave cost associated with disturbing the dead. The Lord of Deeds will not judge you kindly for using such nefarious magic. Would you like to acquire this skill?]

She already had a Death Mark, and she did not fancy disturbing the dead any time soon. In her experience, they were better off dead and hopefully in peace. She sighed as she gave up on these skills as well.

She stood and made her way to the main door, felt around it until she found the handle, and accidentally knocked over the Mirror Tower Shield she had placed there.

The mirror fell to the floor with a loud bang but didn't break. It would've been loud enough for her to wake up if anyone had tried to enter the room as she slept. So, it made her wonder how the Reapers entered the room. Even Shadow Step required you to be able to see your destination, and the balcony was locked, and her small Mirror Tower Shield was in place until the third Reaper came barging in.

When she opened the door, she had to squint at the bright light coming from the burning torches, the many lit candles in the chandeliers, and all along the walls.

Two palace guards were positioned outside the doors. One's head was drooping, and the other leaned against his spear, but they both snapped to attention the moment the door opened.

"Reverent Lady," said the one on the left." H-How can we help you?"

"What time is it?" She asked.

"It's just past midnight," he replied. Is there anything you need? Are you hungry, perhaps? Should we send for Vasda?"

He asked these questions rapid-fire. Meera raised a hand to tell him no, as she didn't get hungry anymore—thanks to being an Ascendant—but she shrugged since she hadn't eaten anything proper in a while. "Sure."

He bowed and left at once. A minute later, he returned with a groggy Vasda, who was still rubbing sleep out of her eyes. But the moment she saw Meera, sleep fled from her immediately.

She bowed at the waist. "How can this humble one serve you?"

"Food and I need some light in the room," Meera stated.

"Does the Reverent Lady have any preference?" She asked.

"Surprise me."

"I'll be back shortly with your food," Vasda said. "Until then, they can light the braziers around the room."

She bowed and left while one of the guards bowed to her. "Reverent Lady, does this one have permission to enter your room?"

From a prisoner to a prisoner of comfort. A girl could get used to this.

"Yes, of course," Meera stated.

He took a torch and got to work lighting all the torches and braziers in the room. By the time he finished, the room was lit as if it were afternoon. Soon after, Vasda arrived with a tray of steaming food. For the first time since arriving on these worlds, she'd had food that wasn't bland and actually had more seasoning than just salt and pepper.

Once she finished up, she sighed. "Oh, that was perhaps the best food I've ever had since arriving in this world. Please pass on my compliments to the chef."

"I will do so, Reverent Lady," Vasda said.

"Since I've slept the day away, I don't think I'll be able to sleep again. Say, do you guys have any books containing information on the Great Prophecy?"

Vasda blinked. "Uh… I'm not sure, Reverent Lady. I am not well-versed in what books the library contains or does not contain."

"Then let's go find out."

"Now?"

"Why? Is that a problem?"

Vasda blinked and swallowed. "Yes-I mean, not at all. Anything the lady desires. It's just that it's not allowed to roam around that part of the palace this late at night."

"I'm sure they'll make an exception for me." Meera stood.

"But the library will most likely be closed, Reverent Lady," her maid said.

"Then I'll break the door down, and they can fix it later." Meera moved to the door and held it open for Vasda. "After you."

Vasda took a torch off the wall and smiled nervously before leaving the room. Something about her behavior gave Meera pause. If she didn't know any better, she would've thought she was ordered not to bring Meera to that side of the palace. Meera would bet the Chamberlain had ordered the woman to keep Meera in her room. The woman was probably spying on her for the scary man.

Well, what do I care? After my audience tomorrow, I'm gone unless…the Chamberlain strings me along.

Meera looked at the maid. "Say, where will my audience be?"

Vasda started. "I'm sorry, Reverent Lady. That is not for me to know."

Meera nodded. "That's fair."

She knew Vasda wouldn't know; she just wanted to see her reaction, and she didn't disappoint. She had been through kidnapping, incarceration, and being forced to meet with people in positions of power, so she knew where to look for signs. She was finally in a position of somewhat power, and she would exploit it as much as she could.

They crossed dark corridor after dark corridor and seemingly didn't run into a single soldier. She didn't know if Vasda was taking her through secret hallways or that these people were so overconfident that they wouldn't think anyone could attack them.

After many twists and turns, they finally arrived at a set of double doors, but they weren't the only ones there.

It was a young man about Meera's age. He had jet-black hair that ended in slight curls and a dimpled chin. He was so good-looking that women must've thrown themselves at him. His clothes were rich, and he held a leather-bound book in his hand.

Vasda froze when she saw him.

The man frowned, and then his eyes widened. "You must be…" He immediately bowed his head. "Reverent Lady." He gently took Meera's hand and kissed it.

"Vasda, who is this?"

Vasda shook out of her daze. "Uh, yes…"

"I am Garal, a humble servant of the Varshan Empire."

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