The silver sword had a golden hilt, giving it a thin contrast. The katana-shaped Sword was reading inside a sheath. 

He picked up the sword and turned to leave, but just as he reached the door, he stopped. He glanced once more at his room before finally he stepped out. 

He walked to the roof of the mansion, accompanied by the butler. 

"Keep everything ready. Mother is coming back after a long time. I want everything to be perfect for her, alright?" 

"Yes, Master Jian. Everything will be just perfect."

"Good. By the way, still no information about the fourth?" Jian asked, stepping right before the helicopter. 

"We've spread the portraits everywhere about how the fourth person might look after thirty-one years, but so far, there has been no information."

" I really think that he died a long time ago. No one remembers seeing that face in the last thirty years."

"Keep looking." Jian stepped inside the helicopter and closed the door. 

The rotors of the helicopter started moving, and the helicopter started rising in the air. 

...

Lucifer landed on the Warlock Council headquarters. 

"You're saying he sent everyone to a different part of the continent, including Eve and Veracity?" He asked Kellian. 

"That's right, but looking at how he didn't send us far from here, I think his range is limited. I think they will be able to return soon. All they need is to contact us," Kellian answered. 

"Are all the bodies still there?" Lucifer asked, going down the stairs. 

"Yeah. Don't tell me you're thinking about...?"

"I can't waste time. There are just too many things to come. I need to be stronger if I want the stones back."

"You think it's safe?" Kellian asked, sighing. "You just absorbed one ability and were in sleep for so long. Would it really be right to absorb so many abilities? It sounds risky."

"After the kind of risk I took with my existence, this risk is nothing. Since that risk didn't do anything to me, this risk can't either." Lucifer went to the twenty-fourth floor, which was completely filled with bodies of the Variants. 

Seeing so many bodies and the rotten smell that was filling the floor after so long, Kellian couldn't help but close his nose. 

"This looks pretty disgusting."

"I would agree with that," Lucifer sighed, scratching the back of his head. "I don't particularly enjoy it either. It feels so disgusting every time I place this in my body..."

He let out a deep breath. "I feel like I'm corrupting my body by doing this... Making it dirty."

"If you don't feel like doing it, you don't have to do it. You already have many abilities. Just take the ones that you like?" Kellian suggested. 

"You won't understand," Lucifer replied. "Keep an eye on the surroundings and send one shadow to the systems. This place still isn't safe."

...

Jian Asade's chopper landed inside the airport, and no one tried to stop him since he was such a big deal here.

He opened the door and stepped out, only to be welcomed by the airport authority. 

"Is the flight running late?" he asked the airport in charge. 

"All flights have been running late recently. It should be here soon."

"Any particular reason for the delays?" Jian asked, curious. 

"We are actually not sure. It's just that Zeston had suddenly decided that they don't welcome any flights. They gave security reasons, saying that they will make the airports operational soon after making sure everything is right," the official answered. 

"Zeston is the headquarters of the Warlock Council. It's understandable that they want to take some extra steps to keep it safe."

"Anyways, because of the Zeston airport not being in operation, there have been quite a lot of route changes in flights which messed up all the timings."

"I wonder why I wasn't informed about something like that."

The man's words made Jian lose himself in thoughts; however, before he could spend even a few minutes in his thoughts, he heard the sound of a plane's arrival. 

He looked in the distance, noticing the plane coming in their direction. 

"Mother is here," he said. 

The flight soon landed, and many of the passengers started coming out, seemingly surprised to find Jian Asade at the airport. 

Jian was waving his hand towards the ground as well. The passengers were stunned, unaware that his mother was one of the passengers as well. 

Jian had told his mother a lot to use the private jet whenever she needed to travel, but she always refused. For some reason, she hated using money to show off after what had happened in the past. 

His mother used to believe that the event wouldn't have happened if Ramian hadn't bragged so much about his rare collection and how wealthy he was. She didn't want to make the same mistake. 

Jian's mother separated from the ground and walked to Jian. 

Reaching his mother, Jian hugged her tightly. "I'm so glad you are back, Mother. How was your trip? Did you enjoy the sites?"

"It was great. You should've come with me as well. We could've taken Julien and Milly as well, but you all never listen to me."

"Hahahaha, alright, mother. You know I had work to do. Next time, I promise I'll come with you."

"You and your work. Julien is the same. He didn't even come here to greet me. Is he working as well?" The woman asked, waking to the chopper with Jian. She pointed towards the helicopter. "And you brought this? I told you a car was enough."

"I know, but I didn't want to waste a single extra second of my mother on the road," Jian laughed. "As for Julien, I had informed him long ago. He had confirmed he would come. He should soon be here."

"In fact, why don't I ask him right away? Scold him a lot, alright?" He brought his phone out as he stepped inside the helicopter with his mother. 

He called the number of Julien. 

"Hmm? The phone is off?" he muttered, frowning. 

"Did you try his phone?" his mother asked. "You know how lazy he is. Must've forgotten to charge the phone."

"Ah, right. I'll dial the number of his room." Jian dialed a different number. 

....

Back at the twenty-fourth floor, Lucifer was absorbing the ability cores one after another. He had already finished absorbing five, but it was only like a droplet from the sea. 

There were hundreds more. He moved over to the best, but before he could begin, the phone started ringing in the room. 

"Someone is calling Julien's room?" He let out, frowning. He stood up and walked closer to the phone. 

Picking up the receiver, he placed the phone on his ears. 

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