Hao. The Awakening of the Chosen (Finish)

Chapter 11.2

"**Natalia tried to go to the restroom to hide, but she was intercepted by Diego, who obviously recognized her and told her she had to accompany them to the headquarters. Natalia had no better idea than to punch Diego in the jaw, leaving him knocked out on the floor. The rest of the guards drew their weapons and prepared to fight in front of everyone. Natalia shouted at the visitors to leave, and they obeyed, running out of the restaurant without any order. With Davyn's help, Natalia began to fight the remaining guards, who defended themselves honorably but eventually fell defeated to the ground, partly thanks to Natalia's skills from years of service in the army and Davyn's strength, which could render their opponents unconscious with a well-aimed blow.Natalia apologized to Davyn's parents for the chaos and they both ran out of the restaurant towards the hotel.Upon arrival, they could see their friends fighting waves of dark orbs; Mafalda's animals seemed ineffective at that moment. Unexpectedly, Davyn revealed something no one expected: he was also chosen, with the power to manipulate the minds of his adversaries. Slowly, thanks to the stone walls created by Gonzalo, they managed to regroup with their friends. Luis said he didn't have enough energy yet to create a second portal.They resisted several waves, causing everyone present to quickly tire. This time, they had no escape, and even Luther was present in the attack, leading his troops.They heard a voice calling out to them—it was Laura, urging them to follow her quickly. The chosen ones obeyed and began to gradually retreat, giving Luther the impression that they were surrendering.Laura was waiting for them at a back door of the hotel, holding it open for them. They rushed through the door, closing it behind them and quickly barricading it with various objects lying around. With Laura leading, they continued running.Laura guided them to her laboratory, re-entering through the service entrance. They ran to the weapons and armor section, where Laura provided them with the best energy weapons they had, along with advanced-level invisibility armor, completely illegal.Berto offered Laura the opportunity to accompany them; otherwise, they would come after her for treason and arms trafficking.Laura had no choice but to accept. After all, Berto was right; they would come for her now. They left the building again and asked Luis if he had enough energy; he affirmed, so he quickly created another portal. Luis didn't know which direction to set it for, as returning to the Horseshoe Kingdom would be too dangerous, and Lukotico would likely have been moved by then. At that moment, he remembered his past life as a Teherita navy officer but chose not to share his story with anyone, feeling regretful about that time.At that time, he had just lost his parents and was in a foster home. The house was big, and he lived with his two adoptive parents and their five black cats. Every night, they had dinner together, always arguing for any apparent reason. After dinner, it was always his turn to do the dishes while they continued arguing, sometimes even resulting in physical fights.One day he saw his mother crouched on the bathroom floor, the room completely stained in red. Luis was very scared. Upon seeing him, his mother hurriedly closed the bathroom door.Half an hour later, his mother emerged from the bathroom, crying and totally covered in red, without looking at Luis; she went outside and yelled for the first patrol she saw. They quickly arrived at the scene, without asking what had happened; they arrested his adoptive mother. It wasn't until ten minutes later, a second patrol with a doctor arrived.They couldn't save his father; it was already too late. They took them both to the headquarters, where his mother was charged with murder, and he was cleared of all crimes.That night, Luis slept on a bench at the headquarters, alone, with nowhere to go, no family to stay with.The next morning, officers accompanied him to the headquarters' entrance, where a family was waiting for him. What he least expected was that his nightmare was just beginning.For years, he had to endure torture from his parents, such as abuse and flagellation.His parents belonged to the Teheritas, an extremist faction of Samiz nationalism, against any being beyond the six Samiz realms. They forced him to watch when Thomix arrived in the subterranean kingdom and was immediately beaten to death by the Teheritas; his parents participated in Thomix's beating.Luis was forced to join the Teheritas, eventually becoming an officer and carrying out missions for them, going against his principles. He moved to the Teheritas' stronghold.One day, his parents died in an attempted coup against the emperors' regime; that day, Luis finally felt free. He decided to flee the stronghold and hide, moving to a different realm until he finally settled in the Horseshoe Kingdom with a new identity.Luis decided it was time to confront his past, and based on his knowledge of Teheritian protocols, prisoners should be confined in the stronghold until after the trial. That's where Lukotico should be; without thinking, he decided to create the portal.They began crossing the portal, slowly. They started hearing noises in the distance. They weren't concerned until they saw a light orb in one of the laboratory corridors; somehow, they had been located, or so they thought.Neither Mafalda nor Juan had time to cross the portal; they were surrounded by dark orbs led by Luther."Get out of wherever you are! The portal is here; at some point, you'll have to cross it," Luther shouted into the void.No one said anything; apparently, they hadn't been seen due to the invisibility suits. That was good news. The bad news was that Hector, the leader of the Teheritas, had just appeared. The scene was frightening; the orbs remained completely silent while Luther searched for the chosen ones. Somehow, Hector winked at Juan and murmured for them to leave, that he would take care of Luther.To everyone's surprise, Hector secretly uttered words that changed Mafalda and Juan's future, allowing them to cross the portal."Come to me Zor'gath, Nephralyx, Xul'thor, Vex'tri, lZyth'kan, Mal'drak, Zargothar, Vor'gul, Draemor, and Xer'than."Suddenly, ten demons appeared in Luther's sight, causing the dark orbs to fight against them. This created a reliable enough distraction for Mafalda and Juan to cross the portal.After crossing the portal, they found themselves in one of the main halls of the Teherita stronghold. They all hugged without removing their invisibility suits.Berto was the first to suggest investigating the place. Everyone agreed; they needed to find Lukotico. Juan suggested going to the dungeons, but Natalia preferred to split from the rest, along with Davyn, to cover more ground. Mafalda and Berto also decided to separate from the group. The last group consisted of Juan, Luis, and Laura.The first group, Natalia and Davyn, decided to investigate the halls, which were all empty until they reached the main dining hall located in the east wing of the stronghold. This dining hall was the largest room in the stronghold and was filled with guards peacefully dining. In the distance, an officer could be seen giving a speech.The second group, Mafalda and Berto, moved through the rooms and adjoining halls to the halls. Everything was unprotected. They entered Hector's room; they knew it was his by an indicator sign on the door. They started rummaging through his things, curious about Hector. He had betrayed Luther and was a chosen one, so why didn't he leave with them when he had the chance? His bed was too big even for one person; perhaps he had a partner.Under the bed, they found a note, which they read:"Dear chosen ones, I am Hector, I am like you. I apologize for not being able to help you yet; I have a very important task, and that is to finish off Luther as soon as possible. He has caused too much harm. I made a mistake when I accepted leadership in the Teheritas; I should not have allowed him to build his portal to the Antler world here. If you're reading this, I'm sorry; I will try to help you as much as I can, but Luther has control over the entire Teherita order. I don't trust anyone.The portal is in the basement, next to the supply warehouse. Good luck; see you there.Mafalda and Berto ran towards the basement, where indeed they found the portal, a semicircular structure forged with rare metals, probably not from the Samiz realms but from the outside, likely from the lower rings, a completely unknown region to them. They had only heard legends about that place, saying that beings of other races lived there. The point was, they had to tell the rest of the group.When they turned around, they noticed the portal starting to glow, and from it emerged a small being—a small baby red dragon, but full of light. It looked at them with pleading eyes. Mafalda fell in love with it instantly and decided, without asking Berto, to adopt it. She grabbed it and put it in one of her pockets. They left the room.They all regrouped in the same place they had separated before. Each one shared what they had found. Mafalda showed the light orb. Juan mentioned that the dungeons were empty, but he overheard some guards saying that in one of the halls, a slave auction was being prepared. At that moment, the first group confirmed what Juan said, stating that in one of the halls, full of guards, an auction was being prepared, and Lukotico was likely there.They rushed to the main hall. It was even more crowded with guards than before. Through a small gap in the door, they could see guests arriving at the hall. They were probably mercenaries looking to recruit new members. They gradually took their seats until there was a moment of complete silence in the hall, and everyone turned toward the door where we were.They were all so focused that they didn't notice what was happening behind them. When they turned around, they saw Luther and Hector looking at them in amazement. They tried to resist, but they were arrested by Hector's guards. They were taken behind the group, where they joined the rest of the slaves.They entered the hall, and the visitors started applauding Luther and Hector. Looking back, they could see dozens of slaves. Some were familiar faces, like Francisco and Barbara. They looked at each other with sorrow. When they reached the hall, they climbed onto a small raised platform.From the podium, Luther delivered a welcome speech to everyone present, saying:"Distinguished guests,It is an honor and a pleasure to give you the warmest welcome to this annual and extraordinary auction. Today, we gather to celebrate the beauty of the exotic, to explore the treasures that the world offers us, and to enjoy the excitement that only an occasion like this can bring.Firstly, I want to express my sincerest gratitude to each of you for joining us in this gathering. Your presence here is a testament to your curiosity, your passion for the exceptional, and your appreciation for the unusual. I am sure that the wonders we have on display will capture your imagination and awaken your sense of adventure.This annual auction is a meeting that transcends the boundaries of the everyday. Here, we will unleash the magic of the unknown, the charm of the unusual, and the opportunity to own something truly special.In this auction, I encourage you to be carried away by emotion, to follow your intuition, and to participate with enthusiasm. Remember that we are here to celebrate the beauty of diversity, the power of creativity, and the wonder of the unexplored. It is in these moments where passions are unleashed and opportunities present themselves for those willing to seize them.Finally, I wish all present a night full of excitement, discovery, and satisfaction. May today's experience bring you new perspectives, connect your hearts with the world, and allow you to take home treasures that awaken your senses and enrich your lives.Without further ado, it is an honor to start this auction. May the bids be generous, the hearts filled with emotion, and the hands raised with determination. Let the auction of the exotic begin!Let's go!" Luther announced.They started auctioning Francisco, followed by Barbara. The pack of both was offered at 500 sapphires and a pink emerald.Luther was pleased, selling them.At that moment, a voice interrupted—the voice belonged to Viktor."