The Founder's POV

Chapter 5: A deal with the devil

To explain the nature of the place I am going to, it deceives the senses and feelings. Do I look like a person who can handle a rush of emotions? I do not think so!

There is a way to solve this problem, but the monsters out there won't be watching me from afar...After all, that place is one of the Six Wonders of the World, and in this era, the Wonders of the World referred to "the dangers of the world."

Even some of the strongest people in the world would go there for no significant reason. I must somehow obtain resources and equipment; I don't mean anything like swords or other weapons. I don't know how to hold a sword and found little in the former Cassian's memories. I only need less than four items and plenty of supplies since my trip might be extended.

Although I cannot get anything useful because of the restrictions on me, I know exactly what I should do. I have to make a deal with the devil, not literally...

***

In a luxurious room... a middle-aged woman sat on a comfortable chair and examined the countless documents before her. The room was not very large since it was intended only for work. A table was in the middle, and a vast wooden door was directly across.

There were windows to the right of the table, through which the main palace gates could be seen. Raindrops hit the glass despite the advent of summer. Behind the table was a chair, and the woman sat on it... Her hair was hanging from behind the chair, and some white strands were in it, even though she was not even forty.

Some called this woman the Widow of Starhold because her husband, the current head of the family, was in a precarious position. Her status in this palace was equal to that of the family council, a remarkable achievement considering that her strength barely qualified her for a B+ rank.

It was all due to her insight and cleverness in seizing control of the family before Cassian thought of doing so. Despite all this, she is about to make the biggest mistake of her life.

"Lady Loana, someone wants to enter." Loana's expression changed; she was utterly immersed in paperwork and was just interrupted.

'Someone wants to meet me?' Is it the council?' After Darian went to the Hope Academy in the center of the Human nation, she didn't think anyone other than the Family Council would visit her.

Maybe they found out she spread rumors about the family heir, and they wanted to 'rebuke' her for it. Of course, she didn't care. Their status was equal, and she was sure they would do nothing to her. Loana hesitated a little, then sighed. She still needs to obey them now and then.

She spoke with a soft voice:

"Come in." Two fully armored soldiers opened the door, revealing a figure that Loana hated intensely- the one who would inherit the family throne if she didn't act soon.

'Only six months,' she thought. However, Cassian's arrival here revealed a bigger question: What in God's name is he doing here? Did he lose control again? Will he scream at her again, losing his mind? Loana laughed inwardly.

=+=

I entered the devil's den, and I must admit... this place was much more luxurious than my room, even though this was just an office. It took me a while to get here. I got lost a few times and had to ask the soldiers for directions.

The previous Cassian was pathetic. He only knew the directions to the lab and the palace exit, which was miserable.

"What?" I heard her voice. I was unconsciously terrified. This horror was not from me; it was an unconscious reaction from the body itself.