Chapter 787: Leader

"Why is Michael's High Ascension taking so long? Should we check up on him? Maybe something went wrong," Evee asked while fidgeting with her lunch.

She hadn't been much around Michael and barely got to know him, but life in the Nest was boring. There wasn't much to do other than training to grow stronger. They had to hide from the Supreme Human Alliance and prepare large-scale attacks where they least expected. While fighting the Supreme Human Alliance was anything but boring, it wasn't exciting either. Death and destruction were hardly ever pleasant.

The drama of the Fenrir bloodline, however, was enjoyable. Evee couldn't help but feel excited when she recalled the fights between Peter Fang and Evalynn Fang. Evalynn blamed her husband for being obsessed with power, whereas Peter Fang disregarded her words. Instead of accepting the blame for leaving his children, Peter Fang was adamant, saying he didn't make any mistakes. Everything he did was the best choice - for himself, of course.

Evee was not in any position to blame anyone, but it was a matter of fate that Curse Users would separate from their children to ensure that their Curses wouldn't affect their children's hibernating Curses. There had been too many accidents with Cursed Children in the past. Therefore, most Curse users were told to be careful who they pick as the father/mother of their children.

As an ordinary Awakened, Peter Fang should have raised his children alone, yet both Evalynn and her father never trusted the Nest. They raised their children, ignoring the danger they exposed their children. Evee wasn't surprised that Hesta ended up like this. She might be incredibly powerful due to the high compatibility of her Curse and Soultrait, but her parents nearly killed her by being around her. Without the Nest's intervention, Hesta would have died during her ascension to a Higher Lifeform.

Evee was also pretty sure that Danny's death was the result of Evalynn's presence. Michael's pain and suffering was probably her fault as well. That was enough drama to excite Evee, who had been 'forced' to study arrays since there was hardly anything else for her to do in the Nest. She was not a fighter. Evee was a radar, an expert gossip girl, and quite good at studying.

"We cannot breach the Ancient Isolation Chamber. You should know that better than anyone. It's forbidden, in the first place, and it's not like we are strong enough to enter the Ancient Isolation Chamber by force, either way," Eren lectured his daughter while finishing his meal.

"I know, I know. I'm just saying that Michael is taking too long. I want more dra—....I mean, I'm curious how much stronger he's grown. He never had access to high-quality resources, so now that he used the Origin Sap, the cream of the crop, I wonder how much he's changed," Evee cleared her throat, trying to hide her embarrassment, but her father stared dagger at her. He knew very well that his daughter was about to stir trouble where trouble wasn't needed.

The sounds of heels clicking on the smooth ground rang through their ears. Someone approached them, and the father-son duo turned around. Evee had to suppress a groan when her eyes fell upon a tall woman while Eren got up to greet her. He pressed his fists against his heart and gestured with his fingers before tapping his forehead lightly, a sign of utmost respect among the Nest's Curse Users.

The woman waved dismissively and sat down next to Eren. She tied her silky golden hair into a ponytail and smiled mischievously at Evee with her vibrant crimson eyes.

"Have you been studying hard, or are you still trying to push Hesta against Fera?" The woman asked Evee lightly. Evee wanted to say something, but Eren's glare was intense enough for her to keep her mouth shut.

"I apologize, Leader. My daughter has been a little bit rebellious in the last few months," Eren apologized to the woman, who turned to him with a bright smile.

"Didn't I tell you to call me Selena? Or am I just the Leader to you? I thought we had something special there," The Leader of the Nest, Selena Ryn, sulked.

'She is acting again. What the hell is wrong with this woman?' Evee asked, wondering for the Xth time how someone like that woman managed to become the Nest's Leader. She was powerful, the strongest Curse User Evee had seen until now, but Selena Ryn was the least serious woman she'd gotten to know. How were they supposed to fight the Supreme Human Alliance with a leader like this?

Eren had to scrunch his nose to maintain his expression.

"I'm your Commander. Of course, I'll call you Leader, Leader!" He said dead-serious, which worsened Selena's act. She sulked more than before and was about to reach the peak of her acting skills when the ground underfoot tremored.

No. It wasn't only the ground that shook. The room, if not the entire Nest, was shaking. It wasn't anything too bad. The Nest wouldn't collapse from being shaken thoroughly, but the primal roar accompanying the tremors was different.

The primal roar reverberated through the Nest, reaching the Curse Users no matter where they were in the Nest.

Everyone jumped up near-simultaneously, their hair standing up to its end. The sulky expression was wiped from Selena's face, replaced by unfamiliar seriousness. However, Evee couldn't pay much attention to it. Her Curse shuddered, and her heart tightened.

Evee was afraid...and so was her Curse. They were overwhelmed by instinctive fear.

She wasn't the only one. Evee's eyes lingered on her father, who flinched as well. He instinctively tapped into the power of his Curse and used Curse Transformation, manifesting a silver scale armor all over his body. A long silver-scaled tail grew out of his tailbone, and wings were about to sprout from his back when Selena brought up her hand slowly.

The corner of her lips curled upward as her energy spread through the entire Nest in an instant.

"You were asking about that little Cursed Child, weren't you?" Selena inquired Evee, who didn't even manage to nod, "He just finished his ascension."

A sonorous peal of laughter escaped her lips.

"And it seems like he wants to brag about it."

"That ... was Michael?" Evee asked, her voice cracking in shock

"How about we take a look? We shouldn't let our newcomer wait too long. I want to see what he has to show," Selene exclaimed excitedly. There was no sign of her earlier seriousness.

She leaped over the table, grabbed Evee, and threw the young girl over her shoulder. Selena's crimson eyes landed on Eren, who was still guarded and ready to fight, "Move your butt, Commander. It's time to see how much your little cadet has grown!"

Selena vanished into a blur, the only thing she left behind was a scream - Evee's scream.

Eren took a deep breath. He closed his eyes for a second and terminated Curse Transformation. In the next instance, he started praying, not for himself, but for Michael Fang.

'You don't know what kind of monster you're about to attract. It would have been better if you had finished your ascension silently,' He thought, shaking his head.

'Should I feel sorry for that prick, or is it about time that he's getting lectured?'

Eren didn't know, but he was about to discover what would happen to Michael Fang.

The Nest's Leader and the rookie were about to meet. That could only mean trouble.