Nether Sovereign Reborn

Chapter 10

"Right... I should have known. Secret organization equals secret base," Lux muttered under his breath, exhaling slightly.

"Get dressed. We leave in seven. Wear something formal," Twilight said, returning his attention to the book he was reading.

"Wear something grease-resistant."

"And something comfortable enough to battle in," Aurmir and Danzai's voices trailed behind Lux as he went into his room.

Five minutes passed in a flash.

Lux walked out of his room. He wore a white shirt, black pants, and black laced shoes.

"I'm all set," Lux's voice resounded through the living room.

"Passable." Twilight took a glance at Lux and gave an assessment of his outfit.

"Let's move," Twilight said, heading straight for the door.

The squad stepped outside, where a black luxury car sat in front of the building.

"Who's that?"

"The driver sent by the association," Twilight answered.

"Wow... I get to ride in a luxury car? A Grolls Groyce Wraith, nonetheless?"

"Get used to it, bruva," Danzai said, tossing an arm around Lux's shoulder.

"For a second, I thought my life would be characterized by terrible nights with my head being hunted, horrible school days with you three ruining my cafeteria period, and serious food stock loss."

"But this... this is awesome," Lux said absentmindedly. His entire attention was fixed on the luxury car in front of him as he trailed his hand across the matte-black frame.

"Is it that impressive? I have one. I can trade it to you for a burger and fries... with extra sauce," Danzai said, sounding genuinely confused by Lux's reaction.

Lux turned sharply, staring at Danzai with an expression that screamed shock and disbelief.

"Enough admiring. Get in," Twilight's voice brought Lux back to reality.

He and Danzai were the only two people still standing outside the car, and that quickly changed as Danzai slipped into the back seat.

Lux exhaled slowly before stepping in as well.

The ride was surprisingly quiet and uneventful.

Lucky for Lux.

They had been on the road for about thirty minutes, and Lux had grown tired of the scenery.

"We'll be there in five," Twilight's voice resounded through the back seat, drawing a knowing nod from Lux.

After a while, they arrived in front of a massive villa, large enough to rival the Raizen family mansion.

"Wait... isn't this the Clevates family villa?" Lux asked, the shock in his voice evident on his face.

"Yes. The Clevates family is a minor subordinate faction of ours."

"Whoa, that is so cool! So, in essence... they're meant to treat me with respect, right? I mean... they're a subordinate faction."

The trio stared at him as though he had asked the dumbest question imaginable.

"That's both true and false," Twilight replied.

"True that they will accord you respect. False that you will be the one receiving it."

Twilight pulled out a plain black mask with openings only for the eyes and handed it to Lux.

"You will put on a mask."

"They won't know what you really look like or sound like. Privacy protocol."

"And what it means is that the one wearing the mask will be respected. Don't go causing trouble with your real identity and expect the Clevates family to wipe your ass for you."

"Oh."

"If you do misbehave... my Crusoe family can take care of it," Danzai said with a wink, a smirk tugging across his lips.

"Guess I can go crazy then... hehe."

"Let's go," Twilight said as the car came to a halt directly in front of the villa.

They stepped out, and Lux finally had time to examine his surroundings.

They all donned their headgear, which looked especially strange considering they were dressed in corporate attire: white shirts, black pants, black laced shoes, and black overcoats.

Twilight rang the bell while Lux continued surveying his surroundings.

A flower garden.

A fountain.

A parking space large enough for thirty cars.

All of these felt like fantasies to Lux, who had practically been living like a pauper on allowance.

The sound of the door opening drew the squad's attention.

"Please come with me. The patriarch has been expecting your arrival," a middle-aged man said, opening the door wider.

"I am Reece, the family butler."

Twilight acknowledged the introduction with a nod.

They followed Reece through the villa, passing several corridors before arriving at their destination.

Reece opened the door and gestured for them to enter.

The squad walked into what appeared to be a study. Rows of bookshelves lined the walls, and a muscular man stood in the center.

"Lords, I have been awaiting your arrival," the muscular man, Clement Clevates, said as he turned around before bowing slightly.

"I must thank Patriarch Clevates for his efforts. Can we get to business? Time is power," Twilight's cold, calm voice echoed through the room from behind his white Oni mask.

"Yes. Please come with me."

Clement walked toward one of the bookshelves and pulled six books in a particular order.

One of the shelves rotated, revealing a hidden corridor.

He gestured for them to follow before stepping inside.

The corridor was dimly lit.

After roughly three minutes, they arrived at a circular chamber.

It possessed a dome-like ceiling with towering pillars surrounding it.

At the center lay a large circular formation covered in strange inscriptions. In its middle was a circular indentation, as though someone had carved out a smaller circle.

Twilight stepped into the formation first.

The others followed.

Lux merely copied everyone else.

Clement reached into his pocket and retrieved a circular seal.

He tossed it toward Twilight, who caught it before inserting it into the indentation.

The inscriptions slowly began to glow.

At first.

Then faster.

Until the entire formation shone brilliantly.

"Brace yourself for impact," Aurmir whispered into Lux's ear.

Then it came.

A violent wave of dizziness crashed into Lux.

Blinding white light flooded his vision, forcing him to shut his eyes instinctively.

The sensation lingered for nearly thirty minutes before his body finally began recovering.

He slowly opened his eyes.

They stood inside another circular chamber.

Nearly identical.

Only much larger.

Multiple teleportation circles covered the floor.

Lux turned.

Twilight leaned silently against a wall, breathing a little harder than usual.

Danzai sat on the ground with his mask beside him, his face pale.

Aurmir alone appeared completely composed.

Arms crossed.

Eyes closed.

Breathing steady.

"The flipping fuck was that?" Lux's exhausted voice echoed through the chamber.

"That," Danzai replied with obvious irritation, "is what happens when your body crosses unimaginable distances through a teleportation formation in less than half an hour. And fucking hell... I don't see myself ever getting used to it."

"Wait! Teleported? That was a teleportation device? I thought it was some Totem-modified elevator that would take us a couple of miles underground."

"Welcome to the Totem World, rookie. Now that you're back to your senses... let's move," Twilight said as he pushed himself away from the wall and headed toward the only exit.

Aurmir opened his eyes and followed behind him.

Lux gathered himself before glancing at Danzai.

"Yo... we're moving."

Danzai raised his head slightly.

"If you make it seem like I can't see again, you'll be attending bone therapy for six months while still paying for my meals."

The threat hidden behind his smile was unmistakable.

"Uhh... sure."

Lux hurried after Twilight and Aurmir.

"Tsk... I'm back here... again."

Danzai sighed before putting his mask back on and following them.

They arrived before a massive black steel gate.

It was so enormous that they couldn't even glimpse what lay beyond it.

"Hold it together, rookie."

Twilight's voice was calm.

"What you're about to see..."

He paused.

"...that is the real Totem World."