CHAPTER 190: CHAPTER 190: THE SEER [1]

Chapter 190 – The Seer [1]

Kaden looked at the approaching Seer from afar, but even at that distance, he could still sense a dreadful amount of pressure pressing down on his mind like a meager orange crushed inside a blender.

It was maddening.

His heartbeat began to climb, betraying the signs of stress and fear, and it was only in that moment that he fully realized what he was about to do. He was about to meet a being higher than Grandmaster rank.

A being who could kill him with a single thought.

Something strange stirred in his chest, though Kaden couldn’t quite name it—the only thing he was certain of was that it didn’t look like good news for him.

His throat turned dry like old cotton as a wry smile crept across his lips.

"Ah... I feel like a mouse being lured by some damn cheese," he muttered unconsciously under his breath as he followed the Seer into the forest.

...

Kaden was going deeper inside the forest than he thought he would, his surroundings a blur of green with trees stretching endlessly high into the sky.

In normal situations, he shouldn’t have been able to reach this far without bloody battles against the beasts of the forest, battles that would have turned the lush green grass beneath his feet into a carpet of multicolored blood.

But it looked like all the beasts already knew that Friday morning was the time for them to stay home—or wherever they usually dwelled—and reflect on the meaning of life...

...if they didn’t want to lose that very life by getting too close to the wandering Seer.

Kaden tried his best to keep his distance in such a way that she wouldn’t sense him, but even with all that, he couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was wrong.

Deciding instead to focus on the fast-walking Seer, he forced these thoughts away and continued trailing behind her.

Finally, after an hour of walking, the Seer stopped.

Here, the surrounding forest was breathtaking, the tall green trees and lush grass painted with an orange hue from the rising morning sun.

Before the Seer flowed a clear river across the grass. The water was so pristine that one could see the blue moss swaying gently beneath it, carried along by the current.

It was relaxing and beautiful.

The Seer sat cross-legged on a massive rock in the middle of the river, closing her eyes in peaceful meditation.

Kaden observed all this and felt that it was finally time to step in, but before he could act on his thoughts—

"You have been following me since the beginning," the Seer said, her voice like silk wrapping around his head with suffocating tenderness, "why still hide?"

Kaden’s body instinctively paused, a tight frown creasing his face before softening into a rueful sigh.

He wasn’t surprised that the Seer had found him. In fact, the opposite would have been concerning. He was only an Intermediate,

there was no way he could hide against someone at her level. But the fact that she had waited until now to call him out, that she hadn’t struck him down immediately or acted with hostility... already spoke volumes about the kind of person she was.

Curious, or maybe reckless.

But Kaden leaned more toward the first, because a being with the power of foresight could hardly be called reckless.

And honestly, curious people were his favorite... because he loved to impress.

Now now, don’t call him an attention seeker. That’s simply how things worked in Darklore—or even, in both worlds.

Sighing internally to steady himself, Kaden finally stepped forward to face her.

He stood on the rocky grass shore while she sat serenely on the stone at the center of the river, only a narrow stretch of water separating them, a distance that either of them could cross in a single instant.

The Seer’s eyes were still closed, her aura calm and peaceful, yet Kaden could feel an intense burning gaze on him that made his skin crawl with dread.

It was strange and eerie, as if she were not only seeing his flesh but piercing deeper, peeling through the layers of his very being.

In that moment, he wondered if coming here to see the Seer had been a mistake... after all, her power was tied to foresight, and that kind of power...

"Envoy of Death, is that it?" she spoke, calm and neutral.

Kaden’s suspicions were immediately confirmed with her words.

"Did you know of my visit to you?" Kaden asked, his voice heavier and gruffer than usual.

"I did." Her voice was smooth.

He frowned, the strange feelings growing stronger, but still he pressed on.

"Then you must also know what I am going to tell you," he said, trying to keep his voice as steady and confident as he could, even as the etching urge to turn and run began to rise inside his head.

"I do." Again, that neutral tone.

"And tell me, what is it?"

"You want us to cooperate. You have a grudge against my family, and you want to use me for it. You want to cripple the eyes of the Cerveau so that you can strike without them knowing." Her words fell like judgment, and then she finally opened her eyes, revealing a pair of neon-blue irises so vivid it seemed the sky itself had stolen its blue from her.

Kaden’s body instinctively shuddered at her gaze, but he forced himself to remain firm, his body still, his mind even firmer.

His thoughts spun in dizzying circles, the strange feelings now sharpening into clarity...danger.

But he was already too deep into this to back out now. Forcing a polite smile, he said, "And if you are still here, amusing me, then it means you are interested in this proposal of mine."

"And that also means you are dissatisfied with your family’s current situation. We can cooperate in that."

The Seer simply looked at him, her gaze unreadable, before slowly opening her mouth, a faint thread of amusement woven into her tone.

"Cooperation is only possible between two people of equal standing, Death Envoy. But what could you possibly give me? What... use could you be to me?"

"What do you want?" Kaden said. "It’s only by knowing what you want that I can tell you... what I can offer you."

"Want, huh..." the Seer mused, her neon gaze still fixed on Kaden’s shrouded figure. She smiled, though there was no emotion behind it.

"In this world, the things worth pursuing are not many... so you can guess." Her words were soft, but heavy.

Kaden frowned, not in the mood for a guessing game, yet he still answered curtly.

"Strength. Influence. Vengeance." Then, with a voice almost mocking, "I would have loved to add family to that list, but I don’t think you’re the family type."

A small chuckle echoed through the calm forest, sounding like the song of a heavenly goddess, before the Seer responded.

"That’s exactly what I am looking for, Death Envoy... that’s exactly what I want..."

She looked at Kaden with sudden intensity.

"I want a family."

Kaden stood frozen, his expression hidden beneath his hood but twisting into deep confusion and disbelief.

What did this terrifying woman just say?

She was ready to betray her own family, and her goal was to... find a family? What kind of nonsense was this?

His mind reeled in chaos, unable to process, but his body reacted instinctively on his behalf.

"I beg your pardon?" he blurted out, the words spilling without thought, and the Seer’s smile only widened.

But there was something wrong with that smile. Kaden felt his body move back half a step before he even realized it.

"You heard me correctly... I want a family. But I don’t know what those words truly mean. I know the definition, but I don’t know the meaning behind it."

"And so, to have one, to create one... I needed to learn. And while I thought of who would be the best example of this concept of family... only one came to mind..."

At this point, Kaden’s heart was pounding so hard, so loud, that it felt as though the entire forest was pulsing in rhythm with it.

And at that moment, he knew...

...he was fucked.

He staggered back again.

The Seer’s voice grew amused, "You must already know who I am talking about, right?"

Here, a soft, innocent smile appeared on her achingly beautiful face, but to Kaden it looked like the smile of a Demoness who had finally caught her prey and was about to devour him whole.

"Of course, I am talking about the family that can wage war on all of us if we so much as touch one of their members, or even their subordinates..."

"I am talking about your family..."

Kaden’s body visibly shook.

The Seer’s neon eyes glowed brighter, her words dripping with certainty as she delivered the final blow.

"...Kaden Warborn."

—End of Chapter 190—