Chapter 52: Terror Incident II
Chapter 52: Terror Incident II
Club Skyspire rose like a crown jewel atop one of the tallest skyscrapers in Skyglass Heights—its rooftop encased in domed glass panels that shimmered with shifting hues of violet, sapphire, and gold beneath the night sky.Only the elite passed through its threshold—Glassbloods with lineage etched in platinum veins and Beast Masters whose names rippled through the city as they followed different Beast Corporations.
Damian arrived before its towering obsidian-glass doors, having ascended 250 floors via an elevator crowded with two men and two women—presumed rich young elites, whispering among themselves while casting glances at him.
One of the women seemed ready to introduce herself, only for her friend to tug her back and remind her they were already on dates.
The men, their supposed dates—exchanged looks, shaking their heads with subtle envy as they eyed the Beast Master sharing the elevator.
Kitsuul glowed with a soft luster, brighter than hours ago—even though Damian had instructed her to suppress her power as much as possible.
What she displayed now was less than five percent. And even that... was the most she could limit it.
The Natural Nanotech Blood Serums had been that potent.
In front of the towering, obsidian-glass entryway to Club Skyspire, a fellow Interstellar Beast Master stood as the gatekeeper. A Frost Salamander, a snug older creature, rested in a coiled slumber beside him, its body radiating frost that cooled the entire entryway to pristine chill.
The four ahead of Damian passed without incident, and as he approached, the Beast Master guard’s eyes- augmented with cybernetic implants- scanned him up and down, pausing as recognition flickered in his voice.
"Aha, Trial Guardian Therion. Let’s see... reservation under Lady Ariana. Please wait a moment. A Skygirl will escort you to your private suite."
...!
A private suite? Skygirl?
The words felt foreign. But moments later, the doors opened and stayed open as a woman clad in glimmering white-gold garments stepped forward... if they could be called garments at all.
They barely covered her figure as she bowed with a bright smile.
"Please, Sir Beast Master, follow me."
Damian was unsettled by the spectacle but followed regardless, ascending a staircase that led to an exotic rooftop bar.
This wasn’t the Riftstack Lounge.
A floating starlit ceiling mimicked the cosmos in real-time—galaxies and constellations shimmering above, synced to satellite arrays. It reflected not the sky above, but a greater sky beyond it.
The deeper he walked, the more exotic the atmosphere became. He began to hear music, foreign and fluid- and laughter that struck him with a sharp realization.
’Does it have to sound so arrogant and prideful?’
He shook his head. Even the laughter carried a weight. It was the laughter of those born rich, those who’d never known want.
Laughter that didn’t worry about tomorrow.
He soon saw them- Glassbloods in radiant attire mingling, standing on white-gold marble floors veined with light that pulsed beneath their steps, guiding guests toward the heart of the lounge.
Viewing terraces opened to the skyline. Private suites hung along glass walkways, suspended above the city, with the stars waiting above.
Miniature Interstellar Beasts- synthesized, ethereal hybrids- floated lazily in containment spheres overhead, their presence casting ambient light and soft melodies that didn’t sound like music but something older, deeper... like breath turned into song.
Damian’s expression hardened.
He didn’t belong here. The opulence felt suffocating.
At the center of the lounge, a four-tiered crystalline bar shimmered like a prism. Chrome-skinned Cybernetic Bartenders served cocktails fizzing with plasma and sprinkled with stardust—drinks that cost more than a year’s rent in the Hollow Stacks.
One look at them made Damian’s heart clench. They resembled the one held by the Drunken Butcher the day he murdered her.
He breathed heavily as he controlled his emotions and continued looking.
Beast Masters with their bonded creatures. Glassbloods with glimmering eyes. They were all here.
Everyone looked effortless. Everyone watched just long enough to judge, then looked away.
Music wove through the air like a whisper- haunting, electric. The scent was a fusion of synthetic florals, ozone, and something sharper.
Greed. Lust. Ambition.
Everyone here belonged.
Except him.
And yet, as Damian stepped forward, back straight, silver-streaked hair catching the astral light, he looked like he was born to stand among them. Heads turned.
"Sir, right this way...and if you need anything- anything at all, just give me a call."
...!
The Skygirl led him across a glass bridge overlooking the dazzling cityscape below. A silver crystalline barrier parted as laughter spilled from the private suite ahead.
And when it opened...
The Trial Guardians of ZENTHRA filled the grand suite. They lounged on white-gold couches. A golden table overflowed with food and drinks—a bounty no Stackborn would taste in their lifetime.
The terrace extended into open sky, glass walls shielding it, energy humming at the edges to keep the winds at bay.
Inside, Ariana stood on the table, a mic in hand, gesturing toward a shy-looking Lyra Veyrin seated nearby, chewing delicately. Her form shimmered in a tight, luminous dress of radiant white.
Alex was there too, dressed in a dark, glimmering suit. Even the Serpent Queen had arrived, wrapped in a dark overcoat atop her white ZENTHRA suit—unchanged while everyone else had dressed for spectacle.
Becca and the others were drinking, talking—until the crystal door opened and Damian stepped through.
The conversations fell silent.
On the table, Ariana blinked, tilting her head as she peered toward the door.
"What is... woah!"
She never finished the sentence.
Damian stood in black pants and a blue dress shirt. His hair, dark with silver streaks, gleamed with quiet brilliance. And perched on his shoulders, Kitsuul radiated a regal, quiet glow.
Even the Serpent Queen turned to look, her gaze lingering on Damian for a brief few seconds.
Alex, still bearing bruises from their recent fight, frowned and looked away. As if he wanted nothing do with the ones known as Therion Dark after the recent thrashing, and he wanted it to stay that way!
"Haha! He cleans up perfectly. Come in, come in!"
And just like that, Damian stepped into his first Glassblood night club, surrounded by the rich and the powerful.
But this night... it would not be filled with the usual richness, lust, and greed.