Chapter 89: Riftward Bound I
Chapter 89: Riftward Bound I
The silver pulse of the Pylon Gateway faded behind them, a faint shimmer of electricity sealing off the Hollow Stacks like a memory pushed too deep to reach.Now in the luminous heart of Skyglass Heights, the world felt quieter, but it wasn’t peace. It was sterilized silence, the kind that felt bought. Enforcers, trucks, and Aerial Vessel buzzed around everywhere.
Beast Masters could be seen in the far distance.
News crews covering the raised Gateway on the other side.
Damian and Serena passed by all of this.
Damian pulled out his phone, its black screen catching the light of floating shuttles above. With Kitsuul curled lightly around his neck, and Serena silently watching the crystal spires and busy crystal streets tower over them, he made the call.
It rang once.
Twice.
Then...
"Therion?"
Lyra’s voice, laced with worry and warmth, greeted him across the line, as if she was shocked he would even call.
He took a breath and steadied his tone, his eyes flashing with cold calculation as he knew he was about to manipulate a poor woman to get what he wanted.
"I didn’t want to call... not with everything going on. But I can’t just sit still, Lyra. I need to do something."
There was a pause on her end.
"...Are you okay? You’re not still in the Hollow Stacks, are you?" she asked quickly.
"No," he answered. "Serena and I made it across. But we need to get stronger. Fast. And I was wondering if you could help secure access to an Entropic Rift for us to delve into? I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t urgent."
Another pause.
"...You and Serena?" Her voice held a strange note.
He blinked. "Yeah. She happened to be curious of Kitsuul and the Hollow Stacks when everything went down..."
There was a small silence on her end. "I see. So you’ve been spending some time with Serena..."
Damian’s brow rose, ignoring the signs of slight jealousy in her words.
But the mood shifted, her voice softening into something more concerned. "Are you okay, Therion? After... after everything that happened down there?"
For a moment, silence reigned. The weight of silver spears piercing into Masked Guardian and Enforcers flooding into the Hollow Stacks still clung to his shoulders. But he nodded, even though she couldn’t see.
"I’m fine," he said. "I had to do what I did. I don’t regret it."
He spoke words she wouldn’t know the meaning of as she listened silently.
A breath passed.
Then, Lyra’s voice grew steady again. "I’ll see what I can do."
BEEP!
The call ended.
And Damian looked towards Serena beside him as he asked.
"I don’t know much about how rich you are and your connections... but are you also able to secure us entrance to an Entropic Rift?"
"..."
The Serpent Queen turned to him as she replied silently.
"Entropic Rifts are under Beast Corporations, and I do not have a father who is a Director of Operations in a Beast Corporation."
Her voice was calm as the two of them blinked at each other, thinking of her actual father that she wanted to kill... Valentine Bateman.
—
In the depths of the Skyglass Heights.
Inside a certain luxurious villa.
She ended the call and stood from her bed, her fingers clenching the sides of her designer robe. The news still played in the background. Her father’s villa hummed with security and surveillance.
But she turned and walked down the elegant corridor with purpose.
In the main office of the villa, Manager Park stood by the window, sipping something crystalline. He didn’t turn when she entered.
"What is it? The guests are about to arrive."
"I need a favor, access to enter an Entropic Rift for Initiate Interstellar Beast Masters," Lyra said without beating around the bush.
Now, he turned, curious, his silver-streaked hair catching the lights. "Oh?"
She nodded. "It’s not for me. It’s for the Beast Master who saved me."
That got his attention.
"For Therion... and Serena."
His gaze sharpened instantly, subtle surprise rippling across his refined features. "Therion... Serena, the Trial Guardians, yes. I remember."
He set down his glass slowly, voice calm but probing. "For you to be asking on their behalf... Serena I can ignore, but there isn’t anything going on between you and Therion, is there?"
Lyra blinked once. "What? No. Of course not."
She lied very easily.
So easily that the Blue Slime above her head also did not even blink.
It did not mention whatever human rituals it had seen being done to its Master the night before.
Manager Park watched her closely. Too closely.
Then, with a chuckle, he stepped forward and ruffled her hair. "Alright, alright. My baby girl wouldn’t lie to me."
She laughed nervously, and he turned to the side, already pulling out his sleek gold communication device.
"I’ll make the call. Since they have their ZENTHRA Trial Guardian devices, I’ll have our people in ZENTHRA contact them right away and have your friends escorted to a controlled Entropic Rift within the hour."
He didn’t ask why.
A Stackborn Beast Master wanting to throw himself into a Rift a moment after such a terrifying incident had just occurred in the Hollow Stacks?
He could very clearly see the mindset behind the why, as they did not even bother asking.
"Can I go with them?" Lyra asked, voice tight.
But Manager Park’s smile faded slightly.
"No."
"But—"
"No," he repeated, firmer this time. "I want to keep you safe for now. That’s non-negotiable. And our guests will soon arrive."
She swallowed the protest rising in her throat.
"...Okay."
He gave her a warm smile again, though there was steel behind it.
"Go relax. I’ll make sure everything is arranged. I’m honoring the favor. And who knows, maybe it’ll give him what he needs to move up quickly in ZENTHRA’s ranks. Things are about to get very difficult for Stackborn Beast Masters after all of this..."
...!
As he stepped away to place the call, Lyra lingered a moment longer in the doorway, fingers curling.
She didn’t like sitting still.
But for now... she’d watch. And wait.
She sent a text to Damian to let him know everything went smoothly, but she truly wished she was going with them.
Them.
She thought of Serena and became stern. When had they even gotten close that they were now planning to enter a Rift together?