The Thorne of Destiny

They didn't know what had gotten into Bella, but they didn't dare question her. Instead, they raised their heads and decided to focus on other matters. They still had work to do.

There were other demonic cultivators to deal with. Other than the Wraiths and the inn manager, there were still a bunch of other demonic cultivators that were still around the area.

Some of them had been caught up in the destruction from the battle between the Nascent Soul realm cultivators, while the others were lucky enough to hide in the rubble and avoid disaster.

However, it seemed their luck had run out. When they saw that their side had lost, they tried to flee. Bella's guards were about to chase them when they saw the figure of someone running towards them.

It wasn't just someone. It was a whole squad of people. Guards, to be precise. And leading them was none other than Julian. He quickly came before Bella before asking in a concerned tone.

"Lady Vyre! Are you alright?

As soon as I heard what was happening, I immediately mobilized the guards and came as fast as possible." He was trying his best to appear as concerned as possible, as if he genuinely cared for her safety.

However, Bella, who just had he thoughts interrupted, was not too pleased. She responded in a tone colder than usual.

"Ho? You were worried, you say?

Is that why you conveniently appeared after the battle was over?"

Julian, who was not expecting this reaction from her, was caught off guard. It wasn't his fault. The part of the city where they were was quite far from the city's center.

"I-I-"He wanted to give some sort of reply, but was quickly cut off by Bella.

"Save your excuses. Just deal with the rest of the stragglers. Surely you can handle that, right?"

"O-Of course, Lady Vyre." By the time he raised his head, Bella was already walking away with her guards. He could only stare at her back, a myriad of emotions swirling in his eyes.

Meanwhile, Bella made her way back to the City Lords' manor. She didn't even meet with the City Lord and just made her way back to ht small courtyard, granted to her by the City Lord.

However, she didn't immediately go to her room. She went to the room adjacent to hers and knocked gently.

"Come in~" A light, almost cheerful tone came from inside the room. She opened the door to find Elder Glenda sitting in a chair, leisurely sipping a cup of tea.

With a slight smile, Elder Glenda gestured towards the seat ahead of her.

Bella stepped inside and closed the door behind her. The soft click of the latch felt strangely final. As if something had shifted, subtly but permanently. She crossed the room and sat down across from Elder Glenda, her gaze steady and unreadable.

The older woman studied her carefully over the rim of her cup, then set it down with a soft clink on the saucer. Steam still curled from the surface of the tea, carrying the scent of jasmine and something sharper underneath, perhaps elderroot.

"You did well," Elder Glenda said simply, folding her hands over her lap.

Bella didn't respond immediately. Instead, she let out a long sigh before finally speaking.

"I wasn't able to beat him." She finally muttered in a much quieter voice than usual. Her mood was now somber as she stared at the patterns on the tablecloth.

"That is true. But that is also to be expected." Elder Glenda said, as if she had been watching the battle this whole time. And indeed she had.

She was Bella's protector. Even if she wasn't in the same place as her, she still had her ways of keeping an eye on her. If Bella had truly been in any danger, she would have appeared right next to her in a heartbeat.

That was part of the reason why Bella could fight without worry. Her life had never truly been on the line. This whole fight was akin to training for Bella. The chance to fight someone stronger than her that wans't holding back.

In the House of Vyre, no one would dare to hurt her, even if they were training. No matter how much she would instruct them to go all out, there would always be a measure of restraint in their actions, as they were careful not to deal any significant damage.

She didn't have many opportunities to fight with someone who was truly coming for her life. Beasts were great, but fighting with a magical beast was still not the same as fighting with a human.

That was why Elder Glenda hadn't interfered and allowed her to fight against Wraith no 4. And what was the result of that fight? It was Bella's loss.

Bella's loss was something that Edler Glenda had expected. Honestly, she would have been more surprised if she somehow managed to win. But, evidently, the girl didn't share in her reasoning.

Bella's fingers curled slightly against the table, her nails scraping faintly against the wood. Her jaw tightened, but she didn't argue. She knew Elder Glenda was right; logically, she understood. But logic did little to soothe the sting of defeat.

"He was stronger," she admitted, though the words tasted bitter. "Faster, more experienced. But I should have-"

Elder Glenda raised a hand, silencing her. "Should have what? Defeated a Nascent Soul cultivator as a Golden Core realm cultivator?" Her tone was gentle but firm. "Bella, you fought well. The fact that you were able to push him to the brink of death, that is victory enough for now."

Bella exhaled sharply, frustration simmering beneath her skin. "It doesn't feel like victory."

Seeing that the girl was still sulking, Edler Glenda chuckled slightly before speaking again.

"Don't reduce your achievements, girl. The difference between the Golden Core realm and the Nascent Soul realm is just a matter of one realm being higher than the other.

You should already know this, but let me explain it to you. There are three stages of cultivation, with each stage comprising three realms each.

You are still in the first stage of cultivation. Being able to push a cultivator that is already in the second stage of cultivation is already a big achievement. One that can only be accomplished by a few."

Listening to her words, Bella finally seemed to calm down. She didn't dwell on it further and instead decided to talk about other issues.

"What do you think of that person?" She suddenly asked. Elder Glenda, of course, knew who she was talking about.

"He is certainly an interesting individual." She commented. Bella just kept staring at her with a deadpan look on her face. Seeing that, Elder Glenda just chucked and continued.

"He is quite strong for a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator."

"So he really is a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator," Bella muttered to herself. Elder Glenda had just helped her confirm something that had been on her mind for a while now."

'I wonder who he really is.' She thought to herself.

******

Meanwhile, a gust of wind suddenly sent a chill down Adrian's spine. He shivered for a bit, slowing down his pace. He was already back in the outer city and was making his way back to the inn.

There was mostly no commotion here since it was far away from where the battle took place. Noticeably, the number of guards had also reduced.

Most of them had probably gone to assist in the battle. This was a welcome sight for Adrian as he really wasn't in the mood to deal with them anymore today.

After a couple more turns down different streets, he finally found himself in front of the inn. He quickly entered and made his way down to the room where the kids were.

He quickly took off the Veil, letting the kids know that he was the one. Seeing their big brother back, the kids were visibly relieved. Olivia even ran up to give him a hug. Even though he was incredibly tired, seeing the kids rejuvenated him.

He finally felt some measure of safety with them. However, his mind might have felt better, but his body was still tired. Then, after some small exchange with them, he crashed on the bed, falling asleep almost immediately.

By the time he woke up, it was already nighttime. The kids were busy eating. With Storm at their side, letting out occasional roars, the scene was very warm and homely.

He got up and joined them at the table. After having dinner and petting Storm for a while, he decided to venture out into the city once again. There was still some business to take care of before they could leave the city.

As soon as Adrian stepped out of the inn, he began making his way down to a particular store. Not just any store, it was a store that sold herbs.