Chapter 136: Returning To the Topside
Liliana watched the space where her father’s starship had vanished.
The blood-red token remained clenched tightly in her hand. Her crimson eyes narrowed with quiet, absolute determination as she rose from the black stone bank of the dragon-blood river.
"Well, it seems It’s time I returned to the Topside," she muttered under her breath. "Four full years... there is no telling what has happened, especially to my sweet Amber."
Without another word, she stepped forward and plunged into the thick, dark current of the river.
----
When she broke the surface again, she was rising from one of the great oceans on the Topside of Kalpa.
The water streamed down her blood-red cloak and long crimson hair as she stood upon the waves.
The moment her presence registered, the entire stretch of ocean around her lit up with interlocking formations—vast arrays of light and power that sealed the waters in a perfect, glowing cage.
HUMMMMM!!!!
Guardians and stationed warriors along the perimeter reacted at once.
"There’s movement in the ocean!" one of the lead Guardians shouted, voice sharp with alarm.
"Something is coming up through the waters!"
Weapons came out in the same instant, as affinities sparked across the glowing formations surrounding the waters.
Dozens of auras locked onto the rising disturbance, every fighter tensed and ready to strike the moment an enemy was confirmed.
"Hold the perimeter! Do not let whatever it is breach the formation!"
Then the figure stepped fully into view, draped in a flowing cloak the color of fresh blood.
Atop her head sat a wide-brimmed hat that seemed to have been shaped from congealed crimson, casting deep shadows over her face.
But nothing could hide those eyes—the unmistakable, piercing red gaze of the Red Lady.
In that moment, a wave of stunned disbelief rippled through the crowd, leaving the ranks frozen in place.
"The Red Lady...?"
"Why... why is it her?"
"When... did she even enter?"
Murmurs of disbelief spread quickly along the formation lines as every prepared attack hesitated in mid-air, the Guardians and warriors staring at the woman who had just returned from the Underside... the very place they had grown so curious about in recent years.
Before the tension could fully break, an Ancestor of the Guardians appeared above the sealed ocean.
The elder figure hovered at a respectful distance, long robes stirring in the sea wind, and offered a deep, formal bow toward Liliana.
There was no lengthy greeting spoken—only a single, clear command that carried absolute authority across the formations.
"Release her immediately."
The interlocking arrays that had encased the ocean parted in a smooth, glowing arc.
The moment the path opened, Liliana rose from the waves without a word.
The water streamed from her blood-red cloak as she shot into the sky, not wasting a single breath on explanations or lingering glances.
In moments, she was gone, a streak of crimson vanishing toward the lands... she ruled.
----
Liliana stepped through the great doors of her personal chambers deep within the Dark Hold.
The vast room was exactly as she had left it four years earlier—dark stone walls lined with shelves of ancient tomes, soft crimson light filtering through tall windows, and the familiar scent of old blood and polished wood.
Her blood-red cloak settled around her shoulders as she walked further inside, crimson eyes already scanning the silent space for any sign of what had changed in her long absence.
Then she moved across the dark stone floor toward the great map that dominated the far wall.
Thin lines of blood-red light traced connections across all five continents of Kalpa, each node marking a place the Dark Hold already touched.
She stopped in front of it and allowed a slow smile to form.
"It’s time," she murmured to herself. "The Dark Hold needs to expand... rapidly."
The organization was created for one purpose—to uncover her origins and carve a path into the Underside.
That mission had technically been completed, but instead of diminishing her ambitions, it only made them grow stronger.
Now she intended to forge a faction strong enough to protect her family and, when the time came, to stand beside her husband without becoming a burden.
The mere thought of being useful to Akasha sent a warm, obsessive current through her chest. A soft, almost girlish happiness flickered behind her crimson eyes before she forced it back under control.
She turned from the map and walked to the heavy desk of black wood that sat beneath the tall windows.
With a single pulse of will, she summoned her top subordinate.
Darkness swirled into being at the center of the chamber, and from it stepped a woman who immediately dropped to one knee, head bowed.
"Welcome back, my Lady," she said, her voice calm and warm.
"I congratulate you on your return from your trip."
Liliana studied her briefly.
"Rise, Sentri. Now, tell me—did you make any progress with the matters I left in your care?"
Sentri stood, a faint curiosity visible in her expression.
She had never been told exactly where her mistress had gone or why, yet the bond between them had long since moved past simple subordination into something closer to cautious friendship.
"I managed to maintain the Hold’s current operations and keep things stable," Sentri answered. "But I am more interested in whether you found what you were searching for."
Liliana gave a partial truth, voice even.
"Well, I found some answers, but not nearly everything."
Then she moved past the moment quickly.
"What is the recent status of the Academy of Veils... and of my lovely Amber?"
A flicker of conflict crossed Sentri’s face. Liliana’s eyes sharpened at once, worry rising hot and immediate, but before she could speak, Sentri continued.
"Both have been... beyond tremendous," she said carefully.
"The Academy of Veils has completely conquered the Southern Continent and is currently clearing out the last remnants of the Academy of Revelations.
Not long ago, word spread that Lord Dream personally dismantled their Ancestors and most of their elite disciples.
Only the civilization pit and a handful of low-level instructors remain. And Amber..."
Sentri’s voice carried clear respect.
"Amber has been the driving force behind nearly every major success of their conquest."
Liliana could not hide the smile that spread across her lips. Internally, the decision formed at once.
’Ughh... I miss my lovely Amber... I need to return to her side immediately.’
She straightened, the blood-red cloak swaying with her movement.
"That’s good news, indeed. But now we need to change our priorities—the Dark Hold’s... next phase is expansion," she said with measured calm.
"Bring together the top one hundred members and make sure they’re prepared within two months."
Sentri gave another bow. "As you wish."
Liliana’s crimson eyes shone with unwavering resolve. "Our vision will no longer end with this world. We must influence all the other worlds close to Kalpa’s vicinity."
With that, she dissolved into a single drop of pure blood and vanished from the chamber, leaving Sentri alone amid the soft crimson light and the great map of five continents that would soon no longer be enough.
-----
Inside the high chamber of the Academy of Veils, soft light from the tactical projections painted the faces of the gathered Peak Masters in shifting shades of purple and gold.
Harlan Steele stood at the head of the long table, arms folded, while Marcus Kane and the remaining Peak Masters watched the map with quiet intensity.
Across the projected landscape, over one hundred and ninety elite disciples who had once trained on Dreamer’s Peak swept forward in coordinated movements....
Leading Academy forces in the final eradication of all that still bore the name of the Academy of Revelations.
Marcus let out a low, incredulous breath.
"... Seven years. He told us we had seven years to finish this. Then he turns around and wipes the entire upper structure of Revelations off the map himself."
One of the other Peak Masters shook his head.
"The worst part is how cleanly it was done.... Four full years passed before anyone outside even noticed the Ancestors and core disciples were gone. That kind of silence is not normal."
Harlan’s expression remained carefully neutral, but his eyes stayed fixed on the map.
"Lord Dream has never been predictable... Though it seems that’s why we were only given two years to clear the west."
The heavy doors at the far end of the chamber swung open without warning.
Liliana stepped inside.
She wore neither the blood-red cloak nor the wide-brimmed hat that marked the Red Lady.
Dark robes of deep red and black framed her pale skin and long black-red hair. Her eyes, pure and vivid red, swept the room once as she walked forward with unhurried grace.
Marcus turned at the sound of her footsteps and let out a short, rough laugh.
"Tch... four years of ’seclusion’ and you finally decide to show your face? Must have been a long nap."