Supreme Warlock System : From Zero to Ultimate With My Wives-Chapter 404: You Look Dead

Warlock Ch 404. You Look Dead

"You look dead, Kaelan," Aria said.

Damian groaned under his breath, slouched lower in his seat at the living room. He didn't even look up. He just tore another chunk off the stale mana bread in his hand and shoved it into his mouth like it personally owed him money.

"For the hundredth time," he said through the bite, "It's Damian. Kaelan is on indefinite vacation."

Aria, standing near the end of the room with her arms crossed and a look that screamed 'I'm not here for your sass', quirked an eyebrow. "He's still making a mess, though. So I'm going to assume that vacation's been interrupted."

Damian gave her a dead-eyed stare while chewing. His hair was a mess, still tangled and damp from sweat. His clothes, thankfully, were no longer just a half-open cloak and pants. Now he had on actual trousers and a loose shirt. Still hadn't showered.

He looked like a man barely holding it together. Because he was.

"Can't I eat my breakfast in peace?" he muttered, holding up the sad bread like a flag of surrender.

"No," Aria said flatly. "Not until you tell me what the hell happened last night."

Damian sighed and dropped the rest of the bread on his plate. "Those explosions were me," he said, voice low and unapologetic. "The one who killed Commander Ryven? Also me. What do you want? A written confession?" He was clearly annoyed.

Aria walked around and sat across from him, eyes sharp and calculating. "No. I'm not here to arrest you. I'm here because everything is falling apart and you're right in the middle of it."

Damian scoffed. "Not the first time."

"And likely not the last," Aria shot back.

He rubbed his temples, exhaustion sinking deeper with every minute. "Ryven wasn't supposed to be that strong. I thought his mana circuits were fried. Figured it would be a clean takedown."

"And?"

Damian shook his head. "I was wrong. The guy had tricks. Runes carved into his skin, mana crystals embedded in his gear, and talismans—a lot of talismans. Layers of defense, counterattacks, even some weird reactive barrier I'd never seen before. Took three AOE skills, a couple of my spears, and one hell of an intense fight to finally drop him."

Aria let out a low whistle. "You look like you barely made it out."

"Whatever."

They both fell silent for a moment, the only sound in the room being Damian's plate scraping against the wooden table as he pushed it aside.

Outside the windows, the morning sun cast long golden shadows across the warded courtyard. Somewhere down the hall, someone—probably Selena—was humming softly.

Aria's tone turned more serious. "You need to be careful. Things are worse than we thought."

Damian finally looked up. "How bad?"

"Bad enough," she said. "Prince Cedric was attacked last night."

Damian straightened, eyes narrowing. "What?" fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

Aria nodded. "He's alive. But badly wounded. Alric, his knight, is worse. From what I heard, they were ambushed at the outskirts while trying to scout one of the last safe channels in Haven."

Damian's voice was cold now. "Who?"

"No one's claimed responsibility," Aria said. "But the fae royals didn't take chances. They evacuated both of them this morning. Took them back to the forest estates under high security. No one's been allowed to contact them since."

Damian sat in silence for a moment, his jaw clenched.

"Cedric and Alric are strong," he said. "For someone to ambush them and survive…"

"I know," Aria said, folding her hands on the table. "That's why I came. To warn you. If someone's targeting royals now, this isn't just about the archives anymore. It's bigger."

Damian's mind raced. He tapped a finger against the table, slow at first, then faster as he pieced things together. His pulse began to rise—not from fear. From something colder.

Then he stopped tapping.

And stared at her.

"Wait a second," he said slowly. "Are you sure it was the fae royals who took them?"

Aria frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Damian said, leaning forward now, voice sharp, "how sure are you that the ones who took Cedric and Alric were legit? You saw them?"

"No. The report came from the watchers. Why?"

Damian's eyes darkened. "Because yesterday, one of my spies confirmed something. Someone inside the fae court—royalty or nobility, we don't know who—is hiding something. Also… there's this sealed vault beneath the Central Archive. And it can only be opened with fae royal blood."

Aria's expression shifted.

Damian pressed on. "You see where I'm going with this?"

She didn't answer.

"Selena is here. She's royal. And someone—someone powerful—could've tried to take her. But she's too well-guarded. Too close to me, Cassius, this place…"

He paused.

"So instead, they take Cedric."

Aria's face had gone pale.

"You think this was a switch," she said.

Damian nodded grimly. "I think it's more than a switch. I think they needed him. For a key. A ritual. Something tied to that vault."

Aria leaned back in her chair, arms crossed. Her jaw flexed as she stared at the wall, thoughts racing.

"If what you're saying is true…"

"I know it is."

"Then we need to confirm his location. Immediately."

"And check who's still inside the fae court," Damian said. "Someone's playing both sides, and I have a bad feeling Cedric is the piece they needed."

Aria was silent for a long moment.

Then she stood. "I'll call my informants. If anything's wrong in the chain of command, I'll find it."

Damian nodded, rising slowly. "I'll check with Selena. She might be able to trace Cedric's bloodline magic."

They both stood there for a moment, facing one another across the table.

No longer enemies.

No longer strangers.

Just two people caught in the middle of a collapsing city, trying to keep the pieces from falling through their fingers.

Aria turned to leave, but paused. "You're still messy," she said over her shoulder. "Take a shower, Warlock."

Damian smirked. "I will. But after this."