"On today's breaking news, the Hoyoshil Guild was attacked and many of its members were murder. This included the guild master, his son, and as well as the 2 A-rank awakeners associated with the guild. However…"
Kuro was sipping his tea and watching the news. He was alone in the house since Brian left the house in a hurry last night. He can guess why since it was right after he got home.
Just then, the TV flickers to another breaking news. This time, the news was about the dark insidious schemes conducted by Hoyoshil Guild.
"Ladies and gentlemen. We just got news that it may be related to the attack on Hoyoshil. AN anonymous informant has sent in documents that show all the dark schemes of Hoyoshil Guild. We are not able to share with you all of the information in the documents due to the graphic nature of it. However, we will be sharing with you some of the milder ones. According to the document, the dungeon break that destroyed Troy town was planned by the guild so that they could buy the lands for cheap. You may remember that Hoyoshil was the first guild to arrive first and extend aid to the impacted civilians and were praised for their quick action. Now, it seems that they arrived first because they were already in the area."
The news anchor continues listing out schemes conducted by Hoyoshil.
Kuro has a reason why he was watching and going through different news.He wanted the reactions of some of the top rankers. Since Dickus was a traitor, those that tried to defend him or at least tried to downplay the situation may also be a traitor. Although he can eardrop because of his shadow soldiers, he could only do that with weaker awakeners as strong awakeners could detect the shadow soldiers.
***
3 Days Later
Kuro walked down the hall with girls fawning with heart shaped pupils when they saw him and the guys were looking at him like he was their mortal enemies. Well, most guys were.
He started to become lazy as of late since his Knight class shadow soldiers can handle the rest of the traitorous guilds, at least the guild he knew were traitorous.
His eyes briefly flickered toward the large windows as he walked. He has been on Prime Earth for more than a year now and has his shadow soldiers across the globe. Even then, he has not found the key nor the boss to ascend to the next floor. He still doesn't know how many floors there are in the Tower of Heavens.
"Recently, I have been having this ache. Like something is going to happen." Kuro touches his chest. "Whatever it is, I hope it's nothing serious."
With that, he kept on walking. He has not heard or seen Brian or Anne for the last three days.
***
Days blurred into one another as Kuro continued his routine, the absence of Brian and Anne growing more conspicuous with each passing day. It wasn't just them, either. A number of top guild leaders and influential figures had gone silent, their whereabouts unknown. Rumors swirled about secretive council meetings, but the details were elusive.
Since his shadows were now handling the majority of his works, his focus had shifted with more free time than he had been used to in the past.
For the first time in a long while, he found himself with no immediate tasks to occupy his mind, and so he started to hang out with Eli and Lira. Hanging out with Eli, who always had something to say, or spending time with Lira, who always found a way to make him laugh with her weird antics, felt like a welcome distraction from everything that was going on since he transmigrated.
The book club, however, was where Kuro truly found solace. He'd never been the most studious of individuals, but the act of reading and discussing books with others, even if the discussions were often lighthearted, gave him an unexpected sense of normalcy similar to when he was back on Earth.
On one particular afternoon, Kuro found himself sitting in a corner of the book club's usual meeting spot, a cozy little room tucked away in the library. Eli and Lira were there too, as usual, engaged in a mild discussion about the book they had been reading. It wasn't particularly riveting to Kuro, but he liked hearing their thoughts.
"So, Kuro," Eli said, casually flipping through the pages of the book they were discussing. "What do you think? You've been awfully quiet today."
Kuro glanced up from his tea, letting his gaze settle on his two friends. "It's... fine. A little slow, but I don't mind it."
Lira rolled her eyes but smiled. "You've been like this for days."
Eli leaned back in his chair. "Ya, you have the look of someone who is bored out of his mind."
Kuro just nodded. "Rather be this than fighting."
Eli chuckled, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the table. "Fair point. But you've been avoiding fights for a while now. What's going on in that head of yours, Kuro?"
Kuro took another sip of his tea, his eyes briefly flicking to the window, though he wasn't really seeing anything. His mind was elsewhere, watching the unfolding chaos through his shadow soldiers. "I'm not avoiding anything," he said slowly, his voice contemplative. "Just waiting for the right time. You know how it goes."
Lira raised an eyebrow. "Ah, the infamous Kuro patience. You've always got a plan brewing, huh? Like how you dealt with those losers from big guilds."
"Ya!" Eli slammed the table. "Those losers never knew what hit them. They are still trying to find the culprit to this day. They never suspected someone as young as you to be so insidious."
Kuro smirks as he continues flipping through the book.
Lira, who seems to be hesitating, finally found courage to say what she wanted to say.
"So, um, do any of you have something to do during the spring break?"
Kuro paused mid-flip, his fingers resting on the corner of the book as he glanced up at Lira.
Eli, with a knowing smirk, leaned back in his chair with a grin. "Spring break, huh? Sounds like someone's planning something." He shot a knowing look at Lira. "Personally, I have nothing planned. What about you, Kuro? Got any fun plans lined up?"
"Honestly," Kuro began, "I've never really thought about it."
Lira bit her lip, clearly trying to gauge Kuro's response. "Oh. Well... I was just wondering if, you know, you guys might want to hang out. Maybe do something outside of the usual."
Kuro hesitated for a moment as he looked at Lira and Eli. "I suppose... It's been a while. It might not be the worst idea."
Eli threw his hands up in mock victory. "Yes! Kuro's going to have fun for once! We're going to make sure of it." He turned to Lira with a grin. "Any ideas, Lira? What should we drag him into?"
Lira's eyes sparkled, and she leaned forward eagerly. "Well, there's that new park in London, right? I heard there's a massive flower garden. We could spend the day walking around, maybe get something to eat afterward."
Kuro raised an eyebrow. "You want me to walk through a garden?"
Eli grinned. "C'mon, Kuro. A little change of pace never hurts anyone. Who knows? You might find it... refreshing."
Kuro took a deep breath, his expression softening. "I suppose... a walk in a garden could be interesting." He paused, glancing at Lira. "If it means hanging out with you two, I suppose I'm not opposed."
Lira beamed. "Great! It'll be fun, I promise."
Eli chuckled to himself. "Alright, then. Looks like we have ourselves a plan."
As the three chatted, the world was in chaos. Guilds after guilds were attacked and wiped out with documents listing out all the dark and evil things those guilds did were spread across multiple news media.