The Invincible Full-Moon System Chapter 1797: Kept in the Dark

Another gloomy night descended.

Through the hallway strode a lady clad in a form-hugging uniform of royal emerald and white, befitting a commander. Her hair, parted halfway with one side emerald and the other black, cascaded in gentle waves down to her shoulders, accentuating her stern expression.

Her footsteps pounded forcefully onto the plush rug.

Clear irritation showed as she exerted extra force in each stride beyond the usual.

She clutched an unfurled leather scroll in her grasp.

The royal seal positioned close to the edge indicated it originated from the royal bubble. Directly from the emperor.

Heading toward the eastern section, Princess Davina entered a box-shaped chamber. Her gaze shifted sideways—to the couch, where she spotted Lady Mira seated in the shadows, distant from the window and the alluring glow of the moonlight infused with the Blood Moon's allure.

Settling opposite Mira, she tossed the scroll onto the surface.

Days had passed since the events at the Tomb of Heroes.

From that point onward, Rex had made zero attempts to reach out to her.

Her bond with him revealed no insights, as if she had transformed back into a Spirit and severed ties with Rex. Dispatching search teams across all her lands in pursuit of him yielded no positive updates.

Nearly as though he had vanished into thin air.

Concern gnawed at her that Rex could have exhausted his stay in this world.

Yet the thought that terrified her deepest was his potential injury in some hidden spot, or teetering on the brink of demise.

She yearned to stand by his side should he require aid, yet currently, she remained utterly clueless.

A heavy sigh slipped from her mouth while she gripped her hands together and pushed them to her aching brow.

"Still no word?" Mira inquired, setting a teacup down on the table.

"None at all." Princess Davina combed her fingers through her locks in aggravation—then reclined. Fresh from the scouting expedition with her troops—she felt utterly drained. Wearied by both the Black Rift's burdens and her constant worries over Rex, "Where on earth is he?"

Mira picked up the scroll and scanned its message.

Contained within lay an official summons from the emperor, requesting her attendance at the royal bubble.

"Planning to head to the royal bubble?"

"Why bother? Just to get imprisoned as bait for Rex? Ridiculous."

The motives of Emperor Dominar shone as plainly as sunlight.

His troops were barred from invading the House of Castillon’s domain to avoid igniting a civil conflict.

However, that safeguard no longer held firm.

"Hmm? Your father has aligned with him?" Mira's eyebrows knitted in disapproval.

At the scroll's lower section, beside the royal seal, appeared Duke Lorcan’s mark as well.

This signified that Duke Lorcan backed the command too.

At present, Princess Davina opposed not only the emperor but her own sire.

Luckily, widespread affection from her subjects throughout the territory ensured her followers' steadfast allegiance.

"Indeed," Princess Davina breathed out wearily from her nostrils. "That fool has never taken my side. If he realized Rex persuaded me to offer Octavia an opportunity, he'd grasp just how foolish he's acting. Curse his stubborn pride."

Exhausted as she was, surrender wasn't in her nature so soon.

Over the ensuing five hours, Princess Davina unfolded a map and indicated the regions her teams had already covered.

Additionally, she pinpointed likely spots for Rex's location using red markers, striving to envision his perspective, while Mira interjected with suggestions now and then. This led to an unbroken exchange of ideas lasting hours, which cemented the strategy for the coming day.

Nearly dawn had arrived by the time they finished.

"Yet this relies on him remaining in this realm or even breathing," Mira reclined, her eyelids heavy.

Spirits aren't designed to endure the night, making this exertion particularly draining for her.

Princess Davina faced the identical fatigue, even if she concealed it well.

"He's alive." Princess Davina squeezed her eyes shut tightly, battling the urge to doze. As a werewolf presently, her abilities were still acclimating to her form. "If you'd witnessed firsthand his feats on that mission, you'd know how tough he is to eliminate. I'm certain he's out there. We'd have felt it if he'd perished."

"Plus, I trust he's yet in this realm. He wouldn't depart without bidding me farewell." She continued.

Instinctively, her fingertips brushed her lips shaped like a heart.

That kiss shared with Rex atop the Deific Grove of Concordia held an enchanting quality.

From it, she sensed his true affection and heat.

He'd never abandon her without a word. She wouldn't accept such a notion.

"I'll rally my forces to aid yours," Mira agreed with a nod. "Though don't anticipate a large contingent. I'm quite restricted."

"Some aid beats none," Princess Davina acknowledged with a nod. "I appreciate your support."

Currently, among her subordinate nobles, only Mira responded to her summons.

Her battle for the usurper, driven by sentiment, caused the majority to align with Duke Lorcan.

Princess Davina scanned the map once more.

Her stare settled and dwelled on a remote location isolated from other bubbles.

Known as Point Zero, it lay over a hundred miles distant from the closest bubble. Deep within the Black Rift, it bordered the Monarchy lands of a Voidal Monarch. An area Spirits had never touched.

Catching sight of her focus, Mira let out a light laugh.

"Rex couldn't possibly be at that spot," she remarked amusedly. "Aberrations swarm that zone, and it's distant from the Tomb of Heroes. Should he have endured, he'd lack the strength for such travel. Likely he's concealed nearby. Point Zero offers a wide, exposed plain. Of everywhere, why select that?"

"True enough," Princess Davina agreed, nodding. "Still, assistance could get him there."

"Assistance?" Mira cocked her head. "From whom?"

"Shade Crawlers."

Mira's face flickered briefly at the mention, though the princess remained unaware.

"One Shade Crawler approached to scent Rex, I noticed. It made me wonder if they're linked to werewolves," Princess Davina grabbed a flag from the table's edge—a blue one differing from the red others—and set it at Point Zero. "Their nest might shelter him currently."

In that instant, Princess Davina observed Mira's mouth twisting slightly.

A forced expression.

Upon noticing the scrutiny, Mira's grin faded away.

"Why the smile?" Princess Davina questioned, her gaze sharpening. "Am I mistaken?"

"Simply struck me as surreal," Mira replied following a brief hesitation. "The princess rumored to ignore the Crown Prince entirely. The one without a matching consort. Hard to fathom her battling for an ordinary fellow now."

"You're taunting me," Princess Davina massaged her face with both palms. "Stop mimicking Althea."

"On Althea, have you caught wind of her quarrel with her spouse?"

"Idle chatter. I avoid such matters."

"This bit you'll want to know, trust me," Mira bent ahead, resting her elbows on the table to brace herself. "Certain guards witnessed her intimacy with Rex, her husband learned of it, and rage consumed him."

"Is that so?" Princess Davina leaned closer too, abruptly engaged in the tale. "Excellent. She earned it."

"Far from excellent. Her spouse dispatched nearly fifteen thousand personal soldiers to the emperor."

"Fifteen thousand? Halves his army."

"Althea halted their advance using her own guards as caution, yet her spouse ignored it."

"Ever the headache, that woman—"

The rumors invigorated them amid their weariness.

Yet in time, slumber overtook them.

Princess Davina's lids quivered as she gradually lifted them—blinking against the chandelier's illumination overhead. Lowering her chin, she blinked once more, scowling upon seeing Mira fiddling with the markers spread across the tabletop map.

"What’s that you're up to?" She queried, straightening herself.

Her tone jolted Mira. Tension gripped her frame as she pivoted toward Princess Davina bearing a faint grin.

"Awake already?" She responded.

"I posed a question," Princess Davina cleared her eyes and positioned herself upright. "What are you doing?"

Her vision returned to the map, scanning for any shifts in the markers.

Yet everything appeared unchanged.

"Likely you dreamed and bumped the table," Mira flashed a grin while lowering the final marker onto the map, positioning it precisely over Point Zero amid Princess Davina’s piercing stare. "Merely straightening things."

No markers had shifted.

Mira's words rang true.

Still, Princess Davina pondered inwardly. Had she slumbered on, would it hold?

"You arrived later than anticipated following my note," Princess Davina reflected—now fixing Mira with a keen, searching gaze. Doubt stirred within her. "If it's no imposition, what detained you?"

Upon returning to the estate, Mira had examined the scroll.

The chief steward bombarded her with inquiries, proving difficult to deflect after spotting the shattered pane. Thankfully, she managed to soothe him smoothly—allowing her to depart anew without alerting Great Elder Rosa.

That delay explained her tardiness.

Yet revealing it to Princess Davina was impossible.

She'd deduce Rex had summoned her.

"Your pulse quickens," Princess Davina drew out her words hoarsely, heightening the atmosphere's strain to test Mira's resolve. "I trust you wouldn't stoop to deceiving me, Lady Mira."

Resuming the formal address.

This marked Princess Davina's signal that she spoke now as the duke's heir.

The ruler of the grounds where Mira's kin resided.

Mira eased back into her seat gradually, allowing a moment to settle under the pressure before meeting Princess Davina's stare directly. "You inquire as if the response eludes you," She gestured toward the window. Up at the heavens. "Naturally, the nearing full moon."

A reasonable explanation.

Princess Davina prolonged the silence briefly before rising.

"The hunt resumes for me," She declared and proceeded, pausing just shy of the doorway. Glancing over her shoulder at Mira, "Safeguard the map for me, Lady Mira."

With her departure, Mira collapsed onto the couch.

'Too perceptive,' she mused, massaging her temple. Her eyes wandered to Point Zero, the vivid blue marker rising defiantly like a taunt. Princess Davina's doubts now centered on her, barring any chance to relocate the blue flag. 'At this pace, she'll uncover Rex.'

...

Clad in ragged armor, a man trudged along a deserted Life Vein, arms folded tightly—as if embracing himself. His gaze darted side to side into the Black Rift's void. Terror shone plainly in his eyes, and his rapid pace betrayed pursuit by some entity or pursuer.

Grr...

"Haah!" The man tumbled onto his rear.

A snarl reached his ears.

Protected by the Obelisk of Life inside the bubble, external noises shouldn't penetrate. Doubtless his imagination toyed with him, yet the snarl felt vivid. Imminent. As if whispering next to him.

Before him, shadows twisted into a shape.

A beast.

Its red eyes instilled dread in the man.

In an instant's blink, the beast vanished, carried off by the Black Rift's surging dark gales.

Merely a mental illusion.

"Damn it," the man hauled himself upright and hastened forward. "He's surviving... Still enduring. Impossible." Haxel clutched his skull while advancing, drenched in sweat, gripped by panic upon hearing the empire's intent to eliminate the usurper. "I consigned him to the Immortal Slugs. How does he persist?"

Aooouuu!

Haxel halted and peered aside in alarm.

A wail echoed to him.

Yet another mental deception. Or so it ought to be.

Then the wail echoed anew.

Genuine, and close by.

"Rex..."