At the Hauwnted family estate.

A silence had fallen over the terrace as they were all registering the sight of Nike's brains being splattered all over the forest.

"…What?"

"I… Ah…"

Jupiter was trembling in his wheelchair. The tired eyes of his weren't not-so-tired anymore. They were very much open, and they were filled with horror and shock.

It was like there were a hundred needles stabbing into his heart as he witnessed the death of his son.

"What…"

Athena whispered to herself with a soulless look as she witnessed the sight of Beau just ripping his face off.

A fake face.

There was someone completely strange underneath that face.

She had been tricked. She knew of it. And she felt disgusted and couldn't believe that she had trusted him and did all those things with him.

In the end, the one that attacked his father was his personal bodyguard all along.

It all started to make sense, and she realized that this fake Beau had been amongst them for about a week now.

Beau apparently "forgot" his appointment with her at Brackenford Cross, which made her interested in him at first, but now she realized that he didn't actually know because he was fake Beau!

She felt sick to her stomach knowing that she had a sexual relationship with the person who just murdered her brother!

"C-Call all guards. Find him, and capture that bastard!"

Athena shrieked.

In that moment, the metallic birds in the forest started alerting the guards to get to the Forest of Justice to apprehend Aren.

"…Why is that bastard still here? Why did he go out of his way to kill my son? Who is this bastard!"

Jupiter screamed angrily.

…

Aren slowly slid his long-barreled revolver back inside his black holster, and he slowly approached Ashley.

She wasn't moving, as she was still shocked about the fact that Nike was dead. She didn't know how to feel.

While she was happy that evil person was dead, she didn't know what his killer wanted with her!

In that moment, Aren crouched before her and looked into her innocent eyes. She didn't recognize his current self.

However, she recognized his former self. He was the one that ripped off her clothes by Athena's orders back in the prison.

"I am currently working for your father. He hired me to find you and get you back home. I am here to do exactly that.

"I will get rid of your binds, but I need you to follow everything I say. Is that understood?"

Aren asked.

With a shocked gaze in her eyes, Ashley had a hard time believing what she just heard, but a little bud of hope bloomed in her heart.

She softly nodded.

Aren took off the gag from her mouth and quickly ripped off the ropes that bound her wrists and ankles.

"More is coming!"

Ashley shouted as she looked at the distance.

Three horses with three riders were galloping towards them.

"Get on the horse."

Aren said, stood up, and with a quick draw, he drew his revolver and fired three bullets in an instant.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The three bullets pierced through the heads of the horses, and they crashed to the ground, their riders falling with them.

The riders died instantly.

"Ah…"

Ashley tried climbing to the back of the horse but had some difficulty because of her weakened state.

Aren grabbed her hips and lifted her onto the horse's back. She thanked him with a mumble. He then hopped onto the horse behind her.

"You know how to ride a horse?"

He asked.

"Y-Yeah, I've been taught how to."

Ashley said.

"Good. Let's go."

Aren said.

"Uh, where to?"

Ashley asked innocently.

She trusted in Aren's instructions, as it did seem like he knew what the hell he was doing.

"Hauwnted family estate."

Aren said.

"W-W-What? We are going back there? I am sure most of the guards are heading there!"

Ashley asked with a gasp.

"No. They're angered, and they will directly try to go for me. They do not expect us to head there, and I have some unfinished business there.

"I'll tell you when to avoid certain areas."

Aren said.

With Street Smarts, he was able to tell which parts were safer and which weren't. It helped him to avoid detection of metallic birds all this time.

"O-Oh, okay…"

With a nervous gulp, Ashley kicked the horse into a gallop.

…

"Where the hell is he?"

Jupiter asked angrily as they looked at the holographic screens.

There hadn't been any sighting of Aren and Ashley for the past twenty minutes, as if they had vanished.

He started to hate the fact that he was only able to purchase three of these metallic birds, but they were expensive as hell.

"W-Wait, who is that?"

At that moment, one of the noblewomen was able to see a horse heading at full speed towards the unguarded gates.

The horse was carrying two people, and when they got closer, their appearances got clearer, and they recognized them.

"A-A-Ah… It's him and Ashley… Why is he here with her?"

The noblemen and women panicked.

They also realized there weren't any guards here to protect them, so they were completely defenseless!

"He has come here for us!"

They screamed.

"…This bastard."

Jupiter's eyes were red with rage, and he then said.

"Daughter, take me to the safe room."

However, he didn't hear a word in response, and then, he turned around with a frown but came to a shocking find.

His daughter, Athena, was gone. She wasn't on the terrace anymore. She had completely left!

"D-Daughter?"

…

After the horse galloped to the front of the estate, Aren hopped off the horse and filled the chamber of his revolver with a fresh set of bullets.

"I'll be back shortly. Wait here."

He said and entered the building.

"What if someone comes? What will I do then?"

Ashley asked nervously.

"Don't worry, it won't take long. I'll be back before you know it."

Aren said, and with his words fading into the distance, he had already made it quite deep into the estate, out of Ashley's view.

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