Chapter 137: Coincidence

Chapter 137: Coincidence ’Since when did this become a public space?’

Kieran thought as he sensed a more than one person on the secluded mountain area he used to train. Well, not so secluded anymore seeing as three people were using it as a secret meeting spot.

Three people he had met only a while back.

Kieran, unable to sleep had hoped to calm his nerves that had gotten too excited at the thought of a fight with Asher with some training.

This was nothing that he expected upon getting here.

"To what do I owe the invitation of the princess?"

Asher’s voice was calm and unbothered, like he was dealing with something that couldn’t interest him any less.

"I have a proposal for you Asher Black."

Sabrina’s voice reached Kieran’s ear, the tone of the conversation making him rethink his decision to leave.

’Wouldn’t hurt to listen a little more’

Kieran thought, putting in more effort to conceal his presence.

"And why should I believe that new second stage recruits like you would have anything of interest to me?"

Asher asked lazily.

"You are blind if that’s all you see her a—"

Liam came forward, but what cut off by Asher whose tone had become very harsh.

"Fool! You should be grateful I even responded to your call. Targeting my younger brother was a stupid move and if this is the reason you took such a risk, then I think of you as less than a reasonable recruit. You should be happy I didn’t take your heads the moment I came here!"

Asher Black stated, his words were harsh and calm, shutting Liam off completely. He was forced to swallow anything he had left.

Kieran couldn’t see them from his spot, but judging from the tone the conversation had taken and the subtle shifts in their aura, it seemed like the meeting had come to an abrupt end.

"I know of the Black’s situation and how you actually feel about my family. I can help you."

Sabrina who had remained silent up until this point spoke up and Kieran could sense the sudden change in Asher as he turned around with an unreadable expression on his face.

"So what? What are you going to do about it? You’re the Aurora princess. I don’t know what exactly you did, but you don’t have power in your family."

"You’re basically a glorified puppet about be sold away to the other kid’s family for some business deal. Why should I hear someone like that out?"

Liam’s expression went dark at those comments, frost slowly creeping away from his feet, covering the area around him, but Sabrina’s hand gesture made him compose himself.

Her face was not as furious as Liam’s, but it was evident that the comments of the number one recruit had hit a sore spot.

"You underestimate me, just like my father!"

She said with a smile.

"Interesting! Humor me then, I’ll give you the chance you wanted so bad!"

Asher said and Kieran from his spot couldn’t help but feel sorry for Sabrina and Liam.

Despite not knowing what was going on behind all this and their motivations, it was quite obvious that they were losing this battle of words.

Asher wasn’t really interested, he was toying with them.

Sabrina knew that too, all the more why she appreciated the small chance he had given them. A chance she didn’t plan to waste.

"We have the same interests, and you are the first step to achievement our goal. I might have been stripped of my authority, but I don’t need to prove to you what I can do without it. I’ve lived in that family all my life after all, I know things you don’t."

"Things you wished you knew. I need you and you need me. You’ll have to belive me, unless you’ve given up and chosen to accept your fate like those before you"

"Mind you, I will bring down that dammed family whether or not you accept my offer!"

Kieran, Liam and Asher’s eyes widened and shock ran through their bones at the last words of Sabrina.

Bring down the Aurora family??

Did she know what she was saying? Of course she did, she belonged to the family.

But still, that was a pillar family they were talking about, one of the families created by the one of first men who stopped the century long war and ushered humanity into a new age of grace and strength.

Their history was vast and unimaginable, their resources spanned across the whole human domain. They had the strength of several conquered civilization at their disposal.

They weren’t just any family. They were one of the 10 pillars which upheld the current state of humanity and she had just spoken about bringing them down.

Her expression and tone made it clear to the two men and the hidden eavesdroper that she wasn’t joking.

Liam’s blue eyes trembled with intense shock as he looked at Sabrina like a stranger.

"This wasn’t what we talked about, you didn’t tell me this!"

"I beg you reconsider, young lady. This is madness!"

Liam tired to make Sabrina take back her words like that would erase the weight of the words already uttered.

"You know now. You have as long as he does to make your decision."

Sabrina said, looking back at the Number one recruit, Asher Black who had gone silent.

"....why?"

Asher whispered in a tone so low, Kieran almost missed it. That question was asked in the most serious tone Asher had ever carried throughout the conversation. Since he had ever met him, in fact.

"That’s personal business. What do you say. Unfortunately, I can’t give you the luxury to sleep this over. I need an answer now!"

Sabrina said, her eyes going to Liam who was still silent, his unsteady eyes and trembling body expressing his internal dilemma.

’I’m sorry Liam. This was the best way I could think of!’

Sabrina thought beneath her cold and unmoved exterior.

"Ha..haha.ha...haaaa! This definitely wasn’t what I expected. I’d still like to believe this is some ploy by your family to find those who would against them, but that kid’s reaction couldn’t be faked!"

"I don’t trust you enough to place all my bets on you. You’d have to do much more than have a wild, crazy and impossible dream to get me on your suicide crew"

Asher said after a long period of deliberation.

Sabrina seemed to have seen this coming but, Asher raised his hand preventing her from speaking yet. He still had something to say.

"I’ll admit, you’ve got me hooked. Harboring such a crazy idea is a good sign for me. You can consider me a temporary partner. You’ll have to do way more than talk about dreams that are unattainable at your current stage to keep me by your side"

Asher finished and gave his decision. He was on board with her, the struggle to keep him and make him believe that she actually had a chance at something that crazy was up to her.

"Hmm, you don’t need to worry about that. You’re only the first step out of many. You’ll stick after some time!"

Sabrina commented, hiding the immense relief she felt inside.

If she had been wrong even by a bit, there was nothing stopping Asher from cutting her into two from where he stood.

Her words had given him every right and her family would’ve commented him for helping them deal with such a high level betrayal.

’It’s your turn now!’

The sense of unease returned to her heart as she slowly turned to face Liam.

The sudden revelation and change of situation was affecting Liam the most and she had no choice but to go through this route.

Liam was talented, fighting his way from one the lesser brach families till that talent of his caught the eyes of her father from the main family.

That moment was the greatest opportunity of his life, the chance to be something more than a beautiful persona that was buried beneath the overwhelming struggle to satisfy the main family. A struggle the other branch families killed over.

He owed his life to her father, and while he had shown at times that his feelings and support to her causes mattered more than even the orders of her father, this was the ultimate test.

He could either remain a puppet of the Aurora family and waste the rest of his life doing what the brach families did over and over again—please the main branch. Or he could take the hard road and betray the very beliefs that had brought him this far.

Could he turn his back on the very ones he had to thank for his life, and take a stand beside Sabrina, for a cause even he hadn’t comprehended fully.

"Time’s up. What’s your final decision Liam"

Sabrina’s voice was cold, but her eyes were filled with hope.

Hope that she wouldn’t have to kill a childhood friend, an important part of her life.

Asher also looked on, curious as to what Liam was going to choose.

Finally, Liam raised his head, his reddened eyes looking into that of Sabrina’s as he spoke in a cracked tone.

"I don’t know what exactly you’re doing, but I made the decision to follow you because I trusted you...and I’m making that decision again. I really hope you don’t break this trust Sabrina"

Liam said to Sabrina’s relief as he went on to make what was the biggest decision of his life.

Meanwhile Kieran had just been audience to what was the beginning of what went on to become one of the biggest betrayal in the history of man to come.

Just by coincidence.

’What the fuck?!’