Chapter 98- ...Nothing...

Words : 1149 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

Raffaelo POV Time had passed rather quickly, and the chain of events had been rounded up. I only got to hear a summary, but it seemed like ten devils appeared....from an evolution of demons. What were those demons even doing down there? They mentioned something about infants, demi-humans and Crying Orcs, so I pieced it all together to get a vivid image of what had occured....the result made my blood boil. It was funny how people did this to other people, having no morality was one thing, but having no pride was another. Were the Red Peacemakers serving devils, or were demons serving the Red Peacemakers? Now, this was a mind boggling question, but I couldn't dwell on that too much. I had to explain my side of the battle as well. Oh, and the fact that Rina was with them...I did expect that, though I didn't think she would be a beast tamer...that must have been tough on Morganna. All these thoughts bundled together in my head as I peeked through the curtain of the Carriage while Morganna slept lightly on my shoulder. 'She tends to do this a lot'. I thought, sighing inwardly, as the Colosseum came into view. 'Finally arrived huh'. The mere sight of the Colosseum settled all my concerns and thoughts, and instead, a new thought came up. 'Jang Kang Lin'. The finale was only a few hours away, and his final opponents were Derick and Jang, but considering all things, it was most likely that Derick would forfeit willingly. It was already a surprising factor that he had made it so far, but his talents didn't lie just in his ability; he had a particularly clever mind, making the most troublesome and difficult tactics to evade on the battlefield. He was definitely one of the generals during the war at the time; it was a shame I wasn't sure, since I wasn't high-up in the echelons at the time. Though, that would change drastically this time. 'speaking of Elves.....Tiara Goldin? Damn....I did not see that coming'. I remembered the golden haired Elf, but nothing about her struck me as royalty..at least not until I heard her surname. An elven clan that had been supposedly wiped off, somehow had a lasting member? Now, that was some mystery. "Raph". I turned around, snapping away from my thoughts, my gaze fixed on Gloria. The carriage came to a halt, and my mother walked out first, Gloria waiting for me and Morganna. I nodded, smiling wholeheartedly. "I'm on my way". I chuckled. Seeing my family all grown up like this, was rather nostalgic. Well soon enough, all my siblings will be about equal in abilities...if maybe different only by a little. I shook Morganna lightly, the young girl blinking slowly as she sat up. Her hair was a mess, and she seemed disoriented from her short nap, but other than that...her otherworldly beauty was evident. 'Hmm....and they just happened to be my sisters'. I shook the thought, descending from the carriage, Morganna following suit, and Gloria soon after. "Raffaelo?" The familiar voice took him by surprise, but nonetheless, he had expected her to be the figure. Discover hidden stories at empire "Ciara?" He said out loud, standing up from the chair, walking towards the edge of the platform and jumping into the air, landing on the Merlin's platform, with a light thud. "Ar–Are you crazy?!" Her startled tone...was nearly cute to say the least. Raph chuckled, finally getting a view of her. He did have perfect ocular vision, even within the darkness, but its color wasn't as bright as he hoped; it was more like the color that shown when the moon illuminated the skies, a dull gray. "What brings you here?" Raph asked, his tone laced with curiosity. He had decided to come for a walk, but never in a million years did he think he would meet her here. Ciara stared at him blankly, looking away as Raph rested on the ceramic railings. "It's nothing a Jun should concern himself with" Her reply was quick and sharp–tongue, almost like she intended to hurt him, but of course...she didn't. Which kind of made it worse. Raph sighed, turning his gaze from the girl and to the Arena, further away. A smile played on his lips. "You're strong..." He said, matter-of-factly. An unknown light sparked in the depths of his eyes. Ciara turned towards him, seemingly taken aback by his words. Her ears and cheeks were flushed, and it seemed like she would lash out anytime soon. "Fl–Flattery won't do you any good". She turned away again with a puff of her cheeks. "...and you were stronger...". She said, after a stifling silence had suffused in the air, her expression calm and even. The cold chill hit hed like a blast of frosty air, but she had arrived with a thick blanket to hide her nightgown..... 'Nightgown?!' Her thoughts screamed at her, her gaze scanning her choice of clothing and she further wrapped the blanket around her, hiding every bit of skin that may have shown off. "Are you upset ?" Raph spoke up, unaware of her actions...and not bothered about her clothing.....it was difficult to tell if he even noticed. Ciara raised a brow. "At what?" Her voice was laced with curiosity. "What I did to you, don't you have a bias towards men? I controlled you..." Raph's voice seemed forced, his brows furrowing deeply. It was obvious he would rather avoid the topic. Ciara remained silent for a while, her gaze fixed on him. It seemed like a long lasting ten seconds had passed before she decided to speak up. "...I get it was part of your skill....and you really had no other choice of winning anyways....it was a smart move. I would have done the same". She took a short breath. "but, that doesn't change anything...I may have to acknowledge men on the battlefield....but from a moral standpoint, I would say otherwise". Raph sighed deeply, his thoughts reeling in. It was difficult enough that she was such a stoic person, but her hatred towards men would be a stumbling block for her progress. He had to do something about it....he couldn't beat it out of her...perhaps talking to her might walk? "....what can I do...to placate your hatred towards men?". Ciara was taken aback once again. Her eyes widened slightly, and her gaze was fixed on Raph's, a swell of emotions growing within, as if searching for something deeper. It was a simple question, really, something that had never crossed her mind once, but it seemed he was adamant on changing her mind. Why? "....Nothing..."

Chapter 98- ...Nothing...

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