Chapter 157: LoLa
BAM!!!
The heavy door of the mansion was kicked open with a resounding crash. Twenty royal guards, clad in gleaming elite armor, rushed inside, their swords drawn and ready to spill blood.
"...?"
They all froze, their gazes locking onto Lincoln, who sat on the couch with a grim frown. A faint metallic scent hung in the air, and Lincoln’s eyes darted to the blood spattered on their swords...
...He slowly tilted his head, his gaze drifting towards the courtyard, where the bodies of all the workers and guards lay motionless.
’They were already inside? Thank goodness I was fast.’ He thought, a cold dread washing over him. His eyes then landed on two familiar figures: Jade and Jolie.
"Why are you here, Lincoln?" Jolie asked, her voice dangerously calm, a stark contrast to the chaos around them.
Lincoln ignored her, turning his head to Jade:
"Who would’ve thought her best friend would betray her for a position in the military?" He picked up Nioh’s juice glass from the table and took a slow sip, his gaze never leaving Jade.
"Where is Nioh?" Jolie’s voice was now colder, cutting through the silence.
"I don’t know. I only found the workers here. They might know something... Oh, wait. You killed them all," he said, staring coldly at the group before him.
"You killed your step-sister... the crown princess at that! Why?! For the throne?! She already gave you that fucking seat!" He crushed the glass in his hand, shards and blood mixing on his palm.
"True... I just never liked her. And I was simply taking out a major threat," Jolie said with a nonchalant shrug, her words a chilling mockery of their past.
"Hahaha." Lincoln’s laugh was brittle, filled with bitter fury.
"Fine. You killed her. So why are you still looking for her kids?" he asked, his voice low and menacing.
"Come on, Lincoln. You have to cut the root of the weed for it to stop growing. If I just cut off the stem and leave the root, it will simply grow back and trouble me. I can’t have that," Jolie explained with a cruel smile, making a circular motion with her finger.
"Search the entire place. Bring Nioh to me," she ordered the soldiers.
"I have one last question. Is Lola with you?" Lincoln asked, slowly getting to his feet, his hand tightening around the gun he had concealed.
"She’s with my son. That girl is special. She has a good constitution. Becoming my son’s cultivation tool isn’t such a bad thing," she said with a malicious smirk.
"You Bitch!"
Lincoln’s rage finally boiled over. Instead of firing at Jolie, he brought the gun to his head and pulled the trigger. The sound of the gunshot was swallowed by the sudden silence, and his body slumped to the floor.
"...?"
The group stood stunned, staring at his lifeless body.
"Something isn’t right!" Jade said, his eyes widening as a faint glow began to emanate from Lincoln’s body.
"Get down!"
Jade instinctively turned and pushed Jolie out of the mansion with her celestial energy, following her without hesitation.
BOOOOM!!!
Lincoln’s body exploded in a blinding flash of light, a massive shockwave tearing through the mansion. The entire building was annihilated, and every soldier inside was instantly vaporized.
"Cough!"
Jade and Jolie stumbled, coughing as they stared at the shimmering barrier that had protected them.
"Thank you," Jolie said, her face a mask of shock as she stood up.
"I made the right choice trusting you." She turned towards the gate, only to see Frederick and Lola standing there, frozen in terror.
The cake dropped from Lola’s hand, a small, vibrant splash of color on the devastated ground. She walked mindlessly towards the raging fire.
"No... Brother... Mother told me... No... No!!" she screamed, her voice cracking as she ran towards the flames.
Jolie moved swiftly, catching her and holding her tightly:
"No! My brother is in there!!" Lola screamed, hot tears streaming down her face.
"I’m so sorry, Lola! Your uncle killed your brother and all your workers," Jolie said, her voice dripping with false sympathy.
"...?"
Lola’s gaze moved past Jolie, catching sight of the still bodies of her workers and guards. Her eyes landed on the old woman, and they turned a bloodred color, her heart shattering into a million pieces.
"No!!" she screamed, but Jolie held her tighter.
"Dear, you need to calm down... There’s something you need to know... Your... Your..." Jolie’s voice faltered. "Your parents are dead."
The words hit Lola like a physical blow. The world seemed to explode around her, all energy draining from her body as she collapsed into Jolie’s embrace.
"My... My... I’m alone?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
"No! No! You have me! Stay with us, I will protect you! Don’t worry, I will avenge your parents! It’s not your fault your brother died," Jolie said, her words a poison meant to sever Lola from her past and bind her to her.
Lola sat there, her mind a blank void. She slowly raised her head as a photo flew out from the roaring flames and landed at her feet. She stared at her family photo, the fire having consumed everything but Nioh’s face.
’Brother... I’m so sorry. I should never have left you!’
___
[Twenty Years Later.]
In a small, dark room in the Three-Eyed Nation’s royal castle, a woman with long, flowing blue hair and eyes sat lifelessly on a couch, her gaze fixed on the full moon in the clear night sky through a barred window.
"You can’t go in there!"
She looked over her shoulder at the heavy, sealed door, recognizing Frederick’s voice. For five years, this room had been her prison. The only time the door opened was when a maid came to deliver her meals. The day she discovered the truth about her parents’ deaths and the betrayal behind it, she had been locked away.
"What’s in this room?" a female voice she didn’t recognize asked.
"None of your business. You’re only here as our ally against the God Wolf!" Frederick snapped, his voice filled with annoyance.
’God Wolf?’ she frowned, the words a strange puzzle.
"Alright then! I’ll be on my way!" the woman’s voice said again, and the sound of receding footsteps told her she was gone.
’Who is this lady, and why is she lying?’ she muttered to herself. Her third eye glowed for a few seconds, and Lola looked through the walls, watching the blue-skinned lady walk away, a deceptive air about her.
’And why is she using a disguise? Is she pretending?’ she sighed, a deep sense of hopelessness
’washing over her. Forget it... There’s no way I can have my revenge.’
She looked at Frederick’s shadow under the door, a silhouette that stayed for a moment longer before finally walking away.
’No one knows I’m here... And when that fool absorbs the full power of the artifact, he’ll force himself on me, using me as a tool.’ Her fists clenched at the thought of the fate awaiting her.
BAM!!
A sudden, loud noise startled her. She stared at the hand gripping her window sill. A moment later, the figure burnt the iron with an unknown weapon, and climbed inside.
"...?"
Lola’s eyebrows shot up in surprise as the woman from earlier, a mischievous smirk on her face, stood before her.
"I knew those guys were hiding something in here," Jinx said.
"Who are you?" Lola asked, staring at the woman in surprise and a glimmer of newfound hope.