OLD-WORLD EXTRA-Chapter 145: Welcoming Kiera

Knocking on the gate of the oh-so-familiar base, Emir and Lyra waited for a few moments... "Emir!"

Only to be met by a flying gate as Kiera rushed at Emir, crashing into him with a hug.

He could've easily avoided her, but he knew that she was better off relaxing now before he dropped the truth bomb on her.

Looking at Lyra's jealous-filled face, he embraced Kiera back, patting her head in the process.

As he gently pulled away from the crying Kiera, he telepathically said:

[Don't kill her when I'm not around, alright?]

Lyra looked to be suppressing a pout from forming on her face.

[I might be jealous, but you know I wouldn't do anything that would harm you.]

Locking his eyes with Kiera, he said:

"I know, I know..."

Answering both Lyra's statement and Kiera's hug.

"Thanks for the lovely welcome."

Kiera let out a chuckle while she wiped her tears.

"I-I thought that we had lost you... Why didn't you tell me that you were leaving? It was ELEVEN whole months, you know! It's almost been a whole year!"

"...My bad, my bad, but it wasn't my fault though. I had no idea I would've been away for so long."

He paused and looked around for a moment.

"...Now why don't we continue this conversation inside? You've got some stalkers."

Nodding her head, she led them into the warehouse, and they were welcomed by all of the gang members standing in attention just after the entrance.

Emir looked at them and recalled some names:

"Jack, Evan, Hiro, Sarah, and Leo. It's been a while hasn't it?"

After a collective nod, they all replied in unison:

"Yes Sir!"

His brows raised in surprise as he thought:

'They grew up in the time I wasn't around...'

[Lyra, judging by how long you were in contact with them, do you think they could be useful as a part of the main group?]

[Yes. And it wouldn't hurt to have more people involved.]

[I see. Then do you have the capsules prepared already?]

[I do, I expected that you would ask me for them, so I already bought some of them from the shop's storage.]

[You know me quite well...]

[That I do, though it's a logical choice, a choice I knew you would make.]

[Heh, thanks for the compliment.]

Nodding back, he said with a tone of authority:

"Follow us if you wish for a chance to change your fate. But be warned, your life will be on the line, even more so than now."

Not hesitating for even a second, all of them walked forward and stood behind Emir and Lyra. 'They've got enthusiasm at least...'

"Alright. Kiera, show us to your meeting room, and it seems that you've been upgrading the base quite a bit while I wasn't around."

Showing a bright smile, she began leading the way while walking next to Emir.

"Of course, we had to become something; otherwise, how would we repay you for all the generosity you showed us? Even giving our weak members a job at Prince Emporium... It gave us something stable to fall back on when we almost went red with operational costs." With a chuckle, Emir replied:

"No worries, you'll be paying your dues soon. And you've already helped out Amanda with collecting relics, so we won't be taking advantage of you too much."

Her warm smile turned to that of a businesswoman as she said:

"I hope you'll be lenient with us. Although I'll accept anything you'd ask of me, I can't say the same for my gang."

'Hmm... So she suspects something? Good. We need someone loyal but not a yes man.'

"Again, no need to worry too much. What I'll show you today will be both to your benefit and mine."

They stopped talking for a moment as they reached the meeting room.

It was a simple room, minimalistic in design, containing a long oval table with chairs on each side, with one placed on each end.

Looking to his right, he spotted a holoscreen next to the wall.

"You've seriously upgraded ha~."

She nodded and took his hand while saying:

"Yes, all thanks to you and Amanda."

Emir didn't resist and let her pull him to the back of the room, where a single office chair was placed.

She gestured for him to sit down with excitement apparent on her face, and he complied, amused at her actions.

Lyra followed and stood behind him while watching everyone sit in their respective seats.

Kiera sat opposite them, while Sarah and Jack were on the right, Evan, Hiro, and Leo were on the left.

Lyra then stepped forward and fished out six large, white capsules.

"Swallow this."

All five looked at each other with palpable confusion etched across their faces.

But then they all watched as Kiera stood up, taking one of the capsules without a second thought a signal they couldn't ignore.

Slowly, they followed suit, each grabbing a capsule, their hesitance tangible in the way they

held them.

And as the capsules went down their throats, the room seemed to hold its breath.

They waited, bracing themselves for an unknown impact and gripping the table as if it were

their lifeline.

Seconds stretched into what they felt like an eternity, and still, nothing happened.

There was no sudden surge of energy, no dramatic transformation, just an unsettling sense of anticipation.

Their collective eyes shifted to Emir and Lyra, the two figures at the heart of this strange

circumstance.

Jack's knuckles turned white as he clung to the edge of the table.

Evan repeatedly blinked, trying to process what had just transpired.

Hiro's usually composed face revealed a hint of bewilderment.

Leo, usually the one to crack jokes, seemed lost for words.

Sarah, with a furrowed brow, felt a mix of skepticism and wonder.

Emotions whirled within them-confusion, curiosity, and a hint of disbelief-their minds

struggling to keep up with the whirlwind of events.

The only one who remained steadfast was the focused Kiera, looking at Emir directly in the eyes and showing no signs of confusion similar to those under her.

Ignoring their pleading eyes, Lyra tapped the table twice, her fingers lightly brushing the

surface.

In an instant, a soft, azure glow enveloped the table, almost as if the surface was coming to

life.

A series of projections materialized in front of all six of them, casting holograms of the same contract they had presented to Nathan, hovering just above the table's surface.

Lyra then spoke, her voice unwavering as she addressed them, and her eyes locking on each

individual:

"Before we talk, we need you all to sign this contract..."

"And just know that doing anything against this contract would instantly kill you."

A chill ran through the room at her words, the magnitude of the contract's implications

sinking in.

This wasn't just a holographic piece of paper; it was a binding oath that held their lives in its

balance.

A silent, unspoken understanding passed between them, and with a shared glance, they knew that any hesitation could be fatal.

They turned their attention to the contract, and the urgency of the situation seemed to

override any doubts or lingering questions about what might be hidden between the lines.

As if giving up all signs of caution, they signed, their hands moving with swift determination.

Seeing Emir nod in approval, Lyra continued:

"Welcome, Kiera. Jack. Sarah. Hiro. Evan. Leo." Her voice was steady, and welcoming, yet

laden with the weight of the knowledge she was about to share.

"All of you are now celestials, like me and Emir."

Their gazes locked on her, and the room seemed to blur around them as they were enveloped

in the revelation.

The term 'celestials' echoed in their minds, a word fraught with mystery and power.

A word Kiera had only heard once before, surprising her as she subtly understood its

importance.

"But what is a celestial, you might ask?" Lyra continued.

"...We are those that have left mortality and have ascended into something greater with the

power of Aether, and you all will soon experience that change. What you swallowed just then is an Aether Core, something that would cost you one Valora, meaning that whatever debt you had with us has just more than quintupled."

"Don't ask me questions now. Let's first start the process of crossing the Aetheric Threshold."

Watching their reactions, which ranged from exacerbated, shocked, to confused, and excited, reminded Emir of when his mother and sister went through the same process.

Something that he could unfortunately only see through Lyra's memories. "C'mon, Kiera chop chop. We have a lot to get through today." He said, snapping them out of

their mind-numbed state.

Steeling herself, Kiera was the first to stand up from her chair, stepping back to sit on the

ground with some open space around her, allowing for any thrashing that she might

experience.

Lyra approached her, saying:

"Good thinking. Now brace yourself, you will experience a world of pain..."

"Good luck and have fun." Emir snickered while leaning back on his chair as if watching a

show.