The Conquerors Path

'In the end, what did you achieve?'

I didn't ask the question out loud as I kept looking at Zoe, those eyes of hate now filled with unending love and loyalty. There is absolutely no way that the past Shira will ever return. For, unlike amnesia, the memories that made Shira are already turned to nothing. In a way, Shira Hillclowd is already dead, the one in front of me being different in both looks and mind.

"For now, just move towards this location and give them this. Stay there till I contact you again."

I spoke as I gave a slip to Zoe who took it with respect, her body still naked as her boobs giggled. I provided her with a dress which she wore happily. Seeing so, with one final nod towards me, she disappeared from where she stood.

'She will be a very useful tool.'

Her strength of Origin level 10 is extremely strong. With her current species, only a few people in the world will be able to connect with her on her own level. But then again, she still has to get used to her powers and abilities.

Leaving my thoughts, I started to look around. The place was a mess, with destruction and death everywhere. With a wry smile, I connected to the special communication network created for this mission. With a single thought, a message went to my aunt, and a second later, I soon appeared back in the very room I left.

All eyes focused on me, but seeing me fine despite the loss of Shira, the story soon became clear for all. Trigon's eyes started to shake, seemingly hinting at screaming, but I paid no heed to it as I turned towards Mira. My feelings were completely filled with 'guilt,' 'sadness,' and 'disgust' towards myself, which quickly earned me a hug from Mira.

"It's fine..."

She whispered as she lightly patted my hair, my head resting on her chest. My feelings soon turned to 'happiness,' 'calm,' and a whole lot of 'love,' which paused Mira's hand for a moment, after which she continued to pat my head. This went on for a few seconds until I lifted my head from Mira's head, a wry smile filling my face as I spoke.

"I'm fine, Aunt, just a bit down..."

My reply earned me another pat from her as she spoke.

"Don't let it weigh you down too much. She was not worth it."

I nodded my head at her words, a cheeky smile filling my face as I spoke.

"Aunt, you somehow always know what to say. It's as if you can read my mind..."

My words earned me a pause from Mira, who just went with the flow, not revealing the truth for now.

'Big mistake.'

As I thought so, Aria directly jumped into my body, and I hugged her back, her head lovingly rubbing on my chest. She looked at me with those pure green orbs and asked.

"Did I do good, Daddy?"

"You did well, my princess."

I replied with an indulging smile as I planted a kiss on Aria's forehead, I also made sure to make Aria turn all the ones in the room unconscious, for things I later discuss cannot be heard by an outside ear. My action earned me a giggle from her. Hence, the next few moments were spent with me playing around with Aria until, the door to the room swung open, breaking the silence with a creak that sent a shiver down my spine. In walked the Avengers, the very people who had orchestrated this act of retribution.

First to enter was my mother, Grace, a woman whose allure and strength never ceased to captivate me. Her blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders like a golden waterfall, and her green eyes blazed with a fierce determination. She strode into the room, a sword clutched in her hand, its steel glinting ominously in the dim light. She moved with an alluring grace that left no doubt about her capabilities, and her presence exuded a sensual energy that was impossible to ignore.

Following her was my sister, Nora, a beauty with a ponytail that accentuated her elegant features. Her blonde hair framed her face perfectly, and her green eyes held a hint of mischief that contrasted with the gravity of the situation. She moved with a subtle, almost feline grace, and there was an air of sensuality about her that hinted at hidden depths.

Ralph and Athena entered the room together, their expressions a mix of relief and grim satisfaction. Ralph, with his rugged charm and strong physique, gave off an aura of primal masculinity. His eyes, filled with a mixture of determination and satisfaction, met mine briefly before he nodded in acknowledgment.

Athena, with her striking beauty and fiery spirit, radiated a raw sensuality that was impossible to ignore. Her eyes sparkled with a fierce determination, and her presence was a potent blend of allure and strength.

Together, they made for an imposing sight. The room seemed to come alive with their entrance, their collective energy crackling in the air. The sensual vibe that hung about them was undeniable, a reflection of the complex emotions that had brought them here.

"Looks like you all had fun..."

I spoke, which made all of them smile.

"I haven't done something like this in a long time..."

Athena replied as her eyes soon focused on the cute doll-like Aria on my lap. Her eyes sparkled as she came closer.

"Now, who is this cutie? I didn't know my little brother had a daughter?"

As she said this, she tried to pinch Aira's cheeks, but sadly for Athena, she froze in place before even touching Aria. Athena's eyes soon trembled as she kept looking at Aria, which earned a wry smile from me.

"She is a complex story."

I spoke as I made Aria let go of Athena, who was now wary and looked at Aria with an extra layer of caution.

"So, are all of them?"

My mother suddenly asked, breaking through the awkward situation in the room.

"Yes."

I replied, to which Nora asked.

"Then where is that girl?"

"Dead..."

I replied, not looking at Nora, my voice a bit low, which everyone picked up on.

"Don't feel sorry for these monsters, my son."

Grace, my mother, spoke.

"I just feel dirty."

I replied as I hugged Aria a bit tighter. She just loved my attention. Seeing my mood, no one else tried to bring it up. It was then that Mira took the lead, her eyes turning towards Ralph and Athena, who both gave a nod of respect towards Mira.

"Before we dive into anything else, we need to first decide what we should do about the crack."

Her words brought surprise to all as Ralph asked.

"Crack?"

Seeing his confusion, Mira soon filled everyone in on what she had discovered. Her words brought a somber atmosphere into the room, as things had now opened up to a very bad scale.

"Austin says he can close the gap, but he isn't sure how it might fully affect him."

As Mira finished her words, the attention came back to me once again, so I started to explain.

"As you all know, my special bloodline gives me the special powers to deal with corruption energy, and I can feel that I can close the crack."

My words of confirmation only brought a great surprise to everyone here. The prospect of a person capable of closing the crack was now bringing forth a great deal to the world. Making it such that perhaps one day I shall be able to close that big crack which grows like a danger every day to this world.

"How bad will you be affected?"

"With my current powers, I won't be able to close even this minuscule crack. But if I am to take the power provided by Aria, I shall be able to close it without problems. But the issue will be..."

"The War Council."

Mira completed my words, and Ralph's attention was captured.

"If you are to reveal this skill of yours, it will tempt the War Council in an unseen way before. Even worse, those powers in the dark will try much harder to kill Austin."

At Grace's words, the atmosphere turned worse, to which I spoke.

"That is why we need to play the script well."

My words made everyone intrigued as they focused on me. A smile came to my face as I spoke.

"With the help of Aria, I will be fine, but we can make it such that after I close this, I shall end up in a life-or-death situation in front of the eyes of the world."

As I stopped here, I could see the smile that I had begun to appear on the faces of the rest. All of them were smart enough to understand where I was heading, and as such, Mira finished my words.

"You can say that I provided you the energy, and if the prospect of you almost dying and going into a coma takes place, the interest from others will waver. Even the dark side won't pay much attention to you."

"Bingo!"

I said as I caught Aria's hands and started to clap. The sly-like smiles on my family and friends increased beautifully as Grace spoke.

"But we can't do this without a concrete way. We need to make it such that even if Austin is looked at by the healers of the War Council, they won't be able to understand anything more than we show them."

"I have got that covered."

I said, my words easing the main problem as I continued.

"But the success fully lies on Aunt Mira, for I will need Aunt Mira to bring out her powers and threaten to only keep me with her, where I shall only be healed by people hired by her."

My answer got an understanding nod, for I need to be free, and only when I am within Mira's protection can I move around as I feel, even though I will be in a coma.

"The plans are all good, but are you sure nothing bad will happen to you?"

Grace asked in a serious voice, to which I replied with one.

"I am sure."

This made everyone look at each other until they agreed to the proposition. This brought my eyes to Mira.

'This will be a very fun coma...'