ttznovel Chapter 546: Hiding
Chapter 546: Hiding
Sophia's voice carried a quiet edge, and her eyes narrowed slightly.
Dia, who had been silent until now, stepped closer and leaned in slightly to read over Amber's shoulder, and her lips pressed into a thin line as she followed the text.
"They even left Ethan in uncertainty," she said quietly, and her voice lowered as she spoke.
Sophia scoffed loudly, and she straightened up while crossing her arms tightly.
"Of course they did," she said, and her tone turned mocking and cold. "That way they can throw him in whenever they want."
She turned slightly and looked at the others, and there was a sharp glint in her eyes.
"This is not an accident," she added, and her voice dropped but carried weight.
Selene, who had been sitting quietly until now, lifted her head and spoke, and her voice was softer but clear.
"They are preparing for both outcomes," she said. "If he returns safe, they can use him. If something goes wrong, they can discard him."
The room fell silent for a moment, and no one spoke, because everyone understood what she meant.
No one disagreed.
Sophia exhaled sharply and ran her fingers through her hair, and her movements were rough and restless.
"Fucking Empire…" she muttered under her breath.
"They always do this."
Her anger did not fade, and instead, the more she thought about it, the more it built up inside her, and her expression turned even colder.
She looked back at the document again, and her eyes lingered on the lines mentioning Ethan and Hale, and her jaw tightened.
"This is bullshit," she said, and her voice came out lower now, but it carried a dangerous tone.
Amber placed the document down slowly and rested her hand on the table, and although she did not show as much outward anger, her gaze was serious.
"We cannot react blindly," she said calmly, but her voice carried firmness. "They are already controlling the narrative."
Julia nodded slightly, and she glanced toward Sophia.
"And if we act out of anger, we will fall right into it," she added.
Dia folded her arms and looked at the others, and her expression remained tense.
"But we cannot ignore this either," she said quietly.
Sophia did not respond immediately, and she stood there silently for a moment, while her chest rose and fell slowly as she controlled her breathing.
Then she spoke again.
"I know," she said, and her voice was steadier now, but the anger had not disappeared.
She looked at all of them one by one.
"But if they think they can push everything on him and get away with it…"
Her eyes turned sharp.
"…they are wrong."
The room grew quiet again, but this time the silence carried something else.
Not helplessness.
Not confusion.
It carried anger, control, and a quiet determination.
And at the center of it,Sophia stood still, and although she had calmed on the surface, the storm inside her had only grown stronger.
In fact her tendency to rebel was brewing inside more fiercer then ever.
Rebel..for some reason she really wanted to rebel
'As expected, irrespective of the Empire everyone is nothing but trash.'
...…..
While the world was buzzing with the shocking news, far away in a remote corner of the Demon territory, deep inside a quiet and dim cave, a figure slowly opened his eyes after a brief rest.
The cave was cold and silent, and faint light flickered from a few crystals embedded in the walls while shadows stretched unevenly across the ground. The air carried the smell of blood and medicine, and traces of battle still lingered in the atmosphere.
The man sat up slowly, and his movements were heavy as if his body had not fully recovered yet. His breathing was steady but deep, and there was a lingering exhaustion in his posture.
Without wasting time, he reached beside him and picked up a few small vials.
His fingers were slightly stained, and his grip was firm as he uncorked one vial after another and drank them quickly, not even pausing between them.
The liquid burned as it went down his throat, but his expression did not change much.
After finishing, he wiped the corner of his lips with the back of his hand and turned his head slightly.
Beside him, another figure lay on the ground.
That person was in a far worse condition.
His body was covered in wounds, and his breathing was uneven while faint traces of dried blood marked his clothes. His face looked pale, and even keeping his eyes open seemed like a struggle.
The man who had just taken the vials picked up another one and leaned forward slightly.
"Take this," he said quietly.
He uncorked it and carefully helped the injured man drink it, making sure not to spill it.
The injured man coughed lightly as the liquid went down, and his body trembled for a moment before settling again.
Silence followed.
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
Then the man who had been sitting there lowered his head slightly, and his eyes turned hollow as if something inside him had not settled yet.
There was disbelief in his gaze.
A deep, lingering disbelief.
"I can't believe we suffered such a tragic loss," he muttered slowly, and his voice was low but heavy.
He clenched his hand slightly as he spoke, and his shoulders tensed.
"This is unimaginable… and unforgivable."
His breathing grew a little heavier, and his gaze shifted downward as memories of the battlefield seemed to replay in his mind.
"I don't want to believe this," he continued, and his tone became more strained.
"However, the reality… losing hundred thousand lives this easily… doesn't bode well with me as commander."
He paused after saying that, and his fingers tightened slightly against his knee.
Then he lifted his head.
His gaze moved forward.And it settled on the white-haired man.
That man sat there quietly, and unlike the heavy atmosphere around them, a faint grin rested on his face, as if the situation did not weigh on him the same way.
The contrast was sharp.
The man's expression hardened slightly as he looked at him.
The silence between them stretched, and the tension in the cave deepened as the flickering light cast shifting shadows across their faces.