Destroying My Own World

"Lady Melissa, would you like to join me?" Elestria asked after she comforted Melissa about her father's death. "I believe my adviser and your bodyguard have an interest in each other, so shall we go somewhere else private so we can have a comfortable conversation?" she added as she wiped the tears from Melissa's cheeks.

"I would love to, but we are here for the ceremony, Your Majesty. I'm afraid it would be disrespectful if we left on an important day," Melissa answered and noticed the gazes that had been pointed at her.

"Honestly, I don't really care. Your late father is a close friend of mine, and my only reason for coming here is to meet you," Elestria responded and showed everyone that she was above them.

Melissa hesitated, but since Elestria forced her to leave the hall, she couldn't do anything but follow Elestria. Mykel and the man were following right behind them, making sure nobody dared to show their ill gazes toward those two.

They went into a small room with nothing but sofas and a table filled with food and drink. That room was meant for Congress, and since Melissa was a congresswoman, they were allowed to be there. Even if she wasn't, Elestria could use her power to get that room for herself.

"You two can enjoy your food over there and get to know each other. I'll be with Lady Melissa over there and we will call you if we need you," Elestria said as she looked at Mykel and the man.

They both nodded and went to the table where the food and drink were. Mykel didn't hesitate to grab a bottle of expensive red wine and drank it straight from the bottle. The man was surprised, but that was enough to say that Mykel wasn't someone who cared about manners when nobody was around.

"You're not drinking, Zachary?" Mykel asked as he looked at the man.

"I would rather not drink during my job, Sir Alester," The man answered with a stern look on his face as he kept an eye on his surroundings.

Zachary Wright was the first man who cleared a rift on his own and became the only Awakener who received achievement from the Gods. He possessed so many powers that if it had to be written on a piece of paper, it wouldn't fit. If he was living in a fantasy and action novel, he would definitely be the protagonist.

"If you don't drink, you can say goodbye to your beloved lady," Mykel said with a sharp gaze and grabbed a knife on the table.

"Please don't joke around, Sir Alester," Zachary responded and didn't take the bait. "I wouldn't be able to stop you even if I tried. I promise that I will share a drink once I'm not working," he added.

"I'll take your word," Mykel smirked and put down the knife.

Zachary closed his eyes and was relieved that Mykel would listen to his words. He learned a lot from that simple interaction that Mykel was someone beyond his understanding and that the information he gathered about Mykel was useless.

"How are the rifts in this nation? I heard they cleared the tenth rift a few days ago and the eleventh rift will appear soon," Mykel asked.

"Yes, everyone is anxious about the appearance of the eleventh rift. The demon who ruled over the rift is called Sinestra, the Cloth of Death," Zachary answered.

Mykel raised his eyebrows as he drank the wine because the title gave away who it was. The only Demon Princess that had anything to do with cloth was Sapphira since her wings were made of cloth.

"Are you going to participate this time? You have been neglecting your responsibility as Gifted," Mykel asked and opened a new bottle since he emptied the previous one.

"Yes, Lady Melissa asked me to participate for Verdentia," Zachary nodded his head and couldn't believe Mykel had emptied the first bottle in just a minute. "With the Jenevive Guild and the Veridianth Guild's help, I believe we can clear it since they defeated Alion on the last rift," he pointed out.

Nobody knew the truth about what happened inside the rift that day, and Elestria was the one who made up a story that Devlin and Aleric were the ones who cleared it. Only the people from High Table who were loyal to Elestria knew about the truth and those who were with Mykel inside the rift. For those who leaked the truth, the death sentence was the only thing that awaited them.

"Did you regret it?" Mykel paused as he put a cigarette in his mouth. "That you weren't there to protect her father?" he asked.

"No. Lady Melissa's late father knew her potential that he treasured her life more than himself so he entrusted her life to me. In the first place, if it wasn't for her, he wouldn't become the president. She holds more power and influence in this nation, and right now is the proof of who she is," Zachary answered and looked at Elestria comforting Melissa.

"I can see that," Mykel responded and puffed the smoke out.

They had a small talk and the conversation ended the moment Elestria decided to leave. They went their separate ways just like that, and Elestria gave a short speech for the newly appointed president and the people of Verdentia.

Her speech was about working together to survive the hard times, to thrive, and to become victorious. Since the Faelethria Kingdom was the oldest nation in the world, her voice was more powerful when people thought about it. Her existence was proof that it was possible to thrive even if the chance was slim.

"Good work for today, Your Highness," Mykel said as soon as they sat down in the private jet.

Elestria didn't say a word and kept staring out the window as the plane took flight. She was so deep in thought that she didn't know that Mykel was talking to her.

She didn't say a single word as her eyes focused on the scenery until the plane landed. If Mykel didn't tell her that they had arrived, she would stay seated for a while. They then went back to the palace since Elestria couldn't leave the kingdom affair a little longer.

Mykel was dismissed since she didn't need him for the rest of the day and allowed Elysande to take his spot.

The next day, the eleventh rift opened in the Verdentia Republic, and it opened in the capital city where millions of lives lived. Devlin and Aleric were already there since they knew it would happen soon, and all the media were focused on that event.

"Sir Alester, Her Majesty is summoning you," A maid said when Mykel was enjoying his breakfast.

Mykel entered Elestria's office room and saw Elestria talking with Elysande and Rowen. They were talking about the internal affair, and then they all stopped talking not long after Mykel came in. She then dismissed Rowen from her room and told Mykel to sit down.

"What is the chance of them clearing the rift?" Elestria asked.

"Very small," Mykel answered without giving a second thought. "Alion was too powerful for them back then and it will be the same right now. Even if they succeeded in clearing the rift, only a few would survive," he added.

"We have seen the breakout of the early stages and it was quite devastating. We lost half a million lives in a single night back then, so if this failed, there would be only annihilation," Elestria said as she rubbed the back of her hand with her thumb. Read new chapters at My Virtual Library Empire

"Isn't it the perfect time for the world to know how strong Zero Tiers are? I don't see a reason to hide them anymore," Mykel asked. "They might be strong, but if they didn't raise their power, they would be as good as decorations," he pointed out.

"I was thinking the same, and I'm planning to send them there today. Now that you have convinced me, I will send them into the rift," Elestria said.

Mykel went to find Tristan and told him about Elestria's order which surprised him. Tristan was quite excited to go since it had been a while since he entered the rift. He then informed all the members to prepare to join the raid in the Verdentia Republic.

"Are you sure you want to let this one go? You know that if you didn't collect her essence she would disappear, right?" Aevia asked as she followed Mykel from behind on his way back to his room.

"I don't think they would be able to clear it," Mykel answered as he entered the room.

"You need to remember the reason why you're here. Your task is to get rid of the higher beings, but if there are no human beings in this world, what's the point of keeping this world?" Aevia asked as she suddenly appeared in front of Mykel and blocked his path. "Five million is the limit. If five million people die outside the rift, you will regret taking this so lightly," she warned.

"Do I look like I'm not taking this seriously?" Mykel asked. "You don't have to remind me that. I know you did something to Elena, Sasha, and Amaryllis because you never mentioned them after you told me that they came back," he added. "As long as I'm doing my task, you need to keep your hands away from them."

"Of course. We are trying to build trust between each other, so I won't do anything to them," Aevia smiled underneath the white cloth.