My Trash Talent Is Actually OP!

Tay kept thinking about what the king had said earlier as he made his way to Nova's bedroom with a tray and some hot towels.

There was something off about the city. The way it was so isolated, so well hidden, it raised too many suspicions.

And that talk of the underground city? Hard to believe, yet somehow it made sense. If Asher wanted to raise the kind of army he needed, he'd have to go down there too.

He sighed as he turned into the room, only to find Asher by the window, staring blankly at his phone.

Tay couldn't make out what he was looking at, but the expression on his face said everything. It wasn't good.

Silently, he set the tray on the stand beside the bed and walked over. But what he saw on the screen made him freeze.

It was a picture of a man he recognized far too well—deep gashes across the neck, chest, and head. Brutal. Merciless.

Tay stood still, trying to process, trying not to believe what his gut already knew.

He slowly took the phone from Asher's hands and zoomed in.

"No…" he muttered, barely audible. "It can't… be…" His voice cracked as he trailed off, forcing himself to stay calm.

Asher gently pushed a chair toward him and made him sit, then quietly took the phone back. "I'm sorry," he said when Tay finally looked up.

Tay frowned. "Sorry? What are you sorry for? You didn't kill him."

Asher looked down. "I know. But I should've had someone watch over her father too."

Emma's father was dead. Yumiko had sent Asher the full report, since she couldn't reach Nova. Sending it to Emma would've made things worse.

She said she'd gone to the cemetery after checking with residents in the apartment building he lived in.

Someone had reported strange things: the smell of fresh poison ivy, unnatural cold in the area, and sightings of a cloaked figure, one often seen with Alya.

That last part had made Asher cautious enough to relocate Orin and Vorgath.

But then they'd found Emma's father dead. On his balcony.

She said it looked like he'd fought back. Claw marks were carved into the wall.

That pointed to two things: a dragon, and someone else behind the killing.

Confusion and dread brewed like a storm inside Asher. He hadn't even been in the city for a full month, and already things were falling apart.

He wasn't sure whether to go back to Velcrest to investigate or stay and finish what he'd started. But going back now felt like giving up after getting this far.

Still, the cloaked man spotted with Alya, why hadn't she told him?

"Hey…"

Tay's voice pulled him back. He exhaled slowly. "Does she know?"

Asher shook his head. "I doubt it. Yumiko didn't say anything about telling anyone else."

"Did he… leave any last words?"

Asher nodded. That's when it hit him.

The claw marks. Yumiko had said they weren't normal. They looked like writing.

He quickly pulled up the photos again and showed Tay, zooming in.

"Do you know what that means?"

Tay frowned, studying it carefully. Then he nodded, slowly. "It's dragon script. Definitely not human. It says something about the Land of the Lost… and the Caer District…"

He tilted his head, analyzing the writing from another angle. "Emma… Dragons… Silver… and… the Varrow Family?"

Asher furrowed his brow. "I hear words, but I still don't understand."

Tay groaned. "Show it to Cinder. Or maybe the creepy dragon guy. Someone has to know more."

"There's definitely more to it," Tay added as he stood up, rubbing the back of his neck. "I might have to go back. Bury him."

"No," Asher said, firm. "Leave that to Orin. You're coming with me to the Land of the Lost."

Tay scoffed, eyebrows raised. "And what makes you think you'll need me there?"

Asher was about to reply when Nova jolted upright with a sharp gasp, clutching at her throat like she couldn't breathe.

Tay stumbled back, knocking over the chair in alarm as Asher rushed to her side.

"Nova—Nova, breathe!" Asher said, kneeling beside her.

Her eyes darted wildly, panicked and disoriented, until one of them suddenly turned pitch black.

Tay froze, breath caught in his throat. "What the hell…"

Nova's voice cracked as it slipped out. "Something's coming."

Asher's stomach dropped. "What is?"

She didn't answer immediately.

"From the east gate," she rasped. "It's headed straight for Cinder and Sinnett."

Asher narrowed his eyes. "They're at the..."

"Training hall," Nova cut in. "Underneath it. Together."

Tay blinked, trying to catch up. "Wait, you mean they're…"

Nova gave him a strained look, pained and tired. "Having sex. Yes. Do you want the details, or do you want to stop it?"

Asher turned away, already grabbing his coat. "What's coming for them?"

Nova's voice dropped into a hoarse whisper. "A beast. Bigger than anything I've seen. Taller than the gate. The ground shakes when it moves."

A flicker of pride passed through Asher's eyes, at least she could still tap into her powers, but something about this felt off. She was far beyond the usual range to sense something like that.

Tay swallowed, voice low. "You're saying it's… colossal?"

Nova nodded. "It looks like a huge wolf, but twisted. More teeth than it should have."

"Why them?" Tay asked, barely above a whisper.

"I don't know." Nova's face tightened. "But it's been watching for a while. I should've said something sooner."

Asher tightened his grip on his coat and reached out to gently pat her hair. "We'll stop it before it gets the chance."

He turned to leave, but Nova's voice rang out again.

"Asher."

He froze mid-step.

She looked at him, one eye still void-black. "You won't make it in time for both."

His grip faltered on the doorknob.

"You'll have to choose," she said. "Only one of them can be saved."

Tay's jaw tensed. "No way. We'll find a way. We'll reach both, "

Nova interrupted, barely a whisper now. "Then move fast. It's already in the city. Head north-north, it doesn't have a sense of direction. It follows energy flow…"

Asher flung the door open and sprinted out, Tay close behind.

"It has a phylactery!" Nova shouted after them.

Asher and Tay paused mid-stride.

Tay's face drained. "No way… It can't possibly be a beast-type Lich."

"I bet you it is," Asher muttered, before breaking into a full sprint.