Volume 1 Chapter 156
by Need_More_SleepVolume 1 + Chapter 156: The Temple
By the next morning, Anna jolted awake in bed, her forehead covered in cold sweat, and a large patch of her back damp. She took a moment to calm down before slowly coming to her senses, wiping her brow with a trembling hand, her breathing still somewhat ragged.
She couldn’t help but glance back at Andai, who was sleeping soundly in the opposite bunk. The other girl was still sleeping peacefully, tucked under her own small quilt, her cheeks slightly puffed out, breathing evenly. There was even a faint smile at the corner of her mouth, as if she were having some sweet and pleasant dream.
Being a dragon without a care in the world certainly had its perks. No matter what happened during the day, once night fell, they could sleep soundly and peacefully, completely unburdened, even sleeping straight through until dawn.
Carefree Andai didn’t have to worry about so much, all she needed to do was snore away in deep sleep. But the older Anna couldn’t afford such luxury, she had far too many things weighing on her mind. Last night, she had a terrifying dream. In it, not only did she fail to become some “Dragon God,” but her family also found out about how she and Andai had been taken down by humans…
The family viewed their actions with extreme contempt, mercilessly doling out severe punishment without a shred of leniency for them being family members.
They were not only harshly reprimanded and disciplined but were also ruthlessly expelled from the clan, all ties severed completely.
Their surname, lineage, and honor, which once belonged to them, were stripped away entirely in that moment, as if they had never existed.
Even more despairing was that the family then used her as a pitiful cautionary tale, announcing it to all the younger members of the clan, making everyone learn from her example, feel ashamed of her, take her as a warning, and be cautioned never to repeat her mistakes.
Anna wandered the unforgiving world with Andai, having nowhere to go, not even a place to take shelter. The lingering pain from their punishment made every step arduous, leaving them battered and bruised, struggling even to stand. In the end, they collapsed in a desolate wilderness, utterly drained of strength, on the brink of death, becoming a meal for wild beasts and insects, mercilessly consumed by nature.
Just recalling this dream made Anna shudder, sending a chill down her spine. Even though she was awake now, she still felt a sense of suffocation.
This nightmare not only left her heart trembling with lingering fear but also made her begin to doubt whether Eve’s plan to mold her and Andai into something like “Dragon Gods” was actually reliable, if it could truly work.
But now, things had progressed to this point, and there was simply no turning back.
Today, Eve would formally begin that so-called “deification plan” with them. Whether this plan was right or wrong, a blessing or a curse, they had already set foot on this path, with no possibility of retreat.
Everything now was like an arrow already fitted to the bowstring, forced to be released, there was no room left for her to hesitate or waver.
No matter how uneasy Anna felt in her heart, even beginning to regret, it was, unfortunately, far too late to think of turning back now.
At this stage, it was as if she had been forcibly dragged onto this rogue ship by Eve, with no room for resistance at all. She could only go with the flow and continue onward.
Thinking of this, Anna couldn’t help but heave a heavy sigh, her mood as heavy as if a large stone were pressing down on her.
But at that very moment, as she lowered her head in a sigh, she suddenly realized something was amiss, Andai, who had just been lying in bed, was gone!
She paused, then quickly looked around, only to find the door had been opened at some point. Andai was walking in through the doorway, carrying a large platter of sumptuous breakfast, a cheerful smile on her face.
“Anna, what were you thinking about just now? You looked so serious.”
Andai spoke while placing the breakfast on the table, her face full of anticipation and satisfaction with the food. “Look, they prepared so many delicious breakfast dishes for us!”
Her carefree nature was on full display at this moment, completely oblivious to Anna’s heavy mood and giving no thought whatsoever to the various troubles and unknown risks they might face next.
Looking at her enthusiastic demeanor, one might think what they were about to experience was not some perilous, crisis-laden plan, but something more akin to a grade-school spring outing…
“Oh, right, the little maid who brought the food mentioned something else.”
Andai stuffed a piece of soft bread into her mouth, speaking somewhat indistinctly. “She said we should finish eating quickly and head down to the main hall. Eve is waiting for us.”
Anna blinked, a hint of surprise and confusion in her expression. “Eve is already here?”
“Mhm, it seems like it.”
Andai nodded, still chewing her food. Her expression didn’t show any particular change, remaining as relaxed and at ease as ever, as if this were just a trivial, ordinary matter.
But Anna immediately grew tense. Subconsciously setting down her utensils, not even bothering to eat another bite, she immediately got up and began dressing, her movements brisk and efficient. After a quick tidy-up, she directly grabbed Andai by the wrist and pulled her towards the stairs, heading downstairs.
“Hey, hey, slow down! I’m not finished eating yet!”
Caught off guard by the sudden pull, Andai was completely unprepared and couldn’t help but complain loudly. But her protests were clearly ineffective, Anna was much stronger, and she couldn’t break free, only able to be dragged along helplessly. With no other choice, she hurriedly snatched a small sweet bun from the table, clutching it in her hand, all the while muttering under her breath, “At least let me eat this…”
However, Anna had no time to pay attention to Andai’s complaints. Her steps hurried, her expression grave, she tightly pulled Andai along as they rushed downstairs, her heart beating a little faster. She didn’t know the exact reason for Eve’s sudden summons, but her intuition told her it definitely wouldn’t be something light or casual.
Sure enough, when they hurriedly arrived at the main hall, Eve was already waiting there. Alongside Eve were two familiar figures, Chancelianne and Alice.
Chancelianne still wore her melancholic look, a layer of seemingly unfathomable gloom shrouding her brows and eyes, as if something weighed heavily on her heart.
Standing beside her, Alice’s expression was composed, her arms crossed in front of her chest. Her calmness carried a hint of an inscrutable, cold aura, making the atmosphere in the entire hall feel inexplicably oppressive.
Although Anna was never particularly good at reading people’s expressions, she could clearly sense an unusual tension lingering in the air at this moment, causing a faint sense of unease to rise in her heart.
“Have you eaten breakfast?”
Eve’s voice broke the brief silence. Her gaze fell upon Anna, her tone calm yet carrying an undeniable hint of authority.
Anna instinctively nodded, even though she hadn’t managed to eat a single bite just moments ago.
“In that case, let us go.”
Eve’s words had barely finished when she had already turned and started walking towards the door, clearly not intending to offer any further explanation.
“Go… go where?” Anna hesitated for a moment before cautiously asking, the unease in her heart growing stronger.
Eve’s steps paused slightly. She tilted her head to give Anna a faint glance, the corner of her lips curling up slightly. Her voice was calm yet carried a meaningful depth,
“To the temple that belongs to you.”
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