Edited by: Priapus, Marethyu

After the stranger's pep talk, I felt much more motivated to continue my work instead of just sulking and doing nothing. I never thought some random person's words of encouragement would help this much.

I'm not sure I would've felt the same had Ruby or Yang told me the same thing. Because I already know those two believe in me more than anybody else, it's just… different. That girl's tone and how she phrased her words made it feel a little personal.

Almost like she knew what it was like. It's weird.

I could be way off, obviously, but I really couldn't tell because I couldn't sense her emotions with Observation. This isn't the first time something like that has happened—I still have a lot of difficulty deciphering how Ozpin feels, for example, so it made reading her much harder.

The way she just teleported made her even more suspicious. Was she Salem's agent? Possibly, but I don't believe so. Besides treating me like a child, I didn't pick up on any hostile intent, and if anything, whatever I managed to sense was something positive. Perhaps she's a friend of Ozpin that I never heard about? I don't know.

Regardless, I owe her one.

Once I explained the situation to the girls, I quickly returned to my secret cavern base to create my new armor. I stalled long enough, and that dungeon isn't going to clear itself. I took a week off recently and only have five more days to finish everything.

My focus is on creating armor, upgrading the Golems, and preparing for the dungeon. These Golems will accompany Qrow and Raven in their search for Cinder, with a few positioned to protect the girls from a distance. After what Salem did with Tyrian and Ruby, I'm not taking any chances. The upgraded Golems will ensure their safety.

I already sent a message to Oz telling him to find Maria so she can train Ruby to wield her Silver Eyes power properly. From what I can recall, they originally found her on a train that was going to Mantle, but that's, I think, a year after the Vytal Festival.

So, I have no idea where she could be right now. Not that the metaknowledge I had was of any use. I've already caused a huge ripple effect that's probably changed Maria's trajectory completely. She could be dead for all I know.

I pause my work on my newest device and rub my eyes. No, I can't think like that. I have to stay positive— Thinking I somehow got her killed doesn't even make sense. I'm sure she's somewhere enjoying her life. I refuse to let these cynical thoughts cloud my mind.

Though, I don't know what I could possibly offer her to work for me. What do I have besides money and potions that she probably doesn't need? She's retired and old. Plus, I don't know her enough to figure out something foolproof.

But I'll get to that later. I need to focus on what's on my plate right now. It'll probably take us a bit to actually find her.

As I feel soft fabric brush against my leg, I turn around and see Senketsu pointing at what he wrote on the ground, making me blink.

'What are you making?'

"Ah, this?" I tap the headphone-like device with a smile. "Well, I won't bore you with the details, but it's just a little something that'll help us communicate easier."

He looks visibly surprised at what I tell him before quickly writing something else.

'That quickly?'

"Yup. Turns out that life fiber DNA works exceptionally well with magic. Like peanut butter and jelly." I answer. "So well that even though you're a living being, I could probably enchant you like how I enchant armor and weapons."

I've never seen anything like that before, but it's only natural. Senketsu is from an entirely different universe that's nothing like Remnant or Teralos. There's no magic there, just a lot of strippers and aliens.

It's astonishing to see how well life fibers resonate with magic. Given the difference in cosmology and universal laws, I thought making anything like this machine would take me ages. I guess I got lucky. Honestly, I half expected I'd have to inject life-fiber DNA into my body for me to communicate with him properly.

Which doesn't sound very appealing.

"Anyway, it's pretty much finished," I say, putting it on. "Let's test it out."

As I press the activation button on the right side of the headset, it starts glowing a soft red color, and once I give Senketsu a nod, telling him to speak, he does so after a moment of anticipation.

"Hello." He says in the voice of an adult human male. "Can you hear me?"

"Yup." I nod again, giving him a thumbs up. "Works perfectly."

"Ah, I see. Thank goodness." He sighs. "You're a genius. It barely took you an hour before you made something that not even Dr. Matoi could create."

"I had the wonderful benefit of having magic," I reply, getting up from my chair and stretching my arms. "Now we can help each other a lot easier."

"Yes, of course," Senketsu agrees. "You said something about finding a loophole using magic?"

I pause, looking at him in surprise.

"What?" He asks, noticing my glance.

"I'm just a little surprised at how cooperative you're being," I admit. "Not to sound ungrateful, but I thought you'd be, I dunno, a little apprehensive?"

Senketsu stills, taking a bit to articulate his response.

"You're genuine. I could tell ever since you tried to talk to me." He says. "No, that merely proved it. I knew that was the case months ago with how you act around Ruby and the others. You don't seem like a terrible person."

I don't entirely agree with that assessment, but it's nice to hear anyway.

"Heh." I can't help but smile. "Thanks. I try. Though that doesn't really answer my question."

"Hmm, I suppose not. Though, it's not complicated." Senketsu states. "I just thought you're good people, so why not? And Ruby… Well, she reminds me of Ryuko."

"Seriously?" I raise a brow. "They act nothing alike."

"Maybe not in attitude." He chuckles. "But definitely in spirit. While Ryuko doesn't proclaim to be a hero, nor is she interested in being called one, she's still someone who lends a hand to those in need without question. Ruby is the same."

"I guess I can see that." As far as I can remember, anyway. "Speaking of Ruby, you ever tried speaking to her?"

"No, admittedly." He shakes his head(?) "It wasn't until Ruby wore me for the first time that I woke up. I was disoriented for a while. Unsure of what I should do. I was… scared. I didn't understand where I was or why I was there."

"I'm sorry."

"No, don't apologize," Senketsu says. "Inadvertently or not, you still saved my life."

"Right, well…" I clear my throat. "Once you see Ruby again, try talking to her. She'll probably freak out, but it's better if she got to know you."

"You think she can hear me even without life fiber DNA?"

"She can access more of your power than most." I shrug. "So probably."

And when I got Senketsu the first time, the item description mentioned him 'bonding' with whoever wore him first. I think it also mentioned something about him being compatible with anyone related to Ruby, so Yang can potentially wear him.

I can't check anymore. Whenever I use Observe on Senketsu, it shows me his stats, not that old description. The system recognizes him as a living being now, not as an item I can stuff in my inventory whenever.

"Hmm… I suppose it's worth a shot. Not talking for so long gets tiring." He agrees. "So what are you going to do about Ruby's request? Do you have a plan?"

"Not exactly. It's probably going to take a while to make it work," I respond. Knowing that it's not how skimpy she is that makes her stronger, and it's apparently shame-related, does make things a little easier. "But I think the most convenient way of pulling it off would be either through enchanting or adding magic to your DNA. Though, that's going to have to wait."

I have to make my armor now. I have everything ready, and I should be able to make it without siphoning all of my magic and/or blowing up the continent with my Terrasteel. I hope. There's no telling just how powerful this thing is going to be.

"I see," Senketsu says. "But what are you going to do?"

"Prepare for an important expedition," I answer, moving away from the desk and toward the ritual circle, where everything is already positioned and ready. "I'm gonna create my magnum opus."

Terrasteel, Cryolite, Stardust infused with fire magic to help mold the ice metal, the blood of a dragon, and finally, the heart of a Leviathan. With the magic orb now filled, that should be everything I need.

Just in case, I go through my memories and see if there's anything I can add that might help in making the armor or make it stronger, pausing once my gaze lands on Senketsu next to me. The Kamui notices my stares, becoming confused.

"What is it?"

"Hmm…" Maybe it would work? "Mind giving me another sample?"

Whatever I'm about to make is going to be an abomination anyway, so I might as well see how far I can take this. If anything, it'll be interesting to see how life-fiber DNA interacts with such vast amounts of magic.

It could as equally ruin this whole thing, but I'll take the risk.

"Um, sure…"

As Senketsu gives me his sleeve, I create a tiny water knife. With super-precise movement, I cut only a few threads of his fabric. He visibly flinches but quickly regenerates the damage, reminding me of how hard it is to kill these guys.

"Thank you."

I walk over to the circle and put the few threads in the middle next to my old heart and the magic orb. Once I back off, I summon my loyal wolf.

"You know what to do in case things don't work out, Gwyn," I tell him, making him bark. "This could get dangerous, so stay back."

Both Senketsu and Gwyn do as they're told, still showing interest in the ritual as I stand on the edge of the blood circle glittering with magic and gold dust. This might just be the most mana-expensive golem ritual I've ever made.

Depending on how truly powerful this could be, I might attract every Grimm on the continent, possibly awaken any nearby Titan, and, worse yet, get Salem's attention. But I can't chicken out now. I need this.

I take a deep breath and crouch down, putting my hand on the outer line of the circle.

Alright, here goes nothing.

As I inject my magic into the circle to activate it, the orb in the middle begins shimmering with a blue glow, which quickly turns purple, then pink as it absorbs the power from all the other materials. Said materials start floating, gathering in the middle as they shift, change, and combine above the orb.

The immense power emanating from the ritual causes floating, colorful particles to form all around us, surrounding the cavern in a pinkish-white glow. As I steadily add more of my MP into the ritual, the fused materials release a blinding glare that forces me to shield my eyes.

At the same time, I keep the status page of the orb open, watching its MP reserves depleting rapidly from 1,000,000 to 700,00 to less than half the original amount. It's insane— even with the Terrasteel, had I tried to make this with my own MP, I would've failed.

When I try to see what's going on, I see a massive tower of magical energy being cast by the circle, nearly overwhelming my senses. In awe at the power I'm feeling, I feel myself grinning in excitement. I've never felt anything of this scale before. What the fuck am I making?

"What's happening?!" Senketsu asks in a panic, struggling to see what's in front of him.

"No need to panic!" I announce. "Everything is under control! It's working!"

The incredible power unleashed by the ritual begins to fizzle out once the orb's reserves hit the 100k range. The blinding light dies down, revealing the crystalized earth beneath the circle and none of the materials remaining.

And the result is…

I pause, and my smile drops at what I'm seeing—a silver-white blob in the middle where the orb is, very similar to slimes. I blink and frown, unsure if the ritual is a success, as I'm pretty sure I wanted to make armor. And the orb is nowhere to be seen, either. Did that thing consume it?

I slowly approach the slime as it remains still in its place. It's definitely a golem, I can tell that much, but why isn't it shaped like—

Before I can finish that thought, the slime leaps at me with shocking speed, prompting me to cast a burst of flames at it quickly. But once again, to my shock, it dodges the blast and wraps around my arm and body before I can push it off.

Right in front of my eyes, as it changes to fit my whole body, instead of trying to hurt me, it suddenly hardens, turning into the armor I imagined it to be. The slime-like golem covers everything else, leaving only my head exposed.

"Woah…" My eyes go wide as I clench my now-armored fist. "This is amazing."

A tiny tendril protrudes from the fist, waving hi at me, which makes me grin excitedly. This confirms that the ritual was a success.

"So it worked?" Senketsu says, approaching me with Gwyn.

"Hell yeah. I really outdid myself this time," I say, taking a look at my stats and noticing the whopping 20% increase in everything, barring luck and charisma. "Okay, show me what else you can do."

The tendril changes into a thumbs-up before melting away, getting off my body and shaping itself into a humanoid that may or may not look like myself. The silver-white faceless clone of myself begins posing, which is pretty impressive because it got my build perfectly, but I mean, that was pretty expected, seeing how it can quickly shift itself.

What I didn't expect, however, was that it created an ice blade and swung it around with a movement that perfectly mimicked mine. In its next demonstration, it reshapes its other hand into another sword, hardening it more than the rest of its body as it easily cuts through a boulder like paper.

"Holy fuck." I say in genuine surprise.

Seeing my awe, it dispels the sword before putting its hands on its hips, puffing its chest in pride and confidence. And those aren't misplaced—besides the increased power I get from wearing it, it can efficiently work independently, with great strength to back it up.

Gwyn approaches the armor golem curiously, to which the golem responds by petting him like how I'd do, immediately gaining his favor as my wolf starts to pant excitedly. Plus, it's strangely expressive. I don't hate it, though.

I use Observe on it to see the finer details.

Name: N/A

Level: 300

Base: Equipment/Combat Golem

Type: Ice, Fire, Water, Magic, Draconic, Divine

Proficiency: All-rounder

HP: 1,000,000

MP Charge: 499,500/500,000

STR: 420

VIT: 5000

DEX: 700

INT: 1850

Besides its absurd one million HP, not counting vitality, it has vastly less physical power than Indra and an even lower level. But that's fine. It's supposed to be an armor first and a normal golem second. I don't really mind it.

And half a million MP is nuts. Even though Golems can't typically regenerate MP like I do, a base of 500k is insane. Keeping it charged at all times is going to be tough, though. Just like Grimm, potions don't work on them. They need raw magic, like crystals or even the magic in the air.

"Alright!" I clasp my hands together, getting everyone's attention. "Now, obviously, we need to give you a name, but that's going to have to wait. Also, I'm bad at names, so I'll need some time to think about it."

The armor golem doesn't seem to mind, as it gives me a thumbs-up.

"Cool. We're in a bit of a hurry here, so as much as I'd love to test more of your capabilities, we need to move." I say. "Gwyn, take Senketsu back to Ruby for now. We're probably gonna take a while to finish the dungeon, and I don't want to leave him here alone for days."

Gwyn nods and lets the Kamui climb on his back. Before they move, though, Senketsu has one more thing to say.

"So it's time, huh?" Senketsu looks at me. "You looked apprehensive whenever you talked about this legendary dungeon."

"Yup. It's why I made my buddy here." I pat my armor golem on the shoulder. "I don't want to take any chances."

"I see." He hums. "Good luck, Reid. And thanks again. For saving my life."

"Of course."

After Senketsu gives me a wave, he holds onto Gwyn as my wolf runs off back to the mansion, leaving me alone with the golem. I look around at the secret lab and sigh deeply. Well, I guess I can't be here anymore.

"The ritual probably caught Salem's attention," I murmur to myself before shrugging. "Oh well."

With a shrug, I begin stuffing the essential things into my inventory while burning everything else and wiping the circle off. I don't want to leave any leads. She scares me enough as it is, and I'm not giving her any more advantages.

Once I destroy anything that could lead to my involvement or what might've happened, the golem melts away and covers my body, turning into its armor form. Surprising me again, the armor allows me to fly without having to use my fire magic, helping me float and make my way to Menagerie with relative ease. This thing is full of surprises, isn't it?

Before I leave the cavern entirely, I stop mid-air and turn my head around. I'm 90% sure that Salem or one of her subordinates will stop by to investigate the massive amounts of magic released by ritual. Anyone would.

I feel a cheeky grin stretch across my face as I get a devious idea.

So why not leave her with a bit of surprise?

– Ruby –

Reid wasn't kidding earlier this morning— Their training had gotten significantly harder than before.

Of course, Ruby was very much aware of how powerful her boyfriend actually was. Reid was the strongest in the world for a good reason, and she was one of the few who had seen him fight at full power. Hell, she knew that he'd also grown enormously ever since he'd defeated Fenrir to a point where it felt absurd.

But Ruby didn't realize how massive the gap between them was. Sure, Reid had always held back in their training; everyone knew that and acknowledged it, but even without potions… Ruby couldn't land a single hit on him.

Her, the gal with a speed semblance. Even with the help of her fellow students, they didn't stand a chance as he defeated them one by one in less than five minutes. It made her realize that no amount of coordination and tactics could help against an overwhelming opponent who knew how to fight.

It was eye-opening, in a way.

Ruby wasn't complaining— not at all. If anything, she found this kind of exciting because Reid was so confident that all of them could reach that level of power one day. And with Senketsu? Ruby had a bright future ahead of her for sure.

However, if she had to make one nitpick about this intensified training regime, it would be that it hurt way more. But that's just that: a nitpick. Because Ruby had a very high pain tolerance. Even before meeting Reid.

Also, if she was being honest, she was starting to really enjoy sparring with Reid and the other girls. She didn't understand why; loving duels and battles were always Yang's thing, but seeing herself progress so much in a short amount of time was really motivating.

Maybe that's how Goku feels. Ruby realized, finishing her work on Blake's weapon. I get it now.

As she put the screwdriver down, she conjured up a ball of light as she remembered what she had done against that Tyrian guy. That was the first time she had used it in an actual combat scenario, but she'd been training nonstop to get it working.

As expected, it was extremely powerful and hard to perfect. A single Kamehameha took all of her mana at once. She didn't know if Ki and Magic were the same, but no wonder it took its creator fifty years to master.

She had been hiding it from Reid, of course. It was her secret ultimate technique, and once Ruby got to a level where she could reliably go toe-to-toe with her boyfriend, then oh boy. He wouldn't see it coming~

…Well, maybe he would with his future vision, but surely it'd come as a surprise.

Ruby stretched her arms, letting out a satisfied groan after a long day of work. She then picked up Blake's Gambol Shroud, happy with her work. Not only had she fixed both Blake and Weiss' weapons, but she'd also improved them.

She didn't go crazy with her upgrades, though. She understood how one might feel if one's weapon was changed too much without permission. Simply upgrading the rate of fire or dust capacity didn't hurt, though, right?

Once Ruby put the weapon back on the desk, she picked up her scroll and sent a message to Reid asking him what he was doing, but she didn't get an answer even after waiting for a few minutes. Odd. Perhaps he was in Teralos again? If he was, Ruby was going to be pissed. She wanted to go too.

Well, she wanted to do anything. She was done with her work, and everyone she knew was asleep, as it was an hour past midnight, so Reid was the only person she could hang out with—or so she thought.

Ruby sighed. With Reid unavailable, she had nothing to do but sleep, and unfortunately, she wasn't tired. Still, she got off her chair and sprawled over their massive bed, groaning into the pillow.

It was a problem how quickly she missed him. Mostly physically, but it was his fault. He'd awakened something in her, and now, every time Ruby was alone with her thoughts and nothing to distract her, she would get a little excited. She'd never felt that way before having her first time with him.

"This is his fault." She muttered to herself, her face turning red. "Jerk. Going on adventures without me and making me feel like this…"

Ruby decided that once he was back, she wouldn't let him leave the room until he satisfied her. She was a grown woman now, and women had their natural needs, too. It was his obligation as her boyfriend and, possibly, future husband.

Of course, the idea of being married to Reid was as exhilarating as that of fulfilling her dreams of becoming a hero, but Ruby would never admit it to anyone. These strange new desires had only popped up very recently, and to think she'd had zero interest in these things before she'd met him…

She was very grateful for showing her this kind of pleasure. A world she had never had any interest in. One that Ruby was very aware that, without Reid, she might've never decided to explore. That much she was willing to admit.

But damn him for making her feel like she wouldn't be able to live without him.

Ruby felt her heart nearly leap out of her chest as she heard a knock on the window, prompting her to see Gwyn staring at her innocently. She was surprised to see Reid's wolf here alone, even more so when she saw her sailor uniform holding onto him.

Surprise turned into delight as she quickly got off the bed and opened the window with a big grin. She was happy to see the gigantic fluffy dog, who was equally elated and greeting her by gently nuzzling her.

"Who's a good boy?" She giggled, petting him. "That's right; you are~"

Honestly, she didn't know why he was here. She saw Senketsu on him, so perhaps Reid was done with her request? That's her boyfriend, alright. Barely took him a couple of days. Ruby glanced at Senketsu's location. But she saw nothing on top of Gwyn, which made her blink.

"Greetings, Ruby."

The unfamiliar voice made her blink, and then slowly turned around to the side to see Senketsu standing using its sleeves, staring at her directly. She let go of the panting Gwyn, processing what she was seeing, then frowned.

"Oh, I see." She said, hands on her hips. "This is Reid's doing, isn't it?"

"What?" Her clothes looked surprised. "Wait, you can hear me?"

"Yeah, and I bet Mr. Wizard Scientist had something to do with it." She responded before smirking. "Classic Reid. Thought he could surprise me again, but I know all about these silly games of his."

"You believe me speaking is Reid's doing?" Senketsu said.

"Yup."

"I see." The piece of clothing responded. "Well, not to be the bearer of bad news, but it's not."

"Hmm?" Ruby blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I was always able to speak," Senketsu clarified. "I'm what's called a Kamui, created by scientist Dr. Isshin Matoi."

"Oh." Her eyes widened. "Waitwaitwait you're not a magical artifact that Reid somehow found?!"

"Well, not quite. Granted, he did find me in some way." He answered. "But I'm closer to an alien than magic."

This explained quite a lot. Sometimes, Ruby would find Senketsu in the most random places. Every time she put him in a washing machine, she'd turn around for a few seconds, then see it somehow outside the machine. Even though she was 100% sure she put him in there.

It'd made her doubt her sanity a few times.

"You're an alien!?" Ruby couldn't believe her ears. "Wait, hold on, if you could speak all this time, why didn't you do so?!"

"I wasn't aware you could've heard me." He said. "And frankly, you shouldn't. I was only able to speak to my previous wearer because I had her DNA in me. I don't have yours, so this is coming as a surprise to me as well."

Ruby had no idea what a 'Kamui' was or what he was talking about. Honestly, she didn't care about any of that. All she was feeling right now was pure dread and embarrassment because if he had been aware and sentient all this time, then that meant…

"...S-so you saw?" Ruby asked, her face going red.

"Pardon?"

"You saw everything…?" She asked again before explaining. "Whenever Reid and I…"

"Ah…"

The pregnant pause after her question was too much for the poor girl. Ruby wanted to dig a hole, cover it up, and die in it alone. All these times she was wearing Senketsu while trying to make love to Reid… That's why her boyfriend was always so insistent on her taking the uniform off before they went at it.

But even then, he saw and heard everything.

"...I am sorry." He apologized.

Somehow, this was most definitely Reid's fault.

– Salem –

Floating over the grave of the Skov'les, Salem's frown deepened. She scanned the area for whatever she had sensed an hour ago, finding nothing of interest. Only the hole made by that forest titan and the devastation left by its battle against Astera.

But she knew what she felt. An enormous power she hadn't felt in thousands of years, as well as a hint of divine energy. Salem didn't know if her mind was playing tricks on her, but this was most definitely worth investigating. What could've possibly happened here?

Was it Astera? Most likely. Besides Ozma and his precious little relics, he was the only one capable of pulling off something like this, and her ex-husband didn't have the balls to take the relics out of their vaults.

What was he doing? And how had he acquired such magic? Salem wasn't sure. Astera had become significantly more careful in the past few days, likely realizing that she had seen his battle in Menagerie.

It was becoming hard to spy on him without the Titan Slayer noticing, so she still had no idea how he came up with his impressive new inventions. She was only aware of his golems and potions, but she knew that he must be hiding many fascinating things.

For example, his ability to grant magic. Not only had Ruby Rose done the impossible and used her magic in tandem with her anti-magic, but she also had immense amounts of the former—something so fundamentally wrong yet so true.

She had seen the entire battle with Tyrian and was aware of Titania's defection as well, though that wasn't important. It was just so unbelievable. A silver-eyed warrior, a descendant of magic killers, wielding magic? Absurd.

For that boy to appear out of nowhere and proceed to break magical laws over his knees like this… Astera was an enigma. Salem was only becoming more and more enamored by his existence. Something different. New.

Salem continued with her investigation, floating down as she spotted a faint trace of magic leading her into a small tunnel. She followed the trail, noticing a strange lack of Grimm in the area before finally coming across a massive cavern deep underground.

Then, she saw what looked like tools left by Astera, destroyed and burnt very recently. Yes, she could sense his otherworldly energy in the air. This was most definitely his doing— that power he'd unleashed…

What could it be? For it to be so easily sensed even though she was on another continent meant it was nothing to scoff at. It was a miracle that it hadn't awakened the nearby Titan. However, Salem knew that the Kraken had felt that power.

As had every other Titan in the world.

"Hmm…" She hummed to herself. "And what could you be planning, Astera?"

Salem paused as she saw a broken vial of potion in the middle of a circle drawn with charcoal, making her raise a brow. Salem wasn't sure what she was looking at, but it reminded her of ancient summoning rituals and the like. So, was Astera aware of such magic as well? Fascinating.

She approached the circle with interest, telekinetically picking up the broken vial. As she examined it closely, the circle suddenly began glowing, making her eyes widen in surprise as a massive blue firestorm engulfed her.

The spell was so big it nearly covered the entire cavern in roaring flames that were hotter than anything she had experienced. Faced with Astera's magic for the first time, she was very surprised at the power behind this trap. No wonder he'd defeated so many Titans. This was the work of a master wizard.

Salem felt the flames burn at her outfit and skin, prompting her to chuckle in amusement. As painful as it was, it was still nothing to her. Burning her to ash meant nothing. She would just come back in a matter of seconds.

"How juvenile." She stated, clenching her fist.

And with that simple act, the trap was instantly dispelled. The inferno fizzled out into nothingness as Salem crushes Astera's magic with her own, showing the difference in power and experience.

The damage she'd suffered in that trap immediately healed, as did her clothes with a snap of her fingers. Salem would've found this annoying had it not been interesting. So Astera knew she would try to investigate…

Meaning there was no point in looking around any longer. Whatever she could find interesting, Astera had already hidden or destroyed.

"I know not what you've done here, Astera." She muttered. "But you cannot hide forever."

With that, Salem floated back up and teleported to the surface, staring down at where the cavern was with a smile. She would let him have it for now, but this only made her even more interested in his crafts.

He was very clearly trying to hide something from her. Actively. Meaning whatever it was… it was more potent than the potions or golems. Something extremely powerful. Possibly divine, unless whatever she sensed was a fluke.

But he couldn't do that forever. Soon enough, Salem would force his hand. Make him unveil everything, showing her the extent of his skill and knowledge in the arcane arts. See exactly what he was capable of.

And if whatever it was could be used to kill her.

Note: I'm aware of some consistency errors from previous chapters. The reason I'm not fixing them is because I hate this website with all my heart.

I am once again asking you to read on QQ. Better yet, pa tre on. That way, you'll be five chapters ahead.