A Will Sovereign Chapter 9: Chapter 9— Arrival at Astravele.

Read chapter 9 of A Will Sovereign by Sloche on NovelPedia.

Almost a month had passed since the Del Ray family departed from Vareth. After weeks of travel across the skies of the western continent— the massive Cloud Whales had finally arrived near Astravale. Countless floating docks stretched throughout the sky like enormous platforms suspended among the clouds. Merchants, practitioners, nobles, and travelers moved endlessly across the aerial ports while gigantic Cloud Whales drifted slowly between docking stations. The atmosphere should have felt lively. But today— something felt wrong. The moment the Del Ray family's Cloud Whale approached the Astravale docks— Soldret immediately noticed it. The atmosphere across the docks felt tense and chaotic. Merchants, travelers, and practitioners gathered in clusters while speaking amongst themselves with grim expressions. Even the workers guiding the Cloud Whales looked shaken. Some of them noticed the insignia upon the newly arrived Cloud Whale— twin silver wings unfolding beneath a radiant star. The crest of House Del Ray. Their voices immediately lowered. "Is that House Del Ray?" "I thought they were caught in the catastrophe too…" "I heard all communication arrays connected to Vareth went silent weeks ago." "And now they're saying—" The whispers abruptly stopped as the Del Ray family finally disembarked. Cold winds swept across the docks. Caelon's brows slowly furrowed. Even Seraphina's expression gradually became uneasy. Meanwhile, Lyanna quietly hugged her two-tailed Emberfox closer against her chest while nervously looking around. Soldret's gaze slowly swept across the aerial port. Then— he noticed it. At the center of the docks— a massive projection array floated high above the crowd. And within it— was Vareth. Or rather— what remained of it. The once prosperous city had become ruins. Collapsed buildings. Blackened streets. Burning districts. Scattered corpses. From the projection, people witnessed what words alone could never fully describe. Mothers clutching lifeless children. Bodies strewn across shattered streets. Some half-devoured. Some still moving faintly beneath the rubble. Even through the projection alone— the destruction felt suffocating. The entire dock gradually fell silent. Standing within the projection array, a middle-aged man spoke with a trembling voice. "News has finally arrived from confirmed survivors…" His voice shook slightly. "They reported that Vareth fell on the night of New Year's Eve." "Countless Fallen descended after the sky above the city cracked open." "The City Lord activated the Grand Barrier Array and managed to seal the breach, but he was too late. Countless Fallen had already entered Vareth…" "…and he died shortly afterward." "The barrier remained active with no one left capable of disabling it." "Vareth became a sealed slaughterhouse." "The practitioners within the city sacrificed themselves protecting the common folk." A heavy silence spread throughout the docks. The man swallowed dryly before continuing. "Three days later…" "…a mysterious expert passing nearby destroyed the remaining Fallen and shattered the barrier." "As for the cause behind the fractured sky…" "…it is still under investigation." The man slowly lowered his head. "Let us observe a moment of silence for the dead." And so— all of Astravale fell silent. It was a long silence. An unbearably heavy one. Some people still struggled to believe it. "That's impossible…" "A city like Vareth…" But above them— the projection continued displaying the ruined city endlessly across the skies. Proof that it truly happened. Lyanna's small hands tightened around the Emberfox. "…Brother…" Her voice sounded shaken. Soldret quietly stared toward the projection without speaking. But inwardly— his thoughts slowly sank. He could not help but think about what would have happened had he failed to convince Caelon and Seraphina to leave. What if they stayed? Would they have ended up like those people? Buried beneath the ruins of Vareth? Soldret once believed