Death Heir's Devouring System
Chapter 60: Warmth After the Storm

Chapter 60: Warmth After the Storm

The cracking of fire reached his ears, the pleasant smell of bonfire entered his nostrils, and its warmth slowly embraced his body, filling him with vitality. After walking through a freezing blizzard, the heat was more than welcome.

His chest rose and fell steadily, each breath deeper than the last. The blood that had filled his lungs was gone. The bones he’d most likely broken during his fall from the cliff were whole again. Even the exhaustion weighing down his limbs had vanished. He must have slept for at least half a day.

’Someone helped me?’

The thought resonated in his mind, yet his eyes didn’t open. Slowing down his breathing as much as possible, he relaxed his muscles, pretending to be asleep.

His ears tuned in, scanning his surroundings.

’A fireplace nearby, this explains the cracking sounds and the warmth. I don’t hear the wind of the blizzards. I doubt whoever saved me has brought me far, so we must be in some kind of shelter.’

He ignored the loud sounds and focused on the faintest ones.

Echoes of footsteps sounded above and below him.

’Wherever I am, it has several floors.’

Finally, his attention landed on the most unsettling thing.

Breathing—not his own but someone else’s.

’They are relaxed, but I can’t grasp much more than this.’

As he debated what to do next, a female voice cut through the quiet.

"There’s no point in pretending to be asleep. Your acting skills are decent for your age, but still far from exceptional."

’Troublesome.’ Azrael cursed inwardly as he slowly opened his eyes.

He was in a wooden structure clearly built for humans. Naturally, the wood was pitch black, likely harvested from trees native to the blizzard region and the Golden Lands.

’We aren’t in ruins of the past civilization but a newly created building.’ He thought as his gaze settled on the woman seated calmly in a nearby chair.

She was stunningly beautiful with purple hair and tired eyes. She reminded him of his scythe basics instructor, the one that he had been under when he was still in the Moon Breakers—Iris.

Her striking looks, coupled with the fact that she looked older than him by a few years, instantly led him to a conclusion. The woman before him was Proven. This wasn’t her first time in a Rift.

"Usually when we save someone, they thank us, not stare at us with suspicion." The woman mused, resting her back on the chair.

"Is that so..." Azrael murmured, his eyes narrowing as he used [Inspect].

Name: [Raven Wavecrest]

Race: [Human]

Ascension Level: [Proven]

Purity Rank: [Radiant]

His wariness instantly shot up. This was the first human he had seen with Radiant Purity Rank. Usually, when people advanced in power so much, they hid their true stats. Raven, however, didn’t seem to plan on doing so.

"What happened?" He asked, eager to fill the gaps in his memory.

Raven sighed, clearly noting that the sharpness in his gaze hadn’t faded despite his curiosity.

"About two weeks ago, Chosen began to appear in the area. It seemed that a second Rift had opened near us, sending a large portion of them to our base. We accepted the strongest ones since we needed as much manpower as we could get and began to train them to stand their ground against beings they shouldn’t have business fighting."

He listened closely, not interrupting.

"One of the Chosen that is under our care... has a habit of going out in the blizzard on his own. Yesterday he returned with you. He is among the strongest of the branch of Chosen, and he vouched for you. Saying that you were not to be underestimated, so we took you in and healed you."

She paused for a second before adding.

"Well... More accurately, I healed you. You’re alive thanks to me. So stop looking at me like you’re deciding whether to kill me."

Her gaze darkened momentarily.

"I don’t take kindly to threats."

Azrael’s gaze remained on her figure for several long seconds, trying to determine if she had lied somewhere along the way. After he judged her words to be true, he stopped gazing at her with a sigh.

"Thank you for saving me." He wasn’t about to turn the Proven he had been seeking into an enemy.

Raven shook her head slowly. "It’s just the way of the Rift. We have to keep the strong ones alive if we ever want to return home."

Subtly, her gaze shifted to the fireplace as she muttered, "And considering what we must face... we would need all the help we can get."

Azrael hesitated for a moment, then made a decision. He told her about witnessing Rock Wavecrest’s demise. The way he had been running from nothing only to be skinned a second later. He still didn’t understand how the Proven could die so suddenly, but it was proof—no one, no matter how strong, was untouchable.

"Don’t take it the wrong way," he added, seeing the cold look in her eyes. "I told you because you’re from the same clan. You might find it important. Think of it as repayment for healing me."

After a moment of silence, she nodded. "Good, it seems saving you was the right choice. You probably want to explore the area. The one who brought you here will catch you up."

Before the Heir of Death could ask who was the one that found him, the doors burst open as a familiar two-and-a-half-meter (~8 feet) figure entered. Emerald eyes, long brown hair, and a light beard on his sharp jawline.

"Victor!" Azrael exclaimed, getting up on his feet. There were no external or internal injuries on his body, which made him confident enough to move as if he had never been pushed to the brink of death.

Truthfully speaking, Azrael wasn’t surprised to see the behemoth of a man alive since he struggled to think of what could kill him. Still, seeing a familiar face was somewhat reassuring.

Name: [Victor Watson]

Race: [Human]

Ascension Level: [Marked]

Purity Rank: [Blessed]

’So he has ranked up as well. That is good,’ Azrael noted.

Seeing the Heir of Death alive on his feet, Victor scoffed. "It’s a miracle you’re standing. When I found you next to the cliff, you looked like a corpse."

Azrael smirked. "A simple cliff can’t kill me."

With a sigh, Raven stood up. "Out, both of you. I have matters to discuss with the others... regarding Rock Wavecrest’s death."

Azrael didn’t argue. He was certain that they had no way of knowing that one of their members had perished in the Ruined Kingdom territory. It must have come as a shock. He wasn’t sure how many people were here, but there was no doubt that losing even a single member would be devastating for them.

Silently he stepped out of the room, Victor a few feet ahead of him.

"Now, what we are about to see might look strange. But I assure you, it’s real—not a hallucination," the man warned.

Azrael nodded, eyes trailing off the base he had found himself in.

A second later his eyes widened as his breath caught.

"Now this," he muttered, "is impressive."