Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 147: Back To The Shedd Family

Chapter 147: Back To The Shedd Family

As the door clicked shut, Lyra leaned against it, arms crossed, forehead pressed to her hands.

Frustration gnawed at her.

Her factory was understaffed, plain and simple.

Debbie, fresh out of school, could handle the business side of things well enough, but she lacked the depth of experience needed to navigate the more complex aspects. And that was where the real trouble lay.

Ansel wasn’t someone you could underestimate. He was no fool like Erin, who had left herself exposed and vulnerable. No, Ansel was sharp. Dangerous. He wouldn’t make the same slip-ups.

The Soul Spikes, a device meant for torturing hardened criminals, could get someone locked up for decades if used carelessly—twenty, maybe fifty years.

That was why she had been silenced.

She needed Dr. Brian to bring the truth to light. It was the only way.

Sure, this tiny lead might not be enough to topple the Shedd family, but it was leverage. And right now, that’s what mattered.

Lyra was also far more interested in getting her hands on any information Brian had about superpower transplantation.

Brian might be dead, but he had left behind a family. Lyra was sure there was something valuable to be found there, especially with his eldest daughter showing promise. She’d inherited more than just his name.

Determined to take care of things herself, Lyra turned to Debbie, laying out her plan in detail.

As Debbie listened, she realized just how off her own strategy had been. Lyra’s decisiveness left her quietly impressed.

By the time they wrapped up their talk, the afternoon sun was already slanting in through the windows. Debbie brought lunch to Lyra, who was about to dig in when her opticomputer buzzed.

"Hello, this is Lyra."

"Lyra, it’s time to come home."

The voice was old, flat, and it stopped her in her tracks. Instinctively, her fingers tightened around the fork, bending it slightly under the pressure.

"Your little rebellion has gone on long enough," Ansel’s voice continued, full of icy control. "Did you really think you could stir up trouble on Elden Prime while I’m still watching you?"

The words carried more than a hint of warning. Lyra knew he was dead serious. Ansel had finished Brian, and there was nothing stopping him from finishing her now.

Debbie, observing from a distance, felt the tension hanging heavy in the air. It was palpable. The look in Lyra’s eyes sent a chill down her spine.

After a beat, Lyra dropped the twisted fork, letting out a cold laugh as she turned her gaze to the window.

"Oh? So now, after seeing what I can do, you’ve remembered I’m still in your little game, huh?"

"Not quite," Ansel sneered. "But it’s always better to keep a dangerous dog on a leash than let it run wild."

The threat was clear. If she pushed back, he’d have her taken out—no hesitation, no mercy.

"By the way, there’s a family gathering tomorrow," he added, voice dripping with indifference. "It’s been a while since you’ve shown your face. Come pay your respects."

With that, the line went dead. Erin, having heard the entire exchange, cautiously stepped forward. "Grandpa, maybe I should handle the arrangements for tomorrow?"

Ansel grunted. "Invite my brother too. No one should be missing."

She hesitated, confused. "Grandpa... that’s not what I meant by ’arrangement’..."

Ansel’s eyes flicked toward her, cold and unreadable. "It’s a family event. No need for outsiders."

His words left Erin uneasy, unable to fully grasp what he was planning.

Meanwhile, a lev zipped through the city’s bustling streets, turning onto a quieter, tree-lined road before pulling up at the gates of the military district.

One of the guards, checking the passengers, blinked in surprise when he saw the young woman in the back seat. A grin spread across his face.

"Aren’t you Lyra from NMA? My daughter’s a huge fan! She’s planning to apply next year!"

"Can we go in now?" Lyra’s voice cut through the air, colder than the warm persona she once projected on screen.

The guard, who had been gearing up for some casual chit-chat, quickly shut his mouth, sensing the chill in her tone.

"Y-yes, of course," he stuttered, watching as the lev-car slid forward.

Turning to his colleague, he whispered, "She’s from the Shedd family. That same look in her eyes... it’s terrifying."

The older guard, with streaks of gray in his hair, let out a nostalgic sigh. "You wouldn’t believe it, but she used to be such a sweet kid. Back in middle school, she’d say hello to us every single day."

"Really? You’ve been here that long, huh?" The younger guard’s eyes widened slightly, surprised by the revelation.

Despite the steady stream of levs passing through, the military district always carried an air of solemnity. The buzz of the outside world felt distant to Lyra, as though muffled by the heavy, serious atmosphere within its borders.

The lev eventually came to a halt in front of a pristine white villa.

Twelve years might’ve passed, but nothing seemed to have changed here—not even the towering tree by the entrance, whose oppressive presence still loomed large.

The grand iron gate remained as imposing as ever, silently watching over the property.

Lyra had mulled over this decision for a long time before finally taking the plunge. The trail with Brian had gone cold, but there was still a connection to be explored within the Shedd family.

After all, the Spellbinder giving her the curse, that was someone she had once been close to.

Everything was falling into place.

Behind her, Mr. Frei followed closely, his posture stiffening under the weight of the villa’s foreboding atmosphere. His voice was low as he muttered, "Miss Lyra, if things get rough in there, I’ll need double my usual fee."

The tension in the air was unmistakable, and his instincts were screaming at him that danger lurked just beyond those gates.

The heavy iron gate creaked open with an eerie groan. Lyra’s eyes narrowed as she gazed at it, feeling like she was staring into the jaws of a beast.

Without turning her head, she gave a small, faint smile. "Of course. Just get me out if things go south. Nothing more."

Mr. Frei gave a curt nod, adjusting his crisp suit as if preparing for battle.

With a steady breath, Lyra led the way through the gates. The moment they crossed the threshold, a gust of wind came barreling toward them, only to be stopped in its tracks by a glowing light shield that shimmered into existence.

"Lyra! What did you do to Jorath?"

A woman came storming out of the villa, her face twisted with fury as she summoned two sharp wind blades, aiming them straight at Lyra.

Unfazed, Lyra’s expression hardened. With a swift movement, she waved her hand, deflecting the attack as if it were nothing.

The wind blades scattered harmlessly to the sides.

With a single flick of her finger, Lyra summoned several glowing dots that darted toward her attacker.

The woman’s confidence quickly faltered as she realized the lights were tracking her every move. Fear crept into her features as the glowing orbs closed in.

Suddenly, shards of ice came shooting out from the villa, colliding with the light dots and dissolving them into wisps of white mist.

Several of the orbs lost momentum and struck the tree behind Lyra, leaving faint marks before fading away.

Erin, standing in the doorway, watched in shock. The last time they had faced off on Wyrmtrace, their abilities had been nearly on par. But in just a few short months, Lyra had far outstripped her in power.

The realization sent a chill down Erin’s spine.

"Lyra, you’ve barely set foot in this house and you’re already attacking people! Have you lost your mind?" Erin shouted, her voice a shaky mixture of fear and accusation.

Lyra’s cold eyes swept over Erin and Malona, the woman who had attacked her.

"What you’re plotting, I am doing the same," Lyra replied, her voice devoid of any warmth. "Don’t pretend you don’t know what’s going on."

Malona, still reeling from the failed attack, scrambled to her feet. Her eyes were blazing with hatred. "Did you kill Jorath? Was it you?"

The Shedd family had always struggled with a dwindling number of strong members. Unlike the other powerful military families, they lacked a steady influx of new blood.

Patrick’s side of the family had always been overshadowed by Ansel’s in terms of talent. Jorath had been an exception—one of the few promising young members of the Shedd family. But then, he had died on Planet Nagano.

And when they found out that Lyra had been there at the time of his death, it seemed almost certain—Jorath’s blood was on her hands.

"The ones who killed him have already been executed by lethal injection," Lyra stated coldly, not wasting any more breath on the Shedd family drama.

Without so much as a glance back, she turned and made her way toward the main entrance of the villa.

A maid hurried over, offering her a pair of clean slippers.

Lyra barely registered the gesture. Instead, she stepped right onto the gleaming floor with her dusty shoes still on.

The polished surface reflected the disdain etched into her face—every step mirroring the deep-seated disgust she held for this place and the people in it.

A sharp, derisive snort cut through the air, followed by a surge of psychokinetic force that made the room feel smaller, heavier.

Lyra paused, turning her head slightly to see Patrick, slumped in a chair on the far side of the room. His dark eyes narrowed as his power rolled off him in waves, his expression tense and brooding.

Lyra gave a subtle nod to Mr. Frei, her silent signal.

Instantly, he pushed back with his own power, meeting Patrick’s force head-on.

The clash between them was brief but brutal.

Patrick, despite his level-seven psychic abilities, paled as the pressure mounted, his body sinking deeper into the cushions as he struggled to maintain control.

Before Mr. Frei could push harder, a heavier, more oppressive wave of psychokinesis swept through the room, stopping both men in their tracks. It was like the air had thickened, pressing down with the weight of absolute authority.

"Lyra, why have you returned... with a stranger?"