THE LAST MINUTE GROOM SEASON 3: CHAPTER 41 – 50
BY SIR ZACH
CHAPTER 46
Nancy raised her hand, “An honest enemy is better than a pretentious friend. Jeslyn is not wrong… You should take care of your health, otherwise, you will turn out like me.”
Jeslyn frowned, “What do you mean?”
“The rainborite ore disappeared after my involvement. Now it seems there’s no cure for the virus anymore.”
Jeslyn bolted up, “Y– you– that was the effect of ATOM?!” She panicked. The way she met Nancy earlier is not something she would want to experience. Not now, not ever?!
“Hm…”
Jeslyn was left looking dazed and foolish. The symptom is way too scary! She has to inform Doc Matt as soon as possible. Maybe he can find a solution after seeing Nancy. She thought and immediately ran out.
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THE LAST MINUTE GROOM SEASON 3: CHAPTER 41 – 50
*Meanwhile, at the Dark Age organization…*
Almost two months ago, Maverick and his men were able to launch a surprise attack and sneak into the facility. They caused a lot of damage until the Sovereign appeared.
When the man arrived, he activated the protection barrier which forcefully ejected the intruders out of the facility. Now, Maverick and his people couldn’t enter the facility after attempting to break the barrier without success. Left with no other choice, they camped in the desert to carry out plan B.
Maverick and his men lost count of days and nights after the Sovereign arrived, so they have no idea how much time had gone. They only go to sleep when their body feels tired and can no longer function without sleep.
The ‘sun’ used to disappear after 20 hours like Maverick calculated but now, the ‘sun’ was getting hotter and hotter by the hours. If they don’t get out of this desert as soon as possible, they might die from the heat.
The Sovereign intends to give them a slow death. Watching them melt under the energy that was transformed into sun in the Visual world, would be fun to watch, he thought. So he ordered his computer experts to disable the ‘night’ and to gradually increase the heat of the ‘sun’.
Today, Maverick finally decided they’d push the plan B forward, else they’d all die.
At this moment, Maverick was seen in one of the tents, sitting in front of three computers that were connected together. Code 2 and Code 10 were standing at his right and left sides, watching out for any disturbance.
This is their last resort, so no mistake is allowed.
Maverick inserted the chip he took from Damien into the system and started working. His goal was to hack into the facility’s Core and upgrade the Visual World so he could steal control from them.
Whereas inside the facility’s control room, tens of men and women were seen sitting in front of large computers, the rhythmic sound coming from the keyboards sounded like a song to the ears as they tried to hijack the system from the intruder they just detected.
The Sovereign, a man who had a mask on and a black–hooded cloak, walked into the control room with two masked guards behind him.
“My Lord!” The leader, who was supervising the team, got up from his seat and bowed in greeting and the others followed his step.
“Hm… Why is he not quitting?” a thick voice sounded from the Sovereign. The mask gave no room for his lips to be seen, except that there were holes in the black mask to allow him access to oxygen.
The leader of the team replied with confidence, “They are just putting up a last struggle. Be rest assured, Sovereign, we will send them to hell in a while.”
“When you are done playing, bring me Alpha Chaos,” with that said, he left the control room.
Outside, one of the guards asked, “Master, have you reconsidered? Do you want to spare the formal Holy Son?”
“Spare?” the man paused and turned to look at him. “He brought war to my abode and you want me to spare him?!”
“I’m sorry, Master. I’m just worried that the Young Miss will be upset if her husband dies.”
The man took a deep breath and resumed his walk. A moment later, he asked, “Didn’t Elder Five show interest in her over the years?”
“Yes, Master, he still does.”
“Great. Release him and send him back. If he cannot make my daughter forget about Alpha Chaos, then there’s no use for him to remain alive.”
“Yes, Master!” The two guards bowed, alas, not sure if this was the best decision.
….
THE LAST MINUTE GROOM SEASON 3: CHAPTER 41 – 50
In a dark dungeon, a silhouette of a person could be seen until the roof was opened, enabling light to penetrate the prison. The man shielded his eyes from the brightness. When his eyes finally adjusted to the light, he took the hands away from his face.
“How long have I not seen the light?” he mumbled,
“Elder five, Master has a task for you!” a voice said from the top.
Elder five, or rather, a face with a striking resemblance to Damien’s, looked up, trying to find the owner of the voice. After not seeing the person, he registered he was being watched, so he lowered his head and went on one knee.
“Master wants you to return and make Jeslyn fall in love with you.”
The guy was stunned for a moment before a smile crept onto his lips and he said, “This one obeys!”
The minute he said that, the surface he was standing on cracked open and an elevator–like structure pulled out from the floor and moved him out of the dungeon.
“You are free now, return to your physical body!” the voice said again and the next second, the space twitched and the unconscious Elder Five was seen Inside a room that was designed like a gaming room.
The next moment, his eyes snapped open without warning. He looked around the room and his lips stretched into a beam.
“Jeslyn, I’m back!”
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THE LAST MINUTE GROOM SEASON 3: CHAPTER 41 – 50
Jeslyn suddenly jolted awake with sweat all over her. She looked almost out of breath. Seeing where she was, she took a deep breath to calm her racing heart.
She just had a bad dream that someone she couldn’t see his face broke her family apart, killed her husband, son, and married her. She grabbed her phone and called Yellow, who assured her that Valen was fine. Then she called Rex, who was also doing great at the hotel.
Even though Jeslyn was told that her family was okay, she still couldn’t feel relaxed or sleep anymore, so she got down from bed.
THE LAST MINUTE GROOM SEASON 3: CHAPTER 41 – 50
A while later, she was seen strolling around the Hwang’s garden, allowing the cool breeze to blow away her uneasiness. The fresh smell of flowers assured her that it was just a dream.
Lost in deep thought, she was startled when a weight was placed on her shoulders. She touched it and simultaneously looked back. It was a white-furred coat that was placed on her.
“You’ll catch a cold.”
“You aren’t wearing much either. You should take it. You haven’t fully recovered yet.” Jeslyn was about to take the coat off when Nancy walked away from her and sat on the bench under a tree. “Thank you. You also can’t sleep?”
“Sleep?” Nancy looked into space. The full moon was just too beautiful to look at, “I smell trouble in the air.” She returned her gaze to Jeslyn. “The world’s power is about to change, and I don’t know how this trouble would affect me.”
“What do you mean?” Jeslyn took a seat beside her.
Nancy ignored her question and asked, “Where is your husband?”
“He traveled for some urgent work,” she replied.
Nancy glanced at her but only shook her head. “Your husband is missing, the Yu family’s unpopular son, Reuben, is missing… His brother also went missing. It’s been over a month, yet none of these missing people have returned.” she tilted her head, “It seems a lot of powerful people are missing these days.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Hwang Min left in a hurry over a month ago, and I also don’t know where he went… meanwhile, after everyone disappeared, Davis started amassing power– stealing people’s territories and forcing smaller gangs in other cities to join his faction. Whichever gang refused got destroyed… a few days ago, the President released Feng’s oldest son, who almost sacrificed Brian.”
She paused momentarily before continuing like she couldn’t believe his audacity. “The President did it without my consent, and suddenly, there was gossip from different parts of the country of people missing…”
“Gossip?”
Nancy nodded and explained. “The cries of those people are never aired, and those who try to fight the government and the power behind them end up being used as fertilizer for the plants, so the others rather moan and gossip amongst themselves.”
Jeslyn incredulously asked, “You mean to say that the Fengs are kidnapping people and the President is taking orders from a power greater than you?”
“You are smart. But don’t you want to know how this is connected to your husband’s disappearance?”
Jeslyn stayed silent for a moment. After a serious thought, she shook her head, “He didn’t tell me before leaving and I have a hunch that everyone is lying to me. Maverick doesn’t want me to know his whereabouts because he knows it’s dangerous. Instead of making him and the family worry, I’d rather not know what is happening.”
Nancy smiled, “You are indeed the obedient one.” Since Jeslyn didn’t wish to know, Nancy stopped talking.
THE LAST MINUTE GROOM SEASON 3: CHAPTER 41 – 50
A few seconds later, she looked up at the sky and sighed. “The moon is full today and a lot of souls will be wailing under the sparkling knife of the bloodthirsty monsters. I wonder when this will stop.”
Jeslyn frowned. “What is that about?”
“It’s a ritual…” Nancy glanced at her. “The Dark Age believes that in order to maintain the control they hold, a pool of blood is needed as a sacrifice for their idol. So, every full moon, cases of missing people are reported in every corner of the city, but it never gets to the world because your father controls a large part of the media and satellite.”
Jeslyn cringed. “That’s barbaric!”
Nancy chuckled lightly. Jeslyn is fun to speak with. “You want to know what’s barbaric? It’s the story behind the Dark Age and Half-Heart.”
Jeslyn’s ears perked up. It would be beneficial for her to know the story behind those evil cults, she thought.
Seeing her interest in the story, Nancy smiled faintly.
“The half–heart started the ritual of killing. They sacrifice infant males and promote the agenda to reduce men into waste just to seek revenge on men for what happened to their deity.”
“Deity? She was a human?” Jeslyn was stunned.
Nancy nodded. “Zucchini was in love with a man who later became the deity of the Dark Age. The man broke her heart on their wedding day and chose power over her. For that, Zucchini died of grievance.
“Zucchini’s maid, who loved her the wrong way, refused to accept the outcome of her master and thought to seek revenge. The lady had relations with a hunted Witch, which was why it was easy for her to ask the witch for help.
“The Witch accepted to help the Maid on the condition that the Maid sheltered her from the hunters, who happened to be Zucchini’s ex-fiance and his family.
“The Maid didn’t reject, so she hid the Witch in Zucchini’s beloved tree-house. The Witch then suggested for the Maid to create a shrine where she would always summon Zucchini, who would in turn tell the Maid what she wanted her to do.
“The Shrine was built…it was where Brian was rescued.” she paused to gauge Jeslyn’s reaction.
“What happened next?”
“Zucchini or whatever was summoned cried that she wants revenge and a place to be commemorated. With the help of the Witch, who had an ulterior motive, Zucchini’s image was carved as a seductive woman. Then they tried to kill Zucchini’s ex–fiance, but they couldn’t because he was a hidden Magician.
“Then an idea, or a revelation, as they call it, came to the witch. ‘To kill the Magician, they needed the wailing of ten thousand women.’ so she said.
“The Maid went out on a mission to start recruiting disciples and members. The woman taught some Witchcraft, and others without gifts became members.
“When the cult started thriving, the Maid realized that she was tricked into forming an evil cult, but it was too late to turn back the hands of time, so the Maid was turned into a butterfly that was forced to live inside Zucchini’s statue.”
“Wow!” Jeslyn was short of words. This feels like…
“Yeah. It was indeed a huge conspiracy by the Witch to create a world for herself and her kind… Those members were made to believe they were getting groomed to fight men who betrayed them. Unbeknownst to them, they were being raised as the Witch’s disciples.
“Meanwhile, Zucchini’s ex–fiance was still looking for the Witch but had no idea where she had disappeared to. His reason for wanting to kill her was because the woman was prophesied to be his downfall.
“The King of the land rewarded the hidden Magician with his daughter for his excellent service of getting rid of Witches from the Kingdom. But unfortunately, the King had no idea he had let a serpent into his home.
“The King had only one Princess and numerous Princes. The Magician knew that he wouldn’t be able to get the throne if he didn’t do something, so he killed the whole family, claiming the last Witch did.
“Enraged, the whole Kingdom set out to kill the Witch no matter what. But before that, the Magician, being the Princess’ husband, was crowned the King.
“While his kingdom was flourishing, the Witches were also growing like mushrooms until they conquered some lands for themselves.
THE LAST MINUTE GROOM SEASON 3: CHAPTER 41 – 50
“Finally, the Magician and the Witch met after some decades and killed themselves. Before the witch died, she laid a curse that her disciples and the Magician’s offspring and supporters would forever be mortal enemies.
“The Army went after the remaining witches but some still got away and continued to carry forward their Master’s desire.
“Those remaining witches who were in hiding couldn’t initiate women anymore, so the senior Witch brought the idea of bewitching me.
“Those disciples found men to impregnate them, and their daughters took over after their mothers died. After decades, the disciples became numerous and the cult flourished once more, but unfortunately, some ladies couldn’t help their hearts from falling in love.
“To combat that, the Doyenne of that time introduced the idea of initiating new members from the day they were born. It was a good idea until some girls were unappealing to men because they were not beautiful.
“The Doyenne who came after was quite pretty and intelligent, so she passed down a new rule– the more stunning the child as they grow, the higher their position, so mothers made sure to look for handsome men to procreate with.
“It became a competition that some members started stealing each other’s men or allowing one man to procreate with many of them, brewing stepsisters all over the cult… by the way, that was how your grandmother and the present Doyenne of the Half–heart became siblings.”
“What?!” Jeslyn exclaimed in shock.
“Yes. When your great-grandmother approached your great-great-grandfather, the man immediately fell in love with her and also forced your great-grandmother to reciprocate the love. However, because he was the most handsome man then, other women from the cult also wanted him, but the man was strong-willed and disciplined because he was a Zhu, a Military family whose men were not allowed to mistreat their wives.
“Even though he could effortlessly avoid temptation, he couldn’t throw off the one woman who had always been envious of your great-grandmother.
“The woman used witchcraft on him just to have a few nights with her. By the time your great-grandmother undid the charm, it was already too late–the other woman fell pregnant.
“Your great-great-grandmother found out she was pregnant some months later but couldn’t run away with the pregnancy like she thought. After she gave birth to your grandmother, she attempted to steal the child but failed a couple of times.
“Meanwhile, the envious woman didn’t want your great-great-grandmother to return with your grandmother, so she snitched on your great-grandmother and caused the cult to kill her for falling in love and failing to bring back her daughter.
“Your grandmother grew up in the Zhu family with love and care, but your grandaunt, who became the present Doyenne because of her beauty, was very unhappy. She thought that she should be the one enjoying the love and attention that her stepsister was delighting in. So she tried to steal everything from your grandmother, including her fiance, your grandfather but also failed.
“Out of jealousy, she revealed to the Zhu family that your grandmother was a child borne by a woman from the Half–heart. Your grandmother, who was once the most loved child in the Zhu family, became the most hated child after her father, who cherished and shielded her, died.
“Because she no longer had the protection of the Zhu family, your grandaunt sought to kill her and steal your grandfather, but Mr. Lee protected your grandmother all the way.
“The Lee family was enraged that their son was still mingling with someone from the Half–heart, so he was given a choice to choose between the family or your grandmother. Without a second thought, your grandfather chose your grandmother, and he was banished from the Lee family.”
“Where is this Lee family? I haven’t heard of them before.”
“They are a hidden and eccentric family who hate to interfere with the matters of the world. But together with the Zhu family and a few others, they formed a body that is equivalent to the Dark Age and Half-heart. The body, called PEACE, is the reason your father isn’t able to swallow the world yet.”
“The peace? I haven’t heard of them before.” Jeslyn said.
“A lot of people don’t know about them, but they are the body keeping the world’s power in check.”
“Ok…So can you tell me more about my family? What happened next? Why did my grandparents relocate to Rose City if they were indigenes of Country M?”
THE LAST MINUTE GROOM SEASON 3: CHAPTER 41 – 50
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