"You know where I can find them?"
There was no response.
The Sphinx had vanished.
It's message was clear: Neo had to come meet it if he wanted answers.
Neo clicked his tongue and stood up.
"Let's go. We are leaving."
'To where?' Velkaria asked.
"To the World of the Living."
Neo sent Velkaria back into his Shadow Space.
He took one last sweep through the palace, searching for Bael, only to be unsuccessful.
With a faint sigh, he turned around and exited the palace.
Outside, the Underworld's landscape stretched before him.
"I greet thee, Prince," Veldora bowed. He had been patiently awaiting Neo's return. "How was your meeting with the Monarch?"
"It was... unexpected," Neo replied.
Neo chose not to reveal Hades' absence.
'Some of the Grim Reapers must have an inkling that Father is missing.'
'After all, nobody has seen him in ages.'
'The only reason Grim Reapers are hiding the news is to maintain stability and order in the Underworld.'
Neo's thoughts churned as he stared at Veldora.
'Just like the Grim Reapers, others might have realized Father is missing.'
'They are silent because they lack confirmation.'
'But if they were to confirm it...'
'The Underworld would be engulfed in chaos.'
'It's going to happen soon.'
Neo clenched his fists.
He had to be strong enough to handle the coming chaos—or find a way to bring his father back.
"Prince, is there any problem?"
"No." Neo shook his head. "We should return to the Forest of All Beginnings."
"As you wish, prince."
They took off to the air.
Weeks passed as they traveled.
After arriving at Forest of All Beginnings, Neo used his Grim Reaper badge.
A swirling portal of black energy materialized before him.
Without hesitation, Neo stepped through the portal.
The world shifted around him.
Strange noises greeted him as he emerged—hushed moans and ragged breathing.
Neo opened his eyes to find himself back in the private coffee room where he had first entered the Underworld.
The warm light of the room contrasted sharply with the darkness of Underworld.
However, the scene before him was far from ordinary.
The shop owner, disheveled and half-naked, was busy with the waitress on the table.
The air was thick with awkward tension as their shocked eyes met Neo's.
Neo swiftly appeared next to them and grabbed their heads.
He activated his Mind Control skill.
The shop owner and the waitress slumped over and they fell into a deep sleep.
"Dammit, what kind of shitty timing is this?" Neo muttered as he massaged his brows.
The situation reminded him of his time with Daniel.
Neo had often been forced to endure watching Daniel indulge in his reckless urges, especially when the man was backed up.
"Fuck, somehow this is irritating."
Neo's lips twisted into a scowl.
His stared at the unconscious shop owner and waitress sprawled awkwardly across the table.
With a click of his tongue, he stepped closer and activated his skill.
"Mind Invasion," he muttered.
His soul manifestation materialized inside the waitress's mind.
Inside there, fragmented memories floated like shards of broken glass.
Neo navigated through them, searching for the memory of his sudden arrival.
Upon finding it, he focused intently and destroyed it.
Strictly speaking, Mind Invasion was a tool for memory viewing, not alteration.
Tampering with a person's memories could harm their mind if not done carefully.
Erasing a large portion of memory risked irreversible damage.
'Removing just five seconds should be safe,' Neo reasoned.
After completing his task, Neo turned to the shop owner and repeated the process.
He cast one last glance at the sleeping pair before exiting the shop.
The streets outside were quiet, bathed in the soft, golden glow of the evening sun.
A cool breeze rustled the leaves of nearby trees.
Neo activated his Shadow Jump spell.
The world blurred around him and he moved toward the academy.
He reached his destination quickly.
"Is this the academy where you study, Prince?" Veldora's voice echoed softly.
Neo glanced at the blue, flickering flame floating above his shoulder—Veldora's current form.
"Yes, this is the place where I and other demigods study," Neo replied.
Angels—Grim Reapers—were beings bestowed with the blood of the Monarch.
They had sworn eternal loyalty to him.
It was this bloodline that protected them from turning into mindless monsters like other souls in Underworld.
The blood also granted them enhanced abilities, boosting their dark-type affinities.
However, it also bound them to the laws of the Monarch.
The dead shall not interfere with the living.
It was an unbreakable rule.
Any Angel of Hades who dared to break it would face dire consequences.
At best, they would lose their powers.
At worst, they would suffer a horrifying death.
It was this rule that ensured no Grim Reaper took action in the world of the living.
Veldora was not a Grim Reaper.
He, however, had a tiny amount of the Monarch's blood.
It stopped his monsterization but left him unable to do much in the World of the Living.
"Veldora, is it true you can't do much in the World of Living like other Grim Reapers?" Neo asked.
"It is partially true, Prince," Veldora replied, his voice calm, tinged with respect.
"The restrictions on me are much lighter than those on the other Angels of Death, I can move more freely than others.
"But even so the things I can do are limited."
Veldora, despite carrying the Monarch's blood, had never sworn his loyalty to Hades.
Instead, he had pledged himself entirely to Neo.
Thus, Veldora was not an Angel and couldn't exercise the full power granted by the Monarch's blood.
However, this also meant he was less restricted compared to other Grim Reapers.
Neo walked through the academy grounds.
He passed by one of the student blocks and noticed Felix and Arthur.
The two trudged forward with heavy steps.
Their faces were pale, and they had dark circles under their eyes.
They walked like zombies, their arms barely swinging with each step.