NOVPUB"This pyramid structure…," Chloe said, "...Was once the habitat of a very powerful lion.
If we are going to enter, we must have it at the back of our mind that we may never come out alive,"
Kael was silent, his paws beat on the soil as he kept walking. He contemplated Chloe's explanation but didn't stop moving, he couldn't.
He was finally here to claim what belonged to him. The heavenly beacon belonged to him and him alone, he wanted to make sure of that.
The probability of death was high, but this was also his only chance to get his hands on a heavenly beacon.
Without the heavenly beacon, he had no way of becoming an official lion king, he had no way to get to heaven, and he had no way to close the gap between him and other lion kings.
If he walked away from this opportunity, he may never get close to another heavenly beacon again.
Just as Chloe said, the matters of heavenly beacons were usually attended to by lion kings, each of whom had world-shaking power.
If he wanted to get a heavenly beacon in the future, he would have to depend on another lion king. Chloe had made it clear that not all lion kings would be happy to see a Primordial Lion.
This pyramid, the pocket dimension, it was an opportunity for him, a once-in-a-lifetime encounter to gain power.
The spatial distortions, the shifting coordinates, and the inability of the kings to come close to the planet: Were all opportunities for Kael to take everything by force without anyone standing in his way.
So what if he might die here, if he didn't get that heavenly beacon for himself, he may very well live a life worse than death.
"I'm going in," Kael declared with his head raised and his limbs firm. The rising sun cast a warm glow on the right side of his face, giving him a brave and heroic image.
*Sigh*
Chloe sighed, she already expected this. She also guessed that Xu Ying and the others would have come to the same conclusion.
As for whether they would choose to go in, she didn't know. She couldn't help but think about Alora, her friend.
"Okay," Chloe nodded, "I guess I have no choice but to follow you," She said with a melancholic smile.
Kael turned to her, his eyes holding deep thoughts, "You don't need to follow me in, you can stay outside," He said.
His words shocked Chloe and caused her to pause her steps. She scanned Kael's moving figure from behind, surprised.
"What?"
"You don't need to follow me in?" Kael said.
The reason I asked you to follow me from the beginning was so that I could keep you close while having a bargaining chip against your friends.
I forced you to sign that consort contract not because I liked you or anything, I just wanted the truth and to hold you hostage.
I also wanted Isaiah, and I wanted to trade you for him.
But, look at this!" Kael exclaimed, his eyes sparkled as he stared at the pyramid.
"This is far bigger than Isaiah, he can wait."
"Aren't you worried that I would run away?" Chloe asked, and she found herself disturbed by Kael's blunt honesty.
Kael shook his head, "You can run if you like, I can always find you wherever you are."
"What about you're lionesses, won't they be mad that you let me go?" Chloe asked another serious question.
"It's Isaiah they truly want, you were just an instrument for revenge," Kael said.
As they got closer to the red and black pyramid, they finally saw the vast horde of squids and octopuses camped at the base.
Thousands of these eight-legged creatures surrounded the pyramid from all sides. From the looks of it, none of them could get it.
As long as Kael and Chloe kept on walking, they would clash with these squids, octopuses, and other creatures that had entered the pocket dimension with them.
Chloe had enough time to make her decision.
Enough time for Kael to also make his decision.
"Kael," She spoke.
"Mhm?" Kael answered.
"You've never been inside a pyramid right?" She asked.
"No, I haven't," Kael shook his head.
"Okay then, I'll show you around once we get in," Chloe said.
She looked up to see Kael but the golden lion didn't seem surprised by what she said.
"Besides, you complained about not bringing an army, you need every help you can get…"
Kael suddenly stopped walking, he spun around on the spot, turning to face Chloe head to head.
His golden head towered over her and his eyes stared down coldly.
"You want to help ME? The same ME that wants to take the heavenly beacon you were sent to retrieve?" His voice struck her mind with its deep tone, sending vibrations through her mind.
"I..I…" Chloe stammered.
"The same ME who almost killed you two days ago? The same ME who forced you to become my pride consort? You still want to help me?" Kael's telepathic voice was loud and oppressive.
Why did she really want to help Kael? A very good question.
Was it possible that she had grown to like Kael, her captor?
Chloe wasn't sure. The two days she had spent with Kael were filled with confusing emotions.
Kael kept giving her mixed feelings and mixed signals. At one point, he would be bold, cold, stern, authoritative, and unpleasant.
Other times, he was calm, kinder, thoughtful, and easier to talk to. An example was the time they had spent talking with each other or when Kael had created a magic barrier for her, endangering himself in the process.
Chloe didn't know what to feel, this wasn't how lion relationships usually started and she was confused.
"If you still want to follow, just know that in there you will have to fight on my side, even if you meet your friends," Kael said as he took some steps back.
This was the real reason he didn't want Chloe to follow him. As someone who had signed the consort contract, Chloe was obligated to support Kael no matter what, it was her duty to be loyal.
What happens if she follows Kael into the pyramid and then encounters Xu Ying and the others? She would be forced to choose between Kael, her official Pride leader, and her friends.
If she chose to support Kael, she would be fine but it may cost her the reputation she had in heaven.
If she chose to support Xu Ying and the rest to fight against Kael, her conscience may remain intact but it would cost her her life.
Kael wouldn't need to kill her, the contract would kill her on his behalf.
Kael still saw Chloe as a potential asset that could be molded into a good consort. Her connection to heaven could be useful to him in the future.
He did not want to put her in a situation where she would have to choose between him and her friends.
But at the same time, he wanted her to follow him into the pyramid. She was knowledgeable about it and she was the only familiar face in this unfamiliar place.
He needed every help he could get.
"Don't worry about that," Chloe smiled, "You are very considerate, do you know that?"
Kael frowned, "I'm serious," He pressed.
"I respect Xu Ying and Alora is the only friend I have. The others in that group? I only met them for this expedition." Chloe added.
"That doesn't change the consequences of supporting me," Kael stated.
'If you are indeed the Primordial Lion, getting the heavenly beacon would not only be beneficial to you but me also," Chloe thought but didn't say it out loud, it sounded blasphemous to her.
Even she was not confident in that reasoning. In truth, she didn't know what she was going to do if she met Xu Ying and the others inside the pyramid.
But she was sure of one thing, she would rather follow Kael into the pyramid than stay outside on her own where so many creatures that could kill her were present.
Lions were social creatures at the end of the day. Kael was also a familiar face in an unfamiliar place
Seeing that Chloe did not answer anymore, Kael sighed and turned around.
It was decided. Chloe raised her head high, logical reasoning had never been her strongest point anyway.
"Our main objective is to get into that pyramid, no matter what. We stick together and eliminate everything that stands in our way.
Is that clear?" Kael said while looking at the horde of squids, octopuses, water lions, shark men, and the flocks of birds circling above the tip of the pyramid.
"Yes sir," Chloe affirmed. If she could, she would have performed a salute.
"They haven't found a way to get in, so they would naturally not want anyone to get close. They would guard the pyramid as if it were their inheritance.
Are you prepared to fight them?"
Chloe nodded, "You fought two tier 4 cheetahs and one tier 4 shark on your own and came out as the winner.
As long as it's you that's backing me, I'm ready to fight all of them," She said with a playful smirk, something she rarely wore these days.
Chloe was joking, but her words earned her a malicious smile from Kael.
