DIVINE BANE-Chapter 66: zed i love you

The sun rose warm and golden, casting soft rays over the sprawling grounds of the Ravenhart Estate. Zed stood at the grand gate, composed and calm in his usual black attire, flanked by Aurora and Zander. The air was still, the mood formal yet faintly cordial. The Draven cavalcade prepared for departure.

Evelyne sat inside the chariot, practically glowing. Her fingers fidgeted with the ring on her hand the one Zed gave her last night. Her heart was fluttering, her face still tinged pink. Every glance she stole at Zed made her smile without meaning to.

Cid, on the other hand, had not spoken a single word since dawn. His pride was bruised, his nose still wrapped from the spar the day before, and his confidence shattered further by Aurora's indifference.

Zed gave a courteous nod. "Thank you for visiting. Have a Safe journey."

Zander and Aurora echoed similar sentiments, raising their hands as the chariot began to roll forward. The knights at the front nudged their horses, and the procession slowly began to pull away, wheels creaking against the gravel path.

Then it happened.

Just as the gates were nearly behind them, Evelyne suddenly leaned out the chariot window, wind tousling her purple hair, and shouted:

"Zed! I love you!"

The forest birds scattered at her voice. The guards up front nearly dropped their reins. Aurora's eyes widened in disbelief. Zander blinked, brows raised.

All eyes turned to Zed.

But Zed... he didn't flinch. He didn't even blink. He stood with hands behind his back, expression neutral, like it was just another breeze through the leaves.

Inside the chariot, Cid slowly turned to Evelyne, face pale.

"Did you... Did you just say you love him?"

Evelyne smiled warmly, her voice soft but unwavering. "Yes. I do."

Cid slumped back, staring at the ceiling of the chariot as if it had betrayed him too. First I lose to him, then Aurora ignores me, and now... His heart cracked even more. He didn't cry this time he had no tears left. Only silence.

Aurora stood beside Zed, arms crossed, an unmistakable smug grin on her face. She leaned in, knuckled his chest with a playful knock.

"Well, well. what was that, my dear brother?" she asked, her tone dripping with teasing delight.

Zed, hands still behind his back, gaze steady on the disappearing carriage, replied with the calmest face imaginable,

"What? I didn't hear anything."

Aurora raised a brow, lips twitching. "Oh really? So a girl screaming 'I love you' from a moving chariot doesn't register now?" She circled him like a cat, smirking harder.

Zed, unfazed, only shrugged. "Could've been the wind."

Aurora laughed, then leaned close, whispering just loud enough for Zander to hear too.

"You're becoming quite the lady killer day by day, Zed. Cold, mysterious, strong... next thing I know, you'll have half the empire chasing after you."

Zander, standing nearby with arms crossed, added dryly,

"That'll be a nightmare."

Zed finally cracked a tiny smirk. "You two are overreacting."

The chariot rolled deeper into the dense forest, wheels crunching over fallen leaves and scattered twigs. The canopy above thickened, dimming the light as the path narrowed.

Then a sudden halt.

The coachman pulled the reins, and the horses neighed uneasily.

"What now?" Cid grumbled, annoyed at the interruption. He leaned forward, yanked the curtain aside, and looked out the window.

His jaw dropped.

Before them, the forest path was clear but not in the usual way.

A massive pile of beast corpses stretched across the ground fangs, claws, fur, and blood stacked like a grotesque monument. Wolves, wild boars, monstrous stags dozens of them. And sitting at the very top of the heap, like a demon king upon a throne, was Alex.

His red Asura skull mask glinted in the patches of sunlight that broke through the canopy, and his long coat fluttered in the wind. His sword rested casually on his shoulder, stained with drying blood.

Evelyne, still daydreaming about Zed, blinked slowly, completely oblivious to the carnage outside.

Cid, meanwhile, was frozen.

Alex looked down at them, voice cool and composed, but with that same carefree edge."The path is cleared. No beast will dare approach now."

The knights surrounding the chariot gripped their weapons tightly but not to fight. Out of fear.

They stared at the carnage, at the lone figure who had cleared an entire section of the forest alone, and their legs began to tremble. No ordinary man could have done this. This wasn't just strength, it was terrifying.

This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

Cid, swallowing his pride for the hundredth time today, gave a stiff nod."Th-Thank you..."

Alex tilted his head slightly, mask expressionless, then vanished into the trees like a shadow returning to the night.

The wheels began to turn again, and silence took over inside the carriage.

Cid leaned back, sweat beading on his forehead. His thoughts screamed

"Just... what is happening inside Ravenhart household...?"

Later that day, under the soft golden light of the setting sun, we see Zed, Zander, and Alex standing together at the edge of the estate. A stone path led off into the horizon, marking the start of a new journey.

Alex had a large backpack slung over his shoulders, packed tight and ready. The gear clanked with weapons, tools, and supplies. His journey to Welford City was about to begin.

Zed raised an eyebrow, glancing at the massive bag.

"What's in the bag? Half the estate?"

Alex just smirked and handed it over instead of answering. Zed struggled with the weight."Is there a rock inside?!"

Zander chuckled, stepping in with his classic older-brother tone.

"Alright, listen here you're strong, but you're also a simpleton. Don't trust strangers, don't follow weird maps, and don't take weird potions, alright?"

Zed grinned, nudging him. "Wow, you're starting to sound like a mother."

Zander ignored him, pointing a finger at Alex.

"Seriously. Without us around, I don't know how you'll manage. You always throw yourself into trouble like it's a sport."

Alex scratched his head. "Wait... is that a compliment or a scolding?"

The three laughed.

Then Zed stepped forward, his expression soft but sincere. "You remember, right? Become so strong that—"

Alex raised his hand and finished with a confident smirk,"—the enemy loses all hope of winning."

Alex smiled, then took a step back and raised his hand.

With a flick of his fingers and a brief shimmer of light, he activated his boon. A soft hum resonated in the air, and in moments, Roadie began to materialize beside him. The familiar, blue translucent , formed from summoned energy, stood upright and silent, like a guardian waiting for orders.

Alex turned to Zed with a lazy grin."Here I'm leaving Roadie with you."

He motioned for the summon to step forward.

"I don't want to have him with me. And with me going far away, you'll need to sleep more. Besides..." he glanced at Zed with mock seriousness

"without me around, who's going to protect you while you're drooling in bed?"

Zed crossed his arms, clearly unamused."You make it sound like I'm helpless."

Alex shrugged. "Not helpless, just... dramatically prone to disaster."

Zander snorted in the background.

(As a reminder: Zed's copies like Alex and Zander remain linked to him through his mind. However, the farther they are from him, the more energy it takes to maintain that link. Eventually, if the distance becomes too great, the connection breaks entirely. As a drawback of his boon, when his copies are far away, Zed ends up sleeping longer than usual, as his body requires more rest to compensate for the strain.)

Zed accepted Roadie without a word. The puppet nodded once, then vanished smoothly into Zed's shadow like ink seeping into darkness.

Then Zed raised his hand, revealing the coiled tattoo of Vasuki slithering around his forearm. "As a parting gift," he said with a small smile. "Vasuki go with Alex. Keep him out of trouble... and take care of him for me."

The serpent tattoo shimmered. With a hiss, Vasuki emerged from his arm, coiling through the air before landing beside Alex. Her golden eyes locked onto him, and she bowed her head.

"As you wish, Master," she said, before transforming into a spectral serpent and lunging forward. She sank her fangs gently into Alex's arm not to harm, but to merge.

Her essence flowed into him like liquid rhu, and in moments, a tattoo identical to Zed's appeared, curling around Alex's right hand.

Zed gave him a nod. "She's all yours now. Make good use of her."

Alex stared at the mark in awe, then grinned. "I will. Well then... I'm off!"

Zed and Zander both stepped forward and pulled him into a brief but warm hug. Alex, flustered and blushing, quickly turned away to hide it.

He slung his pack over his shoulder, gave them one last grin and then dashed forward, his figure vanishing into the golden hues of the sunset horizon.

Somewhere in a lavish bar, filled with the hum of string music and the clinking of crystal glasses...

A group of nobles lounged around a golden-rimmed table, expensive wine swirling in their cups. One man, dressed in foreign finery that marked him as an outsider, leaned forward, irritation clear on his face.

"Come now," he said, his voice sharp with disbelief. "Why aren't any of you making a move against the Ravenhart family? Sir Jaeger is dead. They're vulnerable—easy prey."

The table grew quiet. Unease settled like fog. One of the local nobles, his eyes slightly bloodshot, shifted in his seat. His voice was low, as if afraid to speak too loud.

"Because... a monster far worse than Jaeger guards them now. Like a watchdog with the scent of blood. He's just a boy around sixteen, we fear him but not of his strength. It's the way he moves, the way he looks at you..." A shiver ran through him. "Even thinking of him makes my spine freeze, Phill."

With that, the man downed an entire bottle of wine, trembling as it burned down his throat.

Phill scoffed. "You're scared of a child?"

Another noble finally spoke, voice hollow. "If you'd seen what we did... if you'd felt it, you'd never dare speak against him either."

Phill leaned back, his eyes narrowing, thoughts spinning. What the hell happened to these men? Back then, they were easy to stir into rebellion. Now they cower like dogs, broken and obedient. And all because of... a kid?

He leaned forward, voice low. "What's his name?"

The drunk noble, eyes glassy and haunted, muttered, "Zander... his name is Zander."

Phill's gaze sharpened. He quietly stood, finished his wine, and slipped away from the table without another word.

Zander... huh?

He wouldn't forget that name.