They Hated Me in My First Life, But Now I Have the Love System

Chapter 554: You Shouldn't Have FollowedHer gaze never left Carl, but her fingers were already at a hidden switch.

Before anyone could react Hissss! Gas began pouring into the dining hall, a thick cloud flooding the air.

"Cover your nose, Nnenna!" Somto barked But she was already one step ahead, her collar pressed tightly over her face.

Their heads snapped toward Athena just in tto see her press another button.

With a mechanical whirr, the floor beneath her seat split open, revealing a narrow stairway. She didn't hesitate, slipping into it with quick, precise steps as the hidden hatch began to close behind her.

"She's getting away!" Nnenna shouted, her voice muffled by the cloth she had wrapped around her mouth and nose.

"Let her go! We need to get out of here, now," Somto snapped, his tone urgent. "We can't hold our breath forever!" "No," Nnenna's eyes were razor sharp above the fabric. "She has information I need." "Nnenna, don't you dare—" Somto began.

But before he could finish, she was already moving, slipping through the narrowing gap with a speed that made all three men freeze in horror.

Arthur reacted first, lunging toward the control panel. He slammed the button again, trying to reopen the hatch Click.

No movement.

"Arthur, watch out!" Somto's voice was sharp and panicked as he dove forward, tackling Arthur to the ground just as- BOOM! A violent explosion ripped through the section where they had been standing moments before, the shockwave slamming into the walls and rattling the entire dining hall.

Queen Athena was truly wicked. She had clearly anticipated that someone might try to follow her, and had most likely programmed the stairway's second activation to trigger an explosion, killing whoever was closest.

Arthur, too focused on dragging Nnenna back, hadn't thought to check for traps. Fortunately, Somto had sharp ears; the faint click had been enough warning for him to shove Arthur out of the blast zone just in time.

"We can't go through here," Somto said quickly, coughing through the lingering haze. "Con. I think I know where that passage leads." Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed Arthur and pulled him away from the gas filled hall.

"I'll meet you later," Carl called out, delivering the middle aged man to one of his soldiers and already turning back, he still had to lead the rest of his team to safety.

Meanwhile, deep in the stairway, Athena ran without slowing. She was almost certain no one could have followed her after that trap... but then, footsteps.

Fast footsteps.

Her breath caught. No. Impossible.

The sound grew louder, pounding in rhythm with her pulse. Her confidence began to crack, and panic clawed at her composure. She pushed harder, nearly stumbling as she burst through the end of the passage, only to find herself at the edge of a sheer cliff.

The stairway ended in a sudden, dizzying drop. The cliff stretched out into open air, jagged rocks jutting from the ocean far below. The wind roared up from beneath, sharp and cold, carrying the faint, salty sting of the sea. One wrong step here meant certain death.

To the right, clinging to the cliffside like it had no business existing there, stood a small, weathered building, stone walls streaked with moss, a single heavy wooden door set into its front. It looked old, almost abandoned... yet somehow, it radiated danger.

Athena stopped just short of the edge, chest heaving. The footsteps behind her didn't stop. They followed, relentless, stubborn, and emerged into the light with her.

She turned, expecting Somto or Arthur, but froze when she saw Nnenna instead. Surprise flickered in Athena's eyes, quickly replaced by a hint of unease.

"You shouldn't have followed me," Athena said, her voice low. "Go." Before Nnenna could answer, a distorted voice rang out, so close it felt like it was right beside them, yet it cfrom the direction of the building.

"So... you brought her toinstead of handling it yourself?" Nnenna's head snapped toward the building. What kind of voice was that? It was warped, layered, almost inhuman. And yet... there was no one in sight.

How can a voice from inside sound so close? she wondered, her pulse quickening.

The question didn't linger long. The heavy wooden door creaked open, and a figure stepped out. Cloaked in a black robe that seemed to drink in the light, the stranger's face was completely hidden.

"Do I have to do everything myself?" the figure muttered, voice thick with irritation as it advanced toward Nnenna, each step deliberate, predatory.

Nnenna stood frozen, every instinct screaming at her to move, but her body wouldn't listen.

The Love System's voice snapped her out of it, urgent and sharp.

"Nnenna, stay away from this person!"

"You don't need to telltwice," Nnenna shot back internally, already kixternally, taking a small; cautious step backward. Her heart was pounding hard enough to feel in her throat. Who-what is that?

"I'm... not sure yet," the Love System admitted, and even it sounded m Mit sounded m unsettled. "But I'm detecting a very dark energy from it. It's... it's like the opposite of my energy." Opposite? What do you mean 'opposite' She didn't get to finish.

The figure in black lifted a hand and waved lazily.

"Chere."

The words hit her like a command burned into the air. A crushing, unseen force wrapped aroun@her, pulling, yanking, dragging her forward no matter how hard she tried to resist. Her boots scraped against the stone, but it was like fighting a tide. Athena stood off to the side, eyes wide, lips parted, but she didn't move to help.

In seconds, Nnenna was standing before the figure. Up close, the darkness radiating off them was suffocating, like it wanted to swallow her whole.

"I can't believe you, a seventeen year old child, have been the one standing betweenand my-" The figure stopped abruptly, as if catching themselves.

A pause. Then, in a low, cold voice...

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