Stuck in an Island with Twelve Beautiful Women

Chapter 801: Chapter 803

Milo looked up, his sharp eyes narrowing slightly at the sight of Jude. Then, a slow smirk tugged at his lips. ”Well, well. Look what the streets dragged in.”

Jude moved forward, lowering himself onto a worn stool. ”I need information.”

Milo leaned back, studying him. ”You always do. But something tells me this time’s different.” His gaze flickered to the entity. ”And I think I know why.”

Jude remained silent. Milo had always been good at putting things together quickly.

The older man exhaled. ”You picked up something you weren’t supposed to, didn’t you?”

Jude didn’t answer.

Milo chuckled. ”You know, there are people who spend their whole lives looking for things like that. And they don’t take kindly to someone stumbling upon it by accident.” He poured himself a drink, swirling the liquid absently. ”Who came after you?”

Jude hesitated before answering. ”Someone who knew about it.”

Milo’s expression darkened slightly. ”And they didn’t try to take it from you?”

”No,” Jude said. ”They warned me.”

That gave Milo pause. He set his glass down, leaning forward. ”That’s worse.”

Jude frowned. ”Why?”

”Because it means they aren’t the ones you should be worried about,” Milo said. ”It means there’s something bigger coming.” He glanced at the entity again. ”You bonded with it, didn’t you?”

Jude’s fingers tightened slightly. ”What does that mean?”

Milo sighed. ”It means you’re in deeper than you think. Whatever that thing is, it’s not just some stray fragment of power. It’s a piece of something older. Something that doesn’t belong here.” He lowered his voice. ”And if it bonded with you, it means it chose you.”

Jude didn’t like the way that sounded. He had never asked for this. He had never wanted to be part of something bigger than himself. But now, it seemed, he didn’t have a choice.

Milo reached beneath the counter, pulling out an old book. He flipped through the pages before stopping on one filled with symbols Jude didn’t recognize. ”There are records of things like this. Not many, and most people don’t believe them. But the ones who do...” He looked at Jude. ”They hunt them.”

Jude exhaled slowly. ”Then I need to know who’s coming.”

Milo tapped the page. ”If they sent someone to warn you, then they’re still watching. They won’t move until they’re certain you can’t control it.” He met Jude’s eyes. ”Which means you need to prove that you can.”

Jude glanced at the entity. It remained still, as if waiting. He had commanded it before, but he still didn’t understand what it was, or what it could do. And now, he needed to learn ,fast.

Milo leaned back. ”You don’t have much time.”

Jude nodded. He had survived in this city by staying ahead, by making decisions before others could make them for him. This was no different. He stood, turning to leave.

Milo’s voice stopped him. ”One more thing.”

Jude looked back.

Milo’s expression was unreadable. ”Be careful what you ask of it. Things like that... they always want something in return.”

Jude didn’t respond. He stepped out into the night, the weight of what was coming pressing down on him. The entity stirred slightly, as if sensing the shift in his thoughts.

Jude exhaled. He had never been afraid of the dark. But tonight, for the first time in a long time, he wondered if he should be.

The sound of Jude’s footsteps echoed through the nearly empty streets of Leonork. The entity followed silently, a shadow that did not belong to him but clung to his existence as if it had always been there. He didn’t know what it wanted, and Milo’s words haunted him. Be careful what you ask of it. That implied it could do things, that it had a will beyond merely following his commands. And if something had a will, it had a price.

Jude had spent his entire life in this city avoiding debts he couldn’t pay. This felt like the kind of debt that didn’t end in mere blood.

He needed to know what it was before someone decided for him. He didn’t trust Milo completely, but he trusted the man’s knowledge. If the people watching him were waiting for proof that he couldn’t control it, then the only move left was to prove that he could.

The thought brought him to an abandoned construction site near the river ,one of many projects left unfinished when investors lost interest. The skeletal remains of buildings stood against the night, surrounded by fences no one bothered to guard. He climbed over, boots hitting the cracked ground as he made his way deeper into the site. No cameras. No people. Just him and the thing that had chosen him.

Jude turned to face the entity. It hovered a few feet away, shifting slightly, its form never quite solid, as if it was undecided about how it should appear.

He exhaled and took a step closer. ”What are you?”

The entity did not respond, but he hadn’t expected words. It wasn’t a person. If it had a consciousness, it was unlike anything he knew.

He raised his hand, palm up. ”Can you understand me?”

The entity flickered, its form pulsing in a way that reminded him of breathing.

”Good,” Jude murmured. ”Then listen carefully.”

He didn’t know how he knew what to do. It wasn’t knowledge he had been given ,it felt remembered , something buried inside him. He reached out, fingers barely brushing against the shifting mass. The instant he made contact, a rush of sensation flooded him.

It wasn’t pain, nor was it pleasure. It was something else entirely, something deeper.

Memories that weren’t his.

A battlefield under a burning sky.

A city swallowed by the sea.

A voice speaking in a language he didn’t know, but somehow understood.

Jude staggered back, his breath sharp, pulse hammering against his ribs. The entity remained motionless. But now, he knew . It was power. Not magic, not spirit, but something older, something beyond the understanding of those who would try to define it. And it was bound to him now, not just by accident, but by choice .