The Spider Queen

(Earth Federation- Alpha Star System)

(Planet Gaia- Peterlor Estate)

The higher ups of the Nephilim Church and Duke Peterlor wanted to keep their alliance secret, so Sophie was informed of the secret plan once the starship got nearer to Planet Gaia.

They would be taking a detour to a well-known pilgrimage site in order to throw off any suspicions.

There would be no doubts if after a battlefield exercise, the saintess decided to visit a holy site in order to bless the believers and worship.

No one would suspect that the true purpose of the Nephilim Church's delegation was to rescue the hybrid daughter of Duke Peterlor.

Once the starship had arrived on Exoplanet NP-894, Katarina had led Sophie, Lily and the rest of the death guards to a private spacecraft that was concealed at a rendezvous point.

This entire operation had made the return journey to planet Gaia several hours longer than a direct flight, but Sophie understood the reasoning.

Her father's alliance with the Nephilim Church was a powerful hidden card that could not be easily revealed.

Now Sophie and Lily stood quietly in a wide-open field while the wind brushed gently against their faces.

A full blue sun hung brightly in the sky and was accompanied by three moons that were a dull grey colour.

"Big sister where are we?" Lily asked quietly as she tightened her grip on Sophie's right palm. The little girl could barely contain her curiosity as she stared at the seemingly barren scenery.

A wide-open field with no vegetation or any signs of life present stretched out before them. This dead patch of land extended outwards towards the horizon with no end in sight.

"Home. This is my home," Sophie replied gently. A warm smile flashed across her face and a few tears welled up in her eyes.

Lily was unable to see through the illusion, but Sophie's golden eyes could easily pierce through the camouflage system to see what was really present in this 'empty' plot of land.

An enormous translucent dome-like structure that rose high above the ground and reached for the heavens.

This dome acted as barrier and also helped to conceal the underground entrance to the magnificent castle of House Peterlor from prying eyes.

Sophie's enhanced vision could also make out slight fluctuations in the air when the wind brushed against the dome which caused tiny ripples along its surface.

"I'm just waiting for Katarina and the rest of the death guards to finish powering down the hovercar and then I'll take you inside," Sophie promised.

Now that they had finally arrived in a safe location, Katarina had allowed the two noble girls to go outside first while she finished completing a brief mission report and a few tasks.

The hybrid girl turned around and waved cheerful at the red-haired woman who was currently barking out a series of orders at her poor subordinates who were busily running back and forth.

Katarina glanced out of the hovercar's window and nodded back before discretely signaling using her hands that she only needed around five more minutes.

Sophie sent back a message that told her not to worry and then ran her fingers through Lily's soft hair.

The warmth of the little girl standing peacefully by her side brought a smile to Sophie's face.

Suddenly an unexpected noise caused the hair on the back of her arms to stand up as her danger sense activated.

Crack!

Sophie stepped back in shock as the translucent barrier instantly shattered to pieces and a humanoid figure emerged from behind the veil.

"My daughter!" a fearsome roar came from the figure.

Sophie had barely any time to react before she found herself trapped in the warm embrace of her father.

"My baby�� my princess�� my angel��" Duke Peterlor kept muttering softly as if in a trance. His massive frame shuddered, and Sophie could feel her shoulders getting wet.

He was crying.

"I'm here dad, I'm��I'm here," Sophie choked up as she cried as well.

It was as though the months of pain, trauma and grief all came crashing down at once as she felt the love and care of her father.

Finally, she was safe. It was over�� the nightmare was finally over.

Duke Peterlor clung to his daughter and refused to let go. No trace of the cold military leader with an aura that repelled others from coming near him could be seen.

At that moment, he was a father who had been reunited with his lost daughter. The greatest gift that his lover had ever given him.

The other high nobles could not understand why Duke Peterlor was so distraught when his heir had disappeared.

Which high noble family did not have multiple children? And a healthy man like Duke Peterlor could easily produce another.

But they didn't understand.

Wealth, nobility, family name�� he cared for none of it. His daughter was more important than all of those things combined.

"It's all my fault�� if I hadn't made you go to the banquet�� if I had just realised the warning signs that were there," Duke Peterlor sobbed as he clutched his daughter tighter.

"Dad�� no one could have known," Sophie whispered softly as she held her father. The regret and pain present in her father's voice made her heart feel sick.

Katarina had thoughtfully activated the black-out screens in the hovercar once the duke had unexpectedly appeared, so the father-daughter pair had privacy for their reunion.

Lily was standing at the side watching the familial display with a small trace of longing in her gaze.

She also missed her family.

Sophie took a few steps backwards to escape the bear hug and then took a good look at her father for the first time in months.

Duke Peterlor appeared no older than his early thirties with a lean muscular physique but there was something different about him.

He was still the same handsome man whose attractive looks had stolen many a noblewoman's and nobleman's heart but�� what had changed?

Unlike Cleo, Sophie's father did not require sleep or rest since he had reached the god stage so there were no bags under his eyes or traces of exhaustion on his face.

And yet�� somehow Sophie could sense a deep fatigue and tiredness hidden behind his perfect features.

Just as Sophie was closely observing her father, Duke Peterlor was doing the same and feeling a mix of emotions.

His daughter�� was almost identical to her mother.

Maybe the shape of her nose or the angle of her eyes came from his side of the family, but Sophie was basically a splitting image.

Those months spent in the Unovan Syndicate had changed her. His precious daughter was now several inches taller with firmer muscles.

Duke Peterlor was taken aback when he observed the volume of qi in her dantian because it was impressive to say the least.

Sophie was in the middle level of the qi tide stage. It was shocking progress that only fell slightly behind where his cultivation level had been at her age.

Duke Peterlor felt both happy and worried. He felt a bit ashamed to admit it but a small part of him wished that his daughter had remained talentless.

Then he could have happily protected and raised her for the rest of her life. It was a selfish desire, but Duke Peterlor knew firsthand just how dangerous the path of cultivation was.

History was full of fallen geniuses who had never reached their full potential or rather were not allowed to.

Duke Peterlor gently stroked the side of Sophie's cheek and placed his forehead against his daughter's forehead.

He muttered a prayer silently.

Duke Peterlor wasn't sure who he was praying to but hoped that some kind deity would bless his daughter and gave her a life of safety.

"I won't let anything like this ever happen again," he whispered hoarsely.