When Sam saw Astrid, he took a step forward and stood in front of Kim.


    His whole body was still trembling from terror, but he still moved to protect his friend.


    This display caused Astrid to look away, ashamed. She was still angry when she saw the goblin, but Kim seemed to trust him, so she tried to calm herself, too.


    It felt strange, like getting kicked in the guts. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, but no words came out.


    The five of them just stood there, watching each other with distrust. Adam was the one to step forward and begin the conversation. From the three of them, only Vicky had met him, but she didn''t have trust for him.


    "I think we should start with introductions. My name is Adam. I''m one of the Angelic Order''s commanders, and I have come here to apologize for our questionable hospitality."


    He took an annoyed glance at Astrid while saying, which caused her to be even more embarrassed.


    Kim placed on a warm smile, or at least she tried to, but at this point her skin was paler than it usually was, and when she reached out for a handshake, she began to fall.


    Luckily, Sam reacted fast and caught her before she landed on the floor. He then carried her back to the bed and placed her under the covers.


    "No. I can stand, I just need something to lean onto," she said in a way to protest, but everyone could see that she was not ready for that much movement.


    Adam took a few steps closer and stared into Kim''s eyes with a serious expression.


    "I think you should consider yourself lucky. I haven''t heard of a single person surviving the usage of all their essence at once. As your superior, I order you to rest! If you protest, I will ask my wife to send you to sleep forcefully!"


    He smirked a bit at the last sentence, causing Kim to relent and chuckle.


    Astrid stayed at the door. She seemed to rather be anywhere else than in that room, but she stayed anyway.


    The room got plunged into silence again. Both Vicky and Sam stood over Kim protectively, while Adam just stood there, waiting.


    After who knows how long, Astrid had gathered enough awareness to speak. She took a few steps to the bed, which caused Sam to borderline panic, but Astrid stopped a step away from it.


    She then surprised everyone by going down on one knee. She was so tall that even on one knee, Kim clearly saw her bowed head.


    "I apologize for everything I had done and beg for your forgiveness. My hatred got the better of me, but after a bit of self reflection, I realized how much of a mistake I had committed..."


    As she spoke, Kim saw a few tears leaving her eyes, which broke her heart a bit. Astrid was always emotionless, so seeing her like this made Kim realize how genuine she was.


    "Kim... In these past years, you are the only person I considered a friend... I understand if you can''t forgive me, but just know... You will always have a special place in my heart and thank you for everything..."


    By the time she finished, Kim was crying too. She took a few moments to calm herself down, and with a heavy heart, spoke.


    "I forgive you Astrid, but I''m not the only one you hurt... The one who has to forgive you is Sam, since you caused the most issues to him..."


    It was hard to say those words, but they were necessary. This was something Astrid understood as well, and through gritted teeth, she spoke.


    "I''m sorry... Sam... Because of my past, I''m angry at your kind, but I acknowledge that you aren''t a born goblin... I apologize..."


    "While you were working up here, we were adapting the system downstairs. We checked and the roots are in place. The energy the Tree of Life makes is very potent, and will be more than enough for the Aegis System. We should actually head there, since that''s where the convertor is!"


    After that, all six of them headed downstairs, to the lowest level. This place was full of scientists and other attendants. They were making separate research here, ones that are not dangerous to the public, or not highly secretive.


    They each saluted to Bran, Adam and Lilith. They also said hi to James and Mary, since they were basically colleagues. The only person none of them recognized was Bea, but she was fine to keep it that way.


    After what they will do today, word will get out quickly inside the Angelic Order, and her identity shall be revealed.


    She had mixed feelings about that, but she had no say in the matter. In the past week, she still hadn''t got time to discuss anything personal with Bran, and it felt like he was actively avoiding her, understandably so.


    The only person she had a few conversations with was Melinda. They were getting along alright, but after learning about Bea''s and Sera''s relationship, she kept her distance too.


    But all this personal crap didn''t matter to her. She just wanted to save Sera, since she owed her that much. After that, they will figure out what to do!


    The six of them walked through corridors until they reached a large door, which led into an enormous hall.


    The ceiling was overgrown with the Tree of Life''s roots, with the main one hanging in the middle of the room.


    To the sides, machines buzzed. Without a word, Mary and James walked there, and they quickly checked if everything was in working order.


    Bea also checked on the roots and her tree. It was healthy and full of untapped energy. When growing it, she focused most of the energy dispersion into the roots, so the room was overgrown with plants too.


    Lilith and Adam stood at the door, making sure that nobody entered.


    Bran walked into the middle of the room where a large podium stood. He walked up on it. The end of the main root hung in front of him.


    He turned towards Mary and James, who were talking in whispers with each other.


    A few minutes later, they checked everything out, and Mary shouted...


    "Began the energy transfer, try to aim it at the large red circle on the wall!"


    It didn''t take a genius to know that, but Bran appreciated the order anyway. With one nervous hand, he touched the root, and he pointed the other towards the red circle.


    His ability was supposed to work in an area around him, but after a week of training and a lot of talk with the professor and Damien, he found another way to use it.


    The root glow with a bright green energy, which flowed straight into Bran. It went through his whole body until it reached his other extended hand.


    The energy converged there, then when enough of it gathered, it shot out like a laser, hitting the middle of the red circle.


    A constant line of energy flowed from Bran to the red circle. Its color had changed from green to grayish-black.


    The circle''s red outline began to glow, then continuously brightened until it lit the entire room.


    After ten minutes of constant focus, a loud ping sounded in the room, and a robotic feminine voice spoke loudly...


    "Aegis System: Active!"