Chapter 99

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Episode 22 - Inevitability [2]

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Luminus slowly crossed her arms and looked away, barely concealing her disgust.

"My home stopped feeling like a home a long time ago."

Kyle remained silent for a few seconds while carefully observing her exhausted expression and the small traces of fatigue that had built up over several weeks.

Then he let out a low, relaxed laugh while resting both arms on the rooftop’s metal railing.

"That sounded way too dramatic, even for you, Lumi."

Luminus frowned slightly as she walked over to stand beside him, not truly bothered by his little provocation.

"And you still keep teasing me even when I’m obviously going through a hard time."

Kyle smiled faintly for a few seconds before slowly raising his gaze toward the dark black sky.

"If I stop doing it, you’ll probably end up crying in front of me, and honestly, I wouldn’t know what to do after that."

Luminus let out a small involuntary laugh and then slowly lowered her head while the cold wind gently stirred her clothes.

For several seconds, neither of them said absolutely anything.

They simply remained there, watching the distant lights of the capital illuminate the enormous city at night.

Kyle quickly noticed that something about her was different, far too different compared to her usual letters and normal expressions.

"You didn’t come here just to see me after several weeks, did you?"

Luminus’s smile slowly disappeared while her hands trembled slightly from the emotional tension she had been desperately trying to suppress for days. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"I want to leave home for good."

Kyle did not respond immediately and simply listened carefully while she continued speaking in an increasingly quieter and more exhausted voice.

"I can’t keep living there anymore. I feel like eventually I’ll end up completely hating it, and when that happens, I won’t be able to stop myself."

The wind swept across the rooftop once again while Kyle maintained the calm expression that always carried a strange sense of peace around him.

"Then leave."

Luminus quickly raised her gaze in surprise while Kyle continued staring at the sky without even slightly changing his expression.

"If staying there is slowly destroying you, then you’re not obligated to keep enduring it just because you share the same blood."

Luminus pressed her lips together slightly while trying to contain the emotions that constantly threatened to completely shatter her composure.

"But I don’t have anywhere to go."

Kyle finally turned his head toward her and smiled gently.

"That’s a lie, and we both know it perfectly well."

Luminus remained motionless for a few moments while his response struck directly at her deepest and most vulnerable emotions without any warning.

Kyle let out a small, calm laugh before continuing in a lighter tone, trying to ease some of the melancholy atmosphere between them.

"Besides, you’re already practically part of my household. My mother would probably welcome you before even welcoming me."

Luminus slowly lowered her gaze while a small smile finally appeared on her face after such a long time.

She felt relieved as the pressure she had been carrying since her mother’s death and the constant arguments with her father slowly began to fade.

For the first time in weeks, she felt that there was still a place she could truly return to without feeling completely alone and abandoned.

Kyle silently observed her much calmer expression before speaking once again.

"So, what are you planning to do now?"

Luminus took a deep breath while looking at the enormous illuminated walls of the capital stretching beyond the military academy.

"I want to go back with you when you finish here."

Kyle stayed silent for a few seconds before slowly closing his eyes and letting out a small resigned yet calm laugh.

"I knew you’d end up saying something like that eventually."

Luminus stared directly at him without looking away while the night wind continued blowing quietly around them on the rooftop.

"But... are you really sure? It’s not like your father is the only person you care about. You’d be leaving your nanny behind."

Kyle said this while looking directly into Luminus’s royal purple eyes.

Luminus pressed her lips into a thin line while thinking about the nanny who had taken care of her since the day she was born.

And now that she thought about it, the idea was beginning to eat away at her.

’I left so quickly that I even forgot about her... she’s like a mother to me too.’

But going back home no longer made her feel at ease. Her father had stopped being the person he once was three years ago.

"Besides, there are also the servants’ children, the butler, and the gardener."

"..."

"So I’m asking you, are you sure you want to leave? Even after I told you to come to my house."

"..."

Luminus said nothing, but a thought crossed her mind.

’How could I leave so easily while abandoning them behind?’

Even though she wanted to leave, it was solely because of her father, not because of anyone else.

Then, memories from her childhood returned for a moment. The faces of everyone who still remained in her home appeared in her mind.

She clenched her fists while breathing slowly. Then she looked at Kyle and said:

"I... don’t know what decision to make. I want to leave, but at the same time, I don’t anymore."

Kyle let out a "Mhm" sound as he stroked his chin thoughtfully.

He narrowed his eyes slightly and finally said:

"Well, I have a solution."

Luminus looked at him expectantly.

"Tell me what it is."

Kyle took a deep breath before answering:

"Well, it’s simple. Try to make him become the person he used to be again. Make him remember that he was once kind, that he should leave his wife’s death behind and focus on you, the living image of her."

He looked at Luminus and remembered her mother’s appearance. He had met her five years ago.

It was when Luminus spoke about her for the first time, back when she was still his fiancée.

"And maybe he’ll understand his mistakes and finally become the father he once was again."

"But that... I don’t think it’ll be easy."

"But it’s worth trying. In any case, if nothing changes, I’ll send him a threat. After all, you’ll be my future wife."

Luminus’s eyes widened instantly, and her face turned slightly red after hearing that declaration.

This time, he had not spoken in a joking tone. Kyle usually teased her whenever they were together.

She would get angry and lightly hit him, but that was all.

However, this time, after seeing his eyes, she could not help but stammer.

"O-okay... I’ll try."

Kyle smiled calmly, enjoying Luminus’s embarrassment.

He raised his hand and patted her head as he said:

"Then go and try to fix things. No matter how horrible a father may be, if he was once a great person, those memories will be difficult to forget. So I think the best thing is to try to bring that person back."

Luminus nodded shyly.

"Alright... then I’ll leave and..."

Before she could continue, Kyle spoke.

"And we’ll see each other next week, before I join a squadron."

Luminus nodded repeatedly. Shortly afterward, she left. Kyle watched her back and smiled faintly.

’Because I think that will be the last time we see each other.’

Perhaps, at least for many years.

***

At some point, the pine trees had disappeared, leaving behind only a vast snowy field filled with ice sculptures.

Creatures and monsters with enormous wings and deformed, incomprehensible bodies covered the entire frozen landscape.

The Power of Chaos grew stronger the deeper we ventured into the Winter Cemetery.

Using my senses to explore the surroundings, I did not notice a single living being. Everything in this place was merely monsters or demons that had been frozen for a very long time.

"So, where is the villains’ base?"

Charlotte asked while looking around. There was nothing besides frozen monsters.

Within a radius of one thousand meters, everything remained exactly the same.

The snowfield was enormous, probably the widest and flattest area in all of the Mountains of the End.

Luminus suddenly stopped and said:

"We’re here."

Charlotte frowned.

"What do you mean by that?"

She looked around, but no matter how hard Charlotte tried, she couldn’t see anything.

Just like Charlotte, I was also confused. I had used my senses, and even so, this place seemed practically empty.

’Maybe...’

A thought crossed my mind, and I spoke in a low voice:

"A Pocket Gate."

Luminus nodded, confirming my words. I used Mana Sense instead of my normal senses, and indeed...

In front of us, there was a ripple in the ambient mana, as if it were forcing shut a crack in the void.

"A Pocket Gate... but villains can’t create something like that."

Luminus shook her head at Charlotte’s words.

"It’s not impossible. There are Magic Items or Relics capable of doing it."

Charlotte’s mouth formed a small "o" as she remembered that detail.

"But forcing your way into a Pocket Gate requires fulfilling a prerequisite before breaking in, right?"

I said while rubbing my chin as I recalled a few details.

Luminus nodded before responding:

"There’s no problem. I already fulfilled the requirement. All that’s left is to force it open, so step back."

Charlotte and I moved back far enough, leaving space for Luminus.

A Pocket Gate was a small dimension, similar to a Zone of Isolation created by a 6-Star Awakened.

Each dimension could be shaped, reformed, and structurally complex.

There could be an entrance filled with traps if it was forced open. There could also be teleportation mechanisms capable of sending you directly into a volcano.

Luminus raised her hand, and mana burst from her body, spreading outward and surrounding the entrance to the Pocket Gate.

The mana wrapped around and embraced the entrance. Then, in the very next second, the space in front of us began to split open.

It was similar to when I cut through space using the First Form of Inverted Heaven.

"Move!"

Luminus shouted. Charlotte and I quickly crossed through the Pocket Gate alongside her.

And the moment we entered, I instantly sensed a presence comparable to Luminus’s strength.

A man covered in plate armor stood there with a katana at his waist, remaining upright, motionless, and silent as he watched us.

’A 9-Star Awakened... and not a villain... that’s not him... right?’

A strong premonition rose within me as the knight silently observed the three of us.