When his consciousness finally returned, the first thing Kyle did was raise his hand.
Warmth.
She was still beside him.
He slowly opened his eyes.
Veronica sat there, her eyes slightly moist, her expression betraying the nervousness she was trying to hide.
Kyle did not say a word. He simply reached for her, pulled her closer, and wrapped his arms around her.
Her face rested against his chest as he held her tightly, neither of them speaking for several moments.
"I... am sorry... for not remembering you for so long," he murmured, his voice heavy with emotion. "Even though you were always there in front of me, I couldn’t see your face in my memories."
Veronica finally released a shaky breath and closed her eyes.
"It’s not your fault," she whispered. "You were going through the worst phase of your life."
"But still, you were there. You were my friend... my savior. I never told you how much you saved me back then, Veronica. You gave meaning to my life."
Between his studies, training, and the relentless pressure imposed by his family, there had been very little for Kyle to look forward to.
Except her.
Those brief moments they spent together every evening after his training had been the best part of his day. Her presence had become a quiet refuge from everything waiting for him at home, a remedy that kept him from being crushed beneath the weight of his family’s expectations.
She had been his cure.
His reason to smile.
His first friend.
"I’m sorry I couldn’t save you back then," Veronica whispered, her voice trembling with regret. "I wanted to do everything I could to help you... but in the end, I only caused you more pain. You had to sacrifice something because of me."
"Shhh..."
Kyle gently patted her back, rocking her in his arms.
"It’s okay. None of that was your fault. You were only trying to stay close to me, even after I warned you about the consequences. And because of that, I eventually realized something."
He paused for a moment.
"All I needed was a little courage."
Unknowingly, Veronica had taught him a lesson that would later become one of the most important turning points in his life.
The courage to stop enduring.
The courage to choose himself.
"I knew it was dangerous, but I was willing to risk everything... if it meant I could sit there and talk with you for another evening," she admitted, earning a quiet chuckle from him.
"You don’t even realize how much you used to talk back then," Kyle said. He remembered how she would speak so quickly and fill the silence with so many words that he could barely keep up, let alone remember half of what she had said.
But that was never what he had cared about.
He had simply wanted her company. To hear her voice. To experience what it felt like to have someone who didn’t judge him for his family or his name.
She had treated him exactly as he was.
Not as the son of a powerful family.
Not as someone burdened by a name that carried weight.
Just a normal boy with normal thoughts.
Parting from each other, Kyle gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes before asking, "What happened after we parted ways? I’m sorry I never shared my contact with you."
His phone had been regularly checked by his mother, so he had never dared to take Veronica’s number or give her his own.
Back then, he had been far too cautious, always afraid of being caught. He had never even considered finding another way to contact her without putting either of them at risk.
"I... lived with my grandma for a few months until I awakened my powers and joined the academy. During my second year, I heard that my only living guardian had passed away."
Kyle squeezed her hand.
"I’m sorry I couldn’t be there with you."
He knew how much her grandmother had meant to her. Even the money Veronica had stolen back then had been for her grandmother’s medical treatment. She had taken that risk because she had no other choice.
"It’s okay. You were going through your own troubles. Mine were still better in comparison, especially because of the respect and importance I earned at the academy. And not long after that, I was brought here for further training... training to become the Commander."
Kyle smiled faintly.
"Glad to hear that."
Veronica had never been a gifted talent. Her ability alone had never been enough to make her a prodigy. If she wanted to stand among the best, she had to earn every step herself.
So she worked harder than anyone else.
She pushed herself beyond her limits, endured hardships others could not, and carved out a place for herself in a world that had never intended to make room for her.
And in the end, she had reached a position where she knew she wouldn’t need to fear Astortia Mathew or any other man.
A position from which she could protect him.
A position from which she could support him whenever he needed her.
"What about you?" Veronica asked. "I heard about you when you started living alone around four years ago."
Kyle shrugged.
"I went overseas for two years to finish my schooling, then attended high school in Fortis. Once I met more people and had Blake’s support, I decided to move to Montclair and attend university here. It wasn’t an easy path. I was warned about plenty of things along the way."
"That’s why I was surprised. Your father..." Veronica hesitated briefly. "That man has always been restrictive when it came to you."
Kyle nodded.
"Yes. And truth be told, at seventeen, I was nothing more than a toad in a well. I barely knew anything about the world beyond what my family had shown me, and I had spent most of my life relying on them. That’s why it surprised me when he actually allowed me to leave."
Veronica snickered.
"Finally, something sensible that man did."
The venom beneath her words made it painfully clear just how much she despised Mathew.
And she had every reason to.
Patriarch Astortia had locked her away in a confined space without food or water simply because she had chosen to be friends with him.
A moment later, Kyle remembered something.
"By the way, Veronica. Before you... umm... kissed me..." He paused, his ears turning red. "...I felt like your presence had completely changed. Even your voice sounded different."
Veronica blushed as well, remembering how she had clung to him and kissed him without his consent.
"I... I don’t know what happened to me. You’ll probably think I’m spouting nonsense, but sometimes I feel like a voice whispers in my ear, telling me to do certain things... and all of them are related to you."
She lowered her head, her face burning with embarrassment.
"The way I’ve been clinging to you the whole time, and even... taking off my clothes right after entering the room... that was under its influence too."
Kyle couldn’t help but think about her naked form from earlier as well. Even for the briefest of moments he saw her...her perky breast, toned abs, the sexy scar running down her abdomen and...a proof of her being a naturally silver head.
Yeah, he wasn’t going to forget that memory anytime soon.
"But what is this voice? Is someone tampering with your mind using magic?" Kyle asked. He rarely believed anyone could influence her through magic, especially given how high her endurance was.
What surprised him even more was how nonchalant she seemed about the whole matter.
"I honestly don’t know... and right now, I can’t feel their presence anywhere near me."
Kyle hummed thoughtfully. "You look worried."
Veronica nodded. "I am... because I have a feeling that the entity is... anxious."
Kyle could only tilt his head in confusion, but Veronica seemed certain.
Whoever had been whispering in her ears had suddenly vanished from her consciousness.
That had never happened before.
There had always been a faint connection between her and that mysterious presence. Whoever, or whatever, it was, she had never sensed any malice from it. If anything, its presence had always felt strangely familiar.
But now...
It was gone.
And for the first time, Veronica could feel the absence of something she had grown accustomed to having beside her.
.....
Beyond the mortal realm, a woman of ethereal beauty hurried toward a colossal tower of Light.
Her steps were swift, her eyes filled with a desperate search for answers.
The guards stationed outside did not dare stop the Goddess of Fertility as she entered the tower.
When she finally reached the upper floor, she saw him.
The man who watched over everything.
He stood motionless, his back facing her.
"What is the meaning of this, Krilian?"
The man turned.
His featureless eyes rested on her for the briefest moment before he turned away again.
"You have come to the wrong place, Lady. The one who has veiled the view has nothing to do with me."
Freya’s brows furrowed.
"But you are the watcher of the world. How can you simply turn your eyes away from someone capable of throwing the entire world order into disarray?"
Krilian slowly shook his head.
"I am the watcher, but I am also a servant of the Round Hall. I cannot interfere with the authority of one of its members."
Freya’s eyes widened.
"It can’t be..."
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"Ares?"
°°°°°°
A/N:- We would be exploring the immortal lands more from here on