CHAPTER 216: CHAPTER 216: A SLIVER OF HOPE

Xu Kai stood silently beside Liora, his posture calm, but inside, everything had begun to shift. It happened the moment their eyes met. Just a glance—and the ground beneath his certainty started to crack.

His gaze drifted to the man standing just behind her. Tall, quiet, with striking white hair and sharp, glacial-blue eyes that shimmered with a glow Xu Kai could never forget. That glow—it was the mark of a bloodline few had ever seen.

The Aelaryn Clan. A clan known for their powerful aura, their haven defying unique abilities, and their complete isolation from the rest of the galaxy.

And that man... he wasn’t just any member. Xu Kai was sure of it.

That was Atlas—the rumored heir of the Aelaryn line. Xu Kai had never seen him before, but stories had reached even the farthest corners of the universe. The resemblance was too sharp to dismiss. Yet here he was—on a forgotten planet, standing beside Liora, behaving like they have none each other for ages.

Xu Kai’s breath caught in his chest. Questions surged through him like a storm.

Why would someone like Atlas be here, so far from the protected core systems? What could possibly draw a highborn heir to this wild, struggling outpost? And more importantly... why was he standing so closely with her?

And then, the impossible thought struck him.

What if Liora wasn’t just a survivor with strange talents and sharper instincts than most?

What if... she was someone related to him...maybe Aeris?

The idea hit him like a strike of lightning shocking, wild, unbelievable.

The girl he had once known in another life. The one whose laughter still haunted his memories. The one who had vanished without a trace, like a dream he was never meant to remember.

There names didn’t match. The time didn’t make sense. The world had changed. But everything else—her presence, her strength, the way she moved through chaos like she belonged in it—was all too familiar. Her eyes, especially. They held the same fire, the same mystery, the same quiet sadness that Aeris used to carry when she thought no one was looking.

Could she have changed her name? Lost her memory? Was she hidden here by someone powerful? Or had something even stranger happened to her?

He didn’t know. He had no way to prove any of it.

But now, he had a reason to hope.

And that was enough to make him move.

Xu Kai reached into the inner pocket of his coat and pulled out a small glass vial. Inside it swirled drop of blood—Liora’s. He had collected it accidentally, from a bloodied cloth she’d handed him during a chaotic supply run. At the time, he hadn’t thought much of it. The cloth had stayed in his pocket, forgotten. But now... it felt like fate. Like the universe had quietly left him a clue.

He held the vial in his palm, the soft light catching the crimson drop inside. But it held the answer he needed.

He would take it back to Nuvexis Spire. He would run a deep genetic trace, something only the inner core systems had the technology to process. If she was Aeris—if there was even a fragment of truth in his suspicion—then the test would reveal it.

And if she wasn’t?

Then he would accept it.

Even if the truth broke him all over again. Even if it shattered the last piece of hope he had kept buried for years.

Because in this cold, vast galaxy, where coincidences were rare and lives vanished too easily, he couldn’t ignore the possibility. Not when her eyes stirred something real inside him. Not when Atlas stood so protectively near her, as if guarding her from harm.

If there was even a sliver of a chance...

Xu Kai wasn’t going to let her disappear again.

The spaceship landed smoothly on the upper deck of Nuvexis Spire, a shining city suspended high above the planet’s surface. The sleek towers glistened under the pale light of the twin moons, casting long reflections on the glass-like surface of the landing bay. Xu Kai stepped out without hesitation.

The moment the outer inspection protocols were complete, he waved off the welcoming officers and headed straight for his personal aircar. There was no time for idle conversation, no time for routine.

He needed answers.

The ride to his estate was silent. The city passed by in flashes of steel and light, but his thoughts were already at home—at the one place that still felt real. When the vehicle finally came to a stop at the front steps of his private residence, a familiar figure waited by the doors.

An old man in a crisp black uniform stepped forward with a warm, composed smile.

"Welcome home, Master Kai," the butler said, bowing respectfully.

Xu Kai didn’t return the greeting in words. He simply reached into his coat pocket and handed the man the small glass vial. His voice was steady, but his gaze betrayed the storm within.

"Test this," he said quietly. "Compare it... with the young miss."

The butler’s eyes flicked down to the vial, then back up at Xu Kai with a knowing look. There was no need for explanation. He had been with Xu Kai long enough to understand what this meant. Yet, as he heard those last two words—’young miss’—his expression softened. And Xu Kai, for all his coldness, felt a familiar warmth stir inside him.

Before another word could be spoken, a light, giggling voice echoed through the hall behind them.

"Daddy!"

A small blur of white shot from the corridor, feet padding quickly against the polished floor. A little girl with snow-like hair and bright, shining brown eyes ran straight into him, hugging his leg with all the strength her tiny arms could muster.

Xu Kai knelt down at once and swept her up into his arms, lifting her high into the air. For a moment, his entire world shrank down to her laughter. She beamed at him, cheeks rosy, eyes full of trust and joy. His cold face melted into a gentle smile as he pulled her into a close embrace.

"Baby..." he whispered, pressing his forehead gently to hers.