CHAPTER 233: REFLECTION

But after everything Thok told me, after knowing what Zivra was truly capable of, I still believed my reaction was warranted.

I wasn’t just panicking for the sake of it.

I’d seen what she could do. Firsthand.

And now that her ability had matured, had strengthened, she wasn’t just dangerous—she was unpredictable. Whatever ceiling she once had, it had shattered the moment she put two Chosen to sleep and vanished without a trace.

Zarah, Gobbo, and Zonk didn’t stand a chance.

They could end up losing their lives, and that was something unacceptable.

From the look in Zarah’s eyes, though, she didn’t understand that. Not really. She didn’t know the threat Zivra’s ability pose.

And how could she?

She hadn’t seen what I saw.

She hadn’t been there when Zivra’s ability first stirred, or felt the dread in the air when it reached out like a cold, silent whisper through the room.

In her mind, I was probably underestimating her, thinking she wasn’t strong enough to be given assignments. But that wasn’t the case.

Not even close.

Or was it?

If I really thought she was strong enough... wouldn’t I have let her handle it?

Hmm.

It seemed I’d just countered my own argument.

But it made me think deeper.

What does it even mean to be strong?

It couldn’t just be about power, about stats, skills, or how well you swing a blade. That would be too easy. Too narrow.

Real strength... real strength had layers.

It was the ability to endure. To stand your ground when every instinct screamed at you to run. To keep walking forward when everything around you was burning.

It wasn’t just about fighting, it was about knowing when to fight and when to hold back.

It was about carrying burdens that weren’t just yours. About shielding others with your body and your name, and never asking for thanks.

Strength was discipline, restraint, and purpose.

Especially when the world around you was chaos.

And maybe—just maybe—I still had a lot to learn in that department.

Zarah never ran when things got hard.

She followed orders, led others, and protected her people. She didn’t hesitate to put herself in harm’s way—not because of pride or ego, but because, in her mind, it was simply what she had to do.

And that—that—was why I considered her strong.

Still, as much as I admired that strength, it wouldn’t have been enough.

Not against unpredictable power. The limit at which I understood Zivra’s ability seemed to have broken, thanks to my stupid self, of course, and letting my goblins risk their lives? Yeah, no, thank you.

I sighed, letting the breath out slowly.

Zarah was probably pissed now.

After that outburst... yeah. I’d get the cold shoulder for a while.

The silent treatment, the clipped nods, the refusal to meet my gaze.

That would be torture, especially now that we were lovers.

Yep, I’d have to apologize later.

But right now, I had more immediate problems—like the runaway problem currently vanishing deeper into the wild.

I glanced around, narrowing my eyes at the dense stretch of forest ahead.

Zivra had a decent head start now, especially with the time I’d spent standing here, breathing and philosophizing like some wandering monk.

I thought about using [Warp] again.

Would’ve made things a hell of a lot easier.

But then I remembered—I never marked her.

I let out a breath once again, steadying my tone as I muttered to myself:

"Seriously, Eli... mark your enemies the moment you meet them. It’s not that hard."

I shook my head, annoyed at my own carelessness.

That was rule one. Basic stuff. And yet here I was, stuck doing things the slow, inefficient way because I hadn’t taken two seconds to tag someone I knew would eventually become a problem.

The bigger issue?

I had no clue what direction she’d gone. I wasn’t a tracker.

So, I defaulted to what I could do.

I activated Warp, blinking upward, high above the forest canopy.

The world stretched for a moment, and then I was suspended midair, far above the treetops, with the wind brushing against my face and the midday sun casting sharp shadows across the dense green below.

I hovered, scanning the landscape with narrowed eyes, searching for any flicker of movement, any rustling branches or aura signature that might betray her path.

Nothing.

So I blinked forward, still high above the forest, skipping through the sky in short bursts, covering ground faster than I ever could on foot.

It was quiet up here—peaceful in a way that felt strange, considering I was hunting a fugitive.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I was reminded of that time Zarah had used this same method to find me. She’d tracked me across the forest and ended up face-to-face with a Mooncat—an encounter that almost got her killed.

That had been at night. A different kind of quiet.

Now, it was daylight, and everything felt sharper. Brighter.

Thinking about it... Anyone or anything down there with a working set of eyes would definitely spot me if they looked up."

I pictured it for a second—two random monsters in the woods, one of them glancing up and going, ’Yo... I just saw a goblin flying.’

The other, deadpan: ’Are you on crack?’

I couldn’t help but laugh at my own imagination.

The absurdity of it all was just... rich.

Then my thoughts drifted again—back to the Mooncat.

That encounter felt like a lifetime ago, but in truth, only a handful of days had passed. The fight, the chase, the near-death scramble. It had all happened in such rapid succession, stacked one after the other with barely a pause between.

So much had happened that I hadn’t even had the time to properly process any of it.

One day, I’m just trying to gather my clan, the next, I’m facing an ancient avatar, and now, floating above a forest looking for an escaped girl who knocked out two Chosen like it was nothing.

I exhaled again, the sound thinner this time.

Gods... I really just want a day off.

Just one. A single stretch of time where nothing explodes, no divine threats show up, and nobody tries to kill me or each other.

Hell, I’d settle for a week if the universe were feeling generous.

But I already knew that wasn’t going to happen.

The King Games were starting soon... and I’ve still got requirements left to fulfill before I even qualify.

Which meant more objectives. More movement. More risks.

And more chances for everything to go sideways.

Trouble was practically stapled to my to-do list.

Also, I had to admit—at this point, there was plenty of evidence to suggest I might actually be the problem. There was enough evidence to prove that I was, in fact, stupid.

I shook my head at the thought, and warped forward, blinking several meters ahead, still floating just above the treetops.

I kept up the momentum, spamming Warp in short bursts like stepping stones in midair.

That’s when I heard it.