CHAPTER 445: OFFICIAL PARTNERSHIP PASS

Chapter 445 – Official Partnership Pass

Celestaria smiled faintly, but her gaze softened in that quiet, secret way she always reserved for him. The one no one else ever saw.

"Still," she said, "you’re... rare."

"That’s one word for it."

"Reckless. Infuriating. Arrogant."

He smirked. "Still one word for it."

She exhaled through her nose, fighting a smile. "You’re impossible."

"Compliment accepted."

He started to turn toward the exit again, brushing imaginary dust off his sleeve. "Anyway, thanks for the talk, Celestaria. I’ll send you an invite tomorrow."

"Wait," she said.

He stopped. Looked back.

She walked to her desk, opened a drawer, and took something from within—a small silver token. It gleamed with divine markings, swirling softly like trapped aurora light.

"Here," she said, holding it out.

Lux frowned slightly. "What’s this?"

"Permanent clearance," she said. "For the Upper Realm. You won’t need to wait for approval next time you come here. Consider it... an official partnership pass."

He took it carefully from her hand, fingers brushing against her palm. The warmth lingered longer than either of them acknowledged.

[System Notice: Item Acquired — Celestial Passage Token]

[Description: Permanent authorization to travel freely to the Upper Realms. Holder recognized by Celestaria herself. Status: Trusted Anomaly.]

He smirked, turning the item over once before slipping it into his dimensional storage. "Well, look at that. Trust, in physical form. Don’t lose that habit, Celestaria—it looks good on you."

She gave him a side glance. "Don’t make me regret it."

He smiled, stepping closer. "I hope we can hold this relationship well, Celestaria. You’re the first goddess who ever trusted me—and fought for an alliance with me."

She met his eyes, her voice calm but a little too soft. "We do it for our realms, Lux. I do it for mine. You do it for yours."

He paused, then nodded. "You’re right."

He turned toward the doorway again, his robe catching the faint shimmer of celestial light. He hesitated once—looked back at her—and gave her that same smile. The one that meant too many things at once.

"Goodnight, Celestaria."

She stood there, silent, watching as the teleport rune flared beneath his feet and his figure dissolved into gold sparks.

Only when he was gone did she whisper to the empty air,

"Goodnight, Lux."

And the room suddenly felt much too quiet.

The elevator hummed softly as it descended through layers of glowing atmosphere—celestial rings giving way to twilight skies, then to the denser textures of mortal reality.

Lux didn’t say a word.

He stood alone, hands clasped loosely behind his back, white robe still pristine, boots silent on the smooth floor. The rune-lined elevator gently pulsed with silver light, but none of it reached him. Not really.

Because his thoughts weren’t here.

They were still upstairs.

Still with her.

Celestaria.

That final look in her eyes. The way her voice softened, just enough to sound like it wanted to linger. The way her fingers brushed against his when she gave him the token, like she almost didn’t want to let go.

That goddess had too much grace. Too much restraint. She never said what she felt, not directly.

But Lux could read contracts in body language. He could smell hesitation like blood in water.

And Celestaria was hesitating.

Not about the alliance. Not about the politics.

About him.

[System Notice: Emotional Tension Detected. Thought Loop Flagged]

He exhaled through his nose. "Mute system."

The system obeyed. The silence returned.

But his thoughts didn’t stop.

Because more than Celestaria, more than whatever unnamed ache was tugging at the edge of his usually iron heart—there was them.

The kids.

The orphanage.

That moment—the line of souls, small feet on marble, wide eyes, smiles that didn’t belong to the dead. He saw them. Recognized them.

Remembered that call.

That one little girl who asked him, "Are you a real prince?"

The boy who told him his math scores went up. The one who promised to send him a drawing of a dragon.

Gone.

Just like that.

Lux’s eyes closed slowly.

He inhaled.

Exhaled.

By the time the elevator doors slid open with a gentle chime, his expression was unreadable again.

The white glow behind him faded as he stepped forward—not into the familiar halls of his mansion, but into a narrow alley, damp with the scent of rust and wet pavement.

He paused.

Looked back.

The elevator was... gone.

Of course it was.

In its place stood a tall, cracked building with boarded-up windows and graffiti scrawled across its walls. Dead vines crawled up its sides. A "For Sale" sign leaned sideways in the dirt.

He stepped out onto the cracked sidewalk and looked across the empty street.

A park.

Trees shedding leaves. Orange and red scattered across the path. The sun was starting to dip—burning low across the horizon, gold light cutting through branches like the world was bleeding warmth.

He walked forward slowly, breath visible in the evening chill.

Then stopped.

Just at the edge of the grass.

Hands in his pockets.

His eyes on the sky.

"Is that what you meant?" he whispered. "You wanted me to calm down, Celestaria?"

The breeze stirred slightly.

Soft. Cool.

Lux chuckled under his breath, shaking his head. "Maybe. But you know I can’t."

His fingers twitched.

And then—quietly—he whispered a name.

"Corvus."

A soft flutter answered.

Then the shadow landed beside him on the fence railing with a rustle of wings. A sleek black crow.

But not just any bird.

His bird.

Corvus tilted his head, beady red eyes gleaming. "What is it, boss?"

Lux didn’t look at him.

"Orphanage case. I want everything. Every scrap. Every missed report, every edited footage. Who delivered those threat letters. Who signed the contracts for the sale. Fire department response. Police logs. I want names."

Corvus clicked his beak. "You want ’em quietly?"

Lux’s smile was cold. "Start quiet. Then go loud."

"Loud like..."

"If they hurt those kids on purpose, you know what I want, Corvus."

The crow flapped once. "Burn the earth."

"Exactly. Just tell me who and the location. I will handle them myself. But I give you my permission to hack them."