CHAPTER 192: CHAPTER 192: THE SEER [3]

Chapter 192 – The Seer [3]

"...but I could be your friend, one who will stand with you even when the whole world turns you down," Kaden said, pouring every drop of sincerity he could muster into his voice, and his words struck Vaela like a divine thunderbolt in the heart of a storm.

’A friend... with me, even if the whole world turned me down?’ Vaela’s mind stuttered, her expression going blank as countless thoughts began swirling inside her erratically, colliding like shards of glass.

What Kaden said was beautiful—too beautiful, even. But that was exactly the problem... it was too beautiful for this hideous world.

That’s why...

...was there really such a thing as a friend like that? Or was this child mocking her for her ignorance?

Vaela couldn’t help but wonder as her neon gaze sharpened, glaring at Kaden with such intensity that his body instinctively took half a step back, because at that moment her eyes looked nothing short of demonic.

She was like an addict who hadn’t gotten her dose in far too long and was now starting to lose her mind. But it was different for Vaela—after all, she had never even tasted what she was addicted to. So when a sliver of possibility appeared before her... the chance to finally taste it... being played with and made fun of was not something she would tolerate.

"Are you making fun of me?" Vaela said, her voice suddenly losing its neutral tone and turning cold like a frozen river deep inside Antarctica.

"Do you think because I don’t know much about this topic you can afford to say anything?" she added, the pressure around them beginning to climb as Kaden felt like a heavenly boulder was descending upon his frail mortal shoulders, wanting to flatten him into the ground.

Sweat began to drip from his face as he looked attentively at Vaela, seeing clearly that she didn’t believe him.

He sighed ruefully, finding this situation more bothersome as time passed. But honestly, he could understand her.

In the same way a fledgling author would hardly believe he could ever reach the level of those legends who create worlds unbelievable for his rookie mind when he’s just starting out, it’s the same way someone who’s never known true friendship can’t believe that a friend might actually stay by your side, even when the whole world turns against you.

They do exist. They are rare, but they do.

Kaden, in these thoughts, couldn’t help but remember Asael. He didn’t know why, but he was pretty sure that Asael would be with him even if he lost everything.

The same way he would kill himself again and again, just to prevent anything bad from happening to Asael.

Why, you would ask?

Because he was his friend.

But Vaela didn’t get it, so he had to make her get it.

Easier said than done, but still...

"My lady," he said, his voice suddenly calmer, "do I have any reason to lie to you?"

Vaela frowned slightly at his response, but Kaden didn’t let her speak.

He had to gain momentum.

"You’re far stronger than me, you can see how much I’m shaking right now. So what good would lying do me?"

"None. After all, I’m not an idiot who thinks I can fool you."

"So what I said... was true."

He paused, locking his blood-red eyes onto Vaela. "After all, I’m a Warborn. I’m well-versed in this domain."

And then, he fell silent.

Vaela’s thoughts spun rapidly, her mind sharpening every word and possibility, but the moment Kaden said he was a Warborn, her expression shifted—relaxed, softened, almost reassured.

’Ah! He’s a Warborn. So he must be telling the truth,’ she thought, as a soft smile spread across her lips.

"Ah yes, indeed you are a Warborn. There’s no one better in this domain than you." She tried to hide the eagerness in her voice, but her neon eyes gleamed with anticipation, a childlike excitement flickering behind her neutral mask.

Kaden smiled inwardly.

He had simply said he was a Warborn... and she believed him.

It felt naive. Reckless, even, to trust someone just because of the group they belonged to, or their reputation.

But was it really surprising?

No. Not at all.

After all, don’t you give blind trust to famous authors the moment they release a new book?

You don’t wait for reviews.

You don’t doubt.

You dive in, confident it will be... peak.

Same concept.

Different setting.

That’s just how humans are. They judge everything and they do it, more often than not, based on first impressions alone.

But Kaden wasn’t complaining. This blind faith had just bought him Vaela’s belief.

Still, that alone wouldn’t be enough to get him out of this situation in one piece.

Kaden fell silent, staring at Vaela and certain that she wouldn’t let him go until she had what she wanted. That meant nothing less than the very feeling that she finally had a family.

Only saying we are friends now would not be enough. He had to prove it to her—in a way that would make her twisted heart beat like a song blasted through loudspeakers—that he was her friend.

’But how?’ Kaden was truly in a predicament.

But he wasn’t in despair yet.

He had already succeeded in obtaining a Grandmaster subordinate with nothing but his sweet tongue, so why not Vaela?

True, they were different in power and status, but in another sense, they were extremely similar. They were both bound by deep, unshakable obsessions.

Alea was obsessed with beauty.

Vaela was obsessed with family.

He had obtained Alea by giving her what she wanted—beauty. With synthesis, it had been easier, he simply took the beautiful aspects of the humans she gathered and discarded the ugly parts, gifting her the very thing she longed for.

To say she was stunning now would be a pitiful understatement.

But Vaela’s situation was far more complicated. Still... it was doable.

She had confidence in him because of his family. That meant...

’She’ll believe whatever bullshit I say, as long as there’s a semblance of truth, right?’ he thought, before his lips curved into a bright, open smile.

"How do we become friends, huh?"

"It’s quite simple, my Lady," he said, summoning all the courage left in his body as he began walking toward her, slow and steady.

The surrounding forest stilled, an unnatural silence settling over the world, making his footsteps echo softly on the grass beneath, like something being gently crushed underfoot.

Then, as he stepped onto the surface of the water, the sound changed into gentle splashes, peaceful and relaxing, almost enough to distract him from the intense, heated gaze he was receiving from Vaela.

Kaden was sure her eyes alone could kill him. But he refused to let a flicker of fear or worry slip onto his face.

Instead, he smiled. Smiled like someone greeting an old friend from middle school.

Stopping just an inch away from her, Kaden looked straight into her and parted his lips.

"We can be friends in many ways..." he began, his voice smooth, carrying the confidence of a politician trying to sway the masses.

Taking a deep breath, he continued,

"We can be friends by going through hardship together, we can be friends by helping each other, we can be friends by hating the same thing, we can be friends by loving the same things... we can be friends by just..."

His smile softened.

And it was a stunning smile. A warm, beautiful smile. A smile Vaela had never once received in the cold, lifeless home of Cerveau.

"...by just sharing a moment together."

"And tell me, my Lady, do you know what we are doing right now?" he asked.

And as if her mind had just been illuminated by some ancient monk of enlightenment who had lived in seclusion since the dawn of time, Vaela unconsciously parted her rosy lips and whispered,

"...we are sharing a moment together?" Her voice was full of innocent wonder.

"Yes, we are. And do you know what that makes us?" Kaden asked, stepping even closer, close enough that Vaela’s composure faltered slightly, flustered by the sudden nearness in this strange, heavy atmosphere.

He looked deep into her neon eyes, forcing his body not to shudder at their mystic, boundless depth, silently urging her to speak.

And speak she did.

"We... we are friends. That means now we are friends," she said, like a good student who had finally grasped the lesson her teacher had been drilling all along.

And like a good teacher, Kaden gave her a reward.

"Exactly. And for this moment of shared friendship, let me teach you something all friends do."

Vaela’s heart pounded in her chest. She nodded lightly then froze, her eyes widening in shock as Kaden pulled her into his arms, embracing her with a warmth that was both protective and tender.

Her body stiffened, her arms dangling helplessly at her sides, her mind struggling to process this sudden, alien event.

Kaden’s voice came gently at her ear, soft and sweet,

"Your body is... quite cold, Vaela. Do you feel better now?"

And instinctively, innocently, Vaela nodded, her trembling arms finally tightening around him as her cracked voice, heavy with emotions she could barely comprehend, whispered back,

"...yes... yes, I feel better." She closed her eyes, surrendering to a feeling she never knew she needed so much.

All while Kaden, inside...

’Did I succeed...?’

—End of Chapter 192—