CHAPTER 56: MY ADOPTIVE DAD THINKS I’M A LADY-KILLER, AND HE’S NOT WRONG

I hung up the call, unable to stop the smirk spreading across my face. Natalia’s voice had that perfect breathless quality—the sound of a woman thoroughly claimed. I could practically picture her lying in bed, hair tousled, cheeks flushed as she tried to sound casual.

Luka glanced over from the driver’s seat. He raised one eyebrow, a mix of amusement and fatherly pride that sent a conflicting chill and warmth through my veins.

"That was Nattie, wasn’t it? You two sound... friendly."

The way he emphasized that last word made it clear what he was implying. The original Satori would have blushed and stammered. I met his gaze evenly, then looked out the window at the city skyline approaching on the horizon.

"We’ve come to an understanding."

Luka’s laugh filled the car—a booming, chest-deep sound that seemed to come from somewhere genuine. It was the laugh of a man who’d never had to fake joy to manipulate someone. The kind of laugh I’d never had, in either of my lives.

"You know, son, I had a theory," he said, merging the Vanguard onto the main maglev highway that would take us into the heart of the city. "The sudden change, the workouts, the new attitude... I thought maybe you’d met a special someone. A girl can really change a man’s priorities, you know?"

"I’m just concentrating on the entrance exams, Dad. I’ve got a lot of lost time to make up for."

"Sure, sure." Luka’s tone was pure disbelief. "But I know a lady-killer in the making when I see one. You’ve got your mother’s eyes. It’s a dangerous combination."

"Funny," I said, "she always told me I had my father’s eyes."

I saw Luka’s hands tighten slightly on the steering wheel.

"Your mother’s color, your father’s shape," he said after a pause. "That’s what she always said."

The maglev highway hummed beneath us, New Vein’s gleaming spires growing closer. Skyscrapers of impossible height stretched toward the afternoon sky, their surfaces catching the sunlight like enormous mirrors. In the distance, the city’s protective dome was a barely visible warp in the air. It wasn’t a solid structure so much as a constant, shimmering heat haze against the sky.

"Listen, Satori." Luka’s voice had turned serious. "If you both get into New Vein Academy... I need you to do something for me."

His grip on the wheel was so tight his knuckles were white stones. This was not the jovial, booming Luka I’d come to know. This was a Hunter—a B-Rank who’d survived more Gates than most would ever enter.

"Look out for Nattie. She’s strong, I know. A-Rank potential. But she’s all heart, that one. She trusts too easily. There are a lot of sharks at NVA, boys who only care about a Hunter’s lineage or their looks."

"I’ll watch out for her. I promise."

The sincerity in my voice surprised me. For once, I wasn’t playing a role. She was mine now, which meant no one else got to hurt her. Only me.

Luka’s shoulders relaxed. "Alright, enough heavy stuff! My favorite show’s on." He tapped a command into the dashboard’s main screen. A holographic display materialized above the center console, showing the live VBN broadcast logo spinning in 3D. "Have you ever watched Gate Break?"

"Can’t say I have."

"Oh, you’re in for a treat. Best damn show on television."

The logo dissolved, revealing a sleek, modern studio set dominated by a circular desk. Three people sat around it: a weathered, muscular man in his fifties with the kind of scars you don’t get from shaving; a younger Black man in a tailored suit who looked like he’d never touched a weapon in his life; and between them, an elegant Asian woman who radiated the kind of calm authority that made everyone shut up when she spoke.

An on-screen graphic read: "CAPUANO’S CONTROVERSIAL TOP 10: IS AEGIS PRIME OVERRATED?"

The older man was mid-rant, his face flushed with passion. "—and that’s the problem with you data-nerds, Isaiah! You look at Aegis Prime’s profit margins and government contracts and call them number one! I look at their low A-Rank gate claims and call them cowards! Crimson Fang takes the real risks! They’re the ones pushing the boundaries!"

His opponent, the younger man in the suit, didn’t even blink. "Sterling, ’pushing the boundaries’ is a polite way of saying ’unacceptable personnel losses.’ A guild’s first responsibility is to its Hunters. Aegis Prime has the lowest fatality rate in the nation. That’s not cowardice; it’s competence."

Luka chuckled beside me. "These two, I swear. Sterling’s old school—thinks every Hunter should be ready to die a hero’s death. Isaiah’s all numbers and efficiency. They hate each other’s guts, but they’ve been doing this show together for years."

On screen, the woman—whose nameplate identified her as Park Hyun-Jae—tapped a slim finger on the table, instantly silencing both men.

"Speaking of unacceptable risks, gentlemen." Her voice was calm but carried an undeniable weight. "This week marks the ninth anniversary of the fourth and final failed expedition into the Bermuda S-Rank Gate. With another year passed, the public is once again asking: When will the VHC and the world’s top guilds attempt a fifth reclamation?"

When the woman mentioned the Bermuda Gate, Luka tensed beside me. The air became heavy, like the moment before a thunderstorm breaks.

On screen, Sterling Weaver’s entire demeanor changed. The bluster vanished, replaced by something grim and haunted.

"They won’t. And they shouldn’t. We lost two of the Seven Sovereigns in that Gate. We lost hundreds of A-Rank Hunters. Some threats are meant to be contained, not conquered. The Bermuda Gate is a tomb. Let the dead rest."

Luka awkwardly cleared his throat and fumbled with the controls, changing the channel to a generic pop music station. The sudden shift from intense debate to bubbly music was jarring.

"Sorry about that, son. I... I forgot that was coming up."

Why would that bother me? "It’s fine, Dad."

"So," I said finally, desperate to break the tension, "tell me about VHC Central. What should I expect from this evaluation?"

A bit of the tension left Luka’s shoulders. "Right. The evaluation. It’s going to be simple for a basic registration. They’ll scan your Aspect, have you demonstrate basic control, then assign an initial ranking based on output and potential."

"What about... unusual manifestations?" I asked carefully. "I mean, I’m a late bloomer. Could that cause problems?"

Luka shook his head. "Late manifestations are rare but not unheard of. The examiner might be curious, ask more questions, but there’s no penalty for it."

"And my provisional ranking?"

"With a fire Aspect?" Luka considered. "Depends on control and output. Could be anything from D to B. Don’t worry about rank right now, though. Once you’re in the academy, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to rise."

We pulled into a massive parking structure near a towering black obelisk that had to be the VHC headquarters. The building wasn’t merely tall; it was imposing. Its black surface seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it, and it tapered to a needle-like point that pierced the sky.

"That’s... subtle," I muttered.

Luka laughed. "The VHC isn’t big on subtlety. They want Hunters to feel small when they enter, and civilians to feel protected when they look up. Intimidation by architecture."

And I was about to walk into the headquarters of the organization responsible for controlling every Aspect user in the country.

Nel’s voice chimed in my head, cheerful as always. [Possible storyline branch detected: "Captured by the Authorities." Would you like to activate this path?]

"Shut up," I muttered under my breath.

"What was that?" Luka asked.

"Nothing. Just... talking to myself." I took a deep breath. "Let’s do this."