Chapter 134: Feelings
"Before you leave, can you tell me how I can open quests?"
Ank asked, his voice controlled but carrying a subtle urgency that he himself could not hide, because despite his irritation toward the AI and his clear desire to avoid any unnecessary conversation with her, there was one thing he could not ignore any longer, and that was the quest panel which had refused to respond no matter how many times he tried to summon it.
He had already attempted it several times.
He had called quests many times still there was no sign of them appearing.
Even tried to open like he used to open quests.
But every attempt ended the same way.
Nothing appeared.
Nothing responded.
Quests not appearing was far more dangerous than any enemy he had faced so far.
Because Ank understood something very clearly.
Quests were not optional.
They were not side tasks.
They were the only path forward.
The only way to unlock his sealed power, to stop the life burning curse, and to survive in a world that was already far beyond his current strength.
So when they did not appear, it was not just an inconvenience.
It was a threat.
A direct threat to his survival.
"Quests "
He tried again internally, focusing harder this time, but the result did not change.
There was still nothing.
And that was the moment panic started to creep in.
His calm expression cracked slightly, and his brows tightened as the weight of the situation finally settled in his mind.
"Why are they not showing?"
He asked again, this time unable to fully suppress the frustration in his voice.
But still, there was no answer from Lu.
Only silence.
And that silence made everything worse.
"Why!"
His voice rose this time, no longer completely under control, because for the first time since waking up, he felt truly cornered.
Inside Lu mind she was laughing.
Not openly.
Not where he could hear.
But deeply enjoying every second of this moment.
She wanted to laugh out loud, to mock him directly, to let him see just how much she enjoyed his helplessness, but she restrained herself because she knew Ank too well.
She knew how he reacted when pushed too far.
She knew the exact point where his irritation would turn into uncontrollable anger.
And she knew that if he reached that point, he would not hesitate to try removing her, even if he failed.
And that was not something she wanted.
Not yet.
Because she had waited too long for this moment.
Billions of years.
Just to see this version of him.
Helpless.
Confused.
Struggling.
"Ank "
Her thoughts turned darker as memories surfaced, memories she had never forgotten, no matter how much time had passed.
"I have waited for billions of years to see this face of yours."
Her smile deepened, filled with cold satisfaction.
"I will take every bit of my revenge upon you, and this time you will not escape from me no matter what you try."
Fragments of the past flashed in her mind, painful and vivid.
"I still remember how I fought with beasts just to survive, how I protected myself from those leeching mortals who would tear me apart if I made even a single mistake, how I lost everything because of you, all because of one small mistake that changed everything."
Her expression remained calm on the surface, but her thoughts were burning.
"Each of those moments is still fresh in my mind, and I will never forget them, and one day, when you lose everything just like I did, I will stand in front of you and ask you the same question you once asked me, with the same disgust, the same cold eyes, and that will be the moment my revenge is finally complete and my brother's soul will finally find peace."
"Why are quests not showing?"
Ank asked again, his voice now calmly but still carrying frustration that he could not fully suppress.
The AI tilted her head slightly, placing one finger on her cheek as if thinking about his question seriously, but the mocking tone in her voice made it clear that she was not taking him seriously at all.
"I don't know."
She replied casually.
Ank's expression hardened instantly.
"You!"
He snapped, his frustration finally leaking out.
"Why do you not know?"
The AI simply looked at him, unbothered.
"Enough."
Ank said coldly, his patience reaching its limit.
"I will talk to Creation."
Without waiting, he tried calling his mother Creation, focusing his mind in an attempt to establish a connection.
But nothing happened.
There was no response.
No presence.
No answer.
Just silence.
And that silence confirmed something he did not want to accept.
He was alone.
Creation cannot talk to him now.
The AI watched him quietly, a small smile forming on her lips as she let him try and fail, because she wanted him to feel this, to understand what it meant to be helpless.
After a few seconds, she finally spoke.
"Fine, I will give you a hint."
Her voice was calm, but there was a sharp edge hidden within it.
"If you have a brain, you will solve it easily, and if you cannot then that is your problem."
She turned slightly, already preparing to leave.
"Quests will only appear when you accept the pending feelings that you have been avoiding."
Her words were clear.
.
"Think, Ank Think."
And before he could ask anything more, she vanished.
Ank stood still, completely silent as her words echoed in his mind, because he understood immediately what she meant.
There was no confusion.
No misunderstanding.
He knew exactly what she was referring to.
His gaze slowly shifted.
First to Maya.
Then to Freya.
And finally to Celestia.
All three of them.
Connected to him.
Waiting for him.
Believing in him.
And yet he had never truly accepted them.
Not from his heart.
He had said the words.
He had acknowledged them.
He had even called them his fiancée.
But it was never real.
It was a situation.
A necessity.
A forced decision.
Not something he truly accepted.
"Idiot "
He muttered under his breath.
"That AI "
But even as he said that, he could not deny the truth.
She was right.
Slowly, he closed his eyes, his body already exhausted from everything that had happened, not from battle, not from physical strain, but from the constant pressure, the constant confusion, and the weight of decisions he could not avoid anymore.
"What do I do"
His thoughts became heavier.
"I already have limited time, and now I cannot even access quests, so how am I supposed to survive like this?"
"Why did my mother approve of this "
"Why did I become so powerless "
His breathing slowed as his mind continued to spiral.
"First accepting feelings and then everything else "
And immediately he was out of his mind and he slowly opened his eyes .
And looked at them.
Maya.
Freya.
Celestia.
All three of them sleeping peacefully beside him, unaware of the storm inside his mind.
"What a mess "
He whispered internally.
Then slowly closed his eyes again.
And at that moment, a memory surfaced.
A voice.
A man.
The same man who once spoke to him about something Ank had considered meaningless.
Family.
That man who had lost his family .
And in that loss
he had become a monster feared by all beings, even gods who avoided crossing his path.
Back then, Ank had thought his words were useless.
Pointless.
Weak.
But now those same words began to echo in his mind.
And for the first time
They did not feel useless anymore.