Chapter 450
Her head, which had been staring straight at Theo the entire time, suddenly tilted slightly to the right—only a few centimeters, only a very small shift in angle, yet enough to reveal that behind her expressionless, emotionless face, a storm of questions was searching for answers.
That movement was a form of body language Aldraya rarely showed, a subtle signal that could only be noticed by those who truly knew her well.
She did not lower her gaze, did not turn her face away, did not display doubt in any overt manner.
She merely tilted her head slightly, and from that new angle—from that slightly different perspective—she posed the question that had long disturbed her thoughts.
The question was delivered in Aldraya's characteristic manner, without a raised tone, without emotional pressure, without any intonation that suggested excessive curiosity.
She simply voiced the question in her usual flat voice, yet beneath that flatness was a powerful desire to understand, to comprehend, to no longer be the only being in this universe walking in darkness while others seemed to have seen the light from the very beginning.
She wanted to know why Theo chose to return to the Star Academy rather than remain in the Land of the Gods, why he chose the lowly Multiverse Pathway instead of the higher dimensions filled with mystery, why he chose to stay near Ilux Rediona rather than distance himself and allow the boy to follow his fate alone.
"Hey, don't put on such a serious face. You know I wouldn't invite you to descend without an interesting reason."
"So?"
"So… the final part of arc one, episode eleven will focus on Ilux's transformation. And a moment like that is something I cannot miss."
Theo gave a small smile, a smile rarely seen on his face, which was usually filled with mystery and uncertainty.
The smile was not wide, did not reveal his teeth, nor was it accompanied by a warm gaze. It was a thin smile, almost invisible, yet enough to make the entire atmosphere around them feel lighter, more friendly, more human.
After that smile, without warning, without any signal, without giving Aldraya a chance to prepare, Theo suddenly extended his hand and gently pinched the nose of the sixteen-year-old girl.
The pinch was done carefully, with precise control, with full awareness that the being before him was not an ordinary human but an entity with the power to destroy reality.
He made sure his fingers applied just enough pressure to be felt, but not enough to cause pain, not enough to make Aldraya uncomfortable, not enough to cross the boundaries they had always maintained within the strange relationship between them.
After releasing the pinch, Theo then explained something that served as the answer to Aldraya's confusion, something that clarified why he had chosen to return to the Star Academy rather than remain in the higher dimensions watching the battles of gods.
He told the sixteen-year-old girl that the final part of arc one, episode eleven would focus on Ilux's transformation as The Nothingness.
Not in the role of an ordinary student, but as The Nothingness—a name that had long echoed through ancient legends, a position possessed only by entities that had truly transcended existence, an anomalous figure unrecorded in any cosmic history.
According to Theo, that transformation would become a spectacle that could not be missed for any reason. He wanted to witness it from beginning to end, not missing a single second, not allowing a single detail to escape his observation.
And if he were unable to watch the process—if he happened to be somewhere else when that historic moment unfolded—it would feel extremely unpleasant and rather boring.
"Alright."
Understanding the instruction, Aldraya then nodded.
The nod was not done hastily, nor with hesitation that still left room for doubt.
It was a firm nod, one born from complete acceptance of what Theo had just said, a nod that signified that all the confusion that had once clouded her thoughts had now vanished, replaced by clarity of direction.
Her head, which had tilted slightly to the right earlier, returned to its upright position, back to its original posture, back to her characteristic stance—expressionless yet fully vigilant.
There was no smile on her face, no emotional shift visible in her flat gaze, yet within her chest, in the deepest part of her existence, there was a quiet sense of relief she never admitted even to herself.
Relief because she finally understood, relief because she was no longer walking in darkness, relief because Theo always had an answer for every question she asked.
"Let your grace wrap around us with stability."
After all decisions had been made and their destination had been clearly determined, Theo then recalled his RWIA, which had been positioned all this time to monitor Xavier in the Land of the Gods.
A manifestation of the will of the Writer of Last Prayer, possessing the ability to oversee the entire narrative universe within the game Flo Viva Mythology—which had faithfully projected Xavier's shadow as he prepared to face his battle against his great-grandson—was now summoned back and reabsorbed by its master.
There was no resistance, no refusal, no complicated process.
In an instant, in a single blink that was barely long enough to count as blinking, RWIA immediately returned to reside within the consciousness of Theo and Aldraya.
Its return felt like a warm breeze suddenly filling the empty spaces within their minds, like a faint light illuminating dark corners they had never realized existed.
And afterward, once RWIA had returned to its place of origin, once it had finished integrating with the consciousness of the two anomalous beings, it chose to close its eyes as usual—returning to silent mode, returning to passive observation mode, waiting for the moment it would be summoned again when needed in the future.
Aldraya, who had been nothing more than a faithful listener and obedient follower until now, began to take an active role in the process of their return.
She placed both of her hands in a particular position, holding them several centimeters apart in front of where she looked, creating a kind of energy gateway between her small yet powerful palms.
She did not do this hastily, but with full awareness, with measured movements, with complete confidence that what she was doing was the correct step.
Both of her hands remained in that position, unmoving, unwavering, showing no signs of fatigue even as the energy flowing between them grew larger, brighter, more tangible.
And once the position of her hands was perfect, once the energy gateway had formed with stability, Aldraya then closed both of her eyes, severing her connection with the visual reality around her so she could fully focus on the process unfolding.
At that moment—when Aldraya's eyes were closed and her hands continued to hold the energy gateway between her palms—the grace possessed by Aldraya Kansh Que as the former First Supreme Angel began to envelop Theo and herself.
That grace was not an ordinary blessing, nor a gift that any random being could receive.
It was the purest essence of Aldraya's status as the eldest among the twelve Supreme Angel siblings, as the leader of the angels who once fought against Quil-Hasa during the Heavenly Betrayal, as an entity whose power had surpassed the limits of reason thousands of years ago.
To be continued…