But this same beauty was hidden beneath layers of unfading grief. Her once bright eyes were absent, as if unable to reflect the world’s colors aside from gray. Even the lively cat he had brought her remained silent between her trembling fingers, giving the impression that it knew what had happened and wanted to let her owner overcome her sorrow.
He sighed. Ever since Adam had disappeared, the most cheerful person he had ever known had fallen into a profound mutism. She reacted to his words, though. She even moved to the council room to listen to critical planning. But the gloomy atmosphere surrounding her like a murky aura, worse than when she was a banshee, worried him.
Even if he knew it was useless, he walked to her and patted her shoulder gently. "Hey, Nova. We don’t see each other anymore, but I hope you’ll recover soon." His lips twisted. "I mean, you’re an important big sister to me."
She raised her head, a lonely spark flashing in her eyes as the corner of her lips twitched. Yet, the fleeting reaction vanished faster than it had appeared. She lowered her face without a word and waved Stella’s paw as her only answer.
A searing pain pierced his chest. She couldn’t remain like that, but he didn’t know how to help her when she seemed far too gone.
"Let me handle her," Alina said, her voice soft as she raised a decisive finger before Nova. "You’ll live with me starting today—I’m not giving you a choice." She gripped her arms. "We gave you enough time to sort your feelings. You clearly need help and we’re not giving up on you!"
Nova remained silent, yet her shoulders trembled subtly—enough to relieve Julius.
"Thank you, mom. I..."
Before he could continue, the ground rumbled beneath his feet. The noise and the citizen’s surprised screams deafened him as he secured the two women in his arms.
But once the initial shock faded, he just nodded and observed the shifting ship. Just like the tower had transformed, it now reverted to its original form.
The dark hull spread, swirling into a magnificent cylinder. The pipes returned to their places along its frame, digging into the ground to fuel the building. Windows appeared one after another in a cacophony of shrill clangs, magic symbols pulsing in soft gray, blue, and gold between them.
Finally, a gate split the base open, revealing Elena, who swung her thumb toward the interior with a smirk. "Settle in. Space is scarce, but endure until we arrange the mountain."
Faces flushed, fists cutting overhead in triumphant poses, the citizens erupted into boisterous congratulations. Many shed tears of relief, and even more collapsed on the ground, muttering in cracking voices about the end of their nightmares, the start of a fresh life, or simply thanking the mages for saving them.
In their midst, Julius’ shoulders relaxed. He closed his eyes, immersed in their delight. He deserved it after the gruesome journey and the ever-growing uncertainties trying to swallow him. They were finally safe. Elena would protect them, and Maya would veil the tower behind layers of illusions.
’I hope everything will work out.’ A soft smile curved his lips as he reopened his eyes and hugged his mom. "I’ll move out now. Take care of yourself."
"Already?" A bitter taste filled Alina’s mouth, but she stepped back and nudged his back. "Go, Julius. I know you can make a place for us in this realm."
Knowing she’d cry if he turned, he waved his hand and stepped onto the rocky terrain, his back straight and his head held high.
As he leapt down, a tear trailed down Alina’s quivering smile. No matter how dependable Julius became, she would always worry for her baby boy.
However, her eyes widened on Nova, who waved her hand. The movement was almost unnatural—as if performed by the rusted joints of a puppet. But it made her uncertain heart hasten in her chest. "You still care for him. Come. No matter how long it takes, I’ll help you overcome your grief."
While they entered hand in hand inside the tower, Julius bolted through the forest.
The wind whipped his hair, his steps gouged the soft soil, and the scenery blurred in green and brown. Magical beasts slithered through the trees, growling, enraged by the daring intruder.
They caught a whiff of Julius’ dense life force, their limbs pausing in their tracks. Their anger faded into confused, then curious frowns. This was not mana. Something more attuned to nature? They wanted to know. Next time, though. The human was already gone.
Meanwhile, Julius emerged from the forest, hands on his legs and huffing to catch his breath. He had felt the beasts before they even did. Many’s life force towered at the sixth tier with even more on the fifth.
That’s why he had optimised his trajectory to force them on each other’s path, counting on their enmity to slip through. After all, they were intelligent but also territorial. Between a weak human or their lifelong nemesis, he knew they’d leave him be.
’To think they wouldn’t even chase me...’ He frowned, inhaling fresh life force and taking his first steps on a paved road broad enough for several carriages to journey side by side. ’Well, it doesn’t matter. They’re a nice deterrence for anyone trying to reach the mountain. Returning will be a pain, though.’
He grinned, passing by terraced fields and lush pastures on which domesticated magical beasts grazed. Some had broad wings, others were large enough to feed an entire village, making him wonder why they didn’t escape.
’Disgusting magic like slave marks?’ He tucked his fingers around his chin as wheels rolling on the smooth road echoed.
Three carriages pulled by scaled creatures rushing on two legs had just left the distant city.
He stepped by the sideroad, his eyes sparkling. ’It’s so different from the countryside town. Everything feels new!’
He charged toward the city walls that rose like celestial barricades, eager to discover more.