novelnext Chapter 166: Her Conundrum
Chapter 166: Her Conundrum
Chapter 166: Her Conundrum
"Emir! Did something happen?" The man on the other end of the call asked with worry apparent in his voice.
"Nah. I'm fine; I'm just here to ask you to confirm something for me." Emir answered.
"Okay. Just tell me what it is and consider it done."
"1036, check that ID for me, see if that belongs to someone named Elijah, and if you aren't able to access it, then it doesn't matter; this would only confirm it."
"An Elite?" Nathan asked.
"Yeah. Just send me a yes or no message, and know that I'll visit you later today, so free up your time for me." Emir confirmed.
"Understood."
Ending the call, he returned his attention to the Goldleaf's prize.
"We'll see if the ID you told me is the right one."
Just as those words reached her, he sat on the ground again, cultivating like usual. "You!"
He heard Aria bellow in anger, but he ignored her and closed his eyes, continuing to memorize the ability pathways.
"Stop ignoring me!"
"You piece of shit!"
"Kidnapping me...."
The barrage of insults and verbal assaults fell on deaf ears as he remained focused on his task, not bothering to punish her.
His concentration only broke when a notification chimed on his terminal-a message from Nathan.
He didn't need to swipe it open, as he saw a pop-up message stating a simple word:
{Yes.}
Standing up, he cast a look towards the girl who had been venting her anger at him for the past how many hours.
Her continuous tirade had ceased, replaced by peaceful slumber.
She was huddled up, her head nestled in her knees, and her hand acting as a makeshift pillow.
He got closer to her and began to shake her awake.
"Wake up, sleepy head!"
Stepping back from him, she was about to scream in a fit of rage, but she shut herself up, knowing the consequences of what that action would entail.
Emir saw and understood all of that, as he could reach Aria's emotions like an open book, after all, she has always been described as an expressive character.
And while all that happened, he simply thought:
'Even though I've seen all of that, I didn't feel remorse, guilt, anything... Is this how I'll be now?'
'... Nah, I still think of Jake, Emma, and Kiera as friends. Mariane as well, maybe Evelyn too. I wouldn't do this to them...'
His thoughts were indeed true, as his mind now categorized people into two separate corners.
One would be allies, friends, and family, categorically.
The other would be strangers, potential foes, and confirmed enemies alike.
He had no room in his mind for the middle ground, as it was his mind's way of lessening the
strain on his conscience...
A conscience that was long gone.
"As I said, Aria, don't worry; you won't be hurt."
After emptying away all the supplies from his rucksack, he threw it over his shoulders and
continued:
"I'll come by every now and then to bring more supplies, so you'll be well fed during your time here. Consider it a short vacation."
"And just know that your suffering might end shorter than expected. But, it all depends on
how the Elite react, so make of that what you will..."
With those words echoing behind him, he walked up to the place he had previously dropped
from.
'Should I conjure up some steps?'
'Nah, it'd be a waste of Aether, I'll just climb up...'
Looking behind him one last time, he watched as the defeated Aria sat back on the ground, her
face showing utter loneliness.
"See you later!"