"Keith!"
As soon as the two of them entered the Tower of Nox, Kiara and Minami rushed over to their side, wearing smiles on their faces.
"How was your date?" The little Miss of the Demiliore Family grinned, but Kashish did not blush at her words.
"It was fun. And we met an interesting pair of siblings." She told her sisters, rousing their curiosity, and sure enough, Kiara asked her about what she meant by interesting.
"Arcylarix?" They amazedly looked at her after she told them what was special about the two people they had met.
"Yes. They are the new Primogenitors of their Race." She nodded her head.
"Tell me about them!"
Both Kiara and Minami were very excited to learn about the two Supreme Monsters, and Kashish told them everything that she learned from Keith on their way back.
Seeing that they were paying no attention to him and were leaving him out of the conversation, he did not disturb them and focused on scanning the Tower and its surroundings.
He located almost everyone in the family, but three groups were missing, and when he glanced at Minami, he found her smiling at him.
"Lady Leilah sent them to their respective destinations about an hour ago," she informed him. "Grandma told me to tell you to take care of us."
"So, they left without saying goodbye to me?" He smiled, and all three of the girls giggled at his words, knowing well that he was not bothered about it.
"Dany was crying when she learned that they were being sent away. Ben was no different."
"And did you console them?" Kashish asked and watched Kiara shake her her.
"I just told them that we will meet again."
"Cruel..."
The girls resumed their chat, and just when Keith was about to leave, he sensed something that made him frown.
Leilah and Venessa were on the top-most floor of the Tower, alone, and from the bond that he shared with his mother, he could sense that she was in great pain right now.
It was so great that it even ached his heart and suffocated him.
He did not know what they were talking about or doing because their voices were being isolated, but he managed to remain calm as he did not sense any crisis.
Without a second thought, he teleported away, and as soon as he left, Kiara frowned a little.
It was only for a split second, but she had sensed Keith's anxiety, and she was a little worried now.
"What's wrong?" Minami instinctively asked, having caught on to the change in her sister's expression.
"I don't know, but he seemed a little anxious."
Hearing her words, both the girls scanned the Tower, and they sensed that Keith was now with Leilah and Venessa, on the top-most floor.
As seconds passed by, Kiara did not sense any distress from the bond that she shared with him, so, she relaxed a little.
Whatever it was, it was not something very serious, and so she smiled at her sisters and led them to the lounge where the rest of the family was sitting.
They would, of course, ask him about it upon his return. It was not usual for him to show such haste and restlessness.
Up on the top-most floor of the Tower, Keith arrived inside a room where he found his Mother floating in the air, unconscious, and shedding tears that constantly dripped down her cheeks.
A mystical Aura was surrounding her body, and even he felt a sense of suppression before it kissed him and then vaporised.
Turning his eyes to the side, he found Leilah standing out on the balcony, looking at the sky, and Keith did not know why he felt that she was not in the mood to talk right now.
"What's going on here?" He asked the System, but to his confusion, he did not receive any response.
He called out again, but just like before, there was no answer.
Keith quickly checked the panel, inventory, and the shop, which were all working just fine, but he found out that the System's consciousness was missing.
Yes, it was not in slumber but missing.
After repeatedly calling out to it and trying to sense it to no avail, he stopped thinking about it and cleared up his mind.
Somehow, he just knew that everything was fine. And it was just the confusion that bothered him, having roused his curiosity.
He walked out onto the balcony, not disturbing his mother, and stood by Leilah's side in silence.
Minutes passed, and before he realised it, an hour went by.
Though neither of them spoke a word, he was not idly standing there.
He had been paying attention to Leilah's expressions as she started far into the sky, and he had been piecing things together.
"Did you have to do it?" He finally asked, and he watched a smile, which was not exactly a smile, form on her lips.
"Yes."
He sighed and then smiled as well, but his smile was indeed a smile.
"So, you broke the Flase Reality you created, and she's upset with you over it?"
"Yes, she is free of the False Reality now. And no, she is not upset with me over this."
"What is she upset over then?" He frowned, and she turned around to meet his eyes.
"It's personal."
It was not the answer he was expecting, but he respectfully nodded his head, having sensed that she was very serious right now.
"What was she like?" He curiously asked, and this time, the smile on Leilah's face was genuine.
"She laughed a lot. It was the most beautiful sound I ever heard."
"I see." He smiled and glanced at his mother, who was still shrouded in a mysterious Aura.
"Did you figure it out by yourself or did the System tell you about it?" She curiously asked, changing the subject.
"The System is quite stingy when it comes to certain information." He sighed.
"Is that so?" She giggled, finding his words quite amusing, and then she nodded her head. "Yes, I suppose it was easy to piece things together after you learned who you were."
"It had more to do with the fact that we were bound by the Sacred Wedlock."
Hearing his answer, she smiled and then shook her head.
"It's a blessing to have the Divine Laws create someone for you. Not until you lose them forever."
Keith lowered his eyes when he sensed the desolation in her voice, and he could not imagine how Leilah managed to live for an eternity with no living family.
Just the mere thought of losing his family suffocated him, and he realised how strong Leilah truly was.
"Do you miss them?"
"Always." She answered. "I will never meet them again, no matter how powerful I become, but one has to keep on living with their losses for those who remain and for those who will be given to them."
Keith stayed silent at her words, pondering over them, and then he smiled.
"I doubt she can remain mad at you. No matter what reason there is."
"I know." She giggled. "And I am glad that you plan on keeping her by your side on Amaya."
"Why is that?" He raised his brow at her, sensing an underlying meaning.
"For all that she is, she is unforgiving. I am the same."
Keith frowned at her words and glanced at his mother.
Of course, he was aware of what kind of personality Venessa possessed, and he understood that he had to stay by her side to keep her from acting recklessly.
She had been very patient with him in the last several years. It was now her turn to have him all to herself.
However, Keith could not help but feel that there was much more to Leilah's words than something this simple, and she did not seem to be willing to give him any details.
"It's not yet time for you to worry about things that are beyond your control."
She saw through his thoughts and advised him to stay focused on the present.
"I understand."
Both of them turned around at the same time, and they watched Venessa's feet slowly touch the ground.
Her eyes opened, dark as the void, and then they transformed into a haunting red shade that put a smile on Keith's face.
In an instant, her eyes changed again to their Amethyst shade, and even he had to admit that they were a little too beautiful.
Venessa did not bother looking at Keith or wiping her stained cheeks.
Her eyes remained focused on Leilah, and there was an unmasked fury on her face.
She took a step forward, and the moment her second step landed, she was standing right in front of the Goddess of Infinity.
"Welcome back, Eve." Leilah smiled, but Venessa clenched her fist tightly as if trying to hold back the emotions that raged in her heart.
"Unlock it." She coldly whispered.
It was clearly a threat, not a request.
And perhaps she was the only one in existence who could talk to Leilah in this tone.
The two of them kept staring into each other's eyes for a good minute, and the Goddess finally relented and raised her right hand.
She placed her forefinger on Venessa's forehead, right in the middle of it, and a few seconds later, she retracted it.
Keith narrowed his eyes when he saw a strange Rune appear on Venessa's forehead, but as soon as it brightened up, it started receding into a strange black gem that appeared out of nowhere.
The beautiful gem was embedded into the forehead as if it was part of her, and as the Rune kept receding inside the gem, strange black antlers started sprouting from it, taking the form of a thorny black crown.
Once this phenomenon ended, the gem and the crown that stemmed from it, seemed to come to life with red veins pulsating through them.
Venessa's Aura Hub suddenly started changing, and in a matter of seconds, it had expanded to the size of a Rank 1 Martial Warrior.
Other than that, there seemed to be no changes at all. At least, not a change that Keith could sense.
"Keith," Venessa called out to him, and he met her eyes, which had now become much gentler. "I need to speak to my dear Leilah. Alone."
Leilah giggled when she heard those words, and Keith too smiled a little.
"Take your time." He said and then teleported away, leaving them alone.
As soon as he left, Venessa looked back into the Goddess' eyes.
"You did not kill them, did you?"
"No." She smiled. "I knew you wouldn't forgive me if I did not wait for you."
The Goddess of Infinity then stepped forward to lovingly cup her cheeks, and then she leaned in to plant a kiss on the gem on her forehead.
Venessa's body trembled a little when she felt the touch of her lips, and she raised her arms to hug the girl, recalling back her crown, which returned to the gem and then disappeared along with it.
The two of them hugged each other for a good minute, and then Leilah suddenly giggled as something crossed her mind.
"Your little brother did turn out to be the most beautiful existence." She said, and her words brought a smile to the Demiliore's face.
"He's my son, after all." There was a hint of pride in her voice, which amused the Goddess a lot.
"He's your brother."
"And my son as well. I birthed him."
She sounded quite stubborn, and Leilah laughed as she saw her antics.
An eternity had passed, and even after her rebirth, her dear Evelyn had not changed at all.
"I want Milo back."
"I knew you would ask for him." The Goddess raised her right hand, smiling at her. "Here."
As soon as her voice fell, an egg appeared in her hand, and Venessa reached forward to take it, smiling as she sensed the life inside it.
"I forgive you now." She said, and then apologetically looked at the Goddess of Infinity. "Sorry for leaving you alone, Leilah."
"I can not forgive you for it."
Even though she said it, there was no hint of a complaint or aggrievedness in her voice, but it only made Eve feel more guilty.
"I know..."