Absolute Cheater-Chapter 365: A path to home II

The Spiremaster looked at Asher for a long moment—his gaze not searching, not judging, but... knowing.

Then he spoke, quietly. "You’re not from this world."

Asher didn’t answer right away. His eyes narrowed slightly.

"I’ve suspected that for some time," the Spiremaster continued. "But your aura was sealed—hidden so well that not even a world-conscious being like myself could see through it. Injuries. Bloodline shifts. Interference from your path. All of it kept your origin quiet."

"But when your blood hit the air," he added, voice calm, "Volarisa revealed itself."

Asher’s expression finally shifted—just slightly. His gaze sharpened. "You know that name?"

The Spiremaster nodded slowly. "I do. Volarisa is another world like me—another living world, born of the same origin."

"We are from different universes, yes, but from the same cosmic lineage. So we are, in a way, brother and sister."

He paused, then added, "You know... she’s been searching for you. She was the one who blessed you with her destiny."

Asher’s brows furrowed. "Destiny? What do you mean by that? What destiny did she bless me with?"

The Spiremaster looked at him, voice calm but deep.

"You see, every world has its own share of destiny—a portion of fate assigned to it by Reality itself. That portion grows, evolves, and seeks to heal, just like a being does. It reaches from world... to realm... to galaxy... to universe... even to the cosmos, and someday, beyond that... even to Reality itself."

He folded his arms behind his back.

"Volarisa chose you to carry a fragment of that fate. You were meant to rise, and by doing so, you would lift her with you. Her destiny became bound to yours the moment she gave you new life."

"But then..." he said softly, "you left her. Not by choice. But the connection was severed. And without your presence, her power began to fade. Her world began to wither. And now... she has fallen into the hands of another."

Asher’s eyes narrowed sharply. His voice dropped. "Are you saying... she’s dead?"

There was something dangerous beneath the question—not rage, but something colder. The kind of resolve that shattered nations.

Because while Asher might be cold to many, and indifferent to nobles and enemies, he still had one weakness: family.

Though most of them were like strangers or mere acquaintances to him, they were still family and were kind to him—not the cruel kind one might see in books, except his birth mother, who saw him as a tool more than a son.

But Emily—the woman who raised him as a child, who treated him like her own—she had never once turned away. She was not his birth mother, she was just an guardian of his assigned by family, but she had loved him, even when his real mother had seen him only as a weapon.

If anything had happened to her... if anyone had harmed her...

He wouldn’t stop.

He’d destroy the world responsible, and everything tied to it.

Sensing that shift, the Spiremaster raised his hand gently.

"Relax. None of your family is dead. Not even your beloved guardian."

Asher’s gaze softened only a fraction. "You’re sure?"

"I am," the Spiremaster said. "Your soul is still linked to Volarisa—just as hers is still bound to you. That guardian—Emily, the one you think of as mother—her fate was folded into yours the moment you began walking the path Volarisa laid out for you."

The Spiremaster’s voice remained calm, steady, but there was a depth to it that made the air feel heavier.

"As long as you continue to grow and move toward your rightful place, Volarisa will be reborn. Not as she once was—but stronger."

Then, his tone shifted slightly.

"But you must understand something clearly. The old Volarisa has already faded. A new world has emerged... something replacing her core. She’s not dead in the way you think—but she’s also no longer the same."

Asher narrowed his eyes, and the Spiremaster explained.

"You can think of it like this: her soul has died, but the body remains. And now... a new soul has taken its place."

"Then no one has been hurt?" Asher asked sharply.

The Spiremaster gave a slight nod. "No one you care about has been harmed. But time is limited. You need to return, and soon."

"Why?" Asher asked, suspicion flickering in his voice. "Why go to such lengths to help me? What’s in it for you?"

The Spiremaster gave a rare, honest smile. "Because... my chance is tied to yours. You’re not just important to Volarisa. You’re connected to me as well."

Asher’s eyes narrowed. "...How?"

"Veyra."

Asher stiffened.

The Spiremaster continued, "She was my chosen thread—the one I marked before she was even born. It was pure luck—or fate—that brought her into your path. But the skill that helped heal her, the awakening she experienced... that moment was not random. It was meant to happen. It was written into the scheme of things long before either of you understood your roles."

"If she had risen on her own," the Spiremaster said, "without meeting you, her path would have been delayed by decades. She would have walked a harder road, alone. But because of your interference... because of your presence... she awakened twenty years faster than even I had predicted."

Asher stayed silent. The weight of those words began to sink in.

The Spiremaster’s expression turned serious. "And now... she follows you. Not blindly, but with her soul’s direction. Your will leads hers. And if you ascend, she will follow—even surpass you, perhaps. But her fate... is entangled with yours."

"In a way," he finished, "I exist now through her. She is my extension. My anchor. And so... helping you is helping myself."

Asher exhaled slowly, understanding the full scale now.

"So you’re not doing this for me."

"No," the Spiremaster said shrugging his shoulder "I’m doing this... for all of us."

"Good," Asher said, eyes narrowing slightly. "Because free things are always the most expensive."

The Spiremaster gave a small nod, a faint smile crossing his lips. "That, we agree on."

"Alright then," he continued. "I can open a direct portal to your home—specifically, to the floating island where your Magnus family resides."

He met Asher’s gaze directly. "So... will you go now? Or do you need time to tie up some loose ends?"

Asher stood up, his voice calm but firm. "Give me a week."

The Spiremaster nodded again, satisfied. "Very well. See you in a week."

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