Incubus Ascension-Chapter 33

Well, the trip back to the town felt longer than it should have, especially after their deadly encounter with V.

Liam pushed open the heavy doors of the mall with Olivia on one side and the other two girls following close behind.

The cool air inside hit him like a relief after days in the wilderness.

He found a quiet corner away from the scattered cans, opened his system panel with a quick thought, and checked his level.

Level 32.

A grin spread across his face before he could stop it.

He remembered the valley, the endless fights, the way everything had pushed him harder than he expected.

All that grinding had actually paid off.

Olivia noticed right away. She tilted her head a little and asked, "Did something good happen?"

Liam nodded. "Yeah. Something like that."

His eyes drifted over to Pyra and Beatrix.

Their weapons looked worn down, edges chipped and surfaces scratched from constant use.

Their faces showed the exhaustion too , tired eyes, slumped shoulders. They had pushed through a lot out there.

If we run into another swarm like that last one, they might not make it, he thought.

We all need a break before something really bad happens.

"Listen," he said, keeping his voice steady. "We should head back to Lumina City for now.

Get some proper rest, fix our gear, then come back out when we’re ready."

For the first time, none of the girls argued. After running into V and everything that followed.

They all looked drained. Even Pyra and Beatrix stayed quiet and just nodded.

They made their way out of the wilderness zone without much talk.

When the massive walls of Lumina City came into view again, Liam stopped under them and turned to the group.

"This is farewell for now," he said simply.

Pyra’s expression shifted, and so did Beatrix’s.

They had probably known this moment would come eventually, but not this soon.

Neither of them said anything about how they actually felt about the time they’d spent together.

Admitting they liked the journey would sound like they were asking for more, and they clearly didn’t want to look like that.

Liam didn’t wait around to watch their faces change.

He reached out, gently took Olivia’s hand, and started walking toward her house.

"Wait, stop!" Pyra called out.

Olivia and Pyra both snapped out of it at the same time.

They looked like they were scrambling for words, trying to find a reason to stay near him without sounding too eager.

Then their eyes both landed on Olivia at the exact same moment.

"Yes! We want to see Olivia’s house!" they shouted together.

Olivia blinked at them, clearly surprised. "My house?"

Liam glanced at his girlfriend, then back at Pyra and Beatrix.

’Since when did those two get so close to Olivia?’ he wondered.

Olivia shrugged lightly, seeing no real reason to refuse. "Sure, why not."

They all headed over to Olivia’s small house together.

The moment they stepped inside, Liam could almost hear the thought hit both Pyra and Beatrix at once.

It’s too small.

The place only had one living room, one bedroom, and a tiny kitchen. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

For girls who came from bigger, fancier backgrounds, it probably looked pretty humble.

But then Liam saw the way Olivia smiled when she looked at him.

And he realized she seemed happier here than they probably were in their own places.

He and Olivia dropped onto the old couch with a tired sigh. Liam turned to her after a moment.

"This is the time, right?" he asked. "To go after Zalor."

He checked the levels again in his mind.

He was at 32 now, and Olivia had reached 11 from all the monsters they’d taken down together in the wilderness.

It still didn’t feel like enough. Zalor was the type who could casually hire a level 21 as a servant.

Taking him on felt risky.

But if they waited any longer, that cunning bastard would probably strike when they were at their weakest.

Danger or not, Liam knew he had to move on it.

Beatrix happened to be walking past the couch right then and caught the conversation. Her eyes lit up.

"Come with me to the bedroom for a second," she said to Liam.

He followed her inside. Once the door clicked shut, Beatrix turned to him.

"I want to help you kill Zalor," she said straight out.

"It’s not just for you. Zalor already has ties with my dad. Taking him down benefits me too."

Liam nodded. It made sense.

He left the bedroom and almost immediately ran into Pyra waiting in the hallway.

"So... what are you planning to do next?" she asked.

Liam realized he couldn’t lie to her. He let out a small sigh.

"I’m going to kill a drug lord named Zalor."

Pyra let out a short laugh. "Only you would say something like that so casually."

She shook her head. "Unfortunately, I can’t come with you.

If my family found out I helped kill someone like Zalor, it would mess up their political standing.

But..." She paused, a small smile forming. "Who said I can’t help with guns and weapons?

Wait for me. I’ll bring you the gear in two hours."

Liam nodded. Pyra turned and headed out the door.

Beatrix watched her leave, then looked at Liam. "Weird. She actually wants to help us?"

"Don’t think bad of her," Liam said. "Pyra has a good heart."

Two hours later, Pyra came back carrying a load of equipment.

She handed out the weapons one by one.

Liam took a solid sword. Beatrix picked up a staff. Olivia chose a bow.

Each of them thanked her.

Pyra flipped her hair back with a casual smile. "This much gear is nothing for my family."

Not long after, Liam, Olivia, and Beatrix stepped out of the small house together.

They started walking toward the Atlas building downtown, ready to end things with Zalor once and for all.