Multiversal Ascension-Chapter 106: Amelia’s Grief

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A heavy silence filled the cave, broken only by the occasional drip of water echoing off the damp stone walls. The air was cold, carrying the faint scent of earth and moss, but none of them paid attention to their surroundings.

Amelia sat on a flat rock near the cave wall, her arms wrapped around her knees. Her green eyes, usually sharp and focused, were distant—glassy, as if staring at something far beyond the cave's darkness. She hadn't spoken much since they arrived one hour ago, answering only when necessary, her voice hollow.

Mikael glanced at her but said nothing. He recognized that kind of silence—the weight of emotions pressing down until speaking felt pointless. Lyra, sitting a short distance away, fidgeted with the hem of her cloak, occasionally casting hesitant glances at Amelia, unsure whether to say something or not.

The grief in Amelia's expression was subtle, but it was there. Her breathing was steady, but too controlled, as if she was forcing herself to stay composed. Her fingers clenched against her arms, trembling slightly, though she probably didn't realize it.

Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, she finally spoke.

"She's gone."

It wasn't a question, nor did it need an answer. They all knew. Shadow had sacrificed herself so they could escape.

Mikael remained silent, watching her carefully.

Amelia's grip on her arms tightened. "And my father... he's probably..." Her voice caught, but she swallowed hard, forcing the words out. "He's dead too, isn't he?"

Still, Mikael didn't answer. He wasn't the type to offer empty reassurances, and she knew that.

She let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. "I didn't even think about Aria until now," she admitted, her voice filled with something between guilt and self-loathing. "My best friend... she was in the Academy when it happened. She had no chance."

Her breathing quickened as she pressed her forehead against her knees. "Everyone I knew... everyone I cared about... they're all dead."

The words lingered in the air, suffocating in their finality.

Mikael exhaled slowly, his gaze lowering. He had witnessed grief before, but he had never truly felt it himself, leaving him unsure of how to handle his own emotions—let alone Amelia's, which were undoubtedly far worse than his.

Lyra hesitated before shifting slightly closer. "You... you don't know that for sure," she said gently.

Amelia let out a shaky breath but didn't respond. The weight of everything pressed down on her—suffocating, unbearable.

For the first time in a long while, especially since meeting Mikael and all the good moments they had shared together, she felt truly alone, the burden on her shoulders seemingly crushing her.

But at that moment, she felt a warm arm wrap around her shoulders, followed by the comforting embrace of a familiar body. She immediately recognized Mikael and instinctively let herself lean into him.

In his arms, she felt... safe. Allowing herself to relax just a little more, she rested her head against his broad, firm chest, gripping his shirt tightly.

After a few seconds in this protective hold, the emotions she had been desperately suppressing burst out. Warm tears streamed down her cheeks as she spoke in a choked-up voice, "It's all my fault... hic... If I had thought about it, I could have at least... hic... saved Aria. But I DIDN'T!" She screamed the last part, her voice thick with self-blame.

Mikael didn't know what to say, so he simply held her closer and ran his hand gently along her back, offering silent support.

Amelia's sobs gradually lost their intensity, her erratic breathing slowing until it became deep and steady—she had fallen asleep.

At that moment, Mikael lifted his gaze and met Lyra's eyes.

"What should we do now?" she asked, her voice laced with a hidden fear. She looked unsure about what to do next, especially with the world collapsing around them. In the chaos, they hadn't had the chance to discuss a clear plan, and she still didn't fully understand their next course of action.

"Now..." Mikael murmured to himself thoughtfully before answering, "We should probably move deeper into the wilderness. I think we're still too close to populated areas, and it seems like the entities from Nexoria are drawn to places with large concentrations of living people... or at least, where they were."

"Yeah," she murmured, looking down in thought before lifting her gaze back to him. "But... what exactly is Nexoria? And how did you know about the invasion before it happened? Was it the Akashic Records that warned you or something?"

Mikael realized that, in the rush of events, he hadn't had time to explain everything to them. Now that they were relatively safe, it was the right moment to do so. He glanced down at the sleeping Amelia, debating whether to wake her up to inform her at the same time.

He didn't want to, not after everything she had just gone through. She was grief-stricken, exhausted, and had only just fallen asleep. But unfortunately, the situation was too dangerous to let her rest now.

She could grieve later—when they were safe. When they were out of this doomed world.

"Let me wake her up, and I'll explain," he declared.

"Wouldn't it be better to let her sleep? To let her recover from everything that's happening to her..." Lyra hesitantly asked.

"Sigh... It would be better to let her sleep, and trust me, I'd prefer that too. But with how dangerous this world has become in the last hour, it's just not safe. We don't know when we could be attacked, and we can't afford to waste time if we want to make it out of this alive!"

With those words, Mikael gently shook Amelia, who was still sleeping against his chest, while Lyra silently watched, understanding and agreeing with his reasoning.

Amelia stirred slightly before slowly opening her eyes, her gaze locking onto Mikael. For a brief moment, a relieved expression crossed her face as she murmured, "So... it was just a dream..."

Mikael froze.

The relief in her voice, the way her expression softened as she whispered those words—it struck something deep inside him. For that fleeting instant, she truly believed it had all been a nightmare. That Shadow hadn't sacrificed himself. That her father wasn't likely dead. That Aria—her best friend—was still alive, waiting for her.

And yet, he knew the cruel truth. He had to be the one to shatter that fragile hope.

'Damn it,' he inwardly cursed before exhaling and beginning, "Amelia..."

She blinked, her half-asleep gaze focusing on him. But something in his tone made her body tense.

"It wasn't a dream..."

"Oh."

The soft exclamation left her lips, her voice barely above a whisper. The light of relief in her eyes flickered—then vanished, crushed beneath the weight of reality.

Seeing her like this pained Mikael, his chest tightening as if something were squeezing the air out of him. But he ignored the feeling and pressed on. "I know this isn't easy for you, not with everything that's happened. But we are still in danger and I have something to explain about this invasion."

Amelia's dim eyes lifted, fixing on him. And though she remained silent, something burned behind them—hidden, but unmistakable. A fire of anger, of rage, smoldering fiercely.

Once he had both their attention, he began explaining the Emergency Mission he had received from the Records. He told them everything—the warning, the details of the invasion, and most importantly, the fact that some kind of space lock had been placed around Dirarnia. They wouldn't be able to escape this doomed world for another 24—no, 23—hours.

Amelia remained lost in thought, her expression unreadable. Meanwhile, Lyra furrowed her brows and raised a point. "There's something I don't understand. If you received a warning about the Nexoria invasion in advance through the form of an Emergency Mission, then why didn't we get one too? We're also connected to the Records in some way, aren't we?"

"That's... a good question," Mikael admitted, falling into brief contemplation. "Wait. Let me ask the Records."

After he asked the same query as Lyra to the Records and received an answer: [Amelia Mournsky and Lyra Mystoria hold military ranks too low to receive this warning/emergency mission, unlike Mikael Angelini, who is a Private (Rank 1). Consequently, he has higher authority and access to more information.]

He then relayed the Records' response to the girls.

After a short discussion, they decided to leave the cave where they had taken shelter, as it was still too close to the city, making it likely that Nexorian entities could wander in and find them. All it would take was one encounter with a creature too strong for them, and they would all be dead.

Knowing this, they chose to head deeper into the wilderness. They only needed to survive the next 23 hours, and with Amelia and Lyra connected to the Records through the Party System, food and water wouldn't be an issue.

Their connection to the Records through Mikael granted them access to the same System Upgrades as him, which activated all of their stats. While this didn't significantly increase their combat power—since stats like Spirit, which could have drastically enhanced their abilities, were still at 10—the activation of their Vitality stat allowed them to drastically reduce their biological needs, rendering food and water concerns irrelevant, at least in the short term.

This made traveling deep into the wilderness a viable option. While the farther they went from civilization, the stronger the magical beasts they would encounter, it was still a better choice than staying in the cave and hoping that nothing too powerful would find them.

Once the decision was made, they gripped their weapons, bracing for battle, and left the cave. Immediately, they were greeted by dense foliage surrounding them, lively birds chirping, towering trees stretching above, and the familiar sounds of a typical forest.

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"It looks... normal, like nothing that happened in the last hour was real," Lyra remarked as she scanned their surroundings.

Mikael couldn't help but agree. If he hadn't known about the Nexoria invasion, he wouldn't have believed the world was on the verge of destruction just by looking at this forest.

With that thought lingering, the trio pushed deeper into the wilderness, brushing aside branches as they moved.

"Crack!"

"Eep!" Lyra yelped, immediately spinning toward the sound, her water magic ready to be unleashed the moment she detected a threat. Her sharp gaze scanned the foliage.

Mikael and Amelia, just ahead of her, stopped in their tracks and turned toward the noise. At that moment, a wave of magic surged from Mikael, washing over them before continuing its course through the foliage.

Mikael frowned. "I sense nothing. But stay alert—we can't rule out an ambush."

The trio instinctively closed ranks, slowing their movements while heightening their vigilance.

"The birds," Amelia suddenly muttered.

'What does she mean?' Mikael wondered, but then he noticed it too—the birds that had been chirping moments ago had fallen completely silent. A predator was nearby. Lyra must have reached the same conclusion, as all three of them tensed even further.

Minutes stretched by—five, ten, then twenty—but nothing happened. The tension lingered, their senses on high alert for an ambush. Yet, as time passed with no sign of danger, their guards unconsciously relaxed. If nothing had attacked in twenty minutes, then surely nothing would now... right?

Author Note:

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