At the same time Alex and Freya made their way for their night date, a lone figure entered a grand and luxurious mansion. The polished marble floors gleamed under the soft glow of crystal chandeliers, and the air carried a quiet sense of authority.
The figure was clad in a sleek, white full-body armor that seemed to fit them perfectly, designed for both elegance and utility. Flowing behind them was a cascade of long, silky w..hite hair that gleamed like moonlight, framing a face so striking it seemed otherworldly. Their mesmerizing purple eyes, held a depth that could captivate the strongest of wills and hypnotize even the most resolute of men.
This person was none other than Astarte, the Aura master who had singlehandedly wiped out Night's sixth base. Her reputation preceded her, and it wasn't hard to see why.
As she walked through the corridors of the mansion, guards and servants alike stopped in their tracks to bow deeply. Their eyes showed nothing but respect and admiration for the powerful figure in front of them.
Astarte nodded back each time, acknowledging them without breaking her stride. Eventually, she stopped in front of a large set of double doors. Without hesitation, she pushed them open, stepped inside, and closed the doors behind her.
"Finally home!" she said, a grin spreading across her face.
Without caring for anything else, Astarte threw her armor to the ground, revealing her bewitching curves. Her attractive body had an hourglass figure with her upper body carrying a pair of big and full breasts, a pair of wide hips that one could die for, and a tantalizing and firm butt that swayed with each of her movements.
Her body was both curvaceous, filled in the right places, but at the same time, it was lean and athletic, a pair of abs revealing all her training and hard work. Yet those abs didn't make her less desirable; on the contrary, they only enhanced her natural allure. It wasn't surprising that she had so many admirers.
Astarte walked to the large bed in her room, spun around, and let herself fall onto the soft mattress. The back of her head gently bounced on the plush material, the sensation soothing her tired body.
Astarte closed her eyes, intent on falling asleep when a voice suddenly echoed in the room.
"What took you so long to come back?" A soft, childish voice rang out.
Turning her head towards the couch in her bedroom, Astarte saw the figure of a girl barely nine or ten years old, her legs hanging over the edge of the couch. She had short, messy dark blue hair, eyes of the same color, and a tiny, pouty mouth, giving her an irresistibly cute appearance.
If Alex had been there, he would have recognized this little girl as Ariana—the one they had rescued from the Night base. Back then, Alex had even considered helping her find her parents, but the girl had kindly declined. Noticing that she was already at level 3, Alex judged that she wasn't as fragile as he had initially thought, so he let her go on her own.
"A group from the Night faction ambushed us on our way back," Astarte replied, her eyes drifting shut as if she were replaying the events in her mind... or perhaps simply trying to slip into sleep.
"So? Did you find the heart in the tenth base?" Ariana asked, her voice full of curiosity.
Astarte shook her head. "Aside from the mountains of coins, there was nothing of value in that base's treasury."
"That's a shame," Ariana muttered in disappointment.
"Any luck on your side?" Astarte asked after a brief silence, glancing at the little girl.
"Some people interfered by attacking the ninth base, so I couldn't finish my mission," Ariana revealed, her tone neutral but slightly frustrated.
"I see," Astarte replied, nodding before closing her eyes again. She was utterly drained, the weight of her exhaustion finally starting to catch up with her.
Just as she was about to be pulled into the embrace of sleep, Ariana spoke again, her tone teasing.
"You know, I happened to run into your little lover while I was at Night's base."
Astarte grunted in annoyance, irritated that Ariana was keeping her from rest. "Who did you meet this time?" she muttered, barely opening her eyes.
"Alexandre Eswald," Ariana said with a mischievous grin.
Astarte's eyes abruptly snapped open, and an overwhelming pressure descended upon the bedroom. A suffocating aura exploded from her, causing the air to crackle. Blades of Aura manifested, slicing and tearing through anything in their path, leaving destruction in their wake.
In just a single second, the room shifted from calm and pristine to a chaotic battlefield, as shards of Aura clashed against walls, furniture, and anything else in their path.
Astarte straightened up, her fiery gaze locking onto Ariana's, sending a cold shiver down the little girl's spine.
"Would you calm down?" Ariana called out, her voice unwavering, "He wasn't among the abductees of Night."
When Astarte heard this, the suffocating pressure vanished as swiftly as it had come, and the destructive Aura stopped in its tracks. The room returned to its original state within moments.
Astarte let out a long sigh, closing her eyes for a moment as she steadied herself. "You should choose your words carefully next time," she said, finally catching her breath. Her heart was still racing from the brief moment of panic. The mere thought of Alex being involved with Night's group had sent her spiraling. If it had been true, she would have gone to raze every Night base across the continent in an instant.
Ariana's lips twitched in silent annoyance. 'How am I to blame if you jumped to conclusions so easily?!'
"If he's not one of the abductees, then what was he doing there?" Astarte's tone shifted, her concern sharpening as she considered the worst possibilities. "Don't tell me he—"
"No, he's not a member of Night," Ariana quickly interjected, shaking her head. "Also, stop making assumptions and let me finish!"
Astarte nodded absently, her attention fixed on the girl as she gestured for her to continue.
"If you remember, I mentioned that some people interfered with my mission, right?" Ariana began. "Well, Alexandre was one of them. He, along with several others, attacked the base and freed the abductees. If I recall correctly, he said the name of their organization was 'Arcane'."
"'Arcane'?" Astarte's brow furrowed as she processed the information. "Never heard of that group."
"In any case," Ariana added, her voice softening slightly, "you don't need to worry about him. He seems fine. By some miracle, he even reached level 4."
"Wh-What?" Astarte's voice faltered in disbelief. "Alex reached level 4?!"
She felt a mix of overwhelming happiness for him, but at the same time, it was hard for her to fully believe the news. After all, she knew better than most how difficult it was for Alex to level up. Hearing that he had not only surpassed level 1 but had even reached level 4 was beyond shocking. It seemed almost impossible, considering how long it had taken him to make any progress at all.
"I don't know how he managed, but yes, he was at level 4 when I met him, and was even at high level 4," Ariana continued, "You don't have to keep worrying about him anymore."
Astarte's lips curled into a smile as Ariana spoke about Alex. The more she heard, the wider her grin grew. Soon, however, she stopped listening altogether, her gaze fixed on the ceiling of her bedroom, lost in the memories of her and Alex from when they were much younger.
'Wait,' Astarte's eyes snapped open, a hint of panic flashing in them. 'Now that he's found a way to level up, even if I find and gift him the heart, it won't have the same impact as before.'
In the first place, the reason she had been doing all of this—the heart, the search, everything—was for Alex. Now that he had found his own way to grow stronger, the heart would no longer have the same significance. Its value would be diminished, not as precious as it would have been had he remained weak.
'Will he still forgive me?' Astarte wondered, dread creeping into her thoughts. 'Well, I'll cross that bridge when I get there,' she decided, trying to push away the anxiety.
'On the bright side, now we can finally reunite!' she mentally exclaimed, her face breaking into a wide, joyful smile as giggles escaped her.
Ariana, who had been watching her from the side, couldn't help but become speechless. 'It will always amaze me how 'the mighty Aura Master Astarte' can look like a little girl when matters about this Alexandre are brought up', she thought, shaking her head.
She resumed speaking to Astarte, but it was clear the latter wasn't listening. When Astarte's breathing became heavy, her cheeks flushed red, and she started becoming a little too touchy with herself, Ariana stood up and left the room.
'She's having one of her episodes again,' Ariana sighed, exasperated.
Meanwhile, in the bedroom, Astarte remained lost in her thoughts, the face of a familiar silver-haired man filling her mind. 'We will be reunited soon,' she thought, her smile distorting into something more than a little creepy.