"Child, I am your mother!!!"
The young man stood on the cold concrete floor, staring at the woman with expressionless eyes.
A past and a future from which there is no turning back.
"Wouldn't it be better to give up that terrible, dangerous journey and come back to me?"
The woman's voice was a mixture of excitement, fear and anticipation. The boy was silent, but he could feel, behind him, the eyes of his companions, waiting and trusting. They were the only thing that kept the boy alive, the only thing that kept him alive. Instead of the guns and infrared detectors that were hidden behind the women between the skyscrapers. So, the boy raised the gun in his hand and sent an easy and indifferent smile to the pale woman.
"Sorry, I don't think I'm related to you."
The teenager spoke coldly, then pulled the trigger.
Jared opened his eyes, the sky in front of him was blue and clear, a few cotton-like white clouds leisurely floating and moving, it looked peaceful and beautiful.
"It's that dream again ..."
He muttered something, while holding out a hand, repeatedly observing, watching .
That woman's claim that she's his mother is a lie with no basis. Even if she was his mother, so what? Even if she had given him life, but had cruelly and almost taken it away from him. After questioning the members of the gang in every way possible, Jared was certain that if the perpetrators hadn't found him in the freezing cold of that uninhabited place while they were trying to kill a man during a kidnapping, his fate would have been to become a meal for wild dogs the next morning. What's the point of having someone like that suddenly appear in front of you after twenty years, even if she is really your own mother?
But the dream was like an evil, horrible nightmare that was always there for Jared.
"Hmph!"
Jared grunted unhappily, then he clenched his fist and suddenly struck back.
"Woooah!!!"
The young man, who had silently emerged from the ground and was about to sneak up on Jared from behind, let out a cry as he jumped back two steps and then quickly sank into the earth. It was as if the hard ground was an ocean to him, and he could move freely through it. Although his ability is special, but obviously has a great flaw, even without the use of light manipulation, Jared has long heard his footsteps, obviously, the man's ability to flaw in his ability to move the limitations. He used this in the assassination is quite a wise choice, but ...
Jared shook his head and thought no more about it.
(Jared?)
Caroline approached with her parasol and a slightly surprised expression, certainly not because of Jared's sneak attack.
（You look terrible. What's wrong?)
"Nothing."
Jared shook his head slightly .
"Just a dream."
(That dream again?)
Caroline's face changed slightly, as the person who had followed Jared for the longest time, how could she not know what Jared meant by "dream". She sat down against Jared and asked worriedly.
（You haven't had that dream for a long time, especially since you came to this world. ...)
"That's why I think it's weird."
Jared sighed helplessly, a dream was a dream, and Jared didn't have the power to take it out of his head and delete it like computer data.
(Did you ...)
"No way."
Before Caroline could finish her sentence, Jared interrupted her with a shake of his head. He said with a certainty, a certainty, a certainty.
"I have never felt guilty, sad or regretful about my choices. A companion who has fought together and lived and died with me is more important to me than someone I've never met since birth who suddenly appears in front of me and claims to be my mother. There's no doubt about it. You were there. How could I give you up for a woman I've never met?"
(Perhaps ...)
Caroline didn't finish her sentence, because Jared had already laid back, resting his head on Caroline's soft chest, his eyes slightly closed, as if enjoying the scent of the girl's body and the softness of her touch. Caroline was only slightly dumbfounded, and then revealed a gentle smile, reaching out a hand to gently stroke Jared's hair. Jared's pressure is very heavy, this is except for Caroline no one knows, although she is often with Jared in the front line, but Caroline almost do not have to care about anything other than fighting. Because even if she cares about it is of no use, Caroline has no way to communicate with others, at most can only talk with Kelly or Kura, now although more Gina, but in the eyes of others, Caroline still try to keep a low profile. Moreover, she had long ago gotten used to Jared deciding everything and obeying himself.
Even if Jared is too powerful to be human, he's still human.
Although in the eyes of the others, Jared always looked as if he could easily eat the entire Marco Kingdom, as if he was just like making a dough. But Caroline knew that the reason why Jared acted so easily was partly to cheer up the crowd so that they wouldn't lose confidence. And partly because he had a habit of lying to his own people in order to feel comfortable. For better or for worse. It was impossible for Jared to show his true feelings to those people. But that doesn't mean he's free of pressure, burdens and thoughts.
(Don't think so much, just let it happen.)
"So says ..."
Jared got up from Caroline's arms and stretched.
"Why don't you go check on Gina, she still doesn't seem to get along with Kura, it's kinda weird."
Frankly, this was a surprise to both of them.
After all, they hadn't expected Gina and Kura to get along at all.
Kula was a confused, disoriented person who didn't seem to care much about anything and wasn't prone to starting fights. And Gina is quiet and gentle, and not one to start a fight. But the two don't get along at all. Gina seems to have a problem with Kura's quirk of falling asleep at any time and anywhere, while Kura continues to be the kind of person who won't react no matter how hard you hit her with lightning, and although the two of them can't really get into a huge fight, they do have a bit of an uneasy relationship that can be detected. What's more, Gina, like Jared and Caroline, didn't have the slightest idea of what an Aria was, so in her eyes, Kura was just a simple child.
(Okay.)
Caroline nodded slightly, then stood up and reached down to pat the dust off her skirt, then the corners of her mouth turned up in a mocking smile.
(Don't you know why?)
"How would I know ..."
Jared scratched his head. Without a high-precision probe, how was he going to find the needle at the bottom of the ocean?
(These days, Gina wouldn't be so angry if she didn't let Kura use you as a human cushion all the time.)
Caroline with a smug smile said after turning away, leaving only listen to not understand Jared frowning stood there, then he suddenly stretched out his hand. But at this moment, Jared suddenly raised his eyebrows, then he slightly inclined his head, an arrow quickly flew past his cheek, into the ground, leaving only the tail feathers constantly quivering.
"Why didn't you attack just now?"
Jared asked, looking down at the arrow.
"Did you already know I was here?"
With a surprised inquiry, the female archer jumped down from the dense foliage with a light flip and landed firmly on the ground. Her face had an uncontrollable surprise, after all, she had been lurking here for a long time, how did Jared find himself?
"Why don't you attack?"
Jared repeated his question, and at that moment the archeress's cheeks flushed slightly.
"Because, you were just talking to Ms. Caroline ...."
"... is just stupid..."
Jared was dumbfounded for a moment, then opened his mouth to reprimand without mercy. The archer was surprised.
"Look, a man's guard is only down when he's alone with a woman. If you're going to assassinate a target and he's on a date with a teenage girl, do you have to wait until they're done dating?"
"This ..."
The archer had a strange look on her face, and in truth, she thought it would be a great opportunity. But first of all, regardless of Jared, Caroline's combat power is also not to be underestimated, perhaps just to strike, will be resisted by Caroline may also be possible. Moreover, if you disturb the two of them like this, they might resent you. ...
"But you did do a good job."
Jared looked at the palm of his right hand that he had originally extended to grab the arrow, he originally wanted to grab the arrow to end the battle. But Jared did not expect that the moment he touched the arrow, a force that Jared could not control instantly bounced off his defenses. This allowed Jared to have more thoughts to move and dodge, otherwise, it was hard to tell what the outcome would be, and in the worst case scenario, Jared would have to instantly use his ability to block the arrow that could potentially turn him from a living person to a dead one.
"This is your power?"
"Yes, my lord."
The female archer replied respectfully .
"I don't know what kind of ability this is, all I know is that after I apply this ability to an arrow, it will be even more ..."
When she said this, she also stopped, apparently even as the owner of the ability, she was not able to express the effect of the ability on her body very well.
"Very good."
Jared gazed at his palm, and the bright red blood dripping from it.
"You passed this test."
He laughed with satisfaction .