Chapter 714 Peacefulness Never Lasts Long (2/2)
"The calm before the storm..." Lucien thinks aloud. "Why are things always like this?"
"Probably because the people orchestrating this did a great job, always pushing you to the limit, never giving you time to breathe..." Sloth comments.
Lucien and the other Sins agree with that. Their journey so far seems to have been meticulously planned by someone or some mysterious group of people.
The most impressive part is that Lucien always has options, a choice, and whoever planned that knows him so well they can predict his decisions.
"We have to go back to Bellor and confront Michael." Lucien can only think of his father to give him some answers now.
He doesn't think his mother will actually be there as a prisoner of the Silver Legion, but he needs to make sure and check it personally.
Naomi nods. "Yes, we have to go back home and help our people."
"Home? Our people??" Donna can't help but feel upset upon hearing that.
Amelia thinks similarly to Donna and speaks in a sarcastic tone. "She means that shitty world and the people who hate us."
"Not everyone hates us there." Naomi responds. "Our mothers made sacrifices to protect our people, millions of innocent families that would have been massacred by the Silver Legion."
"We were the sacrifices, you fool!" Donna exclaims furiously. "I saw your mother abandon you just like mine did; it was Eve who took care of us and stopped that bastard from killing us!"
All of Lucien's sisters have complicated relationships with their mothers, except Eve, whose mother passed away.
But among them, some relationships like Donna's with her mother are much worse due to the intense anger she feels.
Naomi, on the other hand, always tried to see life from the best angle. She believes that her mother loves her and only joined Michael with his other wives to save their Kingdoms and families.
She doesn't blame Donna for hating her mother, but Naomi has a desire to return to their homeland and help her people and family. That's what led her to accept the Soul Contract with Gluttony.
"We're here for power, remember?" She asks her siblings. "What's the point of working hard for this power if we don't use it to help our family?"
"We are your family." Eve comments in an affectionate tone.
She never wanted to get involved in her siblings' relationships with their mothers, and in fact, she blames Michael for forcing those women to abandon their children.
Yet, her love is only for her siblings, no one else. So she won't let them fight because of other people, even if those people are their mothers.
"No matter what we do, we need to go back to Bellor before anything else." Claire comments.
She never thought much about her mother because before the Soul Contract with Greed, she didn't care about much.
But now, she doesn't know how she feels exactly, but she certainly wants to reunite with her mother and figure it out.
"Yes." Sophia agrees.
As one of the younger siblings, she remembers well how much she missed her mother in the early years at Michael's stronghold.
That love started turning into hurt, but when she discovered she was pregnant, her perspective began to change even more rapidly.
Sophia doesn't know how she feels about her mother now, but she wants her daughter to have a good life, which may include the option of a grandmother, something she didn't have.
Lucien can see that his sisters have very different opinions about their mothers and the people those women consider their own.
Yet, they need to return to Bellor, their homeworld, for answers and some revenge.
"However we're going to do it, we'll do it together, as we have been so far." Lucien makes it clear that he will support his sisters.
They all nod, including Eve, so Naomi smiles excitedly. "I'll see if Maya is ready."
"No need." Lucien speaks as he turns towards the stairs. "She's here."
Everyone turns their attention to Maya, who is finishing climbing the stairs, accompanied by Layla and Kayla.
Maya seems enveloped in a cloud of sadness due to having to leave her home, of course.
Yet, when her gaze meets Lucien's, she can't help but feel hopeful, wondering what the adventure alongside him will be like and if he will truly prevent the Fire God from finding her again.
Layla and Kayla are also saddened by having to separate from Maya, but she explained to them the possibility of Lucien resolving her biggest problem, allowing them to have a bright future together.
Both mother and daughter look at Lucien with extremely grateful expressions. They feel they can't thank him enough, but they try to show their feelings in the best way possible.
They do so by respectfully bowing in sync. "Thank you very much, Your Majesty!"
"Hey, that's not necessary." Lucien smiles friendly at the girls.
Both of them smile back at Lucien. Layla's gaze is grateful but also tired. Kayla, on the other hand, seems very excited and even winks at him.
She admires and respects Lucien ever since he saved her from the pirates shortly after arriving on the Blue Star. She wanted to thank him in a better way and even get closer to him, but there hasn't been a good opportunity for that.
Kayla really wants to interact with Lucien, but he approaches her mother first and gently touches her shoulder.
"How are you feeling today?" He asks in a friendly tone.
Layla's eyes sparkle with gratitude as she enjoys the warm touch of Lucien in a pure and friendly way.
"I still can't believe that nightmare is over..." She sighs and strokes Lucien's hand. "I could only endure it because of your promise to help me."
Lucien smiles and points at Amelia and Helena. "Still, they were the ones who rescued you."
Layla has already thanked Amelia, Helena, and all the other wives of Lucien who helped her safely return to her family.
Still, she casts another grateful glance at the girls before looking back at Lucien.
"Your family is truly amazing, but you are the pillar that keeps everyone together... I'm happy that my mother can be a part of this family." Layla speaks.
"That makes you a part of the family too." Lucien kisses Layla's forehead.
As she blushes, he turns his attention to the young Kayla. She may already have a few hundred years, but her personality is that of a young and excited adventurer.
"Looks like I'll be taking your grandma away..." He jokes, making Kayla laugh and Layla smiles.
"Yeah, that's not cool, you know..." Kayla pouts. "You'll have to compensate me for that, I mean by bringing my grandma to visit us constantly and bringing me presents too!"
Lucien laughs. "Got it, visits and presents."
"Yeah," Kayla laughs too, but then she makes a naughty expression. "That's the minimum if you plan on becoming my grandpa."
"Grandpa???" Lucien is shocked to hear that. He's not even ready to be a father, let alone a grandfather.
All the girls laugh at Lucien's surprised reaction, making Kayla laugh even harder.
But Maya becomes very embarrassed. "Kayla?! What are you doing?!"
"You're going with him to do that-" Kayla starts to say, but Maya covers her mouth and pulls the girl back, making the scene even more comical.
Lucien and his sisters can see how much Maya loves Kayla and Layla. They may not have her blood, but they are a true family, which makes such separation even sadder.
"I'm going to miss them..." Naomi approaches Lucien and comments in a saddened tone as well.
The time she spent in the Rising Phoenix Clan created deep bonds not only with Maya but also with her family and people.
Lucien hugs Naomi as he watches the heartwarming scene of Maya and her granddaughter. "Kayla is very much like you."
"Nah, she's cool." Naomi quickly responds.
"Yeah, you're a pain in the ass." Lucien laughs and teases Naomi.
Everyone wishes Maya had more time with her family, but they also know that time is crucial now.
After more affectionate hugs, Maya releases Kayla and looks at Lucien with a determined and expectant expression. "I'm ready."
"Me too!" Saria comments as she shows her wrist adorned with beautiful bracelets, each one containing hidden treasures filled with various things.
Lucien turns his attention to Daisy, and she quickly reports, "The portal is ready. Since most of us will be traveling within the Purple World, it was fairly simple, and Nea provided us with excellent magic crystals."
"Great." He responds and then casts another loving glance at Nea and Mira; Lucien hates goodbyes, especially when he could avoid them.
"We'd better go before the Leviathan..." Lucien starts to speak while gazing one last time at the beautiful blue horizon.
But then he abruptly pauses as he fixes his gaze on the sky, precisely at a bright white spot among the clouds.
Lust is the first to notice Lucien's curiosity and quickly questions him. "What is that?"
"Look there." He points to the small white gleam, which quickly grows bigger and brighter.
"A portal?" Sloth is the first to understand what that white light is.
"Looks like a portal of light energy..." Daisy comments.
"Light energy?" Lucien can only think of one person now. "Genevieve?"
He hadn't forgotten about Genevieve, the Angel who serves him and Alexa as a messenger. But she had returned to Qia when they arrived at the Blue Star, and since then, he has not heard from her.
The purpose of her trip to her homeworld was to bring news from Alexa, and now Lucien wonders if that bright light in the sky is indeed her return.
And if it is her, could something significant be happening?
Maybe that's the mysterious person in the shadows forcing him to act again. Or maybe it's just a consequence of his actions, in particular, the deal with Alexa to help the Angels.
Anyway, with every problem Lucien solves, more appear. And now there are more pieces on the board than ever before, making predicting what will happen next impossible.
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