Chapter 97: Evangeline
A female voice suddenly rang out from nowhere.
Luna didn’t seem surprised. She shifted her gaze to the side, letting it settle on a silver-haired woman standing a short distance away, watching her with an expression of quiet curiosity.
She said nothing. She had first encountered the woman shortly after leaving Lirath, and since then she had been a constant presence, a thorn in her side that simply refused to go away.
At first Luna had tried to fight her off, to drive her away by force. She quickly discovered that against this woman, her strength was no different from an ant’s.
That alone had put her on high alert. And when the woman revealed that she knew about her condition, Luna’s guard went even higher. But from that point on, the woman never did anything that could be considered harmful. Quite the opposite, she guided her, and in an remarkably short span of time, brought her to where she stood now.
The only thing Luna had managed to learn about her in all this time was her name. Everything else remained a mystery.
"Lady Evangeline, I’m sure you have better things to do than babysit me. Why are you still here?" she said, her tone formal but not overly so.
She gave respect where it was earned. That didn’t mean she lowered her head for just anyone.
Besides Evangeline, perhaps the only other person who had earned her genuine respect was Evan.
"Oh, don’t be like that, and what do you mean, ’Lady’? Do I look that old to you? Call me Eva," Evangeline said, stepping closer with a tone that was equal parts playful and composed, her eyes quietly studying the internal changes within Luna.
Luna didn’t respond to that and simply continued watching her.
"Tch. Stubborn as ever, I see. But that’s fine too." Evangeline let out a small breath. "I’ve already told you, I simply want to see how you’ll grow. Your condition is unique. Just like mine was. In my case, I had the blessing of someone very particular. I wonder if that same person blessed you as well."
As she said it, the image of a distant figure surfaced in her mind, someone from a past long gone, a presence that had once shaken the entire world to its foundation. She had always believed that figure hadn’t truly perished. For a long time she had searched for any trace of them, and found nothing.
Now, however, she finally had a lead.
This girl.
She was a Half-Hollow.
Just like herself.
Could it be that she had also received Death’s blessing?
The thought alone was enough to make something warm stir in her chestm because if that was true, it meant that being was still alive somewhere. And if they were alive, she would find them. Whatever the cost.
Seeing that Evangeline had once again become lost in her usual fantasies, Luna decided to ignore her. With a simple gesture, she summoned a set of clothes from her spatial ring.
The awakening process had consumed an enormous amount of energy and time, and in the process her clothes had been destroyed. She was currently standing completely bare in the middle of a crater, but she didn’t pay it much mind.
Apart from the strange woman in front of her, there was no one else within range, she knew that for a fact, given that she had personally eliminated every living thing in this stretch of forest herself.
She dressed quickly, and once done, gathered energy beneath her feet and rose into the air.
She had begun practicing levitation when she first reached C-rank. Now, as an Elite, her control had sharpened considerably, she could fly without effort, without strain.
She climbed quickly. Evangeline followed without a word.
Within moments, both of them were hundreds of meters above the ground. Luna stopped there and took a moment of stillness, letting her gaze drift across the view spread out before her.
It was late afternoon. The sun had climbed to its midday height not long ago and was beginning its slow descent, casting long warm light across everything below. From up here, she could see for miles, forests, hills, distant roads, the faint shimmer of a river cutting through the landscape.
The view was breathtaking.
Yet her expression remained unchanged.
Cold as ever.
’You know, I’ve always wanted to explore this world and see more of its beauty. Didn’t you want that too, big sister?’
A voice suddenly echoed within her mind.
The moment it did, a tiny crack appeared in Luna’s normally emotionless expression.
She ignored the voice.
That voice had been following her for a while now. At first she had convinced herself she was imagining things, that she simply couldn’t let go of the memory of her sister. But eventually she understood.
It wasn’t an illusion.
Nor was it merely a memory.
It was a curse.
She was being forced to remember the person she had failed to save.
’Don’t make that face. I’m not a curse, I’m you...’
’Sooner or later, you’ll have to accept that.’
The voice echoed once more.
Luna ignored it again, trying to calm her emotions.
She didn’t have time for this. Not right now. There was something that needed to be handled, Something that would finally allow her parents to rest in peace.
"You know," Evangeline said, drifting closer, her tone careful for once, "I’m probably not the best person to be giving advice in a situation like this. But I’d still suggest thinking it over a little more before you turn that city upside down."
She already knew what Luna was planning. How could she not, the past few months had been anything but quiet.
The girl had made up her mind to wipe out the ruling family of that city.
Evangeline could tell she had a deep grudge against them, though she had never bothered asking what it was.
It was Luna’s problem.
And the only thing Evangeline truly cared about was seeing how this girl would grow in the future while also learning more about how she had become what she was.
Luna didn’t answer.
Without a word, she wrapped herself in a thin but dense layer of void energy and then, with a burst of speed, she shot toward a specific direction.
Watching Luna disappear into the distance, Evangeline shook her head.
Then, taking a single step forward, she vanished as well, leaving no trace behind.
