Chapter 210: The world beyond

The snowy field was extra snowy today. 

"By the way. I have some friends on the island. Wanna go and absorb them before the big fight?"

Now that no one was around, Enira popped out of the saber and walked by my side. I wished, she'd just stay in the saber.

And why the hell was she wearing the school uniform when even I wasn't?

She even looked good in it! 

"Absorbing your friends? Is that what you did for a living?" There was a bit of wind, so I had a yell slightly while covering my eyes with my arm.

She giggled but then broke into severe laughter. "Well." She wiped a tear. "Though I say friends, nowadays they're just a corrupted bunch rotting beneath the earth. We'd be just doing a favor to them. They're pretty strong though."

I sighed. "How's that even considered a favor?" Though it was cold and snowy, I could see pretty much everything. Actually, the brightness was too high. "By the way, what did you get from my grandmother?"

The wind kind of cleared and a rather white landscape awaited for us to travel.

Enira grabbed my arm and pressed her soft chest against me. "Something very useful," She said, seductively. 

Her uniform was tight and she was warm.

I brushed her off and walked faster. "Good for you." I did not need another distraction, no sir!

If she wasn't talking, I didn't have any reasons to pester her either. I had my own stuff to worry about. 

It wasn't like I was flustered, okay?

Though, going around hunting strong Mutors might not have been that bad. I could break the cores in half, feed one half to Enira and sell the rest, assuming they were dragon cores. 

Instant, profit!

With my face lit up a little I headed straight for the academy and reached the gates just ten minutes later. 

My bright face kind of crumbled though, seeing the state of affairs of this place. 

"Is it me or does she look a bit too much like-" I managed. 

"Uh-huh."

***

Marg didn't have to go to school today. Why? Because her mother-in-law said so. 

She didn't have chores either. The maid and her mother-in-law had taken care of everything. 

After Helio was gone, Helio's mother had asked a series of questions to Marg and her little brother. 

After hearing the kid's responses, Helio's mother even apologized to the kid: after what she saw Helio do to the poor kid, it was only natural for her. It shocked Marg quite a bit but what shocked her more was the word 'congrats.' Marg didn't quite understand the meaning behind the word. Why that word and why now?

Marg and her mother-in-law were currently in her bedroom. This was a private talk, so this place seemed to be the best. 

"Well, I can picture what's wrong with you but let's go visit the doctors like he wanted. He said something about you two getting married after graduation but are you okay with that?" Helio's mother was being a bit careful about the subject- after all, it was rather sensitive. 

"Yes I am but- Helio said he'd like to get married to me before that." Marg looked a bit flushed. Marriage was a dream, actually, this whole thing felt like a dream. Was she even awake?

And if this really was a dream, she didn't want it to end. She wanted it go on and on. And that's why she was afraid. What if she was seriously ill and- 

She didn't want to think about it.

"Hmmm… that would be for the best, yes." Helio's mother looked around. "But still, isn't this room a bit too big?" She chuckled. 

"Yes." Marg also smiled. 

She wasn't that comfortable around other people. She got used to Helio's presence. But even around Helio, if there were other people around, she felt awkward. Though whenever she had to deal with rivals, she tried her best to overcome her uneasiness. After all, Helio mattered more. 

And that's why she was actively trying to change herself, she was trying to become a bit more expressive and a bit more open. Not just to Helio but to his family as well.

She was still ways off though. 

Helio's mother giggled. "There's no need to be so stiff. You're now my daughter, remember?" She hugged Marg. "So, there's no need to be afraid. Helio has a lot of flaws and he might even bring back other girls home. He's pretty much like his grandfather and as you might already know, my father was- well, quite the character." She giggled. "But- but would you continue to support him throughout your life and be there for him in spite of his flaws?"

Marg only had one answer. It was just one answer all along. "I will." Marg also hugged her. 

Strangely this person- this person in front of Marg, felt warm and comfortable almost like she was hugging Helio himself, but perhaps just a bit more soft and perhaps warm like her own mother. She giggled at the thought but Marg did feel more comfortable. 

"Alright, then-" Helio's mother let Marg go and moved towards the door. "We'll leave at eleven. Get ready."

"Right!"

***

Just three days ago- something terrible had happened in a distant corner of the universe. 

The prosperous inhabitants of Neil were losing. 

Their sophisticated technology and superpowers weren't enough to deal with the threat- the threat of a bio-warfare.

Even just a decade ago the war was in their favor. But the attackers were not only experts at bio-warfare but also smart, and they'd developed the perfect weapon to combat the inhabitants of Neil. A stone that could make their superpowers useless. 

And since the inhabitants of Neil heavily relied on their powers, it was a one-way slaughter. 

But the stone couldn't be reproduced. The attackers were given the stone as a gift and with the stone, the attackers were winning. They were almost victorious. 

But the power of the stone was almost but spent. And there was only one known place where they could get more of that stone- a place in a faraway galaxy. A place where they'd already failed their first attempt at invasion. 

A blue planet orbiting a young yellow star. Earth. 

Neil was losing and soon they'd become slaves. They were quite aware that someone from earth had betrayed them and yet- and yet with the last of their resources, Neil decided to send a messenger to earth- in the hopes of establishing an alliance. After all, the fate of the whole earth and the people of both worlds- depended on this mission. 

"I will bring back help!" The maiden screamed towards her dying parents as the ceiling broke down and the interdimentinal elevator activated.