Plop!
Aengus and the two stepped out of the portal, emerging on the edge of the Kairos Empire, where the black ocean met the grassy shore. The cool sea breeze mingled with the tension in the air.
Aengus carefully laid the woman down on the soft ground, his hands glowing with a gentle light as he channeled his healing magic.
"Where... where am I?"
Under Lyra's astonished gaze, her mother's wounds closed swiftly, her pale complexion returning to a healthy glow. Within moments, she opened her eyes, blinking in confusion.
"Mother!"
Lyra rushed into her mother's arms, tears spilling down her cheeks as she buried her face in her lap. Her mother, now fully alert, wrapped her arms around her daughter, holding her tightly with eyes full of relief and affection.
For a moment, her mind remained foggy, but as her gaze settled on her daughter, the memories came flooding back—the fear, the imprisonment, and the faint hope of salvation.
"There, there, Lyra. I'm fine now," she said soothingly, stroking her daughter's hair. But then her expression turned puzzled as her gaze shifted to Aengus. "But... who is this man? And where is the one who saved us?"
She squinted at Aengus, unable to recognize him in his current original form.
"Mother, he is our savior. You can't recognise him?" Lyra asked in doubt.
The woman looked at him with wide eyes, her gratitude mixed with confusion. "You... you are the one who saved us?"
Aengus nodded, his calm gaze meeting hers. "Yes, I am the one who saved you, though my appearance might confuse you. I had to take precautions while in enemy territory."
Amarian studied him, her expression uncertain. Her instincts told her to be wary, yet gratitude and exhaustion dulled her doubts. "I see... What will you do with us now? And where are we?" she asked, her tone cautious.
"I see," he responded nonchalantly, giving no indication that he'd caught her lie. "That's quite unfortunate. People can be so quick to judge when fear blinds them."
"Anyway, what about your husband?" he pressed on.
"Oh, he... he died a long time ago in a mining accident," she answered in melancholy.
"But, Mother... Father came home that ni—"
Lyra was about to finish her sentence, but Amarian hurriedly blocked her, not letting her continue to speak.
Aengus, with his sharp hearing, didn't miss her words.
"What were you saying, Lyra? Let her finish it," Aengus said gently, turning back.
"Lord, there's nothing else. She has the habit of talking nonsense," Amarian cut him off.
Aengus frowned. "How long are you going to keep lying, woman? Is this how you repay your savior? Feeding me lies?" he questioned coldly.
Aengus started to use guilt trap to gradually make her reveal everything. He understood that forceful methods or even soul-searching wouldn't work on this woman to reveal the truth properly. Otherwise, the Cathedral would have long known the secret through soul-searching. Enjoy new chapters from M V L
Why else would they have kept her alive that long? They were probably still trying to extract something important from her but had failed so far.
As for Lyra, she had been told not to come for her mother unless she was strong enough. Lyra had told him this herself.
The matter of the execution must have been a trap to capture Lyra and exploit her weakness.
The situation was becoming increasingly mysterious, and his instincts were telling him that uncovering the secret would be worthwhile.