MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 959: Guilty

Aura Nova stayed silent at Lucian’s words. She understood that he was addressing her... or rather both of them as anomalies, beings who existed slightly outside the rigid framework of fate itself, but she still didn’t truly understand what he meant. She knew what anomalies were in theory, had heard the term used by scholars and many people countless times, yet she didn’t feel like she was one. To her, she was simply herself, flawed and imperfect, nothing extraordinary enough to warrant such a title.

After a moment, she shook her head lightly and chose to forget about it, deciding it wasn’t something worth dwelling on. She felt like she could never fully understand this man named Lucian Darkheart. One moment he was casually tapping the fourth wall and speaking as though reality were some sort of narrative, and the next he was calling himself and others anomalies that defied fate and order, as though the laws of existence were mere suggestions to him.

With that, she slowly floated into the air, her body rising with effortless grace, then she shot toward the direction where the spectators watched from. The wind trailed behind her like a faint comet tail. Lucian didn’t stay for long either; there was no reason to linger on the battlefield now that everything had concluded. He simply followed with ease and the same speed, hands casually tucked into his pockets, moving as though the air itself carried him forward without resistance.

Arriving before the group, Anthony spoke first, his voice calm yet lightly amused, ”Congratulations on your realisation. I guess next time you can take revenge on Lucian, and lecture him,” he said with a relaxed smile, clearly teasing more than anything else.

”Thanks,” Aura Nova replied with a small nod of her head, her tone polite but sincere, as she shifted to the side and lowered herself gently into her seat, her movements composed and unhurried.

Veronica turned to Lucian as she spoke, her brows slightly furrowed with concern, ”Don’t you think you are being too harsh by cleaving her in two?” she said with a sigh. She knew she wasn’t really supposed to say this, she knew that sparring meant risk and pain, but Aura Nova was her friend, and seeing her literally split apart like that had unsettled her more than she expected.

”My blade doesn’t discriminate between gender,” Lucian replied with a teasing tone as he winked at her, the corner of his lips lifting into a mischievous grin that made it impossible to tell whether he was serious or simply teasing her on purpose.

Veronica simply sighed and chose not to say anything anymore, realizing that arguing with Lucian was like arguing with the wind; it went nowhere and only exhausted you.

Altheria and Vega were already bombarding Aura Nova with questions about her actualisation, their curiosity completely overwhelming any sense of restraint.

”How do you feel?”

”Did you gain anything?”

”Did you perceive any reality’s secrets?”

They fired off questions without pause despite Anthony already telling them what true self actualisation was. But it seemed they wanted to hear it from the horse’s mouth and not from someone who only knew the concept academically and hadn’t experienced it personally. To them, Aura Nova’s words carried more weight than any explanation.

Aura Nova didn’t rush or show any annoyance. She answered their questions with a welcoming smile, her tone gentle and thoughtful, carefully choosing her words as though trying to describe something that couldn’t quite be captured by language. It was more of a feeling than a tangible gain, more like clarity than power, yet she tried her best to put it into terms they could understand.

Rain could only watch from the side. He had heard everything Lucian had said to Aura Nova about her limitations and weaknesses, every critique, every flaw laid bare without mercy. He felt guilty, sad, and happy all at the same time, the emotions clashing violently within him like a quiet storm.

Happy because Aura Nova had achieved true self-actualisation, even though he didn’t even know what that was until now. Sad because Aura Nova had lost and suffered so brutally. Guilty because he felt that Aura Nova’s limitations and weaknesses were somehow his fault.

If he had advised her early on not to rely on her Omniedit innate ability too much. Only if he had enforced stricter training. Only if he had brought her with him on his off-planetary missions. Only if he had pushed her harder instead of protecting her. Only if...

A swirl of emotions stormed within him, tightening his chest painfully. But after a moment, he slowly exhaled and sighed. He believed in Aura Nova’s talent deeply. Even without fully tapping into it, she had already reached this stage, and now she had achieved true self actualisation. He was happy, genuinely happy, that she was going to become stronger, and with that monstrous talent of hers, that growth would take the smallest amount of time, faster than anyone would have ever guessed.

Aura Nova’s eyes shifted toward Rain, who remained silent. Her gaze flickered for a moment as she read his emotions. After knowing the man who was no different from a father to her for so long, she could tell what he was thinking without even needing to read his mind. To her, his face revealed everything plainly.

’No need to feel guilty, Rain. It isn’t your fault, it’s mine. This is my path, my journey, and I’m glad I met people like them. If not, I would have been stuck on this road without achieving my true potential for a long while,’ she paused briefly before continuing, ’and at the end of the day, it is thanks to you, who brought me here, that I was able to meet them. Thank you. My true self actualisation would also not be possible without you too,’ Aura Nova said as she communicated with Rain telepathically, her mental voice soft and warm.

Rain paused for a moment as he heard Aura Nova’s words within his mind. He simply shook his head and said nothing, unable to trust his voice. But a warm smile appeared on his lips regardless, small yet genuine.

’Only if I could do more for you,’ he thought to himself as he sat in silence, his thoughts lingering on her with quiet fatherly affection.

Riven’s eyes turned to Rain. He mistakenly thought that Rain was sad because Aura Nova had lost to his son, Lucian. He smirked as he spoke, pride evident in his expression, ”No need to feel down. It’s only natural she lost against my son, Rain,” a bit of fatherly pride filling his tone as he spoke about Lucian.

Rain’s eyes shifted toward Riven. He simply gave a helpless smile and nodded without saying anything, not bothering to correct the misunderstanding.

”I guess it’s time to resume this battle, right?” Klaus’ voice came from the side, firm and authoritative as always.

”You just want to see the younger generation beat each other up,” Amara’s voice came as she sat beside Klaus. She had barely said anything throughout the entire time, remaining mostly silent since the very first spar until now, quietly observing everything.

”There is no harm in that, is there? And besides, because of this spar, they are all growing in real time,” he replied with a huge smile on his face, clearly enjoying the spectacle far more than he probably should have.

Amara shook her head with a small smile as she replied, ”I guess so.” She said nothing else after that and simply returned to the passive spectator state she had maintained throughout, watching without interference.

With that, the huge holographic display flickered again, casting shifting lights across everyone’s faces. The five numbers flickered and shuffled rapidly, rearranging themselves over and over as tension quietly built. Silence rained around everyone as they stared at the screen, anticipation thick in the air.

Two numbers appeared the next moment as the sequence came to a complete stop.

One versus Five.

The first versus the last number.

Null Anthony versus Sky Kingsley.

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AUTHOR’S NOTE: Okay folks, that’s it for Aura Nova’s character introduction and development. I hope I was able to introduce her well, show her flaws, her talent, her potential, her path, and her life prior to this moment. I hope y’all loved it.

Thanks for reading. Still need those golden tickets, please.