They stared into each other’s eyes for a mont, as even Arianna, who had been walking without halting, seed to pause in that instant. The next second, she turned and continued her stride without wasting another mont.
Within that brief span of ti when they stared into each other’s eyes, nothing magical happened. There was no sudden spark igniting within their hearts; they had simply looked at one another. Asher hadn’t walked forward towards Arianna, and neither had Arianna walked towards Asher.
Asher had to admit that, since his reincarnation, he had never looked at soone for this long. His eyes tracked Arianna as she walked away. She was simply too beautiful.
’It was best we t now. If we t for the first ti during the competition, I might have hesitated for a split second because of her pretty face,’ he admitted to himself, amused.
"Oh my freaking stars, she looked this way, she fucking looked this way," Kimberley murmured to herself in disbelief. "She glanced in our direction. She literally stared at us. Does that an we are special?" her tone rising ever so slowly in infatuation.
Asher turned towards Kimberley. He couldn’t understand what was wrong with this girl. She had been composed one mont, and now she was acting like a fangirl.
"Aren’t you overreacting? She simply glanced in this direction. There’s nothing special about that," Asher spoke as he placed the glass of wine in his hand atop the tray of a passing butler and took another filled with wine.
"You say that because you don’t know. How ignorant can you even be?" Kimberley replied with a snort, forgetting she was talking to a Wargrave simply because she had gotten too comfortable around Asher.
"Arianna Haellight is said to possess a pair of special eyes," Kimberley spoke fanatically. "Although the information is only a rumour, as we don’t know how true it is, it is said that her left eye and right eye possess two distinct types of abilities, each one extrely powerful," she stated, her eyes never leaving Arianna, who was about to vanish into the crowd.
Asher stayed silent for a mont. Although Kimberley had also said it was simply a rumour and unverified information, Asher couldn’t help but sigh. People who usually possessed ocular abilities or techniques generally only possessed one, yet Arianna Haellight was said to possess two entirely different abilities.
"Sigh... If all this lore behind her is true, then the title she has been given is indeed worth it," Asher mused in a low voice, not wanting to draw attention.
"If I’m being honest, I sort of believe what you said now," Kimberley stated as she sipped her wine, her eyes finally returning to Asher now that Arianna was no longer within her line of sight.
"What do you an?" Asher asked, wondering what Kimberley now believed.
" betting everything on you," Kimberley replied. "Initially, I planned to investigate what gives you such confidence. After all, I’m sure no one has any information on you since you were stuck inside the Wargrave Estate and the Star Academy for the past two years since awakening," she paused for a mont, "but now that I know Arianna Haellight glanced at you, even if it was only for the briefest of monts, that is enough to tell you are special," she stated in finality.
Asher simply stood silently, no longer knowing what to make of this girl.
"Aren’t you placing too much confidence in soone you’ve never spoken to? You’re basing everything on rumours and unverified information," Asher asked as his eyes darted around the huge hall.
"You will understand in ti, Tenth Sun," she replied, not bothering to explain further.
Asher sighed as he already understood that Kimberley was a lost cause. She simply couldn’t be saved.
"So, since we are on the topic, tell about the Haellight family and a bit of their history, if you know any," Asher stated calmly.
"Ehhh... I think you are overthinking it," Kimberley spoke.
"What do you an?" Asher asked as the corner of his eye turned towards her.
Kimberley simply chuckled and shook her head before beginning to speak. "Just because I told you so much mind-boggling information, you couldn’t help but imdiately classify Arianna as a Noble, right?" Her tone was almost amused.
"Isn’t she?" Asher asked, as he had assud that the Haellight family had to be so powerful and overbearing family to give birth to soone with Arianna’s PR level and status.
"She isn’t," Kimberley replied with a smirk, as though proud that one didn’t need to be a Noble to be absurdly talented. "She is a commoner. Her father is from the Velkarin Empire, while her mother is from the Zarethorne Empire. Both are commoners," she stated.
Asher paused for a mont. He hadn’t expected such a twist. He hadn’t expected that Arianna Haellight was a commoner, nor that her mother was from the Zarethorne Empire.
"And before you ask, I don’t know much about her parents, only a few things here and there," Kimberley continued after a brief pause. "But I heard her mother fell during a battle against a Rank 9 Emovirae. It was said there was simply no way she could win, as she herself was only at the Radiant Wavestar Life Rank at the ti." Kimberley’s voice lowered as though the death pained her more than failing her own awakening.
Asher stayed silent for a mont, his eyes shifting once more and landing on Arianna, who was over a kilotre away, yet he could still see her clearly with his Omni Perception.
Asher didn’t feel any pain for her at the mont. There were simply far too many people within Crymora who were either orphans or had only a single parent. The death rate within Crymora was simply insane. Expecting everyone to have a perfect ending or a perfect family was nothing more than a delusion.
But all in all, Arianna Haellight had at least gotten to et her mother and grow up within her embrace before her inevitable death.
Asher tore his gaze away without any change in expression.
"I have to admit, I didn’t see that part coming," Asher spoke with a shake of his head.
Kimberley sighed as she spoke. "Death cos for us all one way or another, Tenth Sun. Immortality is simply out of the reach of us humans, unless we can beco sothing more," her tone exasperated, as though she had known Arianna’s mother personally or sothing like that.
"You know, I’ve lived life to the fullest extent despite being a commoner," Kimberley continued. "I splurge ridiculous amounts of money on a whim, amounts that even Noble Households would think about for a couple of months before spending. I’ve travelled across Empires, sothing not many Nobles can even boast about. I’ve done all this while still being an unawakener. But if there is one thing money can’t do, it’s truly buying the deepest desires and genuine happiness that soone who is already rich longs for." She paused for a mont as she stared into her wine.
"Just like right now, no matter how many millions of platinum coins I spend per night, I can’t bribe the world into awakening my Astra veins. The sa could be said for Arianna Haellight. No matter how talented she is, or how rich she becos, at the end of the day, she can’t go back in ti to save her mother," Kimberley added in finality, her tone gentle and calm.
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