Welcome to the Innocent World Chapter 32 After the Storm

The morning was quiet and calm, as the hard intensity of two consecutive night with Beta and Gamma.

~Hehehe

I slipped outside, leaving for my college. I locked the door and was feeling very relaxed and light, almost feeling like I could blend into the calm. My mind wandered back to the chaos of the sorority house, to the haunting gaze but was an empty shell of Afro in his final monts.

~Poor him. I thought.

As I turned the corner of my building, I saw her standing there, as if she'd been waiting since the break of dawn. Lily, eyes wide, hair a little tousled, and an unmistakable look of worry in her eyes.

Her lips parted, but she hesitated, catching her breath before she finally ran to and wrapped her arms around in a tight embrace.

"Lily…" I murmured, a little surprised.

She pulled back, her hands still on my shoulders, her face upturned as if to study every inch of . A faint relief softened her eyes, even though she tried to hide it behind her usual confidence. "I knew it," she said, half-whispering. "I knew you'd be okay."

A small smile tugged at the corner of my lips. I reached up and lightly brushed her hair back, letting my hand rest on her head in an almost possessive way.

"You are worried too much, Lily," I said, my voice low but reassuring.

There was an unspoken softness in that I kept buried, but with her, it stirred—a rare vulnerability.

She let out a shaky breath and tried to brush it off with a laugh. "Worried? ? Nah, I just…you're always getting yourself into these dangerous situations, Zero. I just thought maybe…"

"Thought maybe what?" I said, teasing slightly as I brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. I kept my tone light, but inwardly, her concern affected more than I'd let on.

She straightened, trying to regain her composure. "Nothing! Just... next ti, let in on the mission as well," she muttered, her cheeks turning pink.

"Oh? So you do care." I smirked, keeping my hand on her shoulder as we began walking towards the college. She rolled her eyes but didn't shrug my hand away, letting it rest there as if it was ant to be.

The city was quiet, the streets seed normal and as we reached the college gates, Lily broke away, glancing at one last ti with a small, playful smile before joining her friends.

"I should go now. Don't want to catch attention." Said Lily, walking away.

"Sure thing." I replied.

Walking further inside the college, I found myself passing by the two girls who had invited to the sorority house.

I rembered their face and conversations we had that ti. Normally, they'd have greeted with their usual bright, flirtatious smiles, but this ti, they passed by as if I didn't exist.

They didn't even et my eyes. It was as if they were oblivious to what had happened, and I realized, with a certain satisfaction, that Afro's control on them had vanished with his death. Their mories must have been wiped clean.

A faint smile crept onto my lips. Good, I thought, that ans my identity is safe.

I transford in front of far too many people and the risks had lingered in my mind. It was reassuring to know that even if they'd seen , they wouldn't rember.

I made my way to class, slipping through the crowd of students who were caught up in their own conversations.

Whispers filled the hallways, rumors swirling about the sorority house incident. I kept my face neutral, listening as I passed by groups of people huddled together in tense whispers.

"Did you hear about the sorority house?" one girl said, her voice low. "They found people just lying there, like they'd been drained or sothing."

"Yeah, and soone said they saw flashes of light from the sky. Maybe it was, like, supernatural?" her friend replied, her eyes wide.

A quiet laugh escaped . Humans had a tendency to fear what they couldn't understand, and I could feel the ripple of unease spreading through the student body.

When I reached the classroom, I saw Ryan sitting with Kyle and a few others, their expressions a mix of relief and worry.

Kyle hugged Ryan tightly, his face scrunched with emotion.

Is he crying? I thought.

"Bro, I swear, I thought I'd lost you. You just… vanished on us!" His voice cracked, and he hugged Ryan even tighter.

Ryan looked down, a frown of confusion on his face. "I… don't rember much," he said, his voice tinged with bewildernt. "It's all a blur, like I was sowhere else, but… nothing's clear."

I watched them quietly, keeping my expression neutral. He's lucky, I thought, better to not rember at all than to live with the horrors of what really happened.

The rest of the day passed in a blur, the air still thick with tension as the students traded hushed stories. By the ti the class ended, I could feel an almost tangible sense of unease lingering in the corridors. People were already wary, whispering that they wouldn't go near the sorority house anyti soon.

As evening settled, I headed ho, noticing the increased presence of knights walking the streets.

They were searching for us—, Gamma, and Beta. They wouldn't find a trace, though; we moved like shadows, leaving no evidence behind. Still, it was a reminder of the price of our power, of the vigilance required to stay hidden.

I reached my building, I noticed Mrs. Althea. my neighbor, standing by the elevators, phone pressed to her ear as she chatted animatedly.

She wore her usual attire—a light, skin-colored V-neck wrap dress that hugged her body and boobs tight, with a slit down one side that revealed a tantalizing glimpse of her thigh. The neckline dipped low, hinting at her smooth skin and elegant collarbone.

She was the picture of mature beauty, and I found my gaze lingering on her, taking in the way the dress fitted her figure.

As I walked past, she looked up and smiled, giving a small wave. "Good evening, Austin," she said, her voice warm and inviting.

I nodded, allowing a faint smile to touch my lips. "Good evening, Mrs...." ohh shit, I don't know her na.

"Althea. Thank you rembering it." She answered laughingly.

"Hehe Sorry..Good Evening Mrs. Althea." I said, giving a faint sorry smile.

"It's okay no worries." She said, walking forward, continuing her chat with her husband.

As I turned to leave, I caught a snippet of her conversation. "Yes, he's my neighbor," she said, her voice light and teasing. "Handso, he is."

I paused, glancing back, a smirk playing at my lips as I heard her next words. "Oh, are you jealous?" she laughed softly. "Then you should hurry up and co ho, darling."

I couldn't help the amusent that sparked in . She was sothing else, this Mrs. Althea. I resud my walk, glancing back one last ti as she disappeared into the elevator.

There was sothing about her—a confident sensuality that caught the eye and held it.

As I entered my flat, the day's events replayed in my mind, a mix of satisfaction and caution. My identity was still hidden, Afro was gone, and the sorority house was free. But the knights were still out there, watching, searching. I would have to tread carefully.

The world was changing, and I had no intention of getting caught in its shifting tides.