Chapter: 215
No matter which guy it was—not just Lian—everyone couldn’t help but think, “Jess deserves better. Why would she go for that guy?” Her beauty was simply breathtaking.
Seeing her all snugged up to Lian, the most ostracized boy in the class, was a shocker that spread like wildfire.
Rumors flew as quick as lightning. A stunning beauty with crimson hair, known for being able to break classroom doors—though not many actually believed that—she became the hottest topic at school.
“Why did we just notice such a pretty girl now?”
“Well, they said she was sick.”
The sudden appearance of such a mesmerizing beauty stirred up the students, but it wasn’t complete chaos like it might have been. Just like Noah smoothly blended into the orphanage, Jess seemed to have some arrangement that made her fit right in.
Despite the ruckus at school, Lian spent his days half in a daze. From the moment he stepped out for school until the sun set, he was dragged around all day with his arm wrapped around Jess (it was really just her hugging him tightly).
“Haha… eat well… gulp…”
At some point, dinner ended up being at Jess’s house almost every day. He was actually getting used to having meals with Jess’s dad—the Gorilla—who looked like he was about to jump out of his skin, snapping chopsticks as if they were twigs.
“Is it that good?”
“Yep!”
Jess’s mom, with her generally warm vibe, smiled and cheered on the two. Sometimes she’d give a strangely sentimental smile while they played together in the living room. The Gorilla would protest, but…
“What do you plan to do if you keep opposing? Kids these days treat room cafes like motels…”
He was bombarded with shocking info about the youth. Living in a home with parents like that surely kept baseless cravings at bay.
“Hehe..!”
But the best part was—Jess’s face, glued to Lian, radiated happiness more than ever. It was a classic case of “no parent can win against their child.”
By the time Jess got more comfortable at her place than his, the Gorilla had half-accepted Lian as a potential son-in-law, or perhaps a thief…
“A guy ought to know how to fish, right!?”
“Uh, sure?”
He began dragging Lian along to do all the things he wished to do if he had a son. Lian, who initially sweated bullets in discomfort, gradually found himself slipping into the everyday life that normal folks enjoyed.
‘It feels like… I have a family now.’
He thought he had finally found the ‘family’ everyone always talked about, something that seemed like a fairy tale. The excitement kept him awake at night, fearing it might vanish by morning like a mirage.
As much as he was happy, the fear also deepened. It felt as if the unseen darkness was grabbing his ankles, pulling him into a void.
The urge to escape the past, which felt foolish as he blindly searched for even a single drop of affection, dominated his mind. At the same time, he wished to bind this happiness so it would never leave his side.
The weaker his ability became, the greater Lian’s confusion grew. At such times, he would always look at the red-haired girl lingering by his side.
When he gazed into her profound affection and trust—feelings he could hardly fathom—everything he’d worried about felt completely worthless.
‘Why? How? Since when?’
Questions about the unknown affection swirled in his mind but never made it out of his mouth. He feared the moment he spoke those words, she might say, “Oh, I mistook you for someone else!” and disappear.
From the moment he accepted this affection, he realized that anxiety would cling to him stubbornly like a really stubborn stain. But he willingly accepted this anxiety as it was a fair price for a peaceful daily life.
That was just too—human growth.
While Lian was gradually growing internally in the warmth of Jess’s love, Jess was distracted by something else entirely.
*Thud!
Crash!*
“That’s the fourth time today.”
She smacked a flower pot that was about to fall onto Lian’s head, squinting her eyes. Looking up, she saw the neglected pots. They seemed to have ‘accidentally’ fallen due to a strong wind.
Ever since she started spending time with Lian, she tallied all the incidents and accidents they’d faced together—too many to count with both hands.
‘Why? What did Lian do wrong?’
It felt as though the world aggressively hated Lian, constantly threatening him. His ability awakened ‘for survival’ because of this world.
Although Jess couldn’t understand the ‘Will of the World’ that wanted to isolate and even eliminate Lian, one fact was crystal clear.
‘I have to protect him.’
If the entire world wanted him dead, she would gnash her teeth and fight them off. This promise had been deeply etched into her bones the moment she called Lian her mate.
“Isn’t it curious what color you get if you mix black and red?”
“Um? If you mix those two colors—”
“Let’s check later!”
“…? Sure.”
While guarding Lian, she never forgot to tease him here and there. Smart girl that she was. Later, when Lian figured out what Jess meant, he would blush scarlet and be left speechless for a while.
*
While Jess and Noah were each protecting Lian in his past, Iris was having a similar experience with them.
Creeeak, creak.
The first sound that pierced her ears was the shriek of a swaying streetlamp that was half-broken. The ominous metallic wail was as unpleasant as a bird’s bad omen, snapping her to attention.
“Cough, cough!”
As soon as she realized she was standing in an unfamiliar place, she took a rough breath. The polluted air, compared to the dark fantasy world, scraped against her throat, triggering a fierce cough.
After coughing until tears welled up in her eyes, Iris began to survey her surroundings. Broken iron carts lay scattered around, alongside buildings that had shattered windows, revealing their skeletal frames.
A chilling wind blew in from the wrecked insides of a building, brushing past Iris. Unlike before, this raw sensation made her shiver.
Pat.
“…!”
At that moment, the sound of footsteps reached her ears, causing her head to whip around. There was Lian, looking clean and composed, walking down the side street, a stranger in appearance but familiar in spirit.
“Lian…!”
Just like before, Iris called out his name and ran toward him. She knew she wouldn’t be able to embrace him, but she couldn’t restrain her impulse.
Dashing through the messy street, she lunged toward Lian, who had suddenly come to a stop.
“…!”
She was the one who had rushed to him, yet the shock was mutual. She froze up at the warmth she felt in his embrace. Then, the moment his hand gently patted her back, tears began to flow uncontrollably.
She truly thought she’d never see him again this time. The anxiety that had tightened around her throat transformed into relief, as feelings of frustration, relief, and anger poured out, soaking her cheeks.
‘Who… are you?’
Lian was merely startled by Iris’s sudden emotional outburst, awkwardly patting her back.
If Lian were an ordinary person, his mind would have been cluttered with questions about why the beautiful stranger was clutching him and crying—whether she knew him, whether she was an enemy, or if something was wrong. But with his ‘ability’ at work, he faded seamlessly into the background.
Even the ruined world and the horrific creatures were reclassified as “original existing things” in the face of his power. People were no different.
When a stranger with no memories approached and acted affectionate, his memory would be manipulated, making him genuinely perceive that individual as someone close.
His power, strengthened over time, helped him adapt to the world even without information about the other party; however, with Iris suddenly showing up, he had no information to work with.
Without information, his powers couldn’t manifest properly, so they began swirling restlessly in search of data. With that, Lian naturally spoke to Iris in a warm tone.
“I’m sorry. No matter how many mouths I had, I wouldn’t know what to say.”
“…”
“I’ll listen to whatever you want to say, so just share everything.”
In the unfamiliar yet warm voice, Iris began to unravel her accumulated sadness bit by bit. As Lian quietly listened and patted her, his expression gradually froze awkwardly.
“Um… So, you mean? We have a special bond, right? Like family…?”
The confident ability immediately shut down. Lian went haywire, as well.
Author’s Note: Thank you for always enjoying it! As I kept writing, I couldn’t help but keep going until completing the story; I apologize for that! Only the final edits are left, and I plan to upload everything as soon as they’re done. The entire story will be up by the end of this week!
Also, Jess’s line, “I wonder what color you get if you mix black and red…” was a rather scary remark about what color the hair of their child would be—Jess with her red hair and Lian with his black. :3c Read the next chapter!
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