CHAPTER 285: SAFE CHOICE

When the flying ship came out of that world, Darian immediately activated his power to sense the surroundings, but there weren’t any Risen nearby. That place was completely cut off from the outside world, and neither the Risen nor Celestia Academy would know anytime soon what had happened.

There were still at least a few weeks left before the date when, in theory, that world would close. When those who went in didn’t come out, that would be the moment when those two powers would notice the anomaly and investigate, eventually finding out that the world no longer existed.

That’s why these days were crucial for Darian to take advantage of. After all, the Risen had placed parts of the World Tree in the three member planets of the galaxy’s inscription, certain that if Darian tried to invade the core, they’d find out and stop him.

But now, with the owner of those things right there with them, they could invade easily.

Another spatial artifact was used, and the flying ship shot back toward the Shadows of Heaven Academy.

When they arrived, the few Mannaz who had stayed on the planet ran over, thrilled. Living there were a few children and weak Mannaz who had been rescued.

"Rest and get ready for twelve hours. Everyone needs to be at 100%. We’re going to attack the three planets at the same time, so there’s no risk of the Risen Lords realizing one was taken."

Darian announced, then turned to the twins with a serious look.

"Lucy and Lucius will lead the other two strikes. Now that you can use your powers to cloak allies, you should be able to sneak in perfectly, just like I did before. Both places will probably have many powerful Risen you won’t be able to fight. The smallest mistake, and no one will be able to save you. Are you confident?"

The two quickly answered in sync, "We’ll do it, don’t worry."

After so much training and fighting, Darian trusted them a lot. As their power grew, he saw the chance to split tasks with them, making everything easier.

Darian and Niara calmly went into a room while everyone else recovered and prepared.

Niara lay down on the bed without letting Darian leave, falling asleep softly while hugging him. He, on the other hand, focused on sensing the changes in his soul.

He searched his wrist carefully for the white ring... but found nothing, not even a trace.

At the same time, his whole soul seemed to radiate black power, as if his entire existence had been corrupted and merged with it.

Darian couldn’t accept that loss and examined everything carefully. After a few hours, he turned his attention to the lone black ring on his wrist and finally noticed something different inside it.

"!"

His eyes widened. He felt a very unique kind of energy inside that ring — something very specific he had sensed not long ago.

"This... this is Heaven’s Will’s blessing!"

Darian said in shock, studying it carefully. How had that ended up there? He focused on the rings on his forehead, but the blessing’s power he had received still felt the same there.

"The Master didn’t say anything about this... so is it a unique variation of my power? How the...!"

He remembered the moment he woke up, consumed by fury. He had used an abnormal power on Clekul, which made her soul melt and vanish in a way completely different from how a Spiritual Guardian dies.

That black flame was something that used black power, but it wasn’t something created by Meru. The heart demon had used black power mixed with his soul’s power and the ring’s power; that’s what created the black flame.

Darian focused as much as he could, moving the three energies...

*Whoosh*

A small black flame appeared in front of him. It wasn’t hot, but it sent a deep chill through the soul of anyone close to it.

"This... my soul is different from normal, like its power has been corrupted. If I had a normal soul, I wouldn’t be able to create this. So, this whole change made this weird thing possible."

Darian studied it, carefully thinking over the possibilities.

"Maybe this flame can burn everything from the enemy except Heaven’s Will’s power. Then, that power would be left without an owner... and come to me... like it was the Power of Merit."

Darian’s eyes shone. If this was what he thought, then... he had finally found a way to truly kill a Spiritual Guardian for good.

Ever since the first time he came to this universe and killed a traitor, he had always felt that just killing someone, only for them to wake up in their own body without memories, was way too easy for them.

When Spiritual Guardians came to this universe, they weren’t too afraid of the consequences, because they knew they wouldn’t actually die. Even waking without memories, no one was naive enough not to realize they had once been a Spiritual Guardian. On top of that, they’d still have plenty of money and resources from back then, and could live very well for a long time.

It was painful to become someone without power and without memories, but nothing truly desperate. Maybe keeping the memories of what you lost and of what you once were would be a much worse punishment. But Heaven’s Will had created that system to encourage people to take risks without fear and help the other universe... which, clearly, ended up having the opposite effect.

But now... on that powerful planet, that talented woman wouldn’t be waking up — she had truly died. That would change everything, creating a new kind of fear in people.

And also... he now had that Heaven’s Will blessing to use!

But Meru had already given him the maximum he could handle with his current power. He couldn’t absorb any more of it for now and didn’t want to just let it sit there uselessly.

Niara woke up. Seeing that, Darian took out an emblem and sent a message to Irana.

She didn’t have the blessing and was someone reliable and talented. There were other options, like his cousin Amara, but Irana had direct ties with that demon who protected him. Giving this to her would increase her value to him.

In just a few minutes, a golden fox walked into the room. Seeing Darian and Niara, she came closer calmly, but with her head a little lowered.

Darian noticed her expression change when she saw the two of them and, finally, was surprised to realize something he had completely missed.

He remembered how Irana had acted differently when she was near him after his victory in the tournament, feeling it was something Niara had quietly done, but he had never really understood the real reasons... in fact, he couldn’t have, since he didn’t even understand much about that himself.

He turned toward Niara. She looked back and huffed, sensing that he had finally figured out the weird situation he was in.

’Crap, what a problem... since when am I popular? I’ve barely talked to her since we met...’ Darian thought, surprised.

He needed to settle that once and for all with Irana. The twins had once told him that she had asked to be treated like a close friend, since she wasn’t much older than them. In other words, Irana was still quite young, and as the daughter of the planet’s leader and someone extremely talented, she had lived in isolation, focused only on training.

She had never had much time to interact with others or relate equally with the opposite gender. Darian was the first one she felt was on her level and, later, above it. On top of that, he wasn’t stupidly arrogant and treated her well. That was fatal for someone so inexperienced.

He took a deep breath and thought about what to say.

He couldn’t reciprocate that in any way. Then he remembered a passage from that book — something written by Meru’s mother, reflecting on the love she felt living alongside that person.

Darian turned to Irana with a serious look. "Do you know what it means to love?"

"What does it mean?" her gaze lifted, confused.

He nodded slowly, choosing his words carefully.

"Loving someone is like a bird that, even though it can fly, chooses to willingly lock itself in a cage. It’s like a wild wolf chaining itself, or a dragon allowing its scales to be ripped away."

Irana listened in silence.

"Loving someone," he continued slowly, "is giving that person the power to hurt you when you lower your guard. It’s breaking your own wings and giving up the ability to run. And, at the same time... it’s having the will to protect, care for, and give yourself completely, without expecting anything in return."

He took a deep breath, searching for the gentlest way to go on.

"Love isn’t just a feeling, it’s an irrational, completely illogical state of mind. It’s not as simple as liking someone. You change completely. That’s why... don’t mistake love for passion or admiration. I’m just a man, full of flaws and still learning about life. You barely know anything about me. What you feel is a creation of your mind, about a person I’m not and will never be able to be for you."

Niara, who had been listening in silence, was inwardly surprised. But it was true: she knew Darian deeply, despite the short time they had spent together — after all, neither could hide anything from the other. She knew his flaws, but for some reason, liked him even more because of them. The young woman in front of them, however... had definitely built up a completely imaginary man in her mind.

Darian waited, giving Irana time to process his words. The girl stayed quiet, thinking.

"Don’t fall in passion so easily," Darian concluded, his voice softer. "One day, you’ll meet someone who will make you feel real love, and your mental state will change completely. As for me, you can treat me like an older brother, a friend you can trust with anything. I believe that will make it easier for us to get along."

He repeated what he had read in the book, but it also served as reflection for himself, making him think more about what he really felt for another woman.

Darian needed to cut off those feelings in her before they grew and hurt her, forcing her to pull away. As for Niara... just imagining saying something like that to her... he felt it would be a huge lie, something that would cause her an immeasurable pain.

Fortunately, Irana’s feelings for him were still vague and undefined. When she heard the suggestion to have him as an older brother, she felt relieved.

She finally understood that what she felt was just admiration. Having Darian as someone familiar she could trust was a much more sensible and safe choice for her heart.