CHAPTER 9 - 9 - TEARS AND PLANS

Chapter 9 - Tears and Plans

Floating gently into the room, Lune glanced around with quiet curiosity. The space was spotless—so immaculately clean that she wouldn't have been surprised if someone told her it had never been used. There was something eerie about it, an almost sterile atmosphere devoid of human warmth.

'They definitely like their cleaning. This whole house is squeaky clean,' she mused, drifting toward the bed. Her eyes scanned the nightstands—one held a few scattered items, while the other had only a small lamp and a picture frame turned away from sight.

"Hm?" Lune hummed softly as she hovered closer, pausing in front of the frame. She picked it up and turned it around, her eyes landing on an old photograph. Three people filled the frame—a man, a woman, and a very small child. All three were smiling warmly. The little boy had his arm stretched outward, as if trying to wriggle free from his mother's grip.

They looked... happy. Genuinely so.

Warmth bloomed in her chest as she studied the image, an involuntary smile curling her lips.

"Is that..." she whispered. "Is that my husband? Oh my! He looks so cute!" she squealed, eyes wide with delight as she recognized the toddler in the picture. Those bright blue eyes and midnight black hair were unmistakable.

"I'm so in love! He's the cutest thing ever!" she clutched the frame with both hands, eyes shining. "He looks so different... like a completely different person."

What stood out most were his eyes. Jack's eyes in the photo sparkled with life—vibrant and full of hope. Nothing like the empty, weary gaze he wore now.

'So... he wasn't always like this,' she thought, her smile faltering. 'At some point, my love was full of life. I wonder... what changed?'

Then, she remembered the words Alexander said earlier.

"You have killed before, Jack."

'It was that. That was what completely changed everything. When my Jack killed that person...' Lune pursed her lips. 'I never understood why that made them push him away? Jack did nothing wrong; he was simply protecting himself.'

Lune didn't understand. In her world, almost everyone has to kill at some point in their lives. It was a survival of the fittest till the end, and killing wasn't seen as much of a taboo as it was on Earth.

'My poor love... How could everyone misunderstand you? How could they do all of that to you?' Lune felt rage well up in her heart. But, she sucked in a deep breath to remain calm and collected. She can't do anything at that moment, not to make it worse for Jack.

The family in the picture looked nothing like the fractured household she'd witnessed today. At some point, a tear had formed between them. But before that... they had been close. Truly close.

"..." Lune stared at the image in silence, emotions swirling within her. 'My love... you're still hiding things from me. You never liked talking about your family. And now, I see why. The pain must run deeper than I thought.'

She sighed and was about to set the frame back down when the door creaked open. Instantly, she floated up and away from the bed, instinctively moving toward the ceiling.

'Hm? His mother...' she realized as Felicia stepped into the room alone, her steps quiet and heavy. The woman sat down at the edge of the bed without a word.

'I should probably leave,' Lune thought, blinking. She turned to go—but something made her stop.

"Hm?" Her gaze drifted back toward Felicia. The woman's shoulders were trembling subtly.

Frowning, Lune hesitated... and floated back.

There, she saw something that caught her completely off guard.

Felicia—the same cold, intimidating woman from earlier—was crying. Silently, but unmistakably.

Her usual composed, stoic expression was gone, replaced by something broken. Her eyes stared blankly into the room as tears slipped down her cheeks, soundless and heavy.

Lune watched, speechless. This felt like a private moment. One she wasn't supposed to witness. But it was too late now.

Felicia lowered her gaze to the photo on the nightstand. She pulled it closer, staring at it as her fingers traced its surface with aching tenderness. Though Lune couldn't guess exactly what memories were playing behind those wet eyes, she could feel the weight of them.

The pain in the room was palpable.

Lune's chest ached as she looked on. Something about that scene struck her deeply—seeing a woman so guarded now utterly vulnerable, lost in memories and grief. Watching as her family slip out of her hands and not be able to do anything about it.

Opening her mouth, Lune gasped softly, but said nothing. Instead, she turned to float toward the door... only to pause one more time.

She glanced back at Felicia, her expression filled with quiet resolve.

"I'm sorry for your pain, ma'am," she said softly, even though she knew her voice wouldn't reach. "I can see how much you're worried about Jack. But... I'm here. I'll protect him with everything I have. He will come back. I promise you that. Even if the Clock starts moving backwards... I will bring him back."

Felicia, of course, didn't hear Lune and didn't respond—her attention still locked on the photo, lost in another time.

With a quiet breath, Lune finally turned and drifted out of the room.

Floating down to the next floor, Lune came across Jack just as he stepped out of the shower, a towel draped over his head.

"Hm?" Jack blinked at her, rubbing his damp hair. "Where did you go?"

Lune blinked.

'Jack fresh out of the shower... always a lethal sight,' she thought, momentarily dazed by the view.

"Ehem," she cleared her throat quickly, "I was just roaming around the house. Getting a feel for it. It's a really nice place. I like it."

"...Thanks," Jack replied, narrowing his eyes a bit. Something about her felt... off, though he couldn't place what.

"So, what now?" she asked.

"We've got a few things to do," Jack replied, walking past her toward his room. "Since I slept most of the day, I'll be up all night. That works out—there are a couple of important things I want to tackle. First, I want to build a plan using all the information you can provide me with. I need to be prepared for anything. Then I want to do some training... and if possible, maybe learn some fighting techniques from you. Anything that might be useful in Aevum."

"Oh! Absolutely!" Lune beamed, suddenly animated. "I've mastered dozens of techniques. In my world, there are countless battle styles. Some people don't even use weapons—bare fists can be just as powerful with enough training."

Jack raised a brow. "Fists as strong as weapons?"

'Without context, this would sound absolutely insane,' he thought. 'But in Aevum, anything seems possible.'

"Yup! My father is actually one of the strongest users of the 'Golden Lotus' technique. I've seen him fight before. He once erased a mountain with a single tap of his finger."

"..."

"Yes, it's just as insane as it sounds," she chuckled. "But that's the kind of power years of dedicated training can bring. Raw, unimaginable strength."

"Is your father one of the strongest in the world, then?"

"You could say that. But there are people even stronger than him. The top-tier beings are of extremely high status, though. You rarely, if ever, see them fight."

'This world sounds more chaotic than I imagined,' Jack thought, processing it all. 'Beings who can erase mountains... That completely redefines what 'power' means.'

Back on Earth, power was largely political. A president or ruler held more influence than a bodybuilder or martial artist. But in Aevum, where raw physical might could rival—or surpass—divine levels... that whole concept was turned on its head.

'Ultimate strength and ultimate authority combined... that's what gods would be.'

"Alright," he muttered, shaking his head. "Let's dial this back. It's too early to be thinking about mountain-erasing power. Let's start with the basics. I'm going to write everything you tell me down—you can add details where you think it matters most."

"Understood!" Lune nodded eagerly.

And with that, the long night began.