He opened his eyes as sunlight attempted to pierce through the curtains with its blinding morning light. He found himself staring at the ceiling of his room, feeling strangely tired.
Certainly, feeling tired first thing in the morning is extremely rare, but considering he had been helping the Dimension Faction, his fatigue was justified.
Usually, it wasn't exhausting to use Serenity on other people of the same level. Miyu and Rober were Seventh Level Empaths, so it was easy for Nova to maintain Serenity on them. However, with Kayn and Abby, it was a completely different story.
'Oh, man.'
He looked to the side, noticing something warm and soft hugging him affectionately. It was Miyu, who had a tender smile on her lips. She certainly looked quite relaxed.
'I forgot you were here.'
It was the first time this had ever happened to him. Due to fatigue and alcohol in his blood, he was completely distracted. When he returned home, he no longer remembered that Miyu was here.
'Now how do I get out of this?'
Miyu is very perceptive. Surely the drunkenness has worn off, so her senses must be back to normal.
Moving even an inch would be a death sentence, so he looked around for a solution.
'I don't want to imagine what my mom will say about me if she finds out about this.'
Looking like a pervert in front of the most important person in a man's life is a very serious matter.
'Maybe, if I slide over here—.'
He tried to slide between Miyu's arms like an earthworm. He was very careful not to make any sudden movements.
This girl's body was a little flat-chested, but she definitely had her charms. Although it wasn't the time to think about that.
When he felt Miyu was about to wake up, he immediately froze like a statue. He held his breath and even closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep. Doing that in case Miyu woke up could save his life.
'Almost there. Just a little more.'
He tried to hurry. After several minutes, when he was finally about to leave the bed, Miyu opened her eyes. Nova again froze, but he could no longer pretend to be asleep, as one of his feet was already touching the black carpet and his back was already bent slightly forward and out of bed.
"What? Where am I?"
She rubbed her eyes with her knuckles and let out a big, exaggerated yawn. She arched her back, stretching her body. She blinked a couple of times when she saw the curtain. Then, when she looked down, she found Nova one step away from getting out of bed.
He had, of course, given up. He had been caught red-handed.
Still with his back turned, he looked over his shoulder with his right eye at Miyu and said:
"Good morning, Lady."
The expression on Nova's face was the same as the position of his body. Stiff, funny, and, to a certain extent, pathetic.
At one point, he thought that if he stayed still, Miyu would stop seeing him, but unfortunately, human eyes work perfectly.
Due to the overly relaxed expression on Nova's face and the casual greeting, Miyu's face turned red.
With an adorable squeal, she grabbed the sheets and covered her chest. A couple of tears appeared in the corners of her eyes as she thought about all the things that could have happened last night.
What happened next is something anyone would expect from a decent girl who respects herself and her body.
"You—you."
"I know. I can explain."
'Nope. I can't.'
His fate was simply already decided.
"Damn jerk!"
She raised her hand high. Immediately after, she slapped Nova with all her might. The poor boy flew off the bed and crashed into the wardrobe.
First, the slap sounded like a loud smack that echoed throughout the neighborhood, and then the dull sound of something hitting the wood of the wardrobe.
This alerted Nova's mother, who went from being in the kitchen preparing breakfast to standing in front of the door, seeing her son half dead on the floor and Miyu looking at him with a red face of shame.
***
Nova's face was red and swollen. His right cheek was sore from Miyu's powerful slap.
Come on, man, his body isn't as tough as Rober's. Rober can withstand an explosion without serious injury, but Nova would have died twice before imagining himself exploding alongside an Aberration.
Now he was sitting in the dining room. There was a small round brown table with four matching padded chairs. The room was lit by natural sunlight streaming through the window.
As for Miyu, she was there too, but she was trying not to look at the guy she found sleeping next to her this morning.
'If I had known this would happen, I would have stayed at Kayn's house.'
Too late for regrets, he looked at his mother.
'She looks very calm. Am I in trouble?'
The question was not whether he was in trouble, but how big the problems he got himself into were.
"I'm sorry for making so much noise, Mrs. Adelaide," Miyu apologized in a very low voice.
Although she didn't look at Nova at any point, she clearly felt guilty for causing trouble for the mother of this unwitting pervert.
"It's okay. Don't feel bad. You're always welcome here. With Nova here, everything is always very quiet, so I really appreciate your company."
"Oh. I— I see..."
Adelaide had never said anything like that before. It made Miyu feel even more embarrassed and shy.
Nova also raised an eyebrow in surprise. He leaned back slightly in his chair and watched as his mother filled a glass with water at the sink.
She lifted the glass and the water inside began to freeze.
A crackling sound came from the glass. The next moment, Adelaide took out the ice and put it in a plastic bag. She covered the plastic bag with a handkerchief. With a slight squeeze, she broke the ice into pieces.
Then, she approached Nova and sat down next to him.
"Put this on your face."
"Oh. Thanks, Mom."
He took the ice pack without protest. He put the ice on his face and closed his eyes. Seeing Adelaide's calm and homely attitude, Nova felt that everything would be fine. It seems he was saved, for now.
"Now you're going to explain to me what you were doing to Miyu."
'Crap.'
No. He wasn't saved. The time for public execution had come.
***
While Nova was about to be thoroughly interrogated, in another faraway place, Viktor, Adelaide's younger brother and Nova's uncle, smiled relaxed.
The strong wind blew through his hair. His smug eyes rested on the distance of the city. Just below him are large fields of flowers of all colors that spread out in different beautiful shapes.
All the flowers shone as if emitting the same radiant energy as the sun. Accompanied by the beautiful color of the blue sky, it looked like a dreamlike paradise with a pleasant sweet and floral scent.
Viktor's gaze became nostalgic as he approached this area. He is riding a large beast that flaps its thin, articulated wings as it flies over the fields of flowers.
The beast's body is very thin, with all its bones visible through its black scales, resembling a strange, shiny exoskeleton. To tell the truth, it is too thin, as if it were a giant insect. But the beast had reptilian features: slanted eyes and fangs in a dangerous and voluminous snout.
"I'm back, Lightflower!"
He spread his arms out to the sides, as if he wanted to embrace his homeland. He even looked like a child excited to see his friends again.
"Go faster, Maia. We can't be late, or the Aberrations will destroy the city."
Maia, a powerful and kind dragoness, sighed a little purple air.
Then, Maia increased its speed and rose high into the air. Soon, its speed increased even more, breaking the sound barrier above the white clouds. When that happened, the iris in Viktor's eyes turned a faint bright orange.
Viktor was using his Spectrum to increase his dragoness friend's speed.
Thanks to this, he arrived in Lightflower a little earlier.
It really is a beautiful city covered in flowers. Those who are allergic to pollen would hate this city, but for Viktor, this is his home.
The large and varied urban buildings are covered with vines, trees, bushes, and all kinds of floral vegetation, much like Luminaris, the capital city of Nemoria, only with more flowers that paint the landscape with a blinding rainbow.
However, there are no people in sight, neither in the streets nor in the buildings. The reason was obvious.
In the distance, far away on the horizon, a large chain of mountains could be seen; a mountain range. That mountain range surrounds the entire asteroid, which has now become the largest mountain in the world.
"That's twice in a month..."
He frowned seriously.
It was not a good idea to build a city so close to the Asteroid mountain range. Although it's also not a good idea to build an entire civilization on a continent plagued by Dimensional Portals, Aberrations, and all kinds of dangers.
Lightflower was built mainly for its beautiful views. It was a good tourist spot for those coming from other countries or other continents. It also generated good money, but from time to time, things happened that were always considered ridiculous.
For example, the outbreak of Situational Portals. It happened randomly throughout the city. Portals would open, and Aberrations would come out to raid the city and kill its people. Unlike normal Dimensional Portals, these appeared in large numbers throughout the area, including the nearby mountains.
In most cases, Aberrations of the same type came out of the Portals.
"Sometimes it's easy. Sometimes it's difficult. What do you think, Maia? Do you think dangerous Aberrations will come out this time?"
The dragoness shook its head.
"True. Portals are always unpredictable. Let's go meet up with the others!"
The dragoness roared alongside its human friend.
They flew over the city until they reached the foothills of one of the nearest mountains. There, a large number of Empaths above the Fourth Level had gathered. They all had very different appearances, from their clothes to the shape of their bodies.
Near a small tent where there were boxes with many supplies, there was a woman with very long black hair tied in a large braid that threatened to scrape the ground. In fact, her hair was decorated to look like a black snake.
A man stood near her. He was like a walking mountain. His muscles were massive and terrifying, but his gaze was gentle and kind. His bald head reflected the sunlight, and for some reason, he was not wearing a shirt.
"It looks like everyone is here."
He made Maia land in front of the Empaths. The wind from Maia's wings caused everyone's clothes to dance around their bodies for a moment. The muscular man had to hold down the tent so it wouldn't blow away.
"Heya!"
Viktor greeted them cheerfully. Many were confused when they saw him, but he climbed down from the dragon's back. He ran up to them, waving as if he were still a young boy, even though his age meant he should be called uncle.
"Who called that idiot?"
The long-haired woman rolled her blue eyes. Her expression was very stern.
"It doesn't matter. He's strong. He'll be a big help."
The muscular man was friendly, as expected.
When Viktor arrived, some people moved away from him.
And he's not stupid. He knows why they're moving away from him, but he doesn't care. He insists on approaching them even if they despise him for some specific reason.
"Azure Faction, Bella Azure. Mystic Faction, Arthur Lake. The Blood Crystal Faction is here to help," Viktor said in a cheerful tone.
"A faction with barely five members," muttered the woman, Bella Azure.
"Hello, Viktor. It's a pleasure to have you back."
The muscular man, Arthur Lake, shook Viktor's hand. His grip was stronger than he expected. When he let go of the mountain of a man's hand, he felt the pain of his poor little hand's bones being crushed.
Viktor laughed cheerfully, but at that moment a loud explosion echoed behind the mountains. Suddenly, a large cloud of dust rose and spread through the trees.
"Have they already started the raid?" he asked, keeping his gaze on the rising smoke.
Bella looked annoyed at only addressing Viktor, but Arthur was kinder and said:
"Yes. We were tasked with waiting for you. Now that you're here—."
"It's time to smash the skulls of a few Aberrations, isn't it?"
"That's right."
"I see. That's great."
"Of course."
Arthur and Viktor looked at each other silently for a brief moment. Suddenly, they shook hands, flexing their muscles and smiling cheerfully.
They are two crazy guys who fight the Aberrations with all their might, after all.
On the other hand, Bella rolled her eyes and headed for the mountains.
***
Nova finished explaining what had happened. He came home very tired last night. He didn't remember that Miyu was in bed because, like her, he was still a little drunk. He fell asleep without feeling anyone next to him, and when he finally woke up, he was hit with the force of a Category 7.
"I'm not lying. That really happened. You should have the notification too, Miyu. You could even ask Kayn and Abby. They saw me and talked to me. I swear. I'm not a pervert."
It's surprising how calm he looks as he speaks. That was always one of his best and worst qualities. Perhaps that relaxation made Miyu let her guard down, and her ears, thinking that this inquisition was just a misunderstanding.
She sought assistance from another woman. Adelaide had crossed her arms as she analyzed Nova's speech.
She really had no reason not to believe her son. If there's one thing Nova doesn't do very well, it's lying. Besides, there was an alibi and witnesses. The defense was with the accused.
"The decision is yours, Miyu. Nova explained everything he had to explain."
"You're right, but—," she frowned, looking at Nova analytically.
'What? Are you trying to read my mind? Go ahead! I have nothing to hide!'
He realized something.
'No. Wait—I do have things to hide! Don't do it!'
He who owes nothing fears nothing. He even felt the uncontrollable urge to shout, "I'm a decent man!" But that would be very unlike him. Shouting also hurts the vocal cords.
In the end, Miyu resigned herself. She sighed, dropping her hands on the table and nodding.
"The defendant is innocent," Adelaide said as she clapped her hands.
"I always was."
Miyu shook her head in exasperation.
Nova is a scoundrel.
"Shut up. If you try to be clever, I won't forgive you."
"I'm sorry. It won't happen again."
Nova lived another day to tell his story.