Chapter 291
It was not a burst of loud laughter, but a soft chuckle that rose from the depths of her throat, light and honest, like the ringing of a small shaken bell.
The sound was contagious.
Almost instantly, Ilux, who had been pretending to be in despair, was swept up in the wave of humor he himself had seemingly created.
His quiet laughter blended with Erietta's, forming a spontaneous harmony between them, a small bubble of happiness isolated in the middle of an ocean of waiting.
For Theo, standing behind them, that mingled laughter was perfect data-music, a strong indicator that the chemistry between the two was working well, that they were tuned to the same frequency of humor.
Then, the remnants of that laughter still lingered in the air like humidity after a light rain when Erietta continued speaking.
With a tone still filled with traces of amusement, she offered a grounded and logical rebuttal.
She reminded Ilux, and herself as well, of the actual reality.
They were not two travelers lost in a desert of sand without a single drop of water, overheated and on the brink of death.
They were in the middle of an amusement park crowd, surrounded by food and drink stalls, waiting in line for a ride.
She countered Ilux's hyperbolic comparison with a simpler and far less dramatic reality.
'Prepare yourself, Aldraya.'
When their turn arrived, there was an almost imperceptible shift in rhythm, and Ilux's and Erietta's steps grew lighter, freed from the weight of waiting.
They stepped out from under the shadow of the queue's canopy, moving toward the open concrete platform bathed in direct sunlight, where the brightly colored metal discs rested briefly before spinning again.
Theo watched the moment as a perfect visual transition.
The two silhouettes moved from a static waiting zone into a dynamic space of action, as if a camera frame were slowly opening its aperture, capturing every detail of hope in their slightly straighter shoulders.
He did not miss the way Erietta lightly touched Ilux's arm, a subtle yet meaningful nonverbal cue marking their choice to move in the same direction.
Before the two teenagers went too far, entering the seat-selection area that was beginning to fill with other visitors, Theo turned his head.
His gaze met Aldraya's, who seemed to have been waiting for that signal with sharp awareness.
In that brief exchange of looks, the entire plan and mutual understanding were conveyed without a single word.
Theo gave a single nod, subtle yet resolute, a decision crystallized from all his observations and instincts.
Aldraya replied with an almost imperceptible blink, a sign of both agreement and readiness.
Then, in a harmony refined by silent practice, they moved.
They darted from their place, two shadows slipping out of the crowd with a skill that rendered them nearly soundless.
Their steps were quick yet controlled, each footfall calculated to minimize echoes on the concrete, each swing of an arm measured to avoid drawing attention.
They followed Erietta and Ilux like a gentle breeze trailing their path, keeping a safe distance while ensuring that not a single movement or whisper of the targets went unnoticed.
'Four seats—no more. Two keep us away from attention, two bring us closer to the source of information.'
Fuuuh!
"Aldraya, do you choose observational efficiency or identity safety?"
Inside the colorful ride, small choices could determine the entire narrative of observation.
Ilux and Erietta had settled into two seats close to one another, an island of togetherness in a sea of scattered empty seats.
Theo, with a clear situational map laid out in his mind, faced a brief but bitter dilemma.
Only four seats remained unoccupied.
Two of them were located far across the ride, isolated like reefs in the middle of the ocean, while the other two were directly adjacent to their targets' position, nearly shoulder to shoulder.
Theo turned his face toward Aldraya.
Under the glow of the colorful lights that had begun to flicker, his expression reflected serious consideration.
There was no small talk to preface it.
Only a single, weighty question escaped from Theo, accompanied by a sharp gaze fixed squarely on Aldraya.
He asked for an unspoken preference.
Would they dive into the heart of the current, sitting as close as possible for intimate yet risky observation, or choose to watch from afar, maintaining a safe distance but potentially losing valuable details from every breath, every trembling hand, every restrained smile?
"The two seats far away. With RWIA, we can still monitor them from a safe distance.
This is a second chance to maximize its use."
The nod had barely faded from the air, yet Aldraya was already moving.
His body, which usually felt like a calm statue, now radiated an almost urgent certainty.
His right index finger lifted, not in a dramatic gesture, but in a precise motion filled with intent.
The tip of that finger pointed, cutting through a space filled with the hiss of hydraulics and the rumble of electricity, toward a spot across the ride.
There, two empty seats sat in solitude, separated by a sea of other vacant chairs, far from the island of togetherness occupied by Ilux and Erietta.
The distance was such that the faces of the two teenagers would appear faint, merely small silhouettes swaying amid the panorama of the amusement park.
Aldraya's action itself was already a statement.
But he went further.
He turned back to Theo, and in his gaze—like a frozen lake suddenly reflecting lightning—there lay a deeper message.
It was a reminder, an acknowledgment, and an instruction all at once.
He reminded Theo that this was the moment they had anticipated.
That the time had come once again to fold reality, to use their Invisible power not to draw closer, but to retreat perfectly and instantly.
It was as if he were saying that the best observation sometimes required a wide perspective, that maintained physical distance could offer sharper emotional clarity.
And to reach that ideal position, they would have to disappear once more from everyone's perception on the ride, then reappear in those solitary seats, leaving no trace, drawing no attention.
This would be the second use of RWIA within a short span of time, a test of their discipline and the subtlety of their control in an increasingly sensitive environment.
"Time to wake up. Pay attention to every detail of the interaction between Ilux and Erietta while the ride is in motion.
Record every expression, conversation, and physical reaction. Report to me later."
"As you command, Most Exalted Author. Our eyes will not blink."
Within the silent and infinite throne room of his consciousness, Theo entered a state deeper than mere concentration.
He left the realm of ordinary awareness, descending cold marble steps into the subconscious—a domain where the foundations supporting the gradual manifestation of Last Prayer resided.
There, in a domed chamber illuminated by dim golden light, four entities rested in the form of softly pulsing radiance.
Resolve stood like an upright sword, ready to be raised.
Will took shape as a shimmering crystal, slowly revolving.
Intent passed as a single beam of light, straight and unshakable.
Meanwhile, Ambition burned as a blue flame that refused to be extinguished.
Theo did not summon them.
He awakened them.
His sudden presence in that space was like a small earthquake rippling across the floor.
The lights trembled, then quickly condensed, taking on clearer forms.
Without ceremony or preamble, Theo's voice echoed through the chamber, firm and direct, like a decree.
To be continued…