Chapter 38: Sophie’s Determination
Sophie stared at him for a moment, then smiled. Her expression softened, warm.
"I do not know what you will become in the future, Bruce," she said quietly. "But whatever it is, I am glad I get to watch it happen."
Bruce did not look away. "Having you by my side is a blessing."
Their eyes held for a moment—simple, natural, undeniably powerful, Sophie ended up looking away blushing. This wasn’t a standard date, but for some reason it felt like it.
After that, they continued eating, talking casually about Ash’s appetite, Lily trying to feed him candy again, and Sophie mocking Bruce for being too serious about everything.
Minutes passed. The plates were emptied. Bruce sat back and wiped his mouth with a napkin, when suddenly Vaelith’s voice resounded in his mind.
[Your presence is required at your residence urgently. Your mother is currently in a difficult situation.]
His expression changed at once. The relaxed atmosphere died instantly.
’What now,’ he thought sharply.
’Vaelith. Details. Now.’
[It is complicated,] the ancient voice responded. [But it is exactly what you are thinking. Consider it backlash from what you did to Dante.]
Bruce’s jaw tightened. ’So they finally decided to move.’
There was no fear in his eyes, only a dangerous calm. The kind that came before something bled.
Bruce stood up slowly, expression steady, but the temperature around him seemed to drop. A quiet storm.
Across from him, Sophie noticed instantly. "What is wrong?"
"It is my mother," Bruce said flatly. "Something happened. Dante’s people finally decided to act."
Sophie’s eyes sharpened, not with fear, but anger. "Tch. Cowards. They waited for you to leave home before going after your family."
Bruce did not reply. He did not need to. Rage simmered beneath his calm exterior.
Sophie stood and brushed invisible dust from her clothes. "We were supposed to continue training after this, but..." She exhaled. "Looks like fate is testing you again."
Bruce smirked faintly. "Fate keeps making the same mistake."
"Is it the Will that informed you?"
Bruce nodded. At that moment, Sophie stepped forward and, without hesitation, wrapped her arms around him. Soft. Warm. Secure. Before he could react, she kissed him on the cheek. Bold. Direct. Defiant.
Her voice lowered. "Go. Handle it. I will see you tomorrow at the Adventurer Badge Trial. Make it back safe, Bruce."
Bruce met her eyes and nodded. "I will."
As he stepped away, he could still feel the warmth of her kiss burning on his skin.
’She is getting bolder,’ Bruce thought as he watched Sophie walk away, the ghost of a smile tugging at his lips. ’Good. I like it.
He did not linger. He paid for their meal, stepped out of the cafeteria, and walked through the massive gates of the Supremacy Training Hall. The cool air outside brushed against his skin as he scanned the street.
No taxis in sight.
He exhaled sharply. "Why even bother."
He did not have time to wait. His mother and sister were involved. Hesitation was not an option. Normally, he might have worried about making a scene. Was it even allowed to go full speed in public? Would this draw attention? Would he explode someone’s eardrums by accident?
None of that mattered right now.
His eyes hardened.
BOOM!
The ground cracked beneath his foot as he launched forward. A sonic boom split the air, shattering the sound barrier and ripping through the streets like thunder. In the blink of an eye, Bruce vanished, his form stretching into a streak of motion before disappearing entirely.
To anyone watching, it was as if he had simply teleported.
...
Meanwhile...
In a place where light did not exist, where even shadows feared to move, Sophie stood alone.
The air was heavy, thick with a dreadful silence that felt alive. A pitch-black chamber sealed away from the world, where only one presence existed, a presence powerful enough to smother entire armies with a thought.
Kneeling at the center sat a man, cross-legged in deep meditation. He did not breathe. He did not stir. Yet the oppressive weight of his existence suffocated the space itself.
Sophie dropped to one knee and bowed her head.
"I am ready, Father."
For a moment, there was no response. Then two crimson eyes ignited in the darkness.
Like twin suns of blood, they opened, cold, ancient, and bottomless. A tide of killing intent swept forth from the meditating figure, crashing down on Sophie like a collapsing world.
Her heart pounded violently. The bones in her legs screamed under pressure. Sweat slicked her spine instantly.
But she did not kneel.
She did not retreat.
She stood firm!
A voice, calm yet terrifyingly profound, echoed.
"Is it still him?"
Sophie lifted her gaze, meeting those abyssal eyes without flinching.
"Yes, Father."
Silence. Then...
"Prepare the array formation."
Sophie bowed again. "It will be done."
She turned to leave, but before she could take another step, a voice, ancient and piercing, slipped directly into her mind.
’Prove me wrong, Sophie.’
Her steps halted.
’You cling to that boy, yet you wish to cut your own fate with a sword. You say you will surpass destiny, but your path is built on contradiction. You cannot wield absolute sword will while still being bound by heart.’
Her fingers clenched, but her voice was steady.
"I know what I am doing."
’Do you? Your class rejects attachments. Your path demands sacrifice. Everything you love today could become what destroys you tomorrow. The sword does not bend to love. The sword severs.’
Sophie exhaled slowly. She did not turn back.
"Even so," she whispered, her voice unwavering, "I will not abandon my path. I will not abandon my bond. I will carve a new way with my sword, and I will prove it to the world."
A low rumble spread through the chamber, like mountains shifting in the dark.
Then, at last, the crimson eyes dimmed.
"We will see."
Sophie walked away, her steps firm, her heart blazing silently.
In the eternal darkness behind her, the man remained unmoving.
’What is this feeling? I have been stuck for so long, yet it feels so close. So close, and yet so far away.’