Mikael, who had been listening silently, finally spoke. "No."
Amelia's gaze snapped to him, her eyes narrowing. "No?" she repeated dangerously.
Mikael met her glare without wavering. "It's too dangerous, especially in your current mental state."
She scoffed. "Too dangerous? You went to another world alone, didn't you? And you came out stronger. If you could do it, then so can I."
Mikael sighed. "It's not that simple. I didn't just randomly throw myself into a world without preparation. Every time, I made sure to understand the risks and prepare accordingly. Even then, it was dangerous. With the way you are right now, you'd be prone to making reckless decisions—it would be too dangerous." His words carried an unmistakable finality.
"And how do you think I feel staying here, powerless, knowing Nexoria still exists?!" Amelia snapped. "Do you think I can just sit around and wait while that place is still standing?"
"I never said that." Mikael's voice remained calm, though there was an edge to it. "If we're going to explore other worlds, then we should do it together. The four of us."
Amelia's expression twisted with anger. "You're saying I need a babysitter?"
"That's not what I mean—"
"I don't need your permission, Mikael!" she shot back, her voice rising. She stood abruptly, her hands trembling at her sides. "I thought you, of all people, would understand. But I see now that you're just trying to hold me back!"
She turned sharply to leave, but before she could take another step, Mikael's hand caught her wrist. With a firm pull, he drew her into his arms, locking her in a tight embrace.
"Let me go," Amelia growled, her voice shaking with anger. She was about to shove him away—until she heard it.
"Calm down… please."
It wasn't his words that stopped her—it was his tone. Tight. Strained. Almost pleading.
Her breath hitched.
The vulnerability in his voice sent a shock through her, cutting through the haze of her emotions.
Mikael tightened his grip on her. "I understand that you're angry, scared, and suffering, but can you please just stay here? We'll find a way for you to grow stronger, together. You're not alone… I… just don't want to lose you." By the end, his voice had dropped to a whisper.
At that moment, she understood—he wasn't trying to control her or dismiss her determination. No… he was simply worried about her.
Realizing this, her rage melted like snow under the sun.
Her fists, once clenched in fury, loosened as she allowed herself to lean into his embrace. A pang of guilt struck her—her anger had been unjustly directed at Mikael, the man she loved, when all he wanted was to keep her safe.
They stayed like that, holding each other. No further words were spoken, but an unspoken understanding passed between them.
After a while, they finally separated, though neither could quite meet the other's gaze. They weren't exactly proud of how the conversation had unfolded—or how they had lost their tempers.
Both of them fidgeted awkwardly, their thoughts racing, yet neither dared to speak.
The uncomfortable standoff continued for a few seconds before Lyra, who had been sitting on a nearby couch, finally broke the silence. Her tone was light, clearly an attempt to dispel the lingering tension in the room.
"Now that your conflict seems to be resolved, why don't you two seal it with a reconciliation kiss?"
Despite themselves, both Mikael and Amelia couldn't help but smile.
Their gazes met, and in each other's eyes, they saw the same glimmer of amusement. A small smirk tugged at the corners of their lips.
Without a word, they each took a step forward, closing the distance between them. Their faces drew closer until their lips finally met.
"Mwah."
The kiss didn't last long, and it was far from passionate—but it carried the emotions they couldn't put into words.
"Sorry, I—"
"I shouldn't have—"
As soon as their lips parted, they both instinctively tried to apologize, only to stop mid-sentence when they realized the other was doing the same.
Silence filled the room for a second before they chuckled at the situation. Mikael was the first to speak. "We both made mistakes, but let's not dwell on them, okay?"
"That would be for the best," Amelia agreed.
Mikael then took a seat on the couch, and Amelia followed suit. Their earlier conflict had been unpleasant, but it had allowed their feelings to be laid bare, and the gloomy atmosphere that had hung over them had now disappeared. At last, they were ready to talk without letting their emotions take control.
Mikael was the first to once again break the silence. "I understand that you want to grow stronger and that you believe exploring other worlds is the best way to do that. But can you understand that if you do, I'll worry about you?"
Amelia nodded, much calmer now. Without the storm of emotions clouding her judgment, she could finally see things from Mikael's perspective. "I get it… It's just that…" She lowered her gaze. "I feel like I'm not progressing fast enough. I train, I improve, but I can't shake the feeling that it'll never be enough if I want to destroy Nexoria. That's why I want to explore other worlds. But at the same time… I understand why you'd worry. I just… I don't know." Her voice wavered as she spoke, torn between her hatred and desire for revenge and the realization that by chasing that goal, she might not only worry Mikael but also end up dead somewhere in a ditch.
Mikael let out a deep sigh. "There doesn't seem to be any good solution…"
"No," Amelia muttered, equally caught up in their dilemma.
"I think I have a solution!" Lyra suddenly declared.
Mikael and Amelia immediately turned to her with inquisitive looks, prompting her to continue. "Earlier, when you two were having your 'conflict,' I asked the Records if there was a way to solve this problem, and it gave me an answer. I think it could work."
Mikael raised an eyebrow. "And what's the solution?"
"With the help of the Records, we can use something called Emergency Extraction," Lyra explained. "It allows someone exploring a world to be extracted immediately, without the usual conditions—no five-minute wait, no need to be out of combat. As long as the world isn't one of the extremely dangerous ones you told us about, it should work! That way, Amelia can explore other worlds solo, but she'll still be safe."
As soon as she heard Lyra's explanation, Amelia's eyes lit up. While it wasn't a perfect solution, it would allow her to travel to different worlds and continue growing stronger while ensuring her safety. Not only that, but it would also give Mikael peace of mind.
Mikael, on the other hand, wasn't as quick to celebrate. Something felt off. If it was called Emergency Extraction, then there had to be some kind of drawback.
To confirm his suspicions, he asked, "You said it's called Emergency Extraction, so there have to be some negative consequences…"
His words immediately dampened Amelia's enthusiasm, making her realize that he was probably right.
All three of them—Mikael, Amelia, and even Kiara—turned their attention to Lyra, waiting for her answer.
Lyra waved her hands in front of her in denial. "No, no! While it's different from a normal extraction, there aren't really any drawbacks like you're thinking! To use Emergency Extraction, you just need to keep in mind three things."
"First, you need to pay 1,000 LP each time you use it. But considering it's meant to be used in dangerous situations, I think it's well worth the cost."
Mikael and Amelia had no choice but to agree. In a life-threatening scenario, 1,000 LP was a small price to pay.
"The second thing to keep in mind," Lyra continued, "is that Emergency Extraction doesn't work in all worlds. It won't activate during military missions, and it won't work in those extremely dangerous worlds you mentioned."
Mikael had expected as much.
"And finally," Lyra added, "to unlock Emergency Extraction in the first place, you need to have a military rank of Rank 2. So, for now, it won't work… But if we do some military missions together, the four of us could reach the required rank pretty quickly!"
Mikael, Amelia, and even Kiara considered her words, finding them logical, which led them to inwardly agree with her. Then, Amelia spoke. "I think this could actually work." Her gaze shifted to the three people around her before she continued, "I'd say we shouldn't waste any time and should take on a military mission right now. What do you think?"
Mikael raised an eyebrow at her words. "I wouldn't mind doing a military mission right now, as long as the four of us take the same one and cover each other's backs." What he truly meant, however, was: 'I'm fine with doing a military mission together, as long as I can keep an eye on you and protect you if necessary.'
The moment Mikael agreed, Kiara gave an affirmative nod, which was quickly followed by Lyra's agreement.
"We're all on the same page, but we should make some preparations before accepting a military mission!" Mikael declared.
"Preparations? What do you mean?" Kiara inquired.
"Preparing ourselves—like taking our weapons. Amelia needs her bow and arrows, I need my swords, and you need your harp… And let's not forget to bring food and other essential supplies in our inventory. It probably won't be necessary, but it's better to be prepared than caught off guard."
He paused for a moment before seemingly remembering something and continuing, "Oh, and it would be best if we gave our all to increase our respective combat abilities. For you, that means increasing your stats. As for the others…" His gaze landed on Amelia and Lyra. "I don't have any specific ideas, but maybe you have some preparations in mind?"
Following Mikael's words, a discussion began between the four of them, as they each named items and equipment they should bring.
After establishing a 'list,' they searched the apartment for the necessary items, ensuring that each person carried a portion of the supplies. That way, if they were separated for an extended period, everyone would have access to basic necessities.
Once the inventory was taken care of, the conversation shifted to ways to increase their combat strength. Before they could brainstorm, Mikael proceeded with what he had mentioned earlier. Using Kiara's unique status as an AI, he periodically increased all her stats in a way that minimized her discomfort. In a few hours, her stats would reach 5K. This would cost 5K LP—a considerable expense, but an acceptable one, given that they would still have 14K LP left.
However, his plan didn't go as expected. A notification suddenly appeared before him:
[Request partially impossible. Increasing the stats of the entity 'Kiara Dreyfus (Personal AI of Mikael Angelini)' beyond 2K is not possible, as 2K is the absolute limit. To go beyond this, it is necessary to enter the Akashic Records Universe.
However, it is still possible to periodically increase her stats so that, in a few hours, they will all reach 2K.
Proceed with the transaction for 2K LP? Yes/No]
Reading the notification, Mikael was surprised. 'An absolute limit at 2K? And needing to enter the Akashic Records Universe to grow further?' He was intrigued but decided to set the matter aside for now as it wasn't the moment.
He accepted the transaction, bringing their shared LP balance—between him, Amelia, Lyra, and Kiara—to a little over 17K.
Author Note:
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