Chapter 140
A small, warm smile finally bloomed on Theo's lips, melting the remnants of tension lingering in the air.
With a gentle yet confident voice, he asked Aldraya to rise from her respectful bow.
The gesture was a sign that there was no hierarchy that needed to be upheld between them at this moment, only two individuals exchanging understanding.
Realizing that Aldraya had decided to continue her journey home, Theo conveyed a brief message.
Two simple words—"Be careful"—he uttered with sincere tone, carrying all his worry and well-wishes for the path Aldraya was about to walk.
He understood that the road Aldraya would take was not merely a physical journey, but an inner pilgrimage filled with turmoil and introspection.
And then, a small surprise arrived as a closing note.
Aldraya, who usually received without returning anything, replied with the exact same words.
"Be careful as well," she said in her characteristically flat voice, yet for Theo—who had observed her with great care—there was a different weight of meaning behind it.
It was not merely a formal response, but a silent acknowledgment that Theo, with all his observations and interventions, had also stepped into a domain that was not entirely safe.
Aldraya's journey was self-discovery, while Theo's was an adventure within a living and unpredictable world.
'Something's wrong. Did I miss something? Or is her mind still clouded by something?
Like it or not, I need to ask.'
"Is there a problem? Why did you stop?"
Aldraya's upright back was still clearly visible to Theo, each of her slow, rhythmic steps carving the deepest sorrow into the ground she walked upon.
Yet about fifteen steps later, her body suddenly froze.
Feet that a second ago were still moving now stopped in place, like a statue that had lost its soul.
A sudden silence enveloped her—thicker, deeper than the quiet before.
Theo, watching the scene from afar, felt a profound sense of bewilderment.
The abrupt and unannounced change stirred worry within his heart.
What had happened to the silver-haired woman?
Did she remember something forgotten, or was she struck by a topic heavier than all they had discussed tonight?
With a slightly louder voice to bridge the distance, Theo called out, asking what had happened to Aldraya.
His voice echoed through the night's stillness, breaking the silence perfectly, awaiting an answer that might or might not come.
"There is nothing you need to worry about."
"O–okay, I thought you were—"
"Emhhhh…."
"Aldraya?"
Fiiiih!
"How long have you been trapped in this world, O source of inspiration who gave birth to Flo Viva Mythology?"
The sentence hung in the air, freezing Theo's blood and breath at once.
His left brow furrowed deeply, forming lines that reflected the violent upheaval in his thoughts.
All this time he believed himself to be an unseen observer, a compiler of hidden notes.
Yet from Aldraya's lips came the question that tore open his greatest secret.
This world knew.
At the very least, someone within it had become aware of his presence—one that should not exist.
Earlier, Aldraya had said she was fine, a clear attempt to deflect attention from the sudden silence that cloaked her.
Even when Theo attempted to pursue further explanation, his attempt was cut short by Aldraya's second, far more unsettling question.
The sudden shift in conversation was no coincidence, but an entirely intentional maneuver, proving that Aldraya was not merely a character being observed, but an actor fully aware of a much larger game of reality unfolding.
Each syllable in Aldraya's question trembled with deep and terrifying meaning.
The word "trapped" implied an understanding that Theo was not a voluntary wanderer, but a prisoner within a narrative he believed he was only observing.
Meanwhile, being called the "inspirer" of Flo Viva Mythology was a harsh slap that overturned all his perceptions.
Theo, who had believed himself merely an observer, was suddenly implicated as an integral part of the world's creation, an unwitting source of inspiration shaping the destinies of its inhabitants.
Under the pale light of the moon, the two figures were now engaged in an entirely new metaphysical confrontation.
'At last, revelation came. Through the suffering left behind after the battle against the Nine Administrators, Aldraya finally understood.
Eshura Birtash, the one who once fought by her side, turned out to be the reason for the main architect to create this game.
But it would be foolish to accept that so easily.
To maintain consistency in how the characters of this story think, this is the answer I will give.'
"What significance does it hold for you, knowing that The Honored Progenitor was made to become trapped within the body of the most wicked and despised character in the entire world?"
Theo's face remained a near-perfect mask of calm, though Aldraya's question had shaken the foundation of his reality.
Only the crease on his brow bore witness to the depth of the impact her words had struck.
With a controlled voice—as if discussing the weather rather than the nature of his own existence—he responded with a sharp counter-question.
He questioned the urgency of Aldraya's curiosity, offering a critique that cut deep.
Was there any use, any importance, for Aldraya to know that the writer—the source of inspiration for the world she lived in—was trapped within the most despised and reviled character in the entire game's narrative?
And as he spoke, his tone remained flat, yet it carried profound philosophical challenge.
He seemed to question the very value of such knowledge.
Would that knowledge free Aldraya, or burden her with an unbearable cosmic irony?
Would knowing that the creator suffered in the body of an outcast make her own wounds more meaningful—or strip them of meaning altogether?
Theo's question was both a shield and a deeper probe.
It was his way not only to defend himself, but to understand how far Aldraya's awareness had grown.
By asking "what does it matter," he pushed Aldraya to reflect on her own motivation.
Was it mere intellectual curiosity, or an emotional need to find meaning in her own suffering by learning that even the architect of her world was not in control of his fate?
Behind his calmness, Theo was measuring the depth of the metaphysical waters they had stepped into.
Aldraya's answer—or even her silence—would determine whether this confrontation would lead to a new alliance built on shared understanding of their absurd existence, or become an unbridgeable chasm between the trapped observer and the awakening character.
"You're right. There is nothing I would gain from pursuing that answer."
'If Aldraya truly believes my identity as the progenitor, it is highly likely she would take actions that surpass all existing predictions and scenarios.'
Aldraya fell silent for two long, calculated seconds.
Then she nodded slowly, a gesture resembling an acknowledgment of logical truth rather than sincere agreement.
Her voice, when it finally emerged, was flat and unreadable again, stating her acceptance that indeed there was no practical benefit in digging deeper into Theo's identity as the world's inspirer.
Yet it was precisely this obedient acceptance that rang a loud warning bell in Theo's mind.
To be continued…