Chapter 214 — Two Peas in a Pod

Chapter 214: Chapter 214 — Two Peas in a Pod

Chapter 214 — Two Peas in a Pod

Victor approached his apartment and opened the door.

The moment he stepped inside, he stopped.

Lyra was awake.

She sat upright on the bed with a bright smile across her face. Her black fox ears were out, and Nala was curled comfortably in her arms.

The excitement written across Lyra’s face told Victor everything he needed to know.

He smiled and walked toward her.

"Good morning, sleepyhead."

Lyra laughed.

"So," Victor said, "how do you feel?"

Lyra thought about it for a moment.

"Honestly, I can’t even explain it. The difference in power is almost night and day compared to before."

Victor nodded.

That was expected. The difference between a Tempered Beast and a Beast Soldier was enormous.

"And it seems like I gained a new ability from my evolution."

Victor’s eyebrows rose.

"Oh, you did?"

"Yeah. It’s going to take me a while to get used to it, though. It’s almost like a technique that’s just ingrained into my bloodline."

"What is it?"

Lyra smiled.

"It’s called Shadow Walk. Or... I guess it’s almost like a shadow concealment technique."

Victor listened closely.

"Before, I could only teleport between shadows. It was more of a movement ability. This is completely different." Her smile widened. "Now I can actually hide inside shadows."

Victor stared at her for a second.

"That’s honestly really cool."

"I know."

"That takes being an assassin to a whole different level."

Lyra shook her head at him, still smiling.

Victor walked over and sat beside her.

For a while, neither of them said anything.

They simply enjoyed the silence.

Nala had fallen asleep in Lyra’s arms.

The little Firebird had barely slept while Lyra was unconscious. She’d spent almost the entire time curled beside her, watching over her and keeping her warm.

Now that Lyra was awake, it seemed Nala had finally decided she could relax.

Victor smiled at the sight.

Lyra gently ran a hand over Nala’s feathers.

"You know... I never thought there would actually be a day when I’d break the curse."

Victor turned toward her.

Lyra stared down at Nala.

"It’s almost magical in a way."

"Yeah?"

Victor leaned back slightly.

"Well, what do you plan on doing with all this newfound power?"

Lyra grew quiet.

She thought about it for several seconds.

"I think the most important thing is still what it’s always been."

Victor waited.

"Finding my parents," she said. "Maybe one day I’ll finally be strong enough to find them and help them."

Victor nodded.

"Outside of that..."

Lyra hesitated.

"I guess I have new goals now that I didn’t have before."

Victor looked at her curiously.

"Like what?"

Lyra turned toward him.

"Well, I want to make sure I’m strong enough to help you with whatever you need help with."

Victor blinked.

"At this point, we’re two peas in a pod."

A smile appeared on Victor’s face.

It was strange hearing Lyra say something like that so directly.

She’d never been particularly good at expressing the things closest to her heart.

Her excitement was easy to read. Sometimes it was written all over her face.

But when it came to how she actually felt about Victor, their bond, or everything they’d been through together, she usually kept those thoughts to herself.

Now she was saying them openly.

Victor appreciated the trust behind it more than she probably realized.

Lyra continued.

"From everything you’ve told me, I guess making sure alchemy survives would be one of my goals too."

She paused.

"And taking down this Evil God Organization."

Her expression grew more serious.

"If those are your goals, then I feel like they’re my goals too."

Victor looked at her for a moment.

Then he smiled.

"Likewise."

Lyra met his eyes.

"If we ever get the chance to find your parents and save them, I’ll do everything I can to help."

Neither of them looked away.

For a few seconds, the apartment was completely quiet.

Then Victor reached over and ruffled Lyra’s hair.

"Hey!"

Lyra immediately brushed his hand away.

A hint of embarrassment crossed her face as she hurriedly fixed her hair.

Victor laughed.

Lyra glared at him, but the smile never disappeared from her face.

"Anyway," she said, clearly trying to move on, "I still can’t believe I broke all the way through to Rank Two."

She looked rather proud of herself.

"Who would’ve thought I’d catch up to you so quickly?"

"Yeah, it is pretty amazing."

Victor glanced at her.

"We’re going to have to test your new strength soon."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. After I return from the Graveborn Estate. Until then you need to consolidate your cultivation."

Lyra’s expression immediately changed.

"You don’t want me to come with you?"

Victor shook his head.

"No. You should stay here."

"Why?"

"There are going to be a lot of powerful people at that estate, and I still don’t know what I’m walking into. If someone somehow finds out you’re a Shadow Fox, I don’t know what they’d do."

Lyra frowned slightly.

"It’s better if you stay back," Victor continued. "Besides, you can spend some time working on your alchemy. Your flame control was already getting pretty high compared to most people in the Tower."

Victor stopped.

A thought suddenly occurred to him.

"Actually..."

Lyra tilted her head.

"What?"

"What about your Shadow Flame?"

"What about it?"

"Did your flame control change after you broke through?"

Lyra paused.

When he’d entered the Spirit Gathering Realm, both his Soul Power and control over the Black Flame had improved dramatically.

Lyra’s Shadow Flame was already Tier One. Before her breakthrough, she’d been getting closer and closer to maintaining it for a full minute.

And through their Soul Bond, Victor’s own Soul Power seemed to help her as well.

Lyra looked down at her hand.

"I haven’t checked."

"Try."

She nodded.

A purple-black flame appeared above her palm.

Victor immediately noticed the difference.

The Shadow Flame burned steadily above her hand, its edges no longer wavering as much as they had before.

Stronger.

More stable.

Lyra focused.

Seconds passed.

Neither of them spoke.

Thirty seconds.

Forty-five.

One minute.

Victor’s eyes narrowed.

The flame remained perfectly stable.

Lyra continued holding it.

One minute and ten seconds.

Then—

One minute and fifteen seconds.

The Shadow Flame finally flickered and vanished.

Victor stared at her.

Lyra looked at her empty palm.

Victor couldn’t believe how quickly her control had improved.

She’d already crossed the threshold where she could probably begin seriously working on the compression step.

At this point, she might even be ready to start attempting the Spirit Accumulation Pill herself.

Victor smiled.

"That’s amazing."

Lyra looked rather pleased with herself.

"You’re going to start giving me a run for my money pretty soon. I’m going to have to focus on my alchemy more."

Lyra smiled.

The two fell into another comfortable silence.

Victor leaned back and allowed himself to relax.

The Graveborn estate would have to wait until tomorrow.

It was already getting late, and he didn’t want to walk into that place exhausted. He had no idea what Daniel had planned or what kind of people he’d be dealing with.

He needed to be at his best.

Victor glanced toward Lyra and the sleeping Nala.

For tonight, everything was peaceful.

He decided to take advantage of it.

He’d get a few hours of sleep.

Then he could spend the rest of the night cultivating before his visit to the Graveborn estate tomorrow.