Evolving My Undead Legion In A Game-Like World

Chapter 787: Realisation

There were many things Michael could be ignorant about.

That did not mean he was naïve.

As Arianna left, only then did he begin to think.

At first, he considered the simplest explanation. Concern. Worry. The kind that came naturally when someone who was somewhat of a friend to you fell into trouble without warning. That much was reasonable.

But the longer he sat with it, the more another conclusion formed.

It was not only concern.

Arianna was reacting to his growth.

In the awakener system, she was not even Rank Two yet, only just below it. That was not an insult. At her age and background, her progress was already considered impressive. In any other circumstance, the difference between them would have been negligible.

It would have been fine if Michael himself were an ordinary Rank Two.

But he was not.

Even before stepping into Rank Three, he had already been dealing with matters that belonged to that stage. And now, with a law seed awakened, entering that realm was no longer a distant possibility. It was a matter of time.

With his foundation, even if Arianna advanced to Rank Two, the gap between them would not close. If anything, it would widen, especially when he ascended to Rank Three. And Rank Three was already considered the peak of power within her kingdom.

What would happen when he stood there fully?

Michael understood then.

It was not jealousy.

It was not resentment.

It was distance.

Michael leaned back in his chair, eyes unfocused as his thoughts drifted further.

The comparison came to him naturally.

It felt like school.

Not the early years, when everyone was still figuring things out, when grades rose and fell unpredictably and the future felt distant enough to ignore.

It was like the final year of high school, that strange period when some people were still worrying about exams while others had already received admission letters, or in college, job offers, or clear paths forward.

Arianna was still there.

Still preparing. Still building. Rank Two was her next step, just like graduation was the next step for most students. Important. Significant. A milestone worth celebrating.

Michael, on the other hand, felt like someone who had already left campus.

Not officially, perhaps. His name might still be on the roster. But his mind was already elsewhere, dealing with problems that no longer fit within the syllabus. While others worried about passing exams, he was thinking about rent, survival, responsibility, and consequences that could not be solved by studying harder.

That was the difference.

From the outside, both were still equal in class and status. But anyone paying attention could tell they were no longer walking the same road. Conversations had changed. Priorities had shifted. Time itself felt different.

You could not blame someone for feeling left behind when the person beside them suddenly started moving faster.

Michael realized that was what Arianna was facing.

She was not weak. She was not slow. She was simply progressing at the speed the world and her talent had set for her.

Meanwhile, though Michael was no different in that he was also moving at a certain pace, it was undeniably faster.

One must not forget that Michael had reached his current state in six months.

Even for some awakeners, this could take years.

When two people start at the same place, they can walk together for a long time.

But once one of them crosses a line the other has not even reached yet, walking side by side becomes impossible. At best, they walk parallel paths. At worst, one can only watch the other disappear into the distance.

That distance was what Arianna had felt.

Michael exhaled quietly.

There was a cruelty to growth that no one talked about. People praised strength, praised advancement, praised rising higher and faster than others. But they rarely mentioned what was left behind in the process. The conversations that no longer fit. The silences that grew heavier. The relationships that changed without anyone ever meaning for them to.

He looked down at the tea again.

Michael did not regret it.

He could not.

Distance did not require ill intent to exist.

Sometimes, it was simply the result of one person stepping into a future the other was not ready to face yet.

Michael lifted the cup and took another sip, the warmth grounding him.

Whatever this change meant, he would face it when the time came.

The thought did not end there.

As Michael sat in the quiet tea room, that sense of distance tugged at something deeper, something far older than his connection to Arianna.

Aurora.

His aunt’s small kitchen in Woodstone City came to him first. The cramped space, always faintly smelling of spices and cleaning soap. His cousin sprawled on the couch, half listening to whatever nonsense was playing on the screen while pretending to study.

Ordinary scenes. Mundane. Safe.

And yet, when he thought about them now, there was distance there too.

It was the same kind of gap.

Michael had been moving forward at a pace none of them could see. Even when he was with them, even when he smiled and spoke normally, part of him was already elsewhere. Thinking about threats they could not perceive. Preparing for futures they would never have imagined. Carrying burdens he could not explain without sounding insane.

Lily was still in school.

Aunt Mia was still worrying about bills, schedules, small arguments, plans that stretched only a few years ahead.

Meanwhile, Michael was already thinking in decades. In lifespans.

That realization tightened something in his chest.

He had told himself, more than once, that this was necessary. That this was simply how things had to be. That he could not stop or slow down just to remain familiar.

But that did not mean he was willing to leave them behind.

Michael straightened slowly, his earlier lethargy fading as something firmer took its place.

Resolve.

He had power now. Power that would only continue to grow. And with it came responsibility, not just to himself, but to the people he cared about.