Chapter 390: Lyra's Trial - Part 3

Kael was standing in the middle of the city when Lyra reached him. He was the only one who was not melting into the background, and he flashed her a smile when she reached him.

“Can I help you with anything?”

Kael asked in the same smile as before, and his partner was nowhere to be seen. But that did not make Lyra lower her guard. If anything, she became even more alert and looked around.

After all, she could still sense the female around, even if she could not see them.

“Miss, is something wrong…”

Kael asked with a concerned face even as their surroundings started to disappear faster. This made Lyra’s heart skip a beat.

But now was not the time to be hesitating. She had to say her piece before Kael and this world were gone forever.

“I…don’t care if you are with someone else. I love you enough to the point where I will accept it. However, I won’t accept it if you are sad even after choosing someone else. So please, promise me that you will always be happy.”

She grabbed Kael’s hand and instantly felt how cold it was.

The real Kael did not run this cold. In fact, he was quite warm and made Lyra feel warm as well.

And this was when she felt sure that this was an illusion, just a dream that was trying to trick her. But she could not let go of Kael’s hand even after knowing this.

Kael, for his part, let out a sigh and decided to pat her head with the free hand he had.

“I understand. I don’t know why you feel so concerned about me, but since you do, then I am sure it must be about something important. In that case, I will comply with you and promise you that I will remain safe. Will that help?”

Kael asked Lyra as the surroundings started to disappear even faster.

She wanted to keep her hold on Kael and tell him, ‘Of course not.’ After all, she wanted to be the one who took Kael to safety herself.

But it was likely impossible now due to her circumstances.

“You have promised me, alright? So you better keep it. I will find a way to come back and haunt you if you don’t listen to what I said and decide to be unhappy. Alright?”

Lyra asked, and she felt her heart skipping quite a few beats when Kael smiled back at her.

His gentle hand cupped Lyra’s cheeks, and he looked into her eyes with a faint smile.

“Don’t worry. I will make sure to never forget you. After all, you are someone I like enough to date. So Lyra, I am counting on you to save me.”

This was a cheap trick by this test. Now that Lyra had passed its trial, it was trying to give her a sweet reward.

And she hated how effective it was.

‘This is not even the real Kael, so there is no need for me to get this flustered. And yet, look at me.’

She was sure that her cheeks were burning bright red due to her embarrassment. So she quickly looked away in order to hide her reaction.

She could still feel those eyes looking at her, and that helped her drag herself back.

“Anyway, this was all I wanted from you. For you to be happy. Now that I have confirmed that you are fine, I will take my leave now. Goodbye.”

She spoke softly and tried to pull away. But her own hands refused to let Kael go. She wanted to spend just a little more time with him.

After all, who cared that this Kael was not real? He was still in front of her, and—

“Are you having second thoughts, my dear? Oh my! It seems like I will have to reevaluate you because of this.”

The soft voice behind her told her, causing Lyra to turn back and notice the goddess.

Maybe it was because of magic, but the person beside Kael who had looked like a Seraphina look-alike was actually Goddess Aria, and she had not realized it.

But the second she did realize it, she became alert.

The goddess, for her part, did not seem to care and simply walked toward her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Now then, have you made up your mind about what to do?”

The goddess asked, and Lyra looked at Kael’s frozen form with a frown on her face. She bit her lip but then nodded.

“I always ever had only one option. Let’s go now. The real Kael would not save himself.”

She spoke softly, and the place around her started to fall apart.

It hurt a lot to see it all disappear, but it was a memory in her mind, and she was going to cherish it.

Goddess Aria sighed and then extended her hand toward Lyra.

“Here, it’s time for you to come back to me. And then, we will see the next trial. You were confident, but the other two are not the same as you. So let’s see how they do, alright?”

The goddess asked, and Lyra nodded. She felt her essence becoming part of the goddess, and then, she was not an individual anymore.

She was Goddess Aria herself.

Aria closed her eyes as the new memories and emotions settled inside her. Lyra’s love for Kael was intense, almost overwhelming, but it was also strangely comforting.

She could understand why the demon queen had been so reluctant to give him up.

After all, even Aria herself had once struggled with similar feelings.

“Now then, let’s see how the other two are doing.”

She raised her hand, and the space around her shifted. Two separate scenes appeared before her, each showing someone struggling with their own desires.

Aria sighed.

“Honestly, why is it so difficult for everyone to accept what they already know?”

She shook her head and focused on the scenes.