NOVEL NEXT Chapter 119: This Is War
There were many things Leon had noted down, and one of them was the future growth of his favourite characters or now, the people close to him.
Natasha was one of them, and he clearly remembered the way she developed inside the game. The pearl was one of the important things that she got later and used to become one of the most important characters in the game.
This was the reason Leon brought it for her, even though there were a lot of problems involved. She would definitely receive a boost in her overall strength and also her potential.
She never rejected the pearl in the game, so Leon couldn't understand why she was having such a strong reaction to it. Why did she seem so scared?
But all questions fell on deaf ears as Natasha just continued to stare at the pearl. It brought her many memories and also spoke about the potential future she dreaded.
She didn't want that future.
Only when she felt Leon's strong, big, warm hand on her head did she calm down and come out of her reverie. She took a few deep breaths to compose herself and then said, "I can't express my gratitude in words, but please take it back and never show it to the world."
"I will only do that if you give a proper reason," Leon said. "I know it's useful to you, then why are you rejecting it?"
"Because it'll take away my sister," Natasha choked as tears brimmed in the corners of her eyes. "I don't want to lose her."
Leon patted her head and asked, "How?"
"If you know about this pearl, then you should also know what this means to my family," Natasha said. Leon nodded at her question. "The moment they find out about this, they will take me and my sister back to our home grounds and then force me to assimilate with it."
She gritted her teeth and added in a rage-filled voice, "They only care about the Clan's status, and as I'm the Heir they had chosen, they care about me a lot, well, in their own twisted ways. And my sister didn't really have any talent, and to be honest, the only reason she is alive is because of me."
Leon was dumbstruck hearing that. None of it was shown in the game, which once again told him how these were all real people instead of just characters.
"But this pearl... it's too much for me alone. I can't handle its side effects, so they will use my sister as a substitute to transfer those side effects. They only care about me surviving it and assimilating with it. What happens with my sister is none of their concern."
The room turned silent at her words. They couldn't believe that such a cheerful girl like Natasha would have such a toxic family.
"That's why I hate noble families," Denver said with a growl. "Those people don't know what humans are and only care about their own things. I hate them."
"Me too," Bella nodded, and for once, she had a killing intent in her eyes. "I would gladly take street life over noble life at any time. Don't worry, Nat. We will always stand beside you."
Natasha wiped her tears and looked up at Leon, who had closed his eyes, but the way his fists clenched tightly showed his emotions perfectly.
"I hope you can understand what the existence of this pearl means, so please never show it to anyone. It should never be in their hands." Natasha pleaded.
Leon took a deep breath and said, "What if I help you in assimilating it? What if they don't even get the chance to meddle in your affairs? Besides, if they find out you have already assimilated with it, they won't have any problems since that was their goal from the start."
"You have a way?" Natasha's eyes brightened up.
It would be a lie to say that she didn't want the pearl. Her desire to assimilate with it was very strong, but she didn't want it at the cost of her sister's life.
"Just trust me on this, okay?" Leon smiled and said. "Nothing will happen to your sister, and the same goes for you. I'll never let your clan take control over your life."
"You know, moments like these make me feel that I'm really falling for you," Natasha chuckled softly and said, pushing the pearl back into his hand. "But don't worry. Once I assimilate with the pearl, I can meet the elders and ask them for a reward. I'll manage."
"Just remember we're all here for you," Leon rubbed her hand and said.
"Yup! If you wanna beat their asses, then you can call me. I've been saving up a few explosives, so they'll be useful." Bella said with a harmless grin, but Rani shivered beside her.
"How can I forget my friends? Also, as Leon said, I'm taking you down with me if it comes to it. They want a substitute, so I'll just place you as the replacement," Natasha smiled at Bella.
"Hey! That isn't funny," Bella pouted before she laughed and asked, "By the way, what is that pearl exactly?"
"I'm sorry, but it's better the fewer people know about it," Natasha said. "Let me assimilate with it first."
Bella shrugged and turned towards Leon, "What did you get for yourself?"
"A lot of things," Leon smiled mysteriously. "I have the largest budget for myself. And no, I'm not telling you about them now."
"Boo!! Mood killer!" Bella tapped on the table and smiled. "That reminds me. I want a party."
"For what?" Rani asked in confusion.
"Aiya! Are you forgetting? He now has a Mutated Grade 8 Talent. That's the best talent in the history of mankind," Bella said before turning towards Leon. "I want PARTY!!!"
"I already took you there last night," Leon rolled his eyes and said. "Anyways, this meal is on me, so enjoy."
"Yippie!!!"
Leon returned everything to normal and ordered their food. In no time, it was delivered, and they had a nice meal with laughter and fun.
They could see that Natasha was still busy in her thoughts, so they also helped cheer her up.
After that, they left the cafeteria while talking to each other. It was then they heard a commotion not far from the cafeteria and hurriedly went to check it.
A small crowd of students and teachers had already gathered there, making the scene unclear. But all of them were talking loudly in shock and disbelief, and they easily heard them.
"How is this possible? What actually happened?"
"I thought the Academy was the safest, then how can this happen?"
"There is something going on in the background of the Academy. We need to find it out."
All sorts of conversations entered Leon's ears, and the more he heard, the worse his expression became. He gritted his teeth and pushed aside the students, moving towards the frontline to confirm his hypothesis.
However, he prayed with all his heart that he was wrong this time. Others followed him behind, but he didn't pay them any attention.
Soon, he was at the front and finally saw the reason why so many people had gathered. The scene before him made his eyes go blank as he muttered, "Not again!"
Before him lay a woman wearing the Academy uniform with striking golden hair with stripes of black. There were faint signs of whiskers on her cheeks that looked more like tattoos.
Surrounding her was a team of Doctors and Alchemists who were trying their best to bring her back to the living world again, but it was futile.
The Artefact they were using to keep her in check already showed her status to every student present there.
A single plain line described her condition.
Dead.
The girl who was an Academy Student had died, and judging by the way her body was changing colours, there were high chances of her being poisoned, which meant only one thing.
A student of the Academy was killed in broad daylight, on their own campus, right under all the security and surveillance. Even the team of top doctors couldn't save her.
Leon stared at the girl's face and had to try his best to keep his emotions in control. He recognised her clearly. Why wouldn't he?
She was one of the main characters of Event Two. She was the one who would be accused of murder. She would be the falsely accused victim.
Yet here she was, lying dead from poison.
Leon raised his head and found Amber standing atop a building. Her beautiful eyes were blank at the moment as she stared at the scene with an indifferent look on her face.
Sensing his gaze, she turned towards him and mouthed her words while keeping the indifferent look.
"This is War!"