NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1566: Alma's Grandma
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"My parents are too far away to ask them to come, and I didn't want them to risk it anyway…" Emily said, crossing her arms. "At least they're safe in Brooklyn. The tremors only caused a few small buildings and statues to crumble, but the older structures proved surprisingly resilient."
"I'm glad to hear that, Emily," I said with a nod. "I hope we can meet them someday."
"Absolutely! I'd love for you all to visit Brooklyn with me. I'd treat you to pizza at my family's restaurant," Emily said with a giggle. "You'll adore my mother's special Bolognese sauce recipe."
"That sounds delightful!" Emeraldine said, smiling. "We could go, couldn't we, Maria?"
"Well… if we're not pressed for time, perhaps," I replied. "But let's avoid making promises for now. We don't know what the Tower has in store, so we'd better stay cautious."
"Right…" Lucifer said, nodding. "Hm? Alma's over there. She's approaching with… someone else? Who is that?"
"Eh?" I turned to see Alma walking slowly toward us, accompanied by someone.
It was…
An elderly woman.
She bore a striking resemblance to Alma, with pink and gray hair and vivid green eyes.
She exuded warmth, her gentle smile complemented by a black dress and a matching summer hat.
"Sorry for being late, everyone! This is my grandmother," Alma said, beaming.
"H-Hello, everyone… Please forgive me, my English is… not very good," Alma's grandmother said softly.
"Oh, no, it's wonderful, don't worry," I said, smiling warmly. "I'm honored to meet you."
So this was truly her—Alma's grandmother!
She was Alma's only surviving family member and held a special place in her heart.
"A-Ahh, these are my friends…!" Alma said, her cheeks flushing redder. "T-This is… um, Maria, who I told you about… on the phone…"
"Hi…" I said, offering a nervous greeting.
"S-She's…" Alma continued, stepping to my side and grasping my arm. "M-my girlfriend…"
"Hmm! I see…" her grandmother said, nodding. She approached me, tilting her head to meet my gaze. "What are your intentions with my granddaughter?"
"E-Eh?!" I gasped. "I…!"
"A-Aaah! Grandma! Don't say things like that…!" Alma said, her face growing redder. "I'm so sorry, Maria! I-I didn't think she'd say that…"
"No, it's alright," I said, managing a smile. "My intentions? Well, my only goal is to make her happy… Alma is an incredible person, and… I truly love her deeply."
"Oho…" the grandmother said, raising an eyebrow and nodding. "Your heart is sincere… yet, there's a profound darkness within you… not malevolent, but a scar left by past traumas. You've endured much, haven't you, dear?"
She patted my arm with a gentle smile.
"Ah?" I said, taken aback.
It was as if she could peer into my Dream Heart.
How did she discern my powers so effortlessly?!
Who is this woman?
I had assumed she was an ordinary person.
But… she's a Dream Warrior too?!
"Grandma, don't read people's hearts like that out of nowhere. It's rude, you know?" Alma said, pouting charmingly. "Maria has already shared much of her past with me… And yes, she… she's been through a lot, but haven't we all?"
"This world… and perhaps the other worlds that will connect to ours," Alma's grandmother said, her green eyes gleaming like stars piercing the cosmos. "They share a common thread… suffering. People endure such immense pain that this darkness spills from them… sometimes, we harness that darkness, and it becomes our greatest strength… other times, it consumes us and transforms us into malevolent beings."
Is she referring to Nightmares?
No, other worlds? Could she mean… Odin?!
And other beings in other worlds, like the Vampires and Cultivators…
Perhaps even the Mermen from Atlantis or the Humans from Earth.
She's right. If there's one thing uniting all the worlds within the Tower, it's suffering.
I understand now why Ginnungagap seeks to destroy the Tower. It orchestrates endless tragedy, manipulating fate to drive worlds into cycles of destruction!
My goodness, is this how the Tower amasses its power and energy? It would be too slow otherwise.
It farms… the suffering of trillions of beings.
The Heavenly Father and the High Administrators harvest this power to grow ever stronger.
And I… I am one who has tamed their darkness and gained immense power.
Incredible…
Wait! How does she know all this?!
"W-What…?" I said, stunned. It felt as though she saw not only through me but also the worlds I'd visited…
How did she already know about the Tower and other worlds?
Did Alma tell her?
"I'm sorry… I told her about you coming from another world… I thought she wouldn't believe me, but then she performed a Divination and… learned a great deal," Alma said with a sheepish smile. "I… Uh, sorry."
"It's fine…" I said, exhaling. "I'm simply astounded. Your grandmother is extraordinary. What is this Divination, though?"
"Grandma is…" Alma said softly. "Well, she's our village's Dream Diviner. It's a rare power some Dream Warriors develop in old age as they explore the Dreams and their connections to our world and the stars."
"Ahh…" I said, amazed.
"I saw you… in one of my dreams already," the old woman said with a giggle. "You've vanquished this world's great darkness, the force designed to harvest endless suffering from our people… and you've absorbed it, transforming it into even greater power… I commend you. You're a remarkable person. And… though I'm quite surprised, I'm glad my dear granddaughter found someone like you. I was a bit startled, though! I had hoped she'd find a young man, not a young woman… but in the end, it's fine, as long as my dear Alma is happy."
She knows I consumed that entity too?!
"G-Grandma! Thank you for your blessings…" Alma cried happily, as she hugged her and then she hugged me and then she hugged her again. "I-I was nervous at first… I wasn't sure myself that you would accept it, we never really talked about stuff like that after all… I-I mean, we didn't have to, I… with Maria it was the first time I genuinely liked a girl… before it was always boys I had crushes with…"
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