Chapter 91: Something is changing

"So, what are we going to do?" Jean asked as they stood together in the kitchen, cleaning the dishes.

Well, Kai was doing most of the work while Jean merely wiped the dishes dry. She had insisted on helping despite having done nearly everything else that day, and Kai had wanted her to rest for a change. Unfortunately, when Jean made up her mind about something, there was rarely any winning an argument with her.

"Hmm, about the family situation..." Kai paused to rinse a plate before continuing. "I believe your father already knows we’re living here."

His words caused Jean to fall silent, even though she had already reached the same conclusion herself.

Back then, the way Christella had spoken to the person on the other end of the call had made it obvious that she was afraid of them. The more Jean thought about it, the more she realized there were very few people capable of provoking such a reaction from her sister.

Then there had been Christella’s final warning about their peaceful life being disrupted. It suggested that someone else had already become involved in the situation, and Jean and Kai didn’t need many clues to guess who that person might be.

"I feel like I’ve failed you in a way," Kai admitted with a helpless smile. "You spent the past two years living life on your own terms, managing to keep your family at a distance. Then you spend just ten days with me, and they already know where to find you."

Jean turned toward him, her expression softening. "You know that can’t be called a mistake, and that I could never regret it, right?"

Kai nodded. "True. And I’m not going to call our reunion a mistake, either. But I have a feeling the chaos about to surround us will be far worse than anything we’ve faced so far."

Jean suddenly reached for his hand. His fingers were still covered by damp gloves from washing the dishes, but she held them without the slightest hesitation.

"It doesn’t matter. I don’t know, maybe this will sound dramatic, but I feel like we can overcome anything simply because we know what we want."

Kai looked at her in surprise. He understood why she had said that. She was reminding him of their earlier conversation, when he had told her how she should be stubborn about what she wanted.

The tension in his expression gradually eased, and he nodded.

"Right. We’ll overcome it somehow."

Jean smiled, apparently satisfied with his answer. "Can you finish up here? I’ll go check on Elara and prepare the bed."

"Of course."

With that, Jean left the kitchen, leaving Kai to finish the remaining dishes by himself.

As he rinsed the last few plates and wiped them dry, he recalled the reward he had received earlier. There was one particular skill whose description had caught his attention, and he finally decided to ask the system about it.

’What was that Link Click skill?’

[Name: Link Connect]

[Rank: A]

[Description: Allows the two linked individuals to share thoughts, emotions, and perceptions as their relationship develops. Upon reaching a higher stage of the skill, the host will even be able to exchange positions with their partner, allowing them to rescue each other from dangerous situations.]

’Sounds like another combat ability. Though, I suppose not everything has to be about fighting.’

Kai didn’t consider the skill useless. Far from it. The ability to share perceptions could prove invaluable if Jean ever found herself in a dangerous situation.

Even if he couldn’t reach her immediately, being able to perceive what she was experiencing would give him a much better chance of understanding the situation and responding accordingly.

[For now, Host, the ability will allow you to use telepathy. However, since your partner does not possess mana, only you can transmit your thoughts to her. She will not be able to send her thoughts back through the link.]

Kai raised his eyebrows slightly.

’So I can talk to her telepathically, but she can’t answer me the same way?’

The system’s explanation made sense, but he couldn’t help feeling that the ability was a little one-sided at its current stage.

Still, if the skill could eventually allow them to exchange perceptions and even switch places, he wasn’t about to complain.

For now, simply being able to communicate with Jean without speaking aloud could already prove useful.

And if the day ever came when she was in danger, he would gladly take advantage of every benefit the skill had to offer.

After finishing the dishes, Kai decided to call it a day and head to bed. He had already made plans for the following morning to contact Adam and perhaps arrange a temporary change of residence.

For the time being, he believed the barrier would keep them safe. That should give him some breathing room to focus on his training, perhaps even increase its intensity a little and see how much progress he could make.

"Haah..." Kai let out a weary sigh as he made his way to bed.

It seemed he had some long days ahead of him.

...

"Hmm?"

Adam was taken aback when he arrived to find the surveillance department bustling with activity at such an late hour.

His attention had immediately shifted from Kai’s file to the room beyond the glass partition, where several employees were gathered around their workstations, exchanging urgent remarks while keeping their eyes fixed on the screens.

Something was clearly wrong.

Adam didn’t waste any time making his way into the office. The moment he stepped inside, a few words caught his attention.

"It’s about to move."

Adam’s expression changed.

"The Void?"

The staff members turned toward him at once, several straightening instinctively at the sight of their superior.

Adam groaned in irritation. "Forget the formalities and tell me what’s happening. What’s the status?"

His junior, Dave, was the first to respond.

"The Void has been showing signs of another jump. And this time, the scale of the shift could surpass anything we’ve witnessed before."

Adam approached the main screen, his gaze narrowing as he examined the readings displayed across it. It didn’t take long for him to understand why everyone was so tense.

Under normal circumstances, the Void underwent a noticeable contraction before initiating a shift. The enormous black ring would gradually shrink, reducing its overall dimensions before the phenomenon reached its next stage.

Even at its usual size, the Void was large enough to swallow an entire cargo ship. Its periodic contractions had long been regarded as part of its natural cycle, possibly a means of conserving energy before unleashing another wave of monsters immediately after the shift.

It was a pattern the surveillance department had observed and documented repeatedly.

But never had the Void contracted to this extent.

Adam stared at the image on the screen, momentarily unable to conceal his disbelief.

The colossal black ring had shrunk until it was barely larger than a donut.

For several seconds, nobody spoke. The room was filled only with the low hum of machinery and the faint clicking of keyboards as the employees continued monitoring the readings.

Adam’s expression grew grim.

I believe... this is its final stretch.

His fingers curled slightly as he studied the screen.

And the most destructive one as well.