Chapter 99- Heir (Part 1)

Chapter 99: Chapter 99- Heir (Part 1)

Chapter 99- Heir (Part 1)

Venera looked into Rize’s eyes, and all she could see was worry. Worry plagued his mind, and he didn’t know what to do about it. He was worried about the future, about the changes in the story, about Venera, and of course, about himself.

Was he truly ready to face these changes? Was he really the person who could survive the world birthed from these changes?

It wasn’t merely that the people around him were not the same. There was a war brewing in the distance; his enemies were now unknown, and he had to face all of that with no practical guidance or prior knowledge except for a few things. Rize feared failing more than anything, so even then, he felt like the entire weight of the world was on his back.

There, for the first time, Venera didn’t say a word. She just nodded her head. What else could she even say? Rize seemed set on carrying that burden, and she knew changing his mind would be impossible.

"Thank you," Rize said.

After a few moments of silence, Venera spoke. "Then you have to also promise me one thing."

"Hm?" Rize turned to look at her. The girl turned to him again as she grabbed the necklace.

"You wouldn’t carry the burden alone."

"What..."

"The burden you’re carrying right now, I don’t want you to carry it alone," Venera said. "You have me. Let me carry that burden with you."

Venera knew she couldn’t change his mind, but she at least wanted him to rely on her as much as she relies on him. They were companions, and it was only right that she give him help when he needed it too.

Rize was stunned by those words. He didn’t know how to reply for a few seconds before... He started laughing.

"Hm?" Venera frowned. "What?"

"I’m sorry, it’s just... You’re really the nicest person I have ever met. I can’t believe you even exist, Venera." Rize replied. "I truly can’t believe that..."

Just saying those words reminded him that Venera, technically, didn’t exist... or shouldn’t exist. After all, this world, these people, and he himself were all ink on a sheet of paper not that long ago. Their world was supposed to be entertainment and not reality.

Yet, here he was, standing in that same world, fighting for his life.

"Will you promise me?" Venera asked.

"I... promise."

"Good."

"And..." Rize pursed his lips as he pushed himself off the rails. "There is something I want to tell you. When the time is right, I want you to listen to me, ok?"

"Hm? What is it?" Venera asked.

"Now isn’t the right time." He said as he looked away, his expression a bit dark. His heart ached just thinking about it. If he told her that he wasn’t from this world and who he truly was. Would she hate him? Would she feel disgusted?

The thought alone scared him, and yet, he knew that this was the right thing to do. He had to tell Venera the truth one day. He couldn’t escape his past forever; he had to face it at some point and come to accept who he was. However, to take that kind of step, he had to pass this humongous mental block.

’Not now... Not... now.’ He thought to himself.

"Are you ready to go, Venera?" Rize asked.

The girl stared at him silently for a moment. She didn’t know what this ’thing’ he wanted to tell her was, but she wasn’t going to push him to tell her now. She was certain that when he finally decided to tell her, he would.

After all, they still had a long life ahead of them. A life filled with adventures. Whatever was going to happen was bound to happen.

Only time could truly tell what awaited them.

***

The city celebrated Venera’s awakening greatly. The festival lasted for several days, during which the capital was able to smile for the first time in a long time.

People needed that outlet to forget about the fear and worry they were experiencing every day and to see Venera, the hope of their empire, awaken and show them that she was truly the beautiful star they always thought of. Safe to say the hope grew in their hearts again and the fear of the war became less prominent.

But eventually, the festival was over, and the work started again. The accelerated war preparations continued steadily, and the hour of the truth slowly got closer and closer.

On the fifth day since the awakening, Rize woke up as usual and got ready for his day. There were no major commitments for Venera. She was focused on learning about her new abilities and training hard to catch up with Rize.

So, he decided to take that time to go out hunting again. However, just as he left the room, he looked through the window and saw several cars arrive at the palace’s parking area. He frowned.

’Hm? Who is arriving this early at the palace?’ He frowned. Rize was familiar with Generals and other important delegates coming and going, but that usually happens later in the day. Even more than that, he heard the butlers and maids scurrying around, looking panicked.

If someone important was coming this early, surely everyone would be aware? Surely Rize himself would be notified of that. So, he instantly grabbed his phone and called the only person who might know what was happening.

"Hey, Rob, who are the newcomers? Should I go to Her Highness?"

"I’m checking. They have come unannounced. It’s... A very interesting visitor indeed." Rob said with a weirdly unamused tone. That man is usually all smiles and positivity. It made Rize realize that this person wasn’t good at all.

’The fact that they have the guts to come unannounced to the palace and be accepted in either case.’ Rize frowned as he headed to Venera’s room.

As he reached her quarters, he saw her walk out.

"Good morning." He said.

"Good morning."

"Um, there is..."

"Yeah, I’m aware." She said with an oddly annoyed look on her face. Venera looked around her before she pulled Rize. "Listen, Rize. I want you to be very careful of this person, and when I say careful, I mean really careful."

"Who is he?"

"You will see in a second. But don’t fall for anything he says; it’s all lies. He’s not a good person. He is a demon in human skin."

Just hearing those words and seeing that look in Venera’s eyes made Rize even more wary. For Rob and Venera to behave this way, he was now extremely curious as to who this person was. With that, he walked downstairs with Venera just as a huge delegation of butlers and Maids lined up on both sides of the gates.

’Why are they doing all of this? Who the hell is this person?’ Rize frowned even deeper as he walked after Venera.

At that moment, the gates opened, and a silhouette appeared before them. The moment Rize’s eyes fell on the man, he squinted slightly, almost as if he was trying to identify the person. It didn’t take him a second for his eyes to widen slightly.

Then, a small, cold smile appeared on his face. ’So this is who they were talking about... Makes perfect sense.’

The moment the man stepped inside, the entire place felt like it shrunk. His presence was incredibly strong, but not because of raw power. Something about him was simply very odd, almost like the man was shrouded in a layer of darkness.

All the butlers and maids bowed down.

Behind him, several men followed inside; they were his guards. He eventually came to a stop before Venera.

The man was young; in fact, Rize could tell that he was 17, just like them. How could he tell? Well, because the young man standing before him was one of the most popular characters in the entire story of ’Magus Of The Reverse World’.

The young man was incredibly handsome, with striking blonde hair and green eyes. He had the kind of innocent look that would make someone feel instantly comfortable around them. Even the air around him instantly became warm the moment he got close.

"Venera~," He said. "It has been a while. How have you been?"

"... I’ve been living... Fate." She said.

’Yeah, this guy’s name is Fate. Quite the arrogant name.’ Rize thought to himself. ’Fate Thorinn. The heir to the Red Fang clan. He is one of the most important characters in the story. A villain, of course. But that’s not the most important part.’

Rize thought to himself as he watched the young man go on his knees, grab Venera’s hand, and kiss it gently.

"It is my honor to see you again, my beloved princess." He said with a warm smile. His eyes filled with love. If someone saw him, they would feel moved by his sincere emotions and words. Everyone except for two people.

Rize watched that with cold eyes. ’He is also Venera’s future fiancé.’