Chapter 24: Aftermath – Arianna

Cassis killed the last monster, and Arianna let the Water Barrier dissolve, breathing hard.

The barrier had bought them precious moments during the fight—protecting both herself and Cassis, as well as those upstairs. She could only hope it had been enough.

As the water dissipated, a trickle of mana returned to her, but it was so little compared to what she had spent. Her limbs felt heavy. Exhaustion pressed down on her like a weight, but the familiar chime of a system message rang in her ears.

[Congratulations. You have survived the first monster wave by eliminating all hostile creatures within a 1 km radius. Level gained. Title: Monster Bane I gained. Title: Superior Survivor gained.]

[Error]

[Already overcame the first monster wave]

[Recalculating Rewards...]

[Congratulations. You have survived another monster wave by eliminating all hostile creatures within a 1 km radius. Level gained. Title: Helping Hand gained.]

[Recorded in Avaria’s Hall of Fame]

Arianna frowned. The error message was strange, but she was too drained to think about it now.

Later.

Right now, she needed to get upstairs. There would be injuries.

She turned to climb the stairs, but her legs refused to obey. The moment she shifted her weight, her knees buckled.

She stumbled against Cassis.

His arms wrapped around her, steady and warm. He was tired, too—she could see it in the way his shoulders slumped, in the exhaustion lining his face—but he stayed upright, holding her up with ease.

"Upstairs," she managed to say. "Healing."

Cassis didn’t argue. He simply nodded. He understood.

Before they could move, footsteps pounded against the stairs.

“Cassis! Arianna!”

Danielle came rushing down, her face streaked with dirt and tears. Behind her, Marcus and Liam followed, both looking exhausted but unharmed.

Danielle threw her arms around them, squeezing them tight. “You’re alright!”

Cassis rolled his eyes. “Mom, you knew we were alright. We’re in a party. You can see our status.”

Danielle sniffed, tightening her grip. “It’s not the same as seeing you be alright.”

Danielle finally let them go, stepping back to wipe at her eyes.

Arianna turned to her, trying to focus. “Danielle… does anyone need healing upstairs?”

Danielle’s expression darkened, and Marcus was the one who answered, his voice quiet.

“Five died during the attack. The rest are just injured.”

Arianna swallowed hard. Five. She was so tired. She barely had any mana left. But she could still save some people. So, she forced herself to move. One step at a time, she dragged herself upstairs. When she reached the top, the sight of the dead met her.

Five bodies, laid out carefully. For two bodies not much was left, they had been torn to shreds. Three looked still normal like they were sleeping but with wounds all over them, but Arianna could feel the weight of their loss pressing against her chest.

Could I have saved them?

The thought clawed at her, sharp and painful.

If I had been stronger… faster… could I have—

A warm hand settled on her back. Cassis. He didn’t say much. He didn’t have to.

“Not your fault,” he murmured.

Arianna turned to look at him, their eyes meeting. She knew he was right. She couldn’t save everyone. But it felt like she should be able to. In the other timeline had he felt like this, too?

She took a shaky breath, then turned away from the dead. There were still people she could save.

Seven were in critical condition. Terrence and Helen had already sorted through the injured, prioritizing those who needed immediate care. It was a kindness—one she didn’t have the strength to thank them for. Arianna rolled up her sleeves, ignoring the exhaustion clawing at her bones. One by one, she began to heal.

Arianna healed the last patient, watching as the worst of their wounds sealed shut.

Then, the familiar wave of nausea hit her.

Her head pounded. Her stomach twisted uncomfortably. It was the same as before—mana depletion.

She pressed her hands against her stomach, trying to steady herself, but the room felt like it was tilting.

"Here."

A bottle of water appeared in front of her. Cassis knelt beside her, his expression unreadable but firm. "Drink and meditate. Get your mana back. I'll take care of everything here."

Arianna was too drained to argue. Her voice barely above a whisper, she managed, "Alright. Thanks."

She unscrewed the cap with shaky fingers and took slow sips, the cool water soothing her throat. Then, she shifted into a meditative position, legs crossed, hands resting on her lap.

With a deep breath, she reached inward, focusing on the flow of mana in her body.

She had done this before—following the cool, blue veins of water mana running beneath her skin, feeling the gentle pulse of power moving with her blood, seeing the individual water mana crystals inside the stream of power.

But this time, she tried something new.

Instead of just following the mana inside her, she stretched her senses outward. And she saw it. Tiny crystals of blue mana surrounded her, scattered like mist in the air. She reached for them, trying to pull them toward her.

The mana responded—but sluggishly.

It barely trickled into her.

Her frustration was just beginning to build when she felt it—

A warm pulse against her chest. Her fingers had unconsciously curled around her necklace, the sapphire pendant resting against her skin. And suddenly, it moved.

The sapphire pulled at the outside mana, absorbing the water element from the air and feeding it directly into her.

Arianna gasped at the sensation.

It felt like she was a glass being filled—the mana flowing into her in a steady stream, refreshing her from the inside out.

She adjusted, guiding the new energy to swirl alongside her blood, allowing it to settle naturally into her body.

Already, she felt so much better. Her headache dulled. Her stomach unknotted. She wasn’t fully recovered, but she could function again.

For a while longer, she continued to meditate, still clutching the necklace.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Then, when she was sure she had regained enough mana, she exhaled slowly and opened her eyes. She got up.

Arianna still felt a little off-balance from her meditation, but the moment she stepped toward the group that was still centred around Cassis, Helen intercepted her.

With a warm smile and casual small talk, Helen gently guided her away from the others, leading her into one of the archive rooms.

The room was dim, lit only by the glow of a single computer screen, and cluttered with stacks of paper files.

Arianna was about to ask what this was about when Helen turned to her, expression unreadable.

“Who are you, really?”

Arianna blinked. “What?”

Helen’s lips curled into an amused but knowing smile. “I looked you up in the citizen registry. There’s no record of an Arianna Sloane anywhere.”

Arianna’s heart lurched.

The world government of Avaria kept a meticulous database of its citizens? Of course, they did. How had she not considered that before? In her own world there was no world government only different countries and alliances. If it had been her world, at least she could have said she was from a different country. There were tons of problems verifying people without passports.

She must have gone pale because Helen chuckled lightly. “Don’t look so panicked, dear. I was just curious after that world announcement.” She gestured toward the computer. “This branch is responsible for maintaining the registry for our country. I thought I’d check up on our new ‘heroes.’”

Arianna felt like her throat had closed up.

What could she even say to that?

“I—” She swallowed. “I didn’t know the database still worked.”

Helen nodded. “It barely does. I can’t reach any external networks, but our internal system is still functioning.” She tapped the side of the monitor. “And according to this, you don’t exist.”

Arianna clenched her hands. Shit.

She had no idea how to explain this.

Helen, however, just smiled knowingly. “Don’t worry. I won’t ask questions. You and the Walkers saved my life. That’s good enough for me.”

Arianna exhaled a little.

“But,” Helen continued, “you do need to be registered. Once the government gets their systems back online, they’ll check the database. If they see you’re missing, they’ll start asking questions.”

Arianna shivered at the idea.

Helen powered up the computer, fingers flying across the keyboard.

“Let’s fix that, shall we?”

Arianna barely had time to process before Helen began inputting her details.

Name: Arianna Sloane

Age: 27

Birthdate: August 27, 1997

Birthplace: [Mercy Hospital Vallendale]

Occupation: Accountant

Education: [Reed Elementary School], [Reed Middle and High school], [University of Vallendale – Accounting Masters]

Parents:

* Dean Sloane (deceased, November 19, 2020)

* Mallory Sloane (deceased, August 27, 1998)

No other relatives.

Helen paused and glanced at her. “Current address?”

Arianna hesitated. “I—”

“237 West Elm Street, Apartment 4B, Vallendale, VA 02917.”

Cassis’ voice came from behind her. She turned, surprised to see him standing in the doorway.

“Where is that?” she asked.

“My place,” he said simply. That… made sense. His home was real, already in the system. If anyone asked, they could just say she was staying with him.

“Alright,” she agreed.

Helen nodded in approval and continued filling out the form.

She asked a few more questions—details about Arianna’s supposed life, her job, her history. Cassis helped answer some, making sure they were consistent with her new identity.

Finally, Helen leaned back in her chair, satisfied.

“That should do it.” She typed a few more lines. “I’ll make it look like your record was created at birth and updated later with your adult information.”

Arianna exhaled. “Thank you.”

Helen just waved her off, smiling.

“Thanks, Aunt Helen,” Cassis added, his voice filled with real gratitude.

Arianna blinked. Aunt?

Over the party chat, she sent Cassis a quick message. You’re related?

No, he replied. But she’s one of my mom’s best friends. She’s always been around. She was the ‘fun, adventure aunt.’

That explained a lot.

Still, she couldn’t help but ask, Then, why didn’t you mention coming to save her before?

We thought she was on vacation. We had no idea where she was. It was just luck that she was here.

Arianna turned back to Helen, who was watching them both with a mischievous smile.

“So,” Helen said, tilting her head playfully. “The two of you are living together?”

Arianna frowned, confused by her tone.

Cassis groaned. “Helen—”

Helen ignored him and smirked at Arianna. “Cassis, why didn’t you tell me you had a girlfriend?”

Arianna choked on air. Helen was clearly teasing them, but the implication still caught her off guard. “We’re not—” Arianna started, but Helen just laughed.

Cassis sighed heavily. “Ignore her.”

Helen gave them both a wink before turning serious again.

“I won’t ask questions,” she said, folding her arms. “I’ve seen my fair share of the government’s darker side. I know they have people raised in the shadows—people that don’t officially exist.”

Arianna stiffened.

Helen continued, “When the government gets back on its feet, they will try to use you. It’s better if you move independently.”

Arianna stared at her.

That was… a surprisingly sensible theory.

If Helen thought Arianna was some kind of secret government operative, or a victim of a cover-up, or even a criminal erased from the system—it all made a hell of a lot more sense than the real reason she didn’t exist.

Arianna let out a slow breath and nodded. “Understood.”

Helen smiled. “Good girl.”

Helen finished typing on her computer and leaned back with a satisfied smirk. “You two better get your story straight,” she said, closing out of the screen. “Cassis, your mother is definitely going to have questions about you living together.”

Before either of them could protest, she’d already gone halfway out the door. “I’ll go fill her in,” she added cheerfully, and then she was gone—vanishing in a whirlwind of mischief, the door clicking shut behind her before Arianna could stop her.

Arianna turned to Cassis, wide-eyed. He groaned, running a hand through his hair.

“What do we do now?” she asked.

With a long sigh, he shook his head. “She’s going to tell my mom and dad she looked you up and found out we’re living together. Aunt Helen loves stirring up trouble.” He exhaled. “The easiest way out of this is to come up with a solid reason why we’re living together.”

Arianna thought for a moment. “What if I lost my apartment and you took me in?”

Cassis shook his head. “Doesn’t work. I live in a one-bedroom apartment. Kind of hard to explain two people sharing a space like that if we’re just friends.”

Realization dawned on her. “So you mean…?”

“Yeah,” he said, resigned. “Let’s just pretend we’re in a relationship. It’s the simplest explanation.” He started listing on his fingers. “It explains why we live together—because we were dating and then you lost your place, so you moved in. It explains why you were with me when I was on my way to my mom’s birthday—I was going to introduce you as my girlfriend. And it explains why we’ll basically be together all the time from now on.”

Arianna blinked. “We will?”

Cassis gave her a dry look. “Oh, absolutely. I have this feeling that if I let you out of my sight, you’ll immediately get into trouble.”

Arianna couldn’t even argue with that. She sighed. “Well… I guess that’s settled then.”

Then Cassis looked at her with a wide grin. As he stepped closer, Arianna instinctively backed up until she hit the computer desk. He leaned down slightly, placing his hands on either side of her hips, trapping her in place.

“Um, what...?” she asked, confused.

Cassis grinned down at her. “The last point is that if we end up in situations like this, no one will blink an eye.”

Arianna was suddenly very aware of how close he was. His body heat, the light scent of him—he smelled nice, she realized. How did that work with all the monster blood both of them had on them? His tone was casual, teasing even. Was he playing with her? Cassis? How was he in the mood to joke right now?

But it worked. Her own mood became lighter.

She inhaled sharply and met his gaze. Two could play this game. Smirking, she lifted her hands and placed them on his chest, slowly sliding them up to his shoulders. His eyebrow arched slightly, but he didn’t move away. Instead, she hooked her arms behind his neck, pulling him lower.

What had started as playful banter suddenly shifted into something else. The air between them grew thick with tension. Her eyes flicked from his to his lips—he licked them. She wasn’t sure if she pulled him closer or if he leaned in on his own, but their lips were about to meet when—

The door slammed open.

Danielle strode in.

Arianna and Cassis sprang apart, but it was too late—Danielle had already seen them. Arianna liked Danielle, she really did, but thinking back to that morning, she was almost certain Danielle had been the one to slam the door so loudly and interrupt them then, too. And now again. That woman had the worst timing.

Danielle folded her arms and gave them both a knowing look, her lips curving into a smirk. “So… are either of you going to explain what I just walked in on, or do I have to start making my own wildly entertaining assumptions?”

Arianna felt her face heat up. “It’s not—”

“It’s exactly what it looked like,” Cassis cut in smoothly, shooting Arianna a glance before turning back to his mother. “Arianna and I are together.”

Danielle’s eyebrows shot up. “Together, huh?” She narrowed her eyes at them, but there was more amusement than suspicion in her gaze. “Funny how you forgot to mention that earlier.”

“We weren’t really planning on making a big deal out of it yet,” Cassis said with an easy shrug. “Given the whole, you know, apocalypse situation.”

Danielle hummed, unconvinced. “Uh-huh. Helen has just discovered that you two live together, and now I walk in on you looking very cozy? But it’s not a big deal to know my son is living with his girlfriend?”

Arianna cleared her throat, trying to steer the conversation before Danielle pushed further. “It’s… a recent thing. We were going to tell you about it on Friday.”

Danielle tapped a finger against her chin, considering. “Well, I suppose it does make sense. You’ve always been the overprotective type, Cassis. And Arianna, you are nice enough but you seem to jump into danger quite often.”

Arianna groaned. “I do not—”

“She absolutely does,” Cassis said at the same time.

Danielle laughed, shaking her head. She noticed Marcus and Liam who had also come in and fills them in. Marcus warmly smiled at her and Liam happily waved at her. “Well, welcome to the family, Arianna.” Danielle pulled her into a quick hug before stepping back with a wink. “This is a great birthday present. My forever single son finally brought home a serious girlfriend. And he’s even living with her.”

Some tears came to Arianna’s eyes. She hadn’t been called family for years now and it hit differently hearing Danielle say it. Cassis noticed. Without a word, he pulled her into a tight embrace, shielding her face from the others so they wouldn’t see the tears welling in her eyes.

Guilt twisted in her stomach. Deceiving them felt wrong—these were good people. And then, as if the universe itself had heard her thoughts, a system message appeared.

[+50 CP (for deceiving mortals)]

Arianna stared at it, momentarily speechless.

Her inner scale shifted slightly. It still leaned toward the virtuous side—she had saved mortals again, after all—but not as much as before. And if the system considered this deception, then what about everything else?

The entire Sapphire persona was a lie. She was deceiving all these kind people.

[+50 CP (for deceiving mortals)]

And the false identity Helen had created for her? That had to be worse. She had deceived not just individuals, but an entire government.

[+100 CP (for deceiving a mortal government)]

Arianna sighed internally. Sometimes, she really didn’t understand the system.