Chapter 33 New developments – Cassis

Back at home, Cassis stored the groceries in the kitchen, working in practiced silence. Meanwhile, Arianna busied herself putting away the clothes she’d just bought, and he found himself clearing out space in his closet for her to hang them.

It felt… strange. Too natural. Too intimate.

He had lived with past girlfriends before, but this was different. Domestic in a way that unsettled him. He had already felt it when they were shopping for groceries together. The thought of buying clothes with her, spending more mundane time with her had been very alluring. And at the same time deeply uncomfortable.

For a fleeting moment, the thought crossed his mind—if things had been different, would this be what it was like to truly live with her?

But he shut it down before it could take root. He had no right to think that way.

Sure she didn’t have any parents left alive in her world, but what about grandparents, friends, … lovers? She had had her own life and then was taken here. Sure, she may have died in that car accident she had told him about. But he could have just wished for her safety, and she would still be with him as his patron. Safe in her world.

But now Arianna was here because of him, because of his reckless, misguided wish for revenge. He had plenty of time to reflect on it by now, and he knew one thing for certain—no matter what, they could never be together.

Not with this secret between them.

One day, he would have to tell her the truth. She deserved that much. And when she found out, she would hate him for it. That was inevitable.

But what haunted him more than her hatred was the possibility that she might be disgusted by him.

What if she despised him not just for his deception, but because he had started a relationship with her knowing what he had done?

Could he really bear to see that look on her face?

And yet, no matter how much she might hate him, he had to make sure she could survive without him. That was the only way to make things right. If she rejected him, if she never wanted to see him again—how could he protect her then?

The only solution was to make her strong enough to live, to thrive, even if he wasn’t there. If he could atone for his mistake in any way, it was this. If necessary, he would die for her. But he would protect her at all costs.

And if—if—he could find that wishing lamp again, maybe he could take her back.

If not… she would have to keep living in his world. And for that to happen, he had to save it. An impossible task…

He suddenly realized that he loved her, had always loved her even in the other timeline when he’d known her as only a mysterious being called a patron, a disembodied voice sharing his hardships. He realized that she wasn’t merely important but that she was the most important person in his life. He didn’t know yet if he was in love with her, but the attraction was there. If only …

Cassis exhaled slowly, dragging his gaze back to her as she put away the last of her clothes.

Arianna turned to him, studying his face. "Something wrong?"

"No. Nothing." The lie was easy, practiced.

He shifted, pushing past the thoughts weighing him down. "It’s still early. I thought we could do our basic training now. Even if we skip sparring today, we should still work on endurance, strength, and weapon drills."

Arianna groaned. "No break today?"

"No."

She sighed, rubbing her temples. "I hate this."

But she understood. He could see it in her eyes.

Without another word, they left for the park.

They started with a run—long, steady strides to build stamina—before moving on to strength and balance exercises. Then, they worked on weapons training, each movement sharpening muscle memory, refining technique.

Cassis was in the middle of guiding Arianna through a set when his phone buzzed.

On the display Helen’s name appeared. He let Arianna continue with her training and went away to answer the phone.

Cassis pressed the phone tighter against his ear, forcing himself to focus as Helen spoke.

"Sorry for only calling now, but there have been quite a few developments. Let me start with why it took so long."

Her voice was brisk, efficient, but there was an undercurrent of tension beneath it.

"The military found your cousin Selena’s two children while clearing their neighbourhood. They’re both under fourteen, so they were protected by the system. And now, we finally understand how the system actually protects them."

Cassis’ breath hitched. He hadn't expected this.

"Selena and her husband, Antonio, were home when everything started. They were lucky at first—safe. But then, in the last hour, during the frenzy, monsters found their way inside. They fought… but they didn’t last long."

His stomach clenched.

"The monsters ignored the children."

Helen took a sharp breath before continuing.

"Matteo—their oldest—tried to protect his mother. He stepped in front of her, thinking that his protection would extend to her."

A cold weight settled in Cassis' chest.

"It didn’t. The monster attacked right through him, as if he weren’t even there. He wasn’t hurt at all—he couldn’t even feel it. But his mother behind him? She took the full force of the attack."

Cassis closed his eyes briefly.

"Matteo then attacked the monster but he also just passed through. Selena managed to kill the monster, so at least… at least their parents weren’t eaten in front of them. But she died soon after from her injuries. Before she did, she told Matteo to find the Walkers. She probably was reminded of you because of the world announcement."

Cassis swallowed hard.

"But Matteo… he broke down. He had enough sense to get his sister Felicia away from the bodies, and they must have stayed in the neighbouring room for the next two days before the soldiers found them."

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The image of two terrified children huddled together in a ruined home burned into his mind.

"When they were found, Matteo told the soldiers he had family—the Walkers from the world announcement. So, the officer had them brought to your parents' house today."

Helen’s voice turned grim.

"He first introduced himself as Officer Dan Brice."

Cassis’ grip on the phone tightened so hard his knuckles turned white.

"That bastard."

His mind raced, memories flashing through his head. How could Brice show up now? It was too soon. He needed to bury that vile man before it was too late.

But Helen wasn’t finished.

"Matteo and Felicia are safe. Your parents are taking care of them, and they’ll stay there for the foreseeable future since no other relatives have been found."

Cassis barely heard her. His thoughts were still tangled around Brice. But then her words started registering again.

Selena’s children had survived.

His mother had been the youngest of three sisters—Celeste, Marianne, then her. Selena was Celeste’s daughter. He remembered her vaguely, ten years older than him, always with a kind but teasing smile. He hadn’t seen her in years after his mother had inherited her parent’s house in the countryside and her sister had only gotten some money. It was a terrible fight. But his mother had hoped to reconcile one day.

And now Selena was gone, the others probably, too. He had expected that. It had been the same in the other timeline.

But her children had survived. The system kept its promise. The children were being protected. But as a price it unleashed a new horror on them: They had watched their parents die without being able to do anything.

He exhaled slowly. He needed to think more logically about it. All these emotions wouldn’t help him right now.

He had wondered how the system would protect the children. It sounded like it puts them on another plane of existence, completely phased away from the monsters. A famous awakener in the other timeline had mastered the space element and could phase for a few seconds to avoid attacks. It sounded eerily similar, just more permanent in the system’s case.

"I’m glad they’re safe," he said finally. Then, quieter, "No word on my other two cousins?"

Helen hesitated. "Nothing. If they haven’t been found by now, they’re most likely—"

"I know."

A silence stretched between them for a moment. He had known but they had changed so many things. So there had been a chance …

Helen gave him a bit of time before she continued.

"Now, about Brice. He made your parents an offer."

Cassis frowned.

"He wants them to work for the government. The Awakener Bureau, specifically. They’d get access to gates, military resources, and opportunities to grow stronger. All for the good of the world, of course. Blah blah blah."

Cassis scoffed.

"Your parents didn’t bite. He also dangled a reward in front of them, wanting to honour their achievements publicly, but it was clear he was just scoping them out."

"Of course he was."

"I’m sure he knows as well as I do that you and Arianna were the real reason they survived. He’ll definitely come for you next—with his real offer."

Helen’s tone sharpened, edged with concern.

"And one more thing, Cassis. I watched the video of the fight."

His muscles tensed.

"Since when have you been able to fight like that?"

His pulse spiked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," she said carefully, "you shouldn’t be able to move like that. It’s not the kind of skill you get from sparring in a gym. The way you fight… it’s like you’ve been doing it for years. Like you’ve fought for your life before. Is there something you want to tell me?"

Cassis’ throat went dry.

How the hell could she tell from that fight? His level had been too low to move at his best. How much did she know about combat?

The suspicion crept back in.

"How do you…?" His voice came out hoarse.

"It’s best not to talk about this on the phone." Helen’s voice was firm. "I’ll visit you tomorrow morning. And I want answers, young man."

The call ended with a soft click. Cassis lowered the phone slowly. Great. What the hell was he going to do now?

Cassis walked back toward Arianna, who was still swinging her mace in steady arcs. Her movements had gotten smoother, more controlled. He almost hesitated to interrupt—training kept them grounded, kept them ready—but this was more important.

“Arianna,” he called.

She halted mid-swing, lowering the mace as she turned to him. Sweat dampened her hairline, but her eyes were sharp as they met his. “Any news?”

He took a breath and nodded. “I just got off the phone with Helen. There’s a lot we need to talk about.”

She wiped her brow and gave him her full attention.

He started with the children. How the military had found them. How the system’s protection had worked—keeping them untouchable by the monsters but doing nothing for their parents.

As he spoke, Arianna grew pale. Her grip on the mace tightened.

“That means… there must be thousands of children like them,” she said, her voice quiet but edged with horror. “Kids who survived while their parents were slaughtered in front of them. How many are orphans now?”

Cassis hadn’t even considered that. But now that she said it, the thought sent a chill down his spine. The system hadn’t saved these children. It had only ensured their survival.

Arianna shook her head, her jaw clenching. “What happens to them now? Who takes care of them?”

“I don’t know,” Cassis admitted. “The government will probably try to set something up, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be good for them.”

Arianna exhaled slowly, as if trying to push away the overwhelming weight of it all. But she nodded, accepting that there was nothing they could do at this moment.

“There's more,” he said. “Dan Brice was the one who brought them to my parents’ house.”

Arianna’s head snapped up. Her expression shifted instantly—alert, calculating.

“What?”

He could tell she recognized the name immediately.

“How is that possible?” she asked. “In the other timeline, you never even met him in person.”

Cassis nodded grimly. “Yeah. I just knew of him. Everyone did. He was the driving force behind the whole Freedom Through Strength initiative.”

Arianna’s lips pressed into a thin line. “That ‘initiative’ was just a nice way of saying awakener slavery.”

Cassis gritted his teeth. “Yeah.”

Freedom Through Strength. That was what Brice had called it, dressing up forced servitude as necessary for survival. Awakening was a gift, he had said, but awakeners needed to become more powerful to survive. And so, the government had placed slave collars on anyone under C-rank, forcing them into its military ranks. They had no choice but to fight. Only those who reached C-rank could break free, the collars unable to hold them anymore.

For years, awakeners had clawed their way through dungeons and battlefields, desperate to reach that rank—not just for strength, but for freedom. That had been his system. Brice’s. And now he was here. Already.

Cassis’ mind spiralled with the implications. What if he started the same initiative even earlier this time? When and where had he found the prototype of the slave collar in the other timeline.

He clenched his fists. Maybe it was a good thing that they were meeting him now. Maybe he could kill him before any of that could happen. Was there a way? Could he make it look like an accident?

Arianna shifted slightly, as if sensing the direction of his thoughts. She spoke calmly, but her words were firm.

“He hasn’t done anything yet,” she reminded him. “We can’t punish him for something that hasn’t happened.”

Cassis exhaled sharply through his nose.

“Alright,” he muttered, though the agreement tasted bitter in his mouth.

Arianna studied him, then continued, “Besides, we can’t do anything. Not now. It would be too suspicious if he just disappeared after visiting us.”

That was a reason Cassis had to acknowledge. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t kill the bastard. One way or another, he would. Definitely.

Cassis exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair. “There’s one more thing,” he said, his voice heavier now. “Helen. She wants answers.”

Arianna’s brows furrowed. “What kind of answers?”

“She watched the fight.” His fingers curled into a fist. “She noticed something was off—how I moved, how I fought. She said I moved like someone who’s been fighting for their life for years, not just training for sport.”

Arianna’s lips parted slightly in surprise, but she didn’t interrupt.

“She wants to talk,” Cassis continued, voice growing tense. “Face to face. Tomorrow morning.”

Arianna hesitated, then asked, “What if… you just tell her the truth?”

Cassis stilled. He had expected her to suggest ways to deflect, to lie, to mislead Helen. But this? He met Arianna’s gaze, searching for any hint of doubt. But she wasn’t joking. She was serious.

“Do you think she’d believe you?” Arianna asked softly.

Cassis opened his mouth, then closed it again.

Would she?

He had thought he knew Helen well. She had been like an aunt to him, always watching out for him, pushing him to be better, taking him on adventures. But now he wasn’t sure. Not just about whether she would believe him—but whether he could even trust her.

The way she had seen through his movements so easily after just one fight… It wasn’t normal. Most people wouldn’t notice. Hell, most trained fighters wouldn’t notice.

And what if she really was a spy? He had imagined it as a child, but what if that was the truth? What if she still had ties to the government? What if she wasn’t just his mother’s best friend, but something more?

Could he risk it?

His jaw tightened, uncertainty churning in his chest. Arianna must have seen the turmoil in his eyes, because she reached out, placing a gentle hand on his wrist.

Her voice softened. “Let’s go home first,” she said, her words a quiet anchor in the storm of his thoughts. “Take a break. Shower, eat something. We’ll figure this out.”

Cassis exhaled, letting some of the tension drain from his shoulders. She was right. He needed to clear his mind before making any decisions. Without another word, he let her take his hand, their fingers lacing together as they walked back toward his apartment. Together.