Alexia

Once Astrid finishes up, we both head back to the base where we meet with everyone there, including the still-tied-up-former-prince. At which point I notify everyone that I’ll be leaving.

To my pleasant surprise, most of them don’t actually seem relieved about that like I had expected. Since I know most of them felt very uncomfortable with me around when I first got here.

Guess they grew comfortable around me over the time I’ve been here? Or they just realized I’m not a crazy person going around killing everyone.

Could also just be that they liked my protection.

What surprises me the most though is that William – who everyone has agreed to not call a prince anymore since he’s, well, not one – doesn’t even look relieved that I’ll be leaving. But then again, I guess he doesn’t have much choice but to work with the group now that his own is dead. And I doubt he wants to go off into the wilderness alone.

From what I’ve seen, aside from the fact that the guy let the Cassandra girl betray him after she betrayed the princess and ran – the only person who got away across one of the bridges before I got out of the dungeon – he’s a rather intelligent guy. Just that he’s also a typical prince who doesn’t like working under others, even if one of those others is his sister.

I glance from the group, who are now talking amongst themselves rather casually since the announcement that I’m leaving was made, to look at the island that’s quickly approaching.

Speaking of that Cassandra girl, I hope the island that’s currently approaching is the one she went to. Because I’d like to have a ‘talk’ with that girl.

I glance over when I sense someone approaching, only to find it to be Aidan as he waves and says, “Heya Lexi!”

That has me smiling, since he’s been slightly distant since I got out of the dungeon. Although nowhere near as distant as the others.

“Hey Aidan,” I say back with a wave of my own.

Once he reaches me at my tree at the edge of the base, he sits down next to me and asks, “So when are you going to be coming back again next?”

I raise both of my eyebrows in surprise as I answer, “You worried?”

He snorts at that, leaning his head back against the rather large tree. To the point of being unnaturally large. Mostly because of someone’s magic, since the trees bordering the edge of the jungle next to the base were all made like that to help protect from monster attacks.

“Maybe a little, but I also know Astrid will be worrying her head off if you don’t come back within a month,” Aidan answers, not looking at me in the process.

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Right.

I smile as I lean back against the tree as well, looking up at the evening sky with about a foot of space between me and Aidan.

Personally, I have no interest in romance or anything like that. Never really have.

But Astrid’s different. And Aidan has had a crush on her for a while.

Not that she’d ever notice.

Come to think of it, I don’t think it’d even be possible for me to have a partner anymore anyways. It’s just not possible to breed across Class. Only chance I’d have at that is if I got with another Class S species.

I ponder over that for a second before mentally shrugging my shoulders with indifference.

Never wanted any kids anyways. Or a romantic partner for that matter.

I just don’t do well with making close attachments to others. Except Astrid, of course.

“Make sure Astrid doesn’t get herself into any trouble while I’m gone,” I tell Aidan, only to feel something elbowing me in the back while an energy source appears right next to me, also sitting down. Then I hear Astrid say, “If anyone would be getting herself into trouble it’d be you.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I feign ignorance, continuing to stare up at the sky.

Astrid just snorts at that while leaning up against me, resting her head on my shoulder.

“If you die then I’ll kill you,” she says, making me snort in amusement myself.

“Yeah, yeah,” I reply to her, ignoring the chuckling Aidan next to us. “Although I question where you might find a necromancer near here. Much less one that can raise a Class S species.”

She stays silent for a few seconds before muttering, “I’ll find a way.”

I glance down at her with a raised brow without saying anything.

“I will,” she repeats with a firm nod of her head despite her head being on my shoulder. Then she glances to the side and quietly adds, “Can make Aidan find one too.”

“Hey!” he shouts, making me smirk as I look back up at the sky again. At the clouds that are currently moving further away.

I blink at that realization.

The clouds were getting closer before, but now they’re moving away.

Guess the island is going in a different direction than it was right after the Tutorial ended.

I don’t know how close the islands are going to get, but since the part of the island at the base that used to be ruins looks kind of like it can connect to something, I have a suspicion that the islands are going to connect for a brief period of time. At the ruins.

Although which ruins will connect is a different matter altogether.

Doesn’t really matter to me though. I can just teleport across if I really needed to.

A rather convenient use of Quantum Displacement. Just repeatedly teleport through the air until I make it to the other island.

I’d rather not try it until I at least reach Tier 2 though. Because I do not want to end up falling to my death.

“Lexi…” I hear Astrid mutter in a quiet voice, bringing my gaze back down to her, where I find her eyes half closed as if she were falling asleep on my shoulder. “…please find Mom.”

I blink at that before smiling a tiny smile and brushing a lock of her hair over her ear while answering, “Of course. And I’ll be sure to get back by the time you leave the dungeon.”

Then her eyes close and she falls asleep.

I raise my head again to look at the sky.

Finding Mom… that’ll be an interesting endeavor.

If she’s still alive, since the Quantum Architect implied that both she and our Father were still alive even if he didn’t directly state it, then it’s possible she really did abandon us. While the very few memories I have of her were of a kind mother who loved us, I don’t know if that was a front or not. I don’t have enough memories of her to know that, considering how she vanished when we were just a few years old.

And if she is still alive and didn’t abandon us, then she’ll be in the new dimension somewhere.

But… that might just be optimistic thinking. That she didn’t abandon us.

And I’m not an optimist.

I glance at Astrid, then at the sky again.

It won’t hurt to search while I’m exploring and growing stronger though.