Chapter 418: Time To Go Back Home


    "What do you mean, I''m not looking at it the right way?" Northern frowned slightly as he examined her eyes, waiting for her response.


    "What I''m saying is... have you heard her side of the story? Have you listened to the Oracle herself?"


    Northern red at her for a couple of seconds before hissing away rudely.


    "What are you saying? Am I supposed to sit down and be like, ''Oh hey, Terence, let me hear your part of the story about how you and Raven deceived me when you both knew what was going to happen with the airship anyway?''"


    He finished with a nk expression on his face.


    Ate gulped and looked away, forcing a shameful smile. She managed to squeeze out some words.


    "You don''t have to put it like that... you could just—"


    "Save it, Ate." Northern interrupted. After a beat, he continued, "I''m done with them, alright? I''m done being a useful tool to some damneddy. I can''t believe I trusted her with my back at some point."


    "Wow, that must have been epic."


    Northern grimaced at her. "It''s not even funny. Why the hell are you grinning like that?"


    Ate wiped the smirk off her face and frowned. "Better?"


    Northern looked away. "Whatever." He spent a few seconds gazing at the tall trees while Ate keenly watched him from behind.


    She suddenly moved closer, startling him a bit, but not in a dangerous way. He watched her with a raised brow as she stood next to him, measuring her shoulders against his.


    "Damn it, Northern! Damn it!"


    "What?"


    "You''ve grown so tall! Is this the fourteen-year-old boy who came to the citadel for the examination? Geez, I''m astounded, really."


    Northern frowned at thepliment. It made him ufortable, and he didn''t even know how to react to it.


    Before he could, his mind drifted to something else.


    "Ate, what month are we in now?"


    "Oh, give me a minute." Ate counted on her fingers, focusing intently on them before meeting Northern''s eyes.


    "We''re currently in the Month of Tach, and it seems my twenty-ninth birthday passed without me even realizing it."


    Northern wasn''t surprised by what she said. After all, he wasn''t even sure if he was sixteen yet.


    With so much happening in this Destion, where every day was a battle of its own, no one could afford the luxury of birthdays. It didn''t really matter.


    But something about Ate bothered him, and it seemed his long gaze was giving it away.


    "What?" Ate bellowed.


    "I''m just wondering, if you''re twenty-nine and became awakened at fifteen, why have you only been a Master for so long? I mean, look at Raven. She''s eighteen, and you two are of the same soul rank. Isn''t that shameful?"


    Ate chuckled, suppressing the sting from his words. "You''re one to talk. Wasn''t your father a Master himself?"


    "Then both of you were very weak andzy, I presume?"


    Ate shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. But when you get to the Central ins and enter society, you''ll discover that rifts are more political there, unlike here where you face them in every direction."


    Northern took one final look at the towering trees, breathing in their astounding height, before looking at Helena. The strong rays of the day star made him squint a bit.


    "Sounds like a lot will change when we return."


    Ate shrugged, and after a few seconds, she sighed and said, "Northern."


    "Oh, here we go..." Northern exhaled in exasperation.


    Dismissing his annoying attitude with a frown, Ate continued, "You need to help everyone leave this ce."


    Northern''s face darkened as he addressed Ate with urgency. "Don''t tell me what I need to do. I know what I have to do, and rescuing all of you isn''t part of it. It''s none of my responsibility. If I decide to do it, it''ll be because I want to, not because I have to."


    "Northern, I''m—"


    "You can save whatever that is, Ate. Right now, I see no reason to want to save anyone. Raven has it all nned out, doesn''t she? Then you guys can follow her and rest assured that you''re in safe hands," he said, his voice dripping with seriousness.


    Ate''s mouth hung open as he finished. She couldn''t bring herself to say anything or stop him as he walked away.


    She wondered, ''Where the hell is he going?'' She watched Northern''s back disappear deeper and deeper into the forest until she couldn''t see him anymore.


    And he wasn''t heading towards the shelter.


    She raised her head, let out a tired sigh, and then dropped it.


    "I''m really not cut out for this." She groaned a bit and walked back towards the shelter.


    —


    Ate was back at the shelter. As soon as she entered the main hall, Raven stood up, already waiting for her.


    Shocked, the vermilion drunkard paused a bit before asking, "Didn''t you get any sleep?"


    Raven responded curtly, "Sleep is a luxury for me right now."


    Ate shook her head. "The people you''re doing so much to send home are sleeping peacefully right now. What do you mean sleep is a luxury? Don''t be silly. It''s not your fate to save the world."


    "You don''t know that..." Raven''s eyes were sharp.


    The vermilion drunkard studied her for a moment and eventually shrugged, concluding that nothing she said would change Raven''s mind.


    Still, Ate couldn''t help but wonder what kind of childhood this young girl had.


    She settled into one of the chairs and crossed her leg on the wooden table.


    "Northern mentioned something about being deceived regarding an airship. Let''s leave out the fact that you kept that information from all of us—he seemed really pissed that you and Terence knew what was going to happen but made a fool and a tool out of him."


    Raven''s brows furrowed.


    "No way, why would I do that? If I knew what was going to happen, I wouldn''t have interfered. And even if I did, I would have told him to his face, not tricked him."


    "Right? I wanted to say that, but you know, I can''t really vouch for you and your team. When exactly did Terence know?"


    Raven was silent, looking down for a moment before responding.


    "It was while Northern and I were in a rift."


    "Wow, you two even challenged a rift together. It must have been quite an adventure." She breathed out in rxation and stood up.


    "Well, I''ve tried my best. Looks like you''ll have to do it without Northern anyway. We can give you full support and make do with whatever we can, because you''re right. It''s time for us to leave this damnnd and go back home."