Chapter 155: On The Road Again

Chapter 155: Chapter 155: On The Road Again

"Something wrong?" Damon asked.

"No."

She quickly looked away making him smile.

He had a feeling he knew what she had been expecting.

He didn’t mention it.

Once he was satisfied that everything was ready, he headed out of the room.

Caelia followed.

It was only after they reached the entrance of the mansion that Damon noticed something.

She was carrying a bag.

He looked at it.

Then at her.

Then back at the bag.

"You’re coming with me?"

Caelia gave him a look.

"Obviously."

Damon smiled.

"I thought you were staying here."

"You didn’t really think that."

"I wanted to hear you say it."

Caelia shook her head.

"When we met, we agreed we’d investigate the mysteries behind these distorted zones together."

She adjusted the bag on her shoulder.

"I’m not letting you run off and have all the fun without me."

Damon laughed.

"I knew you’d say that."

But then he remembered something.

"What about your responsibilities here?"

Caelia paused.

"And your father? Did he even approve of this?"

Before she could answer, footsteps came from behind them.

Damon turned.

Cornelius was walking toward them.

Several elders followed him.

Damon looked at Caelia.

She suddenly became very interested in the floor.

Damon smiled.

"You gave your father an earful, didn’t you?"

Caelia coughed.

"I explained the situation."

"That’s one way to put it."

Cornelius smiled as he approached.

"I’ve already heard enough about it."

Caelia looked at him.

"Father..."

Cornelius shook his head.

"You wanted to go."

"Yes."

"Then go."

Caelia looked surprised.

Cornelius continued.

"We can handle things here."

"The mansion still needs someone to manage it."

"Which is why I was worried."

Caelia lowered her head.

"I know."

"But you’ve done more than enough."

Cornelius smiled.

"You deserve to see the world outside Frostveil too."

Caelia looked up.

For a moment, she didn’t say anything.

Then she smiled.

"Thank you."

She stepped forward and hugged him.

Cornelius gently patted her back.

"Come back safely."

"I will."

He finally looked toward Damon.

"And take care of my daughter."

Damon nodded.

"I will."

Caelia immediately pulled away.

"I’m not a child."

Cornelius laughed.

"I know."

"Then stop telling him to take care of me."

Damon smiled.

"I don’t mind."

Caelia glared at him.

"Don’t encourage him."

The elders laughed softly.

The mood was much lighter now.

They stepped forward to say goodbye to Damon as well.

"Thank you again for everything you’ve done for Winterbourne."

"Good luck on your journey."

"Stay safe."

Damon nodded.

"I’ll do my best."

They also turned toward Caelia.

"Your help will be missed."

"Take care of yourself."

"We’ll keep everything running while you’re gone."

Caelia nodded.

"I’ll be back."

She looked toward the mansion one last time.

There was still some hesitation in her eyes.

She had responsibilities here.

People relied on her.

Leaving wasn’t easy.

But she also knew this was something she wanted to do.

And now she had finally made up her mind.

She turned toward Damon.

"Let’s go."

Damon barely had time to react before Caelia grabbed his hand.

"Wait."

She pulled him forward.

"We’re already late."

Damon laughed.

"We’re not late."

"We could be."

"That’s not how time works."

"I don’t care."

Damon shook his head as she dragged him along.

She looked far more excited than he expected.

He understood why.

Caelia had spent most of her life within the Frostveil Expanse.

She had never really had the chance to explore what lay beyond it.

Now she was finally leaving.

And the destination happened to be one of the most dangerous distorted zones they knew.

Damon wasn’t sure if that was something to be excited about.

But Caelia clearly was.

His spirits were excited too.

Freya seemed especially lively through their bond.

Sylphie was just as interested.

Tempest Hollow was a Lightning and Wind elemental zone, so both of them would have plenty to sense and explore.

Shiro remained calmer, but Damon could feel his readiness.

Everyone was prepared.

Damon took a deep breath.

For a moment, he looked back at Winterbourne.

This journey was different from the others.

He wasn’t simply exploring another distorted zone.

He was going back toward a place connected to his past.

Tempest Hollow was the places where the Calloway family had sent him before.

A place where he had once been treated like someone who couldn’t amount to anything.

Now he was returning as someone they needed.

Damon smiled.

He wasn’t the same person anymore.

Whatever waited for him there, he was strong enough to face it.

He turned his attention forward.

"Alright."

Caelia looked at him.

"Ready?"

Damon nodded.

"Let’s go."

They began their journey.

As they moved farther from Winterbourne, Damon put the thoughts about his past aside.

There was something more important to think about now.

Tempest Hollow.

The mutation.

The spreading unstable Aether.

And the Zone Heart they still needed to find.

Damon’s expression became more focused.

Finding the Zone Heart was only the beginning.

He needed to figure out how to stabilize it.

And if Tempest Hollow was as bad as the representatives claimed, he couldn’t afford to make a mistake.

He thought as they journeyed, as they reached the Frostveil Expanse in no time.

Damon immediately noticed the changes. The zone was even more stable than when they had left, and the corrupted Aether that once spread through the area had weakened or vanished considerably.

It seemed Frostveil could hold back the mutation coming from Tempest Hollow for now.

"Looks like the zone is doing better than expected," Caelia remarked.

Damon nodded. "That’s good. But we shouldn’t take too long. If the unstable Aether keeps flowing in, this stability might not last."

They had already seen what happened when a Zone Heart was overwhelmed by corruption. Even if Frostveil was holding up now, there was no guarantee it would remain that way.

Fortunately, the number of beasts roaming the area had also decreased.

With the Zone Heart stabilized, the elemental users around Frostveil had become much more active. Many who had previously avoided the zone were now venturing deeper into it to hunt beasts, gather resources, and cultivate.