Chapter 65: Out of the Atmosphere

The door frame rattled slightly as it settled into its hinges, sealing the three of them inside the quiet stone room. Leo and Eleanor stood perfectly rigid, their breath catching in their throats as they looked directly at the sharp, purple-haired profile of Alistair Roslav.

Alistair walked slowly toward the center of the floorboards, his expensive boots making a steady, deliberate sound against the rug. He stopped a mere two feet away, adjusting the dark cuffs of his designer suit jacket as his piercing violet eyes locked onto their pale faces. A cold, challenging smirk traced his lips. "What is the matter, you two? Why exactly are you looking at me with such wide eyes? Did my unannounced entrance interrupt a private conversation?"

Eleanor swallowed the heavy lump in her throat, her long purple hair casting a shadow over her cheeks as her high-and-mighty armor completely melted into a frantic display of nerves. She forced her hands to stop shaking, stammering out a quick reply. "I-It is absolutely nothing, Alistair. We were simply discussing the sudden engagement Father announced in the dining hall."

Alistair let out a sharp, deeply irritated huff, his gaze turning highly annoyed as he looked down at his sister. He kept his outward expression calm and disciplined, but his voice snapped with a cold authority. "Well, you shouldn't even be standing inside this private wing with a commoner before you are officially engaged to him during the festival. Have a single ounce of royal patience, Eleanor. Return to your chambers immediately."

Leo sat perfectly still on his seat, a quiet breath of relief escaping his lips as his muscles slowly relaxed. That was entirely too close, Leo thought to himself, his jaw tightening. He suspects something is wrong, but he hasn't caught onto the fake boyfriend story just yet.

Eleanor offered a small, hesitant nod. She turned her body toward the exit door, but before she stepped past the threshold, she cast a brief look back over her shoulder, waving her delicate hand toward Leo with a sweet, blushing smile. "Get some proper rest, Leo. I will see you tomorrow."

Alistair watched her leave with an icy glare, before casting one final, disgusted look at Leo and turning on his heel to escort her down the corridor walkway, leaving the room in silence. Leo dropped his head back against the cushion seat, letting out a long, exhausted sigh into the empty air. Five days... he thought, his brow furrowing deeply. How the hell am I supposed to get rid of this whole royal marriage situation before the festival?

.....

Meanwhile, far across the big ocean, the early morning light was just beginning to hit the base of the massive city mountain. The thick forest air was cool and crisp, filled with the heavy scent of pine trees and damp soil.

Stella and Lunaria walked quickly down the winding dirt path, their backpacks slung securely over their shoulders. Stella scanned the thick green bushes, her green eyes wide with anxiety as she looked for any sign of their uninvited ally. "Where the hell is she? The sun is already rising past the peak."

"Right behind you, little one."

Both Stella and Lunaria spun around, their bodies instantly shifting into a guarded, defensive stance as their hearts hammered against their ribs.

Walking out from the deep shadow of a large boulder was Professor Julia, dressed instead in casual, form-fitting travel clothes that perfectly tracked her mature hourglass silhouette. Her honey-caramel hair was tied up cleanly, and her smoky-grey eyes carried that same cold, deeply knowing smirk as she looked at their defensive weapons.

Stella tightened her grip on her metallic device, her voice snapping with hatred. "Cut the creepy arrivals, Julia. We showed up at your location exactly on time. Now tell us right now, what absolute plan do you have to get us across the big ocean?"

Julia let out a velvety, deeply amused chuckle, turning her body smoothly to lead the way deeper into the mountain forest. "Have a single shred of patience and simply follow my footsteps. The journey is long."

Stella and Lunaria filed in directly behind her, their eyes locked fixedly on her back as they tracked her down the narrow dirt ravine. Stella glared at her profile, her voice dropping into a sharp, threatening growl. "Don't you dare try to act oversmart or pull any hidden tricks with us, Julia. The second you try to double-cross Leo, I will tear you to pieces."

Julia didn't even turn her head around, her casual walk remaining perfectly steady as she let out a low, mocking laugh. "You truly carry a lot of hollow pride, Stella. Let me make something exceptionally clear to you, if I truly desired to kill the two of you right now, I could strike and wipe you off this planet in a single second. Leo's System is completely out of range. There is absolutely nothing protecting you from my power out here in these woods."

Stella’s face went completely pale, her teeth gracing together in a furious, silent rage as she kept her feet moving. She looked sideways, seeing Lunaria’s face completely full of deep, worried anxiety. Stella forced her voice to stay flat. "If it's truly that easy for you... why aren't you killing us then? Why drag us along?"

Julia stopped her feet, turning herself around slowly as a wide, malicious grin traced her lips under the forest tree. Her smoky-grey eyes flashed with an intense, unyielding hunger. "Because a sudden, peaceful death is entirely too boring for people who got in the way of my empire. I don't want you dead, little one. Once I locate Leo and forcefully rip that System right out of him, I am going to torture the two of you until your minds break... or worse, turn both of you into my permanent, mindless slaves."

Stella locked her jaw tight, forcing her breathing to slow down as she maintained her calm defenses, though her small fists were clenching so hard her knuckles turned white. Lunaria gripped Stella’s sleeve tightly, her fingers trembling in pure fear as they turned the final corner of the mountain path.

They stepped out into a massive, hidden clearing deep within the dense forest spikes, and both Stella and Lunaria froze completely dead in their tracks, their jaws dropping in absolute, reality-shattering shock.

Resting flat in the center of the giant dirt clearing, surrounded by towering trees, was an incredibly grand, heavily metallic space travel ship. The hull was sleek, dark, and massive, built from premium alien metals that completely outclassed any human vehicle built on Earth.

"My goodness..." Lunaria whispered breathlessly, her midnight-blue hair shaking. "How did you... how did you manage to hide such a massive spaceship right in the city?"

Julia walked up the main landing ramp with flawless, elite etiquette, her smirk widening as she looked back at their stunned faces. "This is my personal space travel ship. We will be utilizing this ship to travel."

Stella snapped out of her shock, her brow furrowing in a sudden panic as she looked up at the open sky. "Are you completely brainless, Julia?! This clearing is massive, but the second this giant metal beast lifts off the ground, the entire city security grid and every single human tourist will see it flying over the mountain!"

Julia let out another laugh, looking down at her with absolute, mocking disdain. "You are so incredibly naive and an absolute fool, Stella. Watch."

Julia turned around, stepping inside the open cockpit and forcefully pressing a large, glowing button on the main control panel.

BZZZZT!

A massive wave of translucent, shimmering glass light violently rolled across the exterior hull of the ship. In a fraction of a single microsecond, the entire massive space travel ship completely, flawlessly vanished from human sight, leaving nothing but an empty dirt clearing where the trees were reflecting the morning sun. The vehicle was 100% invisible.

Julia walked back out onto the invisible ramp entryway, her smoky-grey eyes locking onto their wide, unblinking green eyes as she gestured inside. "Stop wasting my valuable time, get yourselves inside the cabin, and let us begin the hunt."

The dark shadows of the invisible doorway stretched over them.