Chapter 239: Keeping Her Word II

Evren smiled, pulled his shirt over his head, and tossed it onto the arm of the sofa. He adjusted his posture, sitting cross-legged on the wide cushions. Calista dipped her slender fingers into the warm oil, rubbing her palms together.

She stepped in close, resting her thumbs at the base of his neck. With light pressure, she pressed her thumbs into the tense muscles, working small, rhythmic circles along the upper crest of his spine.

Evren let out a quiet sigh as he relaxed into her hands. They were surprisingly strong yet wonderfully gentle, finding the exact spots where mana strain had built up.

"You really know what you’re doing," Evren murmured, his eyes closing in comfort.

"I told you I used to treat injured hunters," Calista replied in a quiet, tender voice. Her thumbs moved downward across his shoulder blades, kneading the firm muscle bands with ease.

"When mana flows through the upper body during combat, the fine channels around the spine tighten to protect the core," she explained gently. "If you don’t release that tension, it slows down your reaction time."

She smoothed more warm oil across his shoulders, using the heels of her palms to iron out the tightness along his upper back.

"Thank you, Evren," Calista whispered after a moment of quiet.

Evren opened his eyes, tilting his head slightly back to look up at her. "For what?"

"For everything," Calista said, her sapphire eyes filled with sincere devotion. "You came down into the dark when the whole world had forgotten I even existed."

Her fingers continued their soothing rhythm along his shoulders while she continued talking in a soft voice. "They erased my family’s name, declared me dead, and locked me beneath the earth in iron chains."

"I thought I would spend the rest of my life rotting in that dark cell," she murmured. "You gave me back my legs, my dignity, and my future."

"Standing beside you today is more than I ever dared to hope for," she whispered.

Evren reached up and gently placed his hand over hers where it rested against his shoulder.

"You did the hard work yourself, Calista," Evren replied softly. "I only gave you the tools. You’re the one who refused to give up."

Calista leaned down and pressed a tender kiss to the crown of his head, lingering there for a quiet, heartfelt moment. "Then let me take care of you whenever you come home."

A few minutes later, the soft chime of the private elevator announced the arrival of Amber and Zephyra. The two heroines stepped into the penthouse lounge, both dressed in tactical attire after spending the afternoon coordinating security sweeps across District Two with Captain Keller.

"Look at you, relaxing in luxury while we were helping the Provost guard padlock Crowe’s affiliate depots," Amber teased with a brilliant smile, walking into the lounge and setting her twin saber scabbards onto the side console.

"He earned every second of it," Calista replied with a proud grin, stepping back and drying her hands on a soft linen towel.

Amber didn’t hesitate. She stepped straight over to the sofa, straddled Evren’s lap and wrapped her arms snugly around his neck.

Before he could say a word, she leaned down and captured his lips in a deep, sultry kiss that left no doubt about what had been on her mind.

Evren smiled against her mouth, resting his hands firmly on her waist as he kissed her back. When Amber finally pulled back a fraction of an inch, her dark-brown eyes had a glint of mischief in them.

"I’ve been looking forward to that all afternoon," she murmured against his lips. "Standing around dusty warehouse depots with stiff officers is exhausting."

A few paces away, Zephyra stood quietly near the arm of the sofa, her arms loosely folded. A faint, charming pink dusted her cheeks as she watched them, suddenly unsure of where to place her hands.

Evren caught her violet gaze and smiled warmly. He reached out with one hand, gently catching Zephyra by the wrist and tugging her down onto the wide cushions beside him.

"You don’t need to stand on guard in our own living room, Zephyra," he said gently.

Zephyra gave a quiet nod, letting her guard drop completely as she leaned into his side, resting her head against his shoulder. Amber rested her chin comfortably on his chest, her arms still looped around his neck as Calista brought over a tray of fresh tea.

"Now that everyone is home and accounted for," Evren began, gently smoothing Amber’s hair as he sat forward. "We need to talk about our next objective."

He picked up his shirt, slipped it back on, and reached for his data pad on the side table. With a quick swipe, he projected a detailed topographical map of the continent onto the large wall television.

Amber sat back on his thighs, her eyes following the glowing display as a rugged mountain basin in the far south lit up in crimson.

"Amber, remember that matte-black keycard Grand Arbiter Kincaid gave me in the elevator after the military inquiry?" Evren asked.

Amber nodded, recognition flickering in her gaze. "The Tier-Three clearance pass to the Imperial Pre-War Archives. You asked Kincaid about some ancient dimensional phenomena before he handed it over."

"I accessed those classified government archives a few nights ago," Evren explained, pointing to the glowing coordinate marker on the screen. "I pulled up a sealed military audit... Case File 4409-C."

Calista set a porcelain cup down before him, her sapphire eyes attentive. "What kind of audit?"

"Thirty-four years ago, a scholar named Dr. Alistair Morrow led a deep excavation beneath the southern bedrock," Evren told them. "His team uncovered untouched pre-war codices detailing ancient calamity origins and dimensional destabilization."

Zephyra lifted her head from his shoulder, her sharp instincts immediately engaging. "If he found ancient codices, why was it kept secret?"

"Because the High Defense Council only wanted offensive weapons," Evren replied. "Morrow insisted the findings were an early warning system rather than a weapon. When he argued with the generals, they terminated his funding, stripped his titles, and exiled him to the frontier."

He tapped the screen, zooming into the marked mountain basin.

"Morrow was exiled to a remote settlement called Oakhaven," Evren said. "The records state that he refused to surrender his personal expedition journals when he was cast out. If anyone understands why the dimensional fabric is thinning and why high-tier rifts are clustering near the capital, it’s him."

"Oakhaven," Amber murmured, studying the harsh mountain passes surrounding the marker. "That’s beyond the southern rail lines. The area has been contested wilderness ever since the old mining outposts collapsed."

"The journey south will take at least thirty hours by armored transport," Zephyra noted. "The mountain passes have seen rising monster activity, especially after the recent river incursion."

Evren looked between the three women.

"We cannot leave Starlight unattended," he said, looking down at Amber. "Director Crowe is in custody, but his affiliate cartels and merchant rivals will be watching our facility like vultures. Amber, I need you here in District One."

Amber met his gaze with confidence.

"I need your presence to manage and finalize Starlight’s new defense distribution," Evren continued. "With you around, and the Provost garrison under Captain Keller, nobody will dare make a move on Calista or the factory."

"Leave the capital to me," Amber said firmly, resting her hand over his. "If any corporate rat sticks their nose into District Two, I’ll carve them into pieces before they take two steps."

Evren smiled, turning toward the shadow assassin beside him. "Zephyra, you’re coming south with me. Your shadow perception and stealth will be essential for getting through the mountain passes undetected."

Zephyra bowed her head, a rare, faint smile touching her lips. "I will keep your path clear, Chairman."

Calista walked into her adjoining study and returned carrying a stout leather traveling satchel, reinforced with silver buckles and stamped with Starlight’s dual crest. She placed it into Evren’s hands.

"I packed twenty jars of freshly sealed Star-Jade Salve and six vials of concentrated high-purity cleansing solution," Calista said softly, looking into his eyes. "The southern wild zones are dangerous, Evren. Please come back safely to us."

Evren took the satchel, setting it carefully on the marble table beside his data pad. He looked at the three women around him, feeling the deep warmth, trust, and shared purpose that united their home.

"We depart at first light," he finally said. "Let’s prepare our gear and bring back the answers we need from Oakhaven."