Beyond The System
Chapter 128: Velea

“Velea, greet your sister,” the man said.

“Welcome back, sister.” The girl who looked alarmingly like a younger Thea spoke in a high, eager voice, barely masking her excitement.

She was shorter by over a head and had longer hair, but otherwise? Practically a Thea clone. Both clearly took after their father. The mother, by contrast, stood out completely, which honestly, is probably  a good sign.

“Welcome home, Thea,” their father added.

“Welcome back, sweetheart,” the mother said warmly, her voice soft with care.

So far, not bad. Stiff? Sure, but no ominous vibes yet.

Luna, how is it here? I asked.

It’s fine. A little off, but not like that other place, she answered.

The man, Theo Aster I assumed, walked slowly toward me, as if he could sense I wanted to say something but didn’t know how. “I’m Theo Aster,” he said, placing a hand across his stomach and bowing.

I met his grey eyes and slightly wavy acorn-colored hair. He was dressed far better than I was, but I mirrored the gesture anyway. “Peter.”

Then her mother stepped forward. Tall, raven-black hair flowing with each step. She moved with deliberate, practiced grace; someone used to being watched. She actually looked more like Elric than Thea, but her eyes…

Bright violet, almost electric in their intensity. Yeah. This family was something else.

“Katia,” she introduced.

Then her gaze fixed on me.

“Why have you come?” she asked, not harshly, but directly. The question wasn’t for Thea.

“Uh. Yeah. Um…” Why was I suddenly nervous? “Maybe Thea can explain it better?”

“But I asked you,” she said, sharper this time.

“Mom—” Thea jumped in, trying to save me.

“Don’t interrupt your mother,” her father said. Not snapping, just calmly putting his foot down.

Right. Explaining potential treason to a noble family. Now I get why Thea had been so stressed. Though, she could’ve warned me more... nope, later. That’s for later.

Just do what the prince said, Wyrem reminded me. Honesty is quickest here.

And Thea looks uncomfortable. Hurry up, Luna added.

Wait, how does she know what uncomfortable looks like?

“We’re leaving,” I said. “Really leaving. To the Shattered Expanse.”

There was the tiniest flicker on Katia’s face, but it vanished. “You’re going on a mission there? That’s… an extremely dangerous decision. Even with the prince as sponsor.” It felt more like she was digging than stating facts. Especially with the mention of the prince being our sponsor.

I didn’t flinch. “We’ll become deserters.”

“ARG!” I hit the ground hard the moment the words left my mouth.

“Dad!” Thea shouted.

“Deserting?” His voice was ice. Calm, but in the way a blade is calm right before it cuts. “You would admit that to me?”

I grit my teeth, pushed my energy through my body, and forced myself up under the pressure. It was intense, he was strong, but not like Marcus. The pressure in the trail was honestly even a bit heavier.

Still, it wasn’t fun.

“Yes,” I said, standing fully upright. “I’m leaving this barbaric place.”

“Stop it. Now.” Thea’s voice cut through the room. “I’m leaving too. With Peter. With the prince. With all of them.”

And just like that, the pressure vanished.

“Thea,” Theo said, voice softer now, “what Peter is saying… it’s not wise. That place isn’t somewhere just anyone can go.” There was real concern in his words.

“I can’t stay anymore,” she said, stepping closer. “It felt fine at first, but this place, how they treat us; it’s not right.”

She took another step. “Would I have ever seen you again? If I stayed and trained?”

Before they could respond, someone barreled into her.

Velea hugged her tightly, burying her face in Thea’s chest. She didn’t say anything.

Thea hugged her back, voice cracking. “I don’t—I can’t be separated from...”

Her mother stepped forward too, though she kept her distance compared to Theo. “What would you like, Thea?”

“Come,” Thea requested, almost begging. “All of you. Please.”

Miss Aster exchanged a glance with her husband.

“Follow me, Peter. They’ll speak alone,” the patriarch said.

I looked at Thea. She nodded, still holding her trembling sister.

Alright, if she was okay with it, then so was I.

I followed Mister Aster through the halls. They were elegant, quiet, and lined with a kind of beauty that was difficult for me to describe.

We reached a balcony. It opened to a green field that stretched into a distant forest. The morning dew still clung to the grass, catching sunlight in little flashes.

“You’re strong for your age,” Theo said, not as a compliment exactly, more like a fact.

“Thanks. Your magic surprised me a bit too,” I replied.

“What blessing do you have?” he asked. “You must carry something unusual to withstand my pressure.”

“None. I don’t have one,” I said simply.

He leaned over the balcony railing. “I’ve never seen anyone wield that kind of power through cultivation alone.”

His calm reaction threw me. “Yeah… Thea and I kind of made it up.”

He didn’t blink. “My wife’s family, the Asters, is just us now. We’ve stayed hidden for a long time. Followed the rules. Even sent our daughters through the normal military routes.”

He sighed quietly.

I didn’t really get why nobility would need to hide, but I got the tone well enough. “So… we’re causing trouble?”

“I must caution you. Leaving with a few may pass quietly, but a group? That sets a precedent. The state won’t ignore it. Not forever... if they can find you.” There was a weight behind his words.

“Add in another noble family, a prince, an exiled prince…” I tried to lighten the mood with a joke. "Sounds like we're trying to start something."

He didn’t laugh. “I’ve never known Thea to be so social. How did you meet so many powerful people?”

“It just kind of… happened,” I said, shrugging. “Thea was just a chance meeting, honestly.”

“And now you’re all following a low-level prince to run away?” He sounded almost offended.

“Mine.”

“What?”

“It was my idea. They’re following me. Though... yeah, I’m pretty sure Prince Drake has his own reasons.”

That finally cracked his composure slightly. His arm slipped slightly from the railing.

“Come with us. Leave this behind. You don’t have to spend your life waiting for letters and wondering if your daughter’s okay. I can teach—”

He waved me off. “I’ll let Katia decide, but we don’t make decisions based solely on blood ties.”

“What about power?” I asked.

“That—”

My turn to interrupt. “Power enough that someone with no system took down Starborn guards.”

He didn’t reply but I could tell he wanted to.

However, the glass door opened behind us. “Peter, we’re leaving,” Thea called, holding her sister’s hand. Her eyes were red. Velea had a large bag slung over one shoulder.

“I see.” For a man who claimed to separate emotion from decision, there was real weight in his voice.

He walked over, crouched down in front of both girls and pulled them into a tight hug. Their eyes widened, caught off guard.

“Your mother has her reasons. I promise you. Just—just be safe.”

He stood and turned away. “Go with them, please,” already shifting back into formality. “It was nice speaking with such a... unique guest.”

I walked past him and joined Thea. We walked in silence, just the three of us now.

But I could still feel his gaze burning into our backs until we turned the corner.

“You okay?” I asked gently.

“Mm.” She sniffled. “Fine.”

Velea kept sneaking glances at me, peeking out from behind Thea like I might bite. Thea had said she was five years younger, but this felt way more like elementary-school-level curiosity than young teenage restraint.

“I’m Peter,” I said with a grin, leaning to catch her eye.

“Velea,” she squeaked. “Are—are you Thea’s husband?”

Thea immediately stumbled, somehow managing to catch herself, though her neck turned bright pink.

How little social interaction had they had in this house?

“Hmmm… if she lets me, maybe. Why?”

“She looks at you a lot,” Velea said, louder this time.

“Well, I am pretty handsome.” I gave her a confident nod. “It’s totally normal she looks.”

Velea shook her head vigorously. “No. Definitely not.”

“Pfft.” Thea choked out a laugh and covered her mouth with one hand.

“Wait—‘not normal she looks’ or ‘I’m not handsome’?” I asked, trying to salvage what I could.

“Both.” Sharp and merciless.

Thea scooped her sister up and spun her. “Thanks.”

Was that just to cheer her up? Maybe she wasn’t as socially inept as I thought.

I noticed something else. Despite her small frame, Velea had some real muscle starting to show. “Do you train?”

She nodded. “Mom and Dad have been training me ever since Thea left.”

“Wow, so you’ve started cultivating?”

She tilted her head. “What’s that?”

“Your sister never told you?” I asked, a little surprised.

“I tried,” Thea defended. “This little monster never listened.”

“Oooh, the stuff you wouldn’t stop talking about.” Velea turned to me and cupped a hand around her mouth like she was sharing a secret. “It was boring.”

Of course Thea heard.

“Maybe I’ll be a better teacher,” I offered with a grin.

“With your face, you should be good at something,” she shot back without missing a beat.

What the hell... how does a kid get that kind of aim? Domestic verbal violence? I mean, Theo seemed like a devoted husband, so where did she learn this?

We reached the gate. The moment we stepped in, I sat down like my spine had quit on me.

“What are you doing?” Velea asked, confused.

“He can’t handle Gate travel,” Thea explained.

“Like a little kid?”

“Exactly.”

I like this family, Luna added with what could only be a grin.