Utopian System
Chapter 151 - 151: System's Soap Opera - 2

As if it were... calling him.

Elio's heart pounded with excitement. Could these be the mana deposits mentioned in the Genesis book?

With reluctance, he began his descent, soon losing sight of the mysterious beams of light.

As Elio descended, his mind raced, turning over all his knowledge to consider the possibilities.

'Could I fly above the monsters?' he thought. But he immediately dismissed the idea. 'No, at that distance, 100 boosts wouldn't get me even a tenth of the way… And I only have 50.'

His thoughts drifted to an alternative. 'Perhaps underneath? But how to avoid being crushed by the sea of monsters?'

As he weighed his options, Fathoran's words about leadership echoed in his mind. He remembered how the former leader spoke about God's will, about how everything in the city had a divine purpose.

About how the city needed him or everyone would die.

"Of course they need it! God designed it this way! Without a leader, without me, they will all perish!"

"You promise them a future you can't guarantee."

"I am God's chosen one! The only true Von!"

'But I'm proving that my methods are better, aren't I?' Elio told himself. 'The city is thriving, people are safer than ever. I'm doing things differently and it's working.'

Yet, a small doubt crept into his mind. 'Maybe there's something I still don't know? But no, everything is going so well. I'm better than Fathoran. I have to be, I'm the true Von now.'

With this renewed conviction, Elio spotted his friends near the training area at the base of the wall. Certainly, it was time to rest so they were ready to leave… But perhaps a night of work awaited them, because he had to tell everyone...

Elio changed direction, ready to share his discoveries.

He saw Zara, visibly upset, confronting the four girls. The tension in the air was palpable, and Elio felt a twinge of discomfort as he remembered the situation with Lila.

'What's going on here?' he thought, approaching to land next to the group.

♢♢♢♢

When his supposed promise came to light and the argument erupted, Elio found himself at the center of an emotional whirlwind.

Without doubt, he felt an undeniable interest in Zara, and the idea that she might think he wasn't interested didn't sit well with him at all... but on the other hand, the idea of romance at this moment seemed overwhelming...

He was about to risk his life and while he had accepted his father and realized he had the same complex, at least he didn't want to make the same mistakes as him...

'I'm not ready for this,' he told himself. 'I have a city to run, discoveries to make, monsters to eliminate. I can't... not right now.'

He tried to change the subject, to steer the conversation towards the mana deposits, but Zara wouldn't let him escape so easily.

When Zara compared him to Fathoran, Elio felt as if he'd been punched in the stomach. Anger began to bubble up inside him.

'How can she compare me to him?' he thought, furious. 'Everything I've done has been for the good of the city. I'm not like Fathoran... I'm not.'

But even in the midst of his anger, a part of him tried to rationalize Zara's behavior.

'Maybe she's just tired,' he told himself. 'It's been a stressful period for everyone. She can't really think I'm like Fathoran, can she?'

Elio took a deep breath, trying to stay calm.

"What I see is that you're making a scene over nothing," Elio replied, struggling to maintain control, to explain to her that it wasn't what she thought. "Zara, this is ridiculous. We're in the middle of a crisis and you're worried about..."

"About what?" Zara interrupted, her voice trembling with emotion. "About the fact that you're apparently making dates left and right?"

Elio clenched his fists, anger and frustration threatening to overflow. 'She doesn't understand, she insists, she won't let me explain. She doesn't know me. How can she think I have time for... for this?'

In the back of his mind, a small voice whispered that maybe, just maybe, Zara was jealous. That she felt something romantic for him… So he teased.

"I haven't promised anything," he said, his voice tense. "I just said I'd think about it. Why do you care so much anyway?"

"You haven't promised anything?"

Elio's words echoed in Zara's mind, awakening a mixture of pain and indignation. 'So you've already forgotten what you promised me?' she thought, the memory of that day at school, of Elio's promise...

But Zara wasn't thinking clearly anymore, the promise Elio was referring to had nothing to do with the one Zara remembered.

"Why do I care?" Zara snapped, her voice charged with an authority she didn't really feel. "Because you're not keeping your promise, because you're an idiot!"

"You can't make decisions like that on your own, don't you remember?" Her eyes shone with fury and pain as she continued, her tone becoming more dominant with each word.

"You can't just go out with whoever you want. You have responsibilities, you have to fulfill your..."

Elio stepped towards Zara, his eyes flashing dangerously. "You have no right to judge me, Zara... And you're nobody to tell me who I can or can't go out with."

Zara stepped back, surprised by Elio's intensity. "I... I didn't mean..."

But Elio was already too angry to listen. "You know what? Yes, I'll go out with Lila. In fact, I'll go out with whoever I want. It's none of your business, Zara. Or anyone else's."

A stunned silence fell over the group. Lila looked as surprised as the others, her eyes wide open, excitement and guilt on her face.

Zara took a step back, as if Elio's words had physically struck her. Flare hissed, its entire body igniting in response to Zara's distress.

"Fine," Zara said, her voice barely a whisper. "I guess you're right. It's none of my business..."

With that, she turned and began to walk away, Flare casting one last fiery glance at Elio before disappearing with its owner.