World Awakening: The Legendary Player
Chapter 55: Not Leaving

Chapter 55: Not Leaving

The three girls stopped talking and just looked at Nox.

"Stay here? What are you talking about?" Kendra asked, her brow furrowed.

"With your families," he said, his gaze moving from one to the other. "You found them, they’re safe. You should stay with them, protect them. You don’t need to be running around with me."

There was a moment of silence. Then Kendra started to laugh. It wasn’t a mean laugh, just one of pure disbelief. Yeda giggled a little, covering her mouth with her hand. Even Vasa cracked a small, rare smile.

"Are you serious?" Kendra asked, wiping a tear of laughter from the corner of her eye. "Did you hit your head or something while you were gone? We’re not leaving you, idiot."

"Yeah, we’re a party," Yeda added, her voice a bit more confident than usual.

Nox’s expression didn’t change. He wasn’t joking, and their laughter just bounced off him. "I’m not kidding," he said, the tone of his voice, cold and serious, made them stop laughing. The smiles vanished from their faces.

"This is it," he said, his voice flat. "We’re done. You guys have people who need you here. I don’t. It’s that simple." He looked at them, his eyes unreadable. "It’s been... whatever. But it’s over. This is goodbye."

Yeda was the first to speak, her earlier confidence wavering a little, but her voice was firm. "No," she said, shaking her head. "We’re not going anywhere."

"She is correct," Vasa stated. "Our chances of survival are statistically higher as a group. Your combat prowess combined with our developing abilities creates a more effective unit. Leaving you is an inefficient strategy."

"Yeah, well, we’re not going to, so you can drop the whole lone wolf crap," Kendra shot back, leaning forward on the table. "You think we can’t handle it? After everything we went through at the school? After we fought with you? We’re your party, you moron. We stick with you. That’s how it works."

He looked at the three of them. Kendra was fired up, Yeda looked determined, and Vasa was just... logical. They weren’t going to budge on this. He knew that now. He had tried to do the right thing, to cut them loose so they could be safe, but they were too stubborn. Or too loyal. He wasn’t sure which.

"You’re all idiots," he said finally, but there was no real heat in it. He leaned back in his chair, a long sigh escaping him. His plan to go it alone had completely backfired.

Kendra grinned, a triumphant look on her face. "Yeah, we know. But we’re your idiots, so you’re stuck with us."

He wondered if their loyalty had something to do with that whole soulmate thing the Oracle had mentioned. The thought was strange, and he wasn’t sure what to do with it.

Just then, a private chat window from Auraelia popped into his vision, its text bright and cheerful.

[Auraelia, Goddess of Resilient Sparks (Private Chat)] It totally does! That’s a big part of it, for sure! ✨ But also, uh oh, I wasn’t supposed to hear that thought was I? Oops! 😅

He just stared at the text, his mind going completely blank for a second. ’She heard that? How can she hear what I’m thinking?’

[Auraelia, Goddess of Resilient Sparks (Private Chat)] Oh, it’s not me, Nox! It’s you! Your thoughts are kind of... leaking out? Just a little! It’s probably because your connection to the System is so special, or maybe it’s that new Corrupted Mana you have! It makes you a bit of an open book to us sometimes. You should probably be careful with that! 💖

He still didn’t get it. ’Leaking out? What does that even mean?’ He pushed the confusing thought aside. There was something more important she’d said.

’So it is because of that soulmate thing?’ he thought, aiming the question at her.

[Auraelia, Goddess of Resilient Sparks (Private Chat)] Well, yeah, that’s part of it! The soulmate bond makes it super easy for them to trust you, it’s like a shortcut to friendship! But that’s only half the story, you know! The other half is all you! They feel safe with you because you don’t lie to them. You’re always telling them the hard truth about things, and even when you’re a total jerk about it, they know you’re not messing around. They know you’ll keep them alive. That’s why they’re not leaving. 😊

He read her message a few times. ’Because I’m honest with them? That’s a reason to stick around?’ He had never thought about it like that. He was just saying what was obvious to him. He didn’t know it made them feel... safe.

"Nox? Hey, you in there?"

He blinked, and the chat window vanished. Kendra was leaning across the table, snapping her fingers right in front of his face. "You completely spaced out on us for a minute there. Thinking about how awesome we are?"

He just grunted and leaned back in his chair. "Something like that."

Yeda was smiling, a real, happy smile. "So we’re all staying together?"

"Looks like it," he said. The idea didn’t feel like a burden. It just felt... like a fact.

"Good," Kendra said, sitting back with a satisfied look. "So what’s the plan? We can’t just sit at this cafe all day. We need a base or something. And more supplies."

"And food," Yeda added.

Vasa put her small spoon down next to her glass. "A base of operations would be a logical next step." She looked at Kendra. "It would provide a secure location for rest and strategic planning, which is more efficient than remaining in a public space."

"Yeah, exactly," Kendra said, nodding at Vasa. "A base. See, Nox? We’ve got good ideas." She leaned back in her chair with a confident smirk. "So, what’s the plan, boss? Where are we setting up shop?"

He looked at the three of them, then back at his own hands on the table. He had to tell them, and he knew they weren’t going to like it. "The plan is, you guys find a base," he said, his voice flat. "I’m not staying."

Kendra’s smirk vanished instantly. "What? What do you mean you’re not staying? We just went through this whole ’we’re a party’ thing like, 2 minutes ago." She leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. "Are you trying to ditch us again?"

"No," he said, shaking his head. "I’m not ditching you." He let out a breath. "I have something else I have to do. A mission. I have to get someone home, and it’s not here in the city."

"Someone?" Yeda asked, her brow furrowing in confusion. "Who?"

"And where are you taking them?" Kendra demanded, her voice rising a little. "You can’t just drop that on us and expect us to be cool with it."

’Sigh, this is getting annoying.’