VOL 2 Chapter 66: There’s no other choice.

"Kevin, where is my brother?"

Sofía's question put a complicated expression on Kevin's face. He was a handsome young man in his twenties, with tanned skin and black hair. A moment later, he couldn't help but lower his gaze in pain, hesitating whether to speak.

"What happened to Martín? Tell me!!!" Alarmed by Kevin's behavior, Sofía shouted loudly as she grabbed the collar of the young man's clothes with force. After a sigh, he explained in a low voice.

"Martín was in one of the deepest tunnels when the cave-in happened, and nobody knows what became of him…"

"When do they plan to rescue him?!!!" Sofía exclaimed, gripped by panic, as she shook Kevin with all her might. He could only avert his gaze in pain as he explained in a sad, listless tone.

"That's the thing. The foreman gave the order to write off the deepest tunnels and instead focus on recovering the machinery from the more accessible ones."

"MOTHERFUCKER!!!"

Kevin's words made Sofía's face turn so pale she looked like a sheet of paper, terror filling her eyes. She roared in anger and helplessness, but quickly realized something and asked at once, looking straight into Kevin's eyes with unwavering resolve.

"Kevin, do you know where to find an earth mage who could reach the tunnel where Martín is?"

Kevin couldn't help being a bit surprised by Sofía's words, especially because he could still see the flames of hope in those beautiful blue eyes. Yet soon after, he shook his head and responded with resignation.

"I don't know anyone like that. An earth mage powerful enough to do that is a very distinguished person, not someone a simple miner like me could ever meet…"

"You wouldn't know, but I'm sure that son of a bitch foreman definitely does!"

Sofía exclaimed with resolute conviction, then released Kevin and readied herself to run off and confront the foreman again—willing to do anything necessary to force him to cooperate. But at that moment, Kevin urgently called out.

"Wait, Sofía, don't risk yourself like that! It's not worth it. Even if the foreman does know someone, I doubt he'd tell you, especially now, after all that's happened. Besides, even if he introduced you to an earth mage, it'd be pointless. I heard him say he's giving up on the deeper tunnels because the cost of recovering the machinery would be higher than just buying it new. And from what I hear, each of those machines costs several thousand high-purity mana crystals, and there are at least a dozen of them down there…"

Hearing Kevin's words was like having a block of steel fall on Sofía's head, robbing her of all her strength and extinguishing in a single blow the glimmer of hope that still flickered in her heart. After all, while her savings amounted to a small fortune—due in large part to her intermediate-purity crystals—they were, at best, equivalent to about four thousand high-purity crystals.

Drained of strength, Sofía dropped to her knees on the ground, feeling her mind sink into a bottomless pit of despair. Tears poured down her cheeks like an endless torrent. Fear, sadness, hatred, and helplessness filled Sofía's heart, making her scream and curse the world for her misfortune, her small and delicate fists pounding the sandy ground.

Why was it always them? Why did life seem determined to make them suffer? Why her brother Martín? He was an honest, good, hardworking young man—why did someone like him have to endure such a tragedy while a useless gambler like José remained unscathed? Why did the world hate her small family so much, a family that wanted nothing more than to survive honorably amid so much misfortune? What had they done to deserve this?

After a while, while her head filled with a barrage of unanswered questions, Sofía's body was overcome by exhaustion, the result of running marathons without rest all over the place in search of her brother. Out of strength and feeling utterly defeated, Sofía let herself collapse fully onto the ground, staring vacantly at the starry sky in the distance, trying to lose herself in its beauty and immensity.

"Sofía, are you okay?!!"

From afar, Sofía heard Kevin's voice calling her, and felt him lifting her exhausted body. But her gaze never stopped looking at the beautifully star-filled sky. Inevitably, it reminded her of the gorgeous hair of a certain handsome, wealthy, and generous young man—someone who undoubtedly had more than enough capital to pay a mage to rescue her brother.

More out of fear of sinking into absolute despair than out of hope for any actual assistance, Sofía pushed away the hands trying to help her up. She stood on her own, her beautiful blue eyes brimming with the resolve to try every last possibility before giving up, even if it meant risking her life and sacrificing everything.

"..."

Meanwhile, Kevin found himself once again captivated by those beautiful blue eyes brimming with courage and strength—truly the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. They had enthralled him long ago, though he had never mustered the courage to confess his feelings. He wanted to say something to help the woman he so dearly loved, but no words came out, as if an insoluble knot had lodged itself in his throat, leaving him unable to speak at such a critical moment.

"See you around, Kevin. Thanks for your help…" 

Sofía took her leave, her voice resigned, as she slowly walked toward the tent's entrance, mentally preparing for what she was about to do, while wondering where she might find that young man.

"Wait, Sofía, what are you planning to do?" 

Finally coming to his senses when he saw Sofía leaving, Kevin asked somewhat anxiously. She turned around to look at him with a slightly distant expression and calmly replied.

"I'm going to try the last option…"

"Don't do anything crazy, Sofía..." Seeing her expression, Kevin felt a terrible sense of emptiness in his stomach. He could only speak with a complicated look on his face.

"I have to do it. There's no other choice…"

After speaking in a low, trembling voice full of determination and a bit of nervousness, Sofía adjusted her headscarf and sprinted away, using the last reserves of her mana to strengthen her weary legs. All the while, her thoughts raced: Where could she find that star-haired young man? Behind her, Kevin once again found himself speechless and unable to move.

...

Upon finally returning to the city, nearly out of breath, Sofía used her remaining energy to run straight to the city's most expensive and luxurious hotel. The place was practically a tourist attraction by itself; despite being in a very central part of town with easy access to the best spots, it looked like a world of its own—an artificial lake with a magnificent palace of gold and marble rising from its waters.

Looking at herself—dirty, disheveled, and covering her face—Sofía realized there was no way they would ever let her into the hotel reception like this. Instead, she went up to the entrance, a beautiful raised bridge, and discreetly signaled to one of the guards stationed there. They all wore ostentatious metal armor. One guard, seeing her gestures, approached with a slightly confused expression and asked.

"What's wrong, Sofía? Why do you look like that?"

"It's a long story, but I'll tell you later. Right now, I need your help with something—this is life and death for me."

Sofía's tone was deadly serious as she looked at the guard in front of her, a thirty-year-old man with light greenish hair, one of the friends she'd made back when she used to sell pastries.

"What's so urgent? What do you need?" The guard seemed a bit surprised, yet wary. Sofía answered gravely.

"I don't need much. I just need you to check if a young man with starry hair, accompanied by two beauties and a maid, came into the hotel."

"So that's it. Well, I've been on duty all day today, and I haven't seen anyone like that." The guard answered, visibly calmer, which puzzled Sofía a bit—she was certain that someone like that would only stay in the best hotel. She promptly asked.

"Could you help me ask the other guards if they've seen him? I promise that as soon as I can, I'll bring you some delicious pastries as thanks."

"Alright, but don't forget about the pastries! My kids keep pestering me, and they don't like any of the ones I've brought home. They're driving me crazy."

The guard responded with a smile. Sofía replied firmly.

"Don't worry. Even though right now my sister can't make enough pastries to sell, making the five you usually took home won't be a problem."

"Okay, I'll be right back." The guard nodded and quickly went to ask the other guards, returning a short while later. To Sofía's disappointment, he shook his head and said.

"Nobody's seen anyone like that. Maybe you should check other hotels."

"Alright. Thank you. As soon as I sort this out, I'll bring you those pastries."

Though visibly discouraged, Sofía thanked him quickly and ran off to check other luxury hotels and any other places that might have been recommended to that group. She didn't find them anywhere. Panic gripped her; it didn't matter how determined she was—if she couldn't find them, everything would be in vain.

Refusing to give up, Sofía began recalling every interaction she had with them—the group that dressed and behaved so differently, as if they came from another world. She remembered how the divinely beautiful women clung to the young man with such love, and how they laughed and enjoyed every new thing they encountered.

As her mind wandered through these memories, Sofía suddenly spotted a couple of lovers walking intimately, arms wrapped around each other. Immediately, a lightbulb went on in her head, and she exclaimed quietly, brimming with excitement.

"Of course! They're newlyweds, probably on their honeymoon. If they're not in the hotels or restaurants, they must be out on a romantic date!"

…

In Aranta, the Celestial Whispers Garden is a haven of romance and stargazing. It sits on a gently elevated hill, far from the bustle of the main streets, like a maze of fragrant flowers and benches hidden beneath arches of climbing roses. Overhead is a vast, open dome of sky.

The garden's most coveted spot was undoubtedly the Lovers' Overlook—a beautiful pavilion with a large, intricately carved dome, embellished with metallic spirals and geometric designs. A series of pathways connect it, flanked by smaller arbors, all adorned with flowers and climbing plants of every color. The lanterns that lit the garden at night gave it a magical, enchanting feel.

On a small corner of the platform beneath the grand pavilion stood a group of four people: three women of near-divine, ethereal beauty gathered around an elegant, handsome young man whose hair seemed to blend in with the starry sky above.

Erik sat on one of the benches, gazing at the starry heavens with a nearly lost expression. On each side of him were Sigrún and Eleonora, resting their heads on his shoulders while holding his hands, fingers interlaced, their hands resting on their respective legs.

On the ground in front of the bench where Erik was sitting lay a beautiful white apron with exquisite gold and silver embroidery on the corners. Resting on it was Seraphina, who leaned her head on her hands on one of Erik's knees, with a peaceful and relaxed expression, her eyes closed. She was fully enjoying the brief moment in which she had 'allowed herself to be convinced' by Erik to momentarily set aside her professional demeanor.

"This is a great place for a vacation…" Erik commented softly, his eyes on the celestial display.

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The Lovers' Overlook