Chapter 925  Valeria

Rain seemed to be different than usual, making Arthur uncomfortable. It was not the kind of discomfort he hated, but seeing someone change so much was an unfamiliar feeling. Thus, he had to ask.

"There is something different about you, and I want to know what it is. Ever since you came back, I could not feel a hint of l.u.s.t within you. You said you had to go to Sourna but returned in less than a week, acting differently. What did the friend you met say?"

Rain no longer smiled when Arthur opened his mouth, seeming to know what he wanted to say. Her eyes seemed to go back to normal, and she let out a sigh of helplessness.

"I cannot be a person you respect, even if I try my hardest," said Rain with a shake of her head. "You know me so well, after all. I hoped you would ignore it."

"It is one thing to change oneself and another to do it overnight. I could not help but worry," said Arthur as he walked over and pulled a chair to sit beside the bed. "Tell me what happened, Rain."

"I met someone I knew indeed; it was the vice-captain of the fleet I was raised in. In the Great Sea of Sourna, fleets are similar to guilds on the ground. It would be a group of awakeners who look for treasures and accept missions."

"You were raised in the sea?" asked Arthur with surprise.

"I was picked up from the sea, and I belong there. The fleet captain who raised me is Valeria Storm, a hardened woman who refused to be treated as one. I opposed her ideals because I used my body to get what I wanted."

"…that"s a bada.s.s name."

"Her name is just Valeria, but her last name has been given to her by the people because she can control the weather. That made her feared throughout the Lesser Ocean as one of the most fearsome captains. However, something happened to her while I was gone."

"And that vice-captain was the one to tell you that?"

"Indeed," said Rain with a nod. "Her fleet was wiped out, and no one knows who survived exactly. It was done by a fleet from West Sourna and a man I know personally. His name is… Deluge, my other half."

"… another half?" asked Arthur with confusion.

"l.u.s.t is a complex emotion that can be both good and bad. The previous calamity was genderless, able to change as they desired. However, it could not reincarnate in its full form after it died because of the Split. Thus, it reincarnated as two, a man and a woman."

"Rain and Deluge," muttered Arthur with a smile of irony. "One brings life, and the other kills it. These two names are very befitting."

"The only life I want to bring is our child," said Rain with a grin. Arthur chuckled, happy to see her regain some of her former self after telling him what happened. "In any case, the vice-captain said that Valeria is missing, and most of the crew has been lost."

"I"m sorry to hear that, Rain," said Arthur with sadness. "I had no idea that something that terrible happened. Do you want to go to Sourna?"

"It would not matter," said Rain with a shake of her head. "Valeria must be dead if her ship has been destroyed in the Lesser Blood Ocean. It is an impossible place to survive, and Valeria said to let it go whenever someone goes missing."

"She is like a mother to you, right?" asked Arthur with a frown. Rain was taken aback as if she had never considered her as such. However, after a few moments of thinking, she nodded. "Then you need to look for her."

"I cannot do a thing in the Lesser Blood Ocean. Even though it is called lesser, it is bigger than Ilios. Arthur, it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack."

"…you are scared that you would find her dead," said Arthur with raised brows, and his words made Rain flinch. Then, she lowered her head without saying a word. "Is that the reason you are reluctant to go looking for her? Is it why you have been suppressing your l.u.s.t, because it reminds you of Deluge?"

"Even if you understand me, do you have to lay me bare just to prove it?" said Rain, glaring at him angrily for the first time. "Although you are kind, sometimes you are just an idiot."

Arthur was silent before he sighed and reached out to her. He held her hand in his palms, making her frown. Then, he gave a thin smile.

"You don"t need to hide who you are with me, Rain. I apologize if I said too much, but I wanted you to know it too. Go back to Sourna to find your mother."

"I would need a ship, a crew, and some clues. It would take months, and our war against Runera is in a few days."

"Go and prepare all these things until I come to Sourna and look with you. We will comb the entire Blood Ocean if we have to, just to find her. And whatever we find, we will find it together."

"…you are an idiot to give promises this big," said Rain as she looked away. After a few moments of silence, she continued. "I will wait for you at Darkwater Bay in East Sourna. Find me there, and we will ship together. Forget me not, okay?"

"I will never forget," said Arthur with a smile. "When are you going to leave?"

"…no better time than the present," said Rain as she looked down at his hand. "I hate you for seeing through me and hate you more for knowing how to convince me."

"I know. I know," said Arthur as he patted her hand. "Let me send someone with you to Sourna. The road can be tough, and I don"t want you to spend too much time there."

"Whoever stands in my way will be the victim, not the other way around," said Rain as she rose from the bed. "Teleport me to Sourna, and I will be fine there. I know it better than any other place in the world."

Arthur nodded and watched her go into the bathroom to change her clothes. After finishing, she returned wearing brown leather pants, a white shirt, and a black hat. It made him speechless because she looked like a pirate.

"This is how we dress in Sourna," said Rain with a grin. She then wore a leather belt on her waist, which held a pouch and a sword. "I am ready to leave."

"As you command," said Arthur before he raised his hands. As he summoned his teleport rune, he connected Ilios to Sourna through a portal. The indigo rune expanded until it turned into a portal, which stood erect in the middle of his tent. "You can go ahead."

"I forgot one more thing," said Rain as she walked toward him. She looked through her pouch for something as she talked to Arthur, confusing him. "I wanted to give you this for a long time."

Arthur was confused and watched her rampage through her pouch before she took her hand out and pulled him by the collar. Rain kissed him before Arthur could do a thing, and his mind went blank.

Her lips bit into his lower lip as she pulled back under the shocked eyes of Arthur. She gave a wide grin as if she did not commit a crime.

"This is revenge for exposing me earlier. You did not say sorry, so it is your fault," said Rain before pushing him back and turning around. "You can scold me when you come to Sourna!"

Then, she jumped into the portal and disappeared. A few seconds later, the portal closed since its mana ran out. Arthur was left alone inside the tent, standing there with a helpless expression.

"…such a brat," said Arthur, touching his lips before shaking his head. "Diana would beat me up for this."

Arthur was not angry at the calamity. He was glad to see her in high spirits at the beginning of her journey and could not wait to see her again. For a second, he was even excited to explore the Blood Ocean as a sailor.

"That needs to wait," Arthur said as he returned to his bed. "I need to set up an array to keep people from entering my tent. I will die of annoyance at this rate before I even get to Runera."

Arthur then went to sleep. As the third day of their journey began without Rain, someone was there to replace her. The woman from the first night was intimidated by Rain and never approached him the previous day.

Although this woman was a part of their army, she was the first to stand outside his tent in the morning. Arthur had to refuse her again, and she walked back disappointed.