New Eden: Live to Play, Play to Live

Chapter 1054: A Touchy Subject



Time flew by as conversations echoed within the plane, and the commotion of inspection resounded outside it. By the time the latter was done, the subjects within the former had already changed a few times, leaving some people amused, others confused, and some even thoughtful.

But when Alex saw the tanker which refuelled them pull out of the hangar, he knew it was time to leave for their next task.

'A task, huh? I wonder when I started seeing problems like these as simple tasks...'

His mind started recalling all the times he'd used his powers on Earth, whether for good or bad, and he realized something that hadn't dawned on him yet. They were quickly becoming dependent on this power they could wield.

Alexander wondered if this was a good thing or not.

If they managed to tide through the demon invasion, or better yet, conquer it. What came next?

Would Earth revert to the way it was before, with no mana and no magic in sight? Would it heal all the rips between the other world and return to the sterile environment it was before? And if it did, what happened to the ones who could already wield magic? Would they be ostracized for it, or would they become the new rulers in this weak world, ruling over the regular folk like it was their right?

But on the inverse, what if Earth never went back to that sterile world of before? Would they be doomed to deal with monsters for the rest of their lives?

Or worse yet, would the future generations have to grow up with the fear of monsters killing them before they reach adulthood?

Alex's mind became so lost in its own thoughts on how the future would be, if they ever had one, that he never noticed when the plane started whirring to life and the Major called on them to strap into their seats.

Kary noticed he was lost in thought and helped him buckle up, wondering what had his mind so preoccupied. It wasn't rare for Alex to get lost in thought, but it was, however, rare to see his face so serious while he was.

Alex barely felt the turbulence of their rough takeoff when the plane passed through the same clouds it had on entry, if only a little gentler, as the lightning had receded. His mind stayed locked on thoughts of possible futures for the entire first hour of their flight.

Kary didn't dare disturb him since she would hate for someone to interrupt her when she was this lost in thought herself. Sometimes, thinking was a therapy in itself, in her opinion.

Instead, she decided to shuffle around the plane, ensuring everyone was still physically and mentally okay, taking a little more time around Liu Yan to ensure Alex hadn't roughed him up some more before takeoff.

But the young man seemed a lot chipper than before, making her wonder what the two of them had talked about. Violette's paleness made her wonder how the girl was faring, but she seemed honest enough when she told her it was nothing, so Kary didn't push her.

The takeoff had been bumpy, so it could be that Violette had discovered a fear of planes and was still processing the takeoff. It wasn't something to pry in, and she was sure the girl would come to talk to her, eventually.

In the meantime, she could only watch from the sidelines and make sure nothing went amiss. When she got to Killian, he looked at her with a chuckle.

"You know you don't have to mother everyone around you, right?"

Kary frowned at his words.

"It's not like that is what I'm trying to do... I just want to make sure everyone is okay. We had a rough time in that dungeon, and I don't want this to grow into some mental or physical trauma. Is that such a bad thing?" she asked, sitting across from him.

Killian smiled at her, realizing it was in her nature, and regardless of what he said, it wouldn't change that.

"It's not a bad thing. But I figure if you dote too much on others, who's taking care of you?" Kary turned to look at Alex, a slim smile appearing on her lips.

"Usually him. He's a bit lost in his mind at the moment, but it's okay. Whenever I feel off, he's there to be my rock," she said, turning back to look at Killian.

"Do you have someone like that in your life, Killian? Someone who is there through thick and thin? Who'll take on the world for you?" she asked, realizing she had never heard him talk about himself.

This was the perfect moment to uncover more about the mysterious Killian Owens. She had been competing against him in games for over a decade now, and she still barely knew anything about him.

Even though they had met at conferences and competitions more times than she could count, they had rarely sat down and talked.

Killian looked at her, a chuckle escaping his lips.

"When did you take an interest in my life? Are you trying to extract information out of me?" he teased.

Kary frowned at him.

"Is it wrong of me to want to know more about a friend whom I might have to share death- defying moments with? If you don't want to share, just say so," she grumbled.

Killian laughed at her temper change, but shook his head.

"It's not that I don't want to share. There just isn't much to share. I've been a Merlinean since

I was a child, so my marriage was arranged and has only ever bred dissatisfaction and drama.

Is there anything to share from that?"

Kary looked at him with wide eyes and a gawking mouth.

"What?" Killian asked, confused as to why she was so shocked.

"You're married? Since when?" she asked, flabbergasted.

Killian raised an eyebrow.

"It's been years. Over a decade, even. I thought you knew this? It's not like it was ever aNôv(el)B\\jnn

secret..."

Kary looked at his left hand but couldn't see a ring. Killian saw this and chuckled, pulling on a chain at his neck.

The chain pulled out of his shirt, revealing a dangling golden ring with engravings inside that Kary couldn't make out from this distance.

"Holy shit... You really are married... I had no idea," Kary said, stunned.

"I was married before I got into competitive gaming, so I guess I never really broached the subject in interviews. But it's not like I was keeping it a secret either," he replied, laughing

lightly.

David happened to be passing by as Killian pulled out the ring; as he was heading to the cockpit, he stopped momentarily.

"Oh! That reminds me. How is she, your wife? I was told once that she had a severe condition that made her too weak to go outside your house. Has she started getting better yet?"

Killian frowned at David.

"A: how do you know that? And B: why would she suddenly be getting better?"

He asked, confused.

David winked at him, continuing his way toward the cockpit.

"I guess you'll figure it out soon enough. Pass on my well wishes," he said as he walked away.

Killian didn't know what to make of David's words, let alone where to begin with the 'how he got that information' part. There weren't many, even inside the Merlineans, that knew about

his wife's condition.

She had developed it after their wedding and insisted on keeping it from the others. She wasn't the type to put her problems on others' doorsteps.

And since he had little affection for the woman to begin with, he never went out of his way to seek help from the organization, either.

Kary was still stunned by the fact that Killian was a married man, and it didn't register in her mind that the woman was sick yet.

It went silent between the two as they both took in the information, looking at each other in

confusion.

"I can't believe that you're married... Why wouldn't you talk about that part of your life? That makes for awesome ways to get people to like you," Kary said, thinking about all the times

when Killian had to deal with waves of haters.

Killian chuckled at her take on this.

"Why would I bother with that? I don't care if people don't like me. I have way more people

who do than people who don't. What's a drop of water in the sea?" he reasoned, brushing

away his confusion toward David's knowledge.

"But..."

Killian raised his hand to interrupt her thought.

"If it bothers you so much, why don't you marry that dolt?" he asked, pointing at Alexander

with his thumb.

Kary's face instantly flushed red without her even realizing it.

At that moment, Alex broke out of his thoughts, noticing Kary's red face, and tilted his head

slightly in confusion.

"What were you guys talking about? And why is Kary so flushed?" he asked.

Kary glared at Killian, who was already looking at Alex and didn't see her murderous gaze.

"Oh, we were talking about my marriage. It seems to bother her that I'm married and never talk about it. And she's so flushed because I asked-hmph!"

Kary lunged at him and slapped her hands on his mouth, stopping him from finishing his sentence, and Alex looked at this stupefied.

"It's nothing! Just the cabin pressure making me hot!" Kary said, glaring at Killian with a gaze

that could kill.

Alex looked at this scene in confusion, but he was still semi-lost in his thoughts, so he

couldn't be bothered to get to the bottom of this for now.

"If you say so," he shrugged. Killian tried talking through Kary's hands muzzling him, but only muffled sounds came out.

"You say another word about this, and I will cremate you alive," Kary threatened, her face

still flush.

Killian's face paled a little as he realized she was being serious, and he nodded slowly. "Good man," she said, removing her hands and pinching his cheek.

'God... That woman is insane... Even if she's shy about it, there is no reason to threaten to kill

me...'