Reborn As The Minor Villain In A Romance Fantasy Novel

Chapter 228: Kinetica

Luna was doubtful... even though she knew that Lucius was the one who had brought her up, given her fame and even though she was completely in love with him.

Of course she would doubt... Awakenings were natural. They were meant to be a phenomenon that could not be stimulated by anything.

There was no way to force the human body to awaken. You simply awakened or you didn’t. It was that simple. So hearing Lucius say something that sounded like an actual guarantee made her stomach twist a little.

"If you can’t... then..." she began, not wanting to get her hopes up.

But then a small vial appeared in Lucius’s hand... a medieval-looking potion bottle filled with green sludge.

"Huh?" Luna blinked and leaned in cautiously.

Her suit’s sensors weren’t detecting any regular mana signature from it, but it was giving off a strange, unnatural mana that didn’t match anything in the databases.

It wasn’t toxic... but it wasn’t normal either. "What is that?"

"You’ll be drinking this." Lucius said simply as he extended the vial to her. "Once you do, it’ll awaken."

She stared at it. "Can I run some tests on it first? I want to check if it’s fit for human consumption."

Because... green sludge in a vial? That was the definition of not safe.

"Do you trust me?" Lucius asked quietly. He wasn’t smirking neither was he teasing.

His eyes were serious, looking directly into hers.

Luna swallowed.

"...Yes."

She tapped a button on her gauntlet and the invisible armor covering her body materialized... the suit looking like a sleeker, more refined Iron Man variant.

"If the outside mana touches my skin, I won’t die instantly, but I’ll experience extreme pain so I—"

"I’ll use space." Lucius said and instantly enclosed them in a dome of controlled space. "Feel free."

This time, she didn’t hesitate.

Her faceplate lifted, exposing her skin to the mana in the dome and instead of pain, she felt nothing. Lucius really was shielding her completely.

She lifted the vial, paused for half a heartbeat... and drank the whole thing.

For a moment, absolutely nothing happened.

She looked at Lucius and frowned. "I told you... I didn’t awak—"

Her words were cut short as her whole body suddenly grew hot.

A deep, internal heat rushed through her veins and down into her fingertips.

"Disengage!" she gasped.

Her suit fell away from her body like metal petals dropping to the ground, leaving her breathless as she collapsed to her knees.

The heat swelled violently, like something inside her was being unlocked.

"I feel something coming..." Luna breathed shakily.

A wave of purple light erupted from her skin, pulsing outward in rhythm with her heartbeat.

Lucius watched calmly, studying the flow of mana as he compared it to Elara’s awakening.

Unlike Elara who had awakened Plasma and nearly combusted, Luna’s transformation was intense but smoother.

Black liquid seeped from her pores, but Lucius immediately gathered all of it with space manipulation, condensing it into a harmless sphere that floated above the barrier. He didn’t want any smelly stuff in his new tent.

’This isn’t as harsh as Elara’s awakening.’ he thought, relieved. ’Good. Luna’s body is handling it well.’

The purple glow dimmed gradually until it disappeared completely. Luna took a long breath, lifting her face.

"Ha... ah... is this how it feels to awaken?" she whispered.

Lucius raised a brow. She looked different.

Luna met his gaze.

"You look cuter." he said casually with a slight tilt of his head.

Her face flushed red, and she quickly reached for her gauntlet lying on the ground. "Mirror."

The suit projected a full hologram in front of her.

Her hair had shifted into a dark purple shade, it was richer and deeper than before.

Her facial features were slightly sharper and more mature... she didn’t just look like a cute girl anymore. She looked like a young woman.

A beautiful young woman. Luna blinked at her reflection... and then at her chest.

Her breasts were noticeably fuller now.

She froze as she saw Lucius staring directly at them.

"P-pervert..." She slapped both hands over them, her cheeks on fire.

Lucius only rolled his eyes and looked at the blue panel in front of him.

[Target has awakened Elemental Affinity: Kinetica (Peak)]

’Alright, here we go again. Tell me what Kinetica is.’

Lucius thought as he leaned back. He was proud that she had gotten Peak in one go.

[Kinetica is the power to control motion and impact, turning force itself into energy. It absorbs hits, converts momentum, and releases it as explosive strength. Every strike becomes fuel and every collision becomes power. A rare affinity that transforms its user into a living engine of kinetic force.]

’Nice.’ he thought. ’Perfect for Luna. As long as it keeps her safe.’

He dispelled the space barrier and Luna took in the new air... and this time, the mana didn’t burn her.

She looked at him again... and Lucius swore her eyes were shining with hearts.

"Alright," he said, standing up. "Test out your new body."

Luna nodded and rose gently to her feet. She moved to the side experimentally... her movements were smoother and lighter. Then she bent her knees and jumped.

She soared much higher than before but instead of falling, her momentum stopped abruptly in mid-air.

She hovered.

"Huh?" Lucius said, raising a brow. "You’re... just floating?"

"It’s one of my spells," Luna explained. "I can do about five of them. This one is called Zero-shift. It lets me cancel momentum entirely, so I can stay suspended in the air."

Lucius nodded in approval. That was extremely useful.

"Then there’s Momentum-shift..." Luna continued.

And before he could blink, she redirected her movement and shot straight into his arms landing with both legs wrapped around his waist and her arms looped around his neck.

"So I can come to your arms anytime." she said softly, smiling at him from inches away.

Lucius smirked. "Cheeky."

Her blush spread but instead of backing away, she leaned forward slowly.

And kissed him full on the lips.

When she pulled back, her face was glowing.

"I love you."

...

"Ugh..." Vanessa groaned as she pushed herself upright, rubbing her temples.

It was morning which also meant it was breakfast time and her body still felt a little heavy from sleep. She turned to the side where Luna had been sleeping beside her, only to freeze.

Luna was breathing softly, but something about her looked... different.

Vanessa narrowed her eyes and leaned in. Her face was more refined somehow... but it wasn’t Luna’s face that made Vanessa jerk forward.

It was her chest.

Two full, round mounds were sitting under the blanket, far bigger than what Luna had been having yesterday

"...What the hell? Did she add pads to her suit?" Vanessa muttered.

She reached out suspiciously and pressed her hand onto what she assumed was some new kind of support padding only to feel nothing but warm softness.

When she lifted her hand, Luna’s breast jiggled lightly before settling.

Vanessa yanked her hand back like she’d touched a bomb.

Luna’s sleeping face flushed red. "N-Not there, Lucius~"

Vanessa’s soul nearly yeeted itself out of her body.

"WHAT?!" she hissed, grabbing Luna by the shoulders and shaking her awake. "Luna! Why are you breathing without your suit? Why aren’t you suffocating?! Where is your suit... wake up!"

Luna’s eyes fluttered open slowly, her vision blurry at first. The first thing she saw was Vanessa’s horrified expression hovering inches from her own.

"Lucius..." Luna whispered.

"Lucius did what?" Vanessa asked sharply. She was already imagining a thousand scenarios...

"Lucius helped me awaken."

Vanessa froze. The fear on her face dissolved, replaced by surprise... then understanding. Finally, she sighed and stood up from the bed.

"Oh. Okay." She stretched her arms over her head. "Let’s go make breakfast then."

Luna blinked. "That was a fast mood change."

"If the reason is Lucius, then it’s fine," Vanessa said plainly, already tying her hair up. "How does it feel to be an Awakened now?"

Luna stood and brushed off her nightclothes.

"It feels very nice," she said, her lips curving into an involuntary smile. "Like the world... expanded."

Vanessa nodded. She knew the feeling well. And though she’d been worried at first, the moment Luna said it was Lucius, she had relaxed immediately.

’I need to trust him more,’ Luna thought. ’Just like she does...’

They stepped out of their shared tent only to find the entire encampment unusually lively. Every single Awakener outside was facing the same direction: the massive strategy tent belonging to the Supreme Guild.

"Did something happen?" Luna asked Grimm, who was standing nearby with his arms crossed.

"Something is about to happen," Grimm replied.

Before Luna could ask what he meant, the flap of the strategy tent opened.

Six women stepped out first, wearing completely different uniforms from yesterday.

Gone were the ugly green Boy Scout outfits... now they wore sleek black-and-white tactical uniforms that actually looked like something real Awakeners would wear.

They looked confident, clean, and much to Vanessa and Luna’s annoyance, way too happy.

Two male Awakeners followed after them, also in new uniforms.

Then two more men emerged holding up a platform... an actual raised platformlike servants carrying royalty.

On top of it was Lucius.

Lucius, wearing the same new uniform, sitting lazily with one leg crossed over the other as if this was some kind of medieval coronation ceremony.

His hair was tousled in a way that made it look intentional, and the slightest breeze pushed his bangs aside just enough for him to look annoyingly majestic.

Floating beside him was Ayela.

Ayela... who was feeding him grapes.

With a long wooden stick.

Each grape was speared and lifted daintily up to his mouth while she floated at his side like a loyal concubine in training.

Vanessa’s eyebrow twitched.

Luna’s jaw dropped.

Grimm whispered under his breath, "He’s gone mad with power..."

Lucius looked down at all of them with a completely straight face. Then, with a smooth, dramatic motion, he ran a hand through his hair, making it swoosh backward in a perfect wave.

"What are you waiting for?" he called out, his voice echoing across the camp. "Pack up. Let’s continue our raiding."