Read Novel Full Chapter 564: Familiar But Unfamiliar
Chapter 564: Familiar But Unfamiliar
“Is he in shock?” Charlotte whispered.
“Mika doesn’t go into shock.” Anya replied, but she sounded uncertain. “His mental fortitude is…”
“MIKA!” Astrid shouted, clapping her hands right in front of his face.
He blinked, awareness flooding back into his eyes like a tide returning to shore.
For a moment, he looked disoriented, as if he’d forgotten where he was. Then he saw the three sisters staring at him with expressions ranging from concern to annoyance to disgust.
“Is everything alright?” Anya asked, her voice gentler now. “Did something happen? Did that spell affect you somehow?”
“Don’t tell me a bone fragment hit you in the head.” Charlotte said sarcastically. “I’d hate to think our invincible Mika was laid low by shrapnel.”
“Stinky little brother.” Astrid said, still holding her nose. “Please, for all our sakes, drop your shields and let Anya clean you.”
“I’m about to faint from the smell!”
He blinked, shook his head, and unconsciously allowed Anya to remove the blood from his body.
The crimson liquid flowed away from him, leaving him clean and dry.
He then looked at them with an apologetic smile.
“I’m sorry.” He said, his voice sincere. “Even though you brought me over here to get proper information from him, I screwed up in the last moment and didn’t react.”
“Sigh. Because of that, we don’t really know much about the other party at all.”
But to his surprise, Astrid just tilted her head innocently.
“What are you talking about, Mika? We already know why they’re invading us.”
Mika blinked. “We do?”
“We most definitely do.” Charlotte confirmed, crossing her arms. “It’s rather obvious, don’t you think?”
Her gaze had turned unfriendly for some reason.
Anya pushed her glasses up her nose, and when she spoke, her voice had dropped several degrees in temperature.
“I mean, isn’t it painfully transparent?”
She paused and then delivered her verdict:
“You probably had some affair with this Queen of Oblivion.”
Mika blinked, not expecting such a accusation.
“You probably used her for your pleasure, then abandoned her like yesterday’s newspaper.”
“Now she’s invading our entire realm as a woman scorned seeking revenge.”
“What?!” Mika’s jaw dropped. “That’s…That’s completely absurd! I would never—”
“Is it really so strange?” Astrid interrupted, folding her arms in mirror of Charlotte. “Let’s examine the evidence, shall we?”
“You’re clearly connected to this situation, even you admitted feeling some recognition.”
“That man looked at you like he’d seen a ghost. Or more accurately, like he’d found exactly what he’d been sent to find. He literally said ‘I found you.'”
She began pacing, her tails swishing with agitation.
“So we have an incredibly powerful queen sending agents specifically to locate you.”
“Agents who recognize you on sight.”
She turned to him.
“What else could it be but a hate-filled lover?”
Before Mika could respond, Charlotte shook her head, her voice taking on a lecturing tone.
“There’s no need to lie to us, Mika. We already know just how much of a philanderer you are, even though we hate it so much.”
She let out a grunt
“You have so many different women left, right, and center. So it’s not that surprising that you managed to take a queen who rules over so many realms and stands on the same level as Mama herself.”
“I must admit.” Anya chimed in. “I’m impressed by your taste this time. A queen who’s conquered over a hundred realms? Who’s lived for a millennium?”
“That’s ambitious even for you.”
“Though really, Mika…” She gave him a peculiar gaze. “…didn’t you consider the consequences of ghosting someone who can make people explode with a word?”
Before Mika could mount a defense at the false accusations being thrown his way, the sisters demeanor shifted.
Where moments ago there had been accusation and annoyance, now there was something far more dangerous—possessive fury.
“But this changes everything.” Anya continued, her eyes beginning to glow with inner fire. “I thought we were dealing with a simple interdimensional invasion. Tedious, but manageable. But now?”
Her voice dropped to a dangerous whisper.
“Now we’re dealing with some ancient harlot who thinks she can waltz into our realm and reclaim what was never hers to keep.”
Charlotte’s pink aura began to manifest, crackling around her like barely contained lightning.
“The audacity of that bitch! Does she really think a few centuries of maturity gives her claim to you?
“Absolutely not!”
Astrid snarled, her tails fanning out behind her in a display of aggression.
“I don’t care if she’s conquered a thousand realms!”
“I don’t care if she can shatter reality with a sneeze!”
“SHE IS NOT TAKING OUR MIKA!”
They hadn’t been particularly concerned before when the world was being invaded.
It had seemed like a distant threat, something that could be handled with time and strategy.
But right now, when they thought about the fact that another woman was coming over to deal with Mika, or even steal him away for herself…
…that was something they could not allow.
They felt as if they had to fight with all their lives on the line.
Seeing their energy flare violently, Mika quickly jumped in.
“Hold on, hold on a second! Stop spinning stories on your own!”
He then let out a deep sigh, rubbing his temples.
“Look, I understand why you might jump to that conclusion, but I need you to listen.”
“Yes, I felt…something. A recognition of sorts. But it’s not what you think.”
He began to pace, his brow furrowed in concentration, while the sisters listened.
“When she spoke through that portal, three things struck me.”
“First, the language—it was familiar, but wrong. I know thousands of languages, have studied dead tongues and dimensional dialects, but this was…it was like someone had taken something ancient and made it modern.”
“Changed the accents, altered the flow, but kept the bones of it intact.”
“And the second thing?” Charlotte prompted, though she still looked skeptical.
“Her voice.” Mika’s expression grew more troubled. “It was familiar and unfamiliar simultaneously.”
“I knew the tone, the cadence, the particular way she shaped her words. But the voice itself?”
“Never heard it before in my life. It’s maddening like trying to remember a dream that keeps slipping away.”
“The third thing?” Anya asked.
“…The spell.”
Here Mika’s confusion transformed into something closer to alarm.
“The way she constructed it, the formula she used, the execution method—it was mine!”
“And not similar to mine, not inspired by mine.”
“It was exactly how I construct my spells, down to the specific syntax I use when shaping mana!”
The sisters exchanged glances. This was more serious than romantic drama.
“That’s…impossible.” Anya said slowly. “Your spell construction is unique. The way you manipulate mana at the molecular level, building effects from base particles…”
“…it took you years to develop that system.”
“No one else can replicate it!”
“Exactly!” Mika threw his hands up in frustration. “It’s like finding out someone else has been using your toothbrush!”
“Except the toothbrush is reality-altering magic that I’ve never taught anyone because it’s too dangerous in the wrong hands.”
“So if not a lover.” Astrid said thoughtfully. “Then what? A student?”
“The timeline doesn’t work.” Mika shook his head. “According to our late friend, the Queen of Oblivion has been active for over a thousand years. I’m turning in a month.”
He fixed them with a serious look.
“And before you continue with your affair theory, let me be crystal clear.”
“Yes, I’ve had relationships across the realms. Yes, my reputation as a ‘philanderer’—” He made air quotes. “—is somewhat deserved.”
“But I have never, EVER, been the kind of person who plays with hearts and discards them.”
He looked at them with a strict and stern face.
“Every relationship I’ve had was entered with clear boundaries and mutual understanding. The women knew exactly what I could offer and what I couldn’t. And when things ended, they ended cleanly.”
“Well…mostly cleanly.”
He pulled out his phone, waving it for emphasis.
“I’m still in regular contact with most of them—look, Celeste from the Crystal Kingdom sent me a meme about interdimensional cats just this morning.”
“Oh yeah, my friend sent that to me as well!”
Charlotte excitedly said, then quickly shook her head.
“No, wait, we’re getting off track.”
“If she’s not a crazy lover, then what’s her connection to you? And why did that man react like he’d found the holy grail when he saw your face?”
“I wish I knew.”
Mika said, and the genuine frustration in his voice convinced them he was telling the truth.
“All I know is that we’re connected somehow. Other then that, I’m as clueless as you.”
A heavy silence settled over them.
Though they had gained answers, they now had even more questions.
Mika himself, the one they all relied on was completely baffled, and a sense of helplessness crept over them.
Astrid noticed the gloomy mood and decided to change it. She grabbed her tail, sniffed it, and pulled away in disgust.
“Even though we wiped off the blood, I still feel icky! There’s still a stench on me!”
“I was just thinking the same thing!”
Charlotte nodded vigorously, her face scrunching up in agreement.
“That’s why I was going to suggest we go over to a hotel and take a shower. We need to wash all this grimy stuff off us properly!”
“Oh! I actually have a perfect place in mind.” Anya’s face suddenly lit up.
“I own a six-star hotel nearby—it’s absolutely luxurious. We could take a bath there.”
Charlotte blinked, genuinely surprised.
“When did you get into real estate, Anya? I didn’t know you were investing in property!”
“Oh, I didn’t buy it on my own.”
Anya waved her hand dismissively, a sly smile playing on her lips.
“I didn’t even pay a single coin for it, actually.”
She paused, her smile widening.
“You see, there was this high-ranking member of the Federation who made some… mistakes. Mistakes that I happened to find out about.”
“And he was so grateful that I didn’t expose him that he decided to gift me the hotel as a token of his appreciation.”
Both sisters stared at her in dismay, their mouths hanging open.
“You didn’t…”
Astrid said slowly, her voice filled with disbelief.
“You actually blackmailed a Federation member into giving you a hotel?”
Anya shrugged, her expression utterly unrepentant.
“I prefer to think of it as a voluntary donation from a very generous supporter. He was quite happy to give it to me. I could see the joy in his eyes.”
“He was terrified.” Charlotte said flatly.
“Terrified joy is still joy.” Anya replied smoothly.
Astrid shook her head, but a grin was already spreading across her face.
“You know what? I don’t even care. A six-star hotel is a six-star hotel.”
She grabbed Anya’s hand, her enthusiasm returning full force.
“It’s settled! We’re going over there right now and taking a long, warm bath!”
She turned to Mika, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
“And you’re coming with us, little brother!”
Mika blinked, his earlier daze fading slightly.
“Actually, no. I have plans with your moth—”
He stopped abruptly. His eyes narrowed slightly, and a knowing look appeared in them, like he had just gotten a rather mischievous idea.
His lips then curved into a devious smile.
“You know what?” He said, his voice carrying a new energy. “Fine. Let’s go to that hotel!”
All three sisters eyes lit up with joy, their earlier gloom completely forgotten.
“I just need to make a call first.” Mika continued, pulling out his phone. “You three go on ahead. I’ll be right with you.”
The sisters nodded, already chattering excitedly as they made their way out.
Astrid was asking Anya if the hotel had a hot tub or a jacuzzi or a swimming pool they could use.
Charlotte was already demanding a share in the hotel, claiming she deserved a cut for being such a supportive sister.
Anya was calmly explaining the other real-estates that were ‘gifted’ to her and how she still exposed each and every one of the gifters in the end in a proud manner..
Mika watched them go before he unlocked his phone and scrolled through his contacts until he found the one he was looking for. He pressed the call button, and the phone began to ring.
When Nadia finally picked up, her voice came through a bit shy and hesitant as she was still sore from the way Mika played with her body in the morning.
“Hello? Mika? Why are you calling? Aren’t you with Astrid and the girls? Is everything alright over there?”
Mika’s smile turned positively devilish.
“Nadia,” he said, his voice smooth as honey, “I think it’s about time we start your training.”
There was a pause on the other end. Then Nadia’s voice came through in a fluster.
“B-But how? Aren’t you with the girls?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.” Mika replied, his voice carrying a hint of dark amusement. “Just meet me at the Celestial Oasis Hotel.”
“And bring a swimsuit.”
“The skimpiest one you can find.”
He could practically hear her heart racing in her silence.
But he didn’t elaborate.
He simply ended the call, his smile still firmly in place.
This was going to be an interesting evening.
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