My Roleplay System
Chapter 184: Returning To Moonbright City

Chapter 184: Chapter 184: Returning To Moonbright City

Soon, it was Sunday.

Lake sat on a bench waiting near the transfer station, dressed in casual clothes. He sent a quick message to his new "investigator" before turning off his wristwatch.

Lake slowly let out a sigh, lowering his head. Today was the day he was set to meet Kate’s parents.

The thought of learning about his own parents and origins left him feeling a mix of curiosity and nervousness. Though he couldn’t truly feel emotions, his mind told him he should, so his body responded.

As he sat with his head down, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching.

"Ready?" A voice called out.

Lake looked up to see Kate standing over him, her expression relaxed. But the nervousness in her eyes didn’t escape his notice.

"Yeah. Is everything set for us to leave?" Lake asked, his face as expressionless as ever.

Kate opened her mouth to say something when she saw Lake’s face, but quickly shut it again.

"The station guard has been informed, so we can go whenever you’re ready," she said, hesitating for a moment before continuing, "If you want, we can wait here for a bit. My parents are excited to meet you, but you don’t have to force yourself."

"No, it’s fine. Let’s go," Lake replied, standing up. As he did, he shifted his expression back to his usual calm smile. "Besides, what would we even do if we stayed here?"

Kate felt conflicted listening to Lake’s question but didn’t say anything in the end. Their relationship had always been like this — only ever reaching out to each other when they wanted something. They’d never really had a normal conversation, so lingering for no reason didn’t suit them.

"Let’s go then. My parents are waiting." In the end, Kate chose to bury her unease deep within her mind.

The two of them walked into the station, and after a brief exchange with the guard, they were teleported to Moonbright City.

****

Lake stepped out of the teleport station in Moonbright City.

Normally, he’d feel nauseous or sick after using a portal, but today he felt exceptionally clear-headed.

He glanced around, taking in the sight of the ongoing repairs outside the station. The building had been heavily damaged during Prestige’s attack, but in the two weeks that Lake had left for, the repairs had nearly been completed.

One thing that immediately caught his attention upon exiting however, was a massive wall, erected just outside the station. The wall was covered in a list of names, with flowers placed at its base. It didn’t take Lake long to realize what it was.

"I heard they built the wall to honor those who fell during the attack," Kate said beside him, drawing his attention.

Lake took a glance at the wall, quickly counting over a thousand names that extended down the street.

He didn’t reply to Kate as both of them stood still in a moment of silence. Lake normally didn’t care for the lives of others, but this wall represented more than just death. It represented an uprising, a rebellion against fate. Against him.

As they waited for their car to arrive, Lake noticed a familiar face standing next to an old woman by the wall..

When he turned to look at her, she turned to look at him, their eyes meeting.

The girl spoke briefly to the old woman before walking toward Lake.

As she approached, Lake remembered helping her find her parents after the attack, causing another unpleasant memory to surface.

The girl looked up at Lake, but his gaze had been terrifyingly cold since leaving the Academy, scaring her into looking down.

Seeing her reaction, Lake paused before sighing.

Kneeling down, he raised his hand, though the girl flinched at the sight of it.

Lake casted a spell as a warm light enveloped his hand, calming the girl. Eventually, the girl managed to recover enough to face him properly.

"...."

The girl’s heart felt like it stopped as her breathing paused. The face she expected to see wasn’t what she imagined.

It was a face the little girl had grown accustomed to seeing in the mirror lately. Seeing that look, the girl couldn’t help but start to tear up, her already swollen eyes growing redder.

In a shaky voice, she spoke, "Mister... you look sad..."

Lake’s light flickered at the girl’s words. He couldn’t see his own face, so he didn’t know how he looked. But he could feel his brows relax and his eyes soften, forcing his mouth open. His breathing was calm, yet there was a subtle heaviness to it.

Lake pursed his lips as he steadied the light, then opened his arms to the little girl. The little girl didn’t know what to do for a moment, but the longer she looked at Lake’s face, the less she could hold back.

Unable to resist any longer, the girl jumped into his embrace, tears streaming down her face.

"Waaah!" She cried loudly, drawing the gaze of others.

It was a common sight at the wall, so people only gave the little girl a sympathetic gaze.

Lake hugged her tightly, wrapping her in his healing light. He buried her head in his chest, which quickly became soaked with her tears.

An unpleasant memory started to resurface in his head.

After the attack, he had gathered all the lost kids and called for their parents to pick them up.

However, no matter how long he waited, the little girl’s parents never arrived. He checked the Web of Fate, trying to find them, but no matter how hard he looked, the girl’s parents’ strands had completely disappeared.

A strand of fate only ever disappeared under one condition —when its disconnected from the host.

As he felt the girl shaking and crying in his arms, Lake’s expression — hidden from her view, slowly changed. His soft eyes hardened once more, and his brows furrowed. His jaw clenched, his teeth feeling like they might shatter under the pressure.

His already firm resolve solidified tenfold, his ever-burning fury raged hotter than ever, and his desire for carnage slowly swallowed him whole.

’Prestige... the hunt has begun.’