1011 Farewell

At the end of Annie’s magical awakening ceremony, Nova had tears streaming from her eyes at the sight of the totally cyan Magic Gem on her daughter’s forehead.

Watching her daughter’s awakening had been one of the most emotional moments of her life. As she stood next to Lina and Layla, she couldn’t help but think of Vicente as she wiped away her tears with a handkerchief.

Ten years had passed, but the longing she felt for him now had not diminished. She certainly didn’t spend her days thinking only about Vicente. She had many issues to deal with as one of the leaders of the human territory and a powerful Archmage. But she constantly thought of her husband and missed him terribly.

The pain of not being able to see him hadn’t weakened over the years, but had grown stronger. This was particularly true at the moment, when they were preparing for their first major confrontation with the vampires in years.

Today was the last day that Nova could be so close to Annie. After today, she would join the allies of the human coalition on the northern border, while Annie would begin her training at Cataclysm Order headquarters.

“Sigh… Time has flown so fast.” Layla murmured as she too felt emotional, watching Annie descend from the continent’s most important Awakening Altar, applauded by the many subordinates.

All those men and women had sworn their loyalty to Annie when Vicente was still on the continent, and each of them now saw a remnant of their leader and hero in this young girl. For years, they had treated her as their leader out of respect for their founding leader, but now they saw in her the hint of what she would become.

They were relieved, but also proud. To have a leader with cyan grade natural talent was incredible!

As long as Annie had her chance to grow, one day she would become a powerful Archmage!

Lina and her harem sisters weren’t thinking the same as the men applauding Annie’s success and said, “Indeed. Time has passed quickly… I wonder if Vicente experienced the same thing as us? Now we’re close to finally letting go of Annie’s hands and letting her go her own way.”

“He’s certainly working hard to keep his end of the bargain with the elves and dragons,” Nova said with a blind confidence that her husband would do such a thing and that he would not fail.

When Annie returned to their side, the three of them let their words die down as they watched her with sparkles in their eyes.

“You’re a grown woman now, Annie.” Nova massaged her daughter’s shoulders, while Rory’s father stood nearby, having been appointed Annie’s bodyguard for the time being.

The man had become an Advanced Archmage, so there weren’t many others better suited to the role.

As for Rory, Casey, Sarah and the other important family members, including Eve, they were busy in the north at the moment, some ready for battles against the vampires, others in that region to support their allies.

“Mom… I didn’t want you to leave,” said the black-haired, blue-eyed girl, as her lips formed a sad bow.

“I know. Don’t worry. We’ll be fine. We have the escape devices left by your father.” Nova assured her daughter. “But there’s no other alternative. The vampires will act massively against the human coalition in no time. If we don’t move first, we’ll end up in a situation similar to the one at the time of The Purification.”

Annie knew this, so she wouldn’t insist on preventing her mother, Lina, and Layla from leaving.

On the other hand, Vicente’s three wives wouldn’t hesitate to leave Annie behind either. After a decade since their man’s departure, they had seen the little girl become an intelligent woman, capable of leadership and very focused on her goals.

Annie had always given importance to the family’s affairs and dedicated herself to contributing in any way she could. So far, she had only been able to contribute by learning how to lead, how to become a good magician, and the basics of her future professions.

Now that she had awakened her Dark Path power, she could develop it further. Both she and her family and subordinates were confident that she would know how to move forward, even without the constant help of her close relatives.

“But don’t think too much about our absence, Annie.” Nova smiled at her. “Focus on your training and try to become a Mage as soon as possible.”

“Hmm, I’ll do that.” She promised as she received a few words of congratulations for the power she had gained, with Layla and Lina trying to relieve her of the burden of their temporary farewell.

“When will I hear from you?” she asked as she walked alongside them towards the exit of the underground area where they were.

“I don’t know. It could be a few months. We’re going to travel north and join the coalition. You’ll hear the news as soon as we start moving in combat against the monsters,” Lina was the one to answer the Fuller girl.

“If the situation gets worse, you’ll have to hide and let Julian and his group join us,” Nova said, as she looked at the red-haired man walking behind them.

Julian was supposed to stand by Annie in almost every possible circumstance. But if all the strongest magicians fell in the weeks ahead, leaving one of the strongest men in the human community on guard would be a mistake.

“I know what to do. Don’t worry,” Annie said as she neared the exit of this unit, where she stopped and watched the three women follow into the open air, where Vicente’s robotic armor kept the area secure.

“See you, Annie. I hope to return in victory and with 6th stage vampire blood.” Nova said, before she and her two harem sisters flew away, quickly disappearing from the Cataclysm Order leader’s sight.

Annie sighed as she shed her farewell tears, but as she thought about her responsibilities, she dried her feelings on her face and turned to go back inside her headquarters.

“Let’s get to work, Julian. There’s no time to lose.”

“Certainly, Altar Master,” said the man as he followed behind her a minute later, while he couldn’t help wondering how his son was doing.

But he was confident in Rory. The boy had become an Intermediate Archmage after these years of action against the monsters!

‘New high-level battles are approaching… Will I have to join the fight?