books44 Chapter 242 242: You Can Hold Me for as Long as You Want
Chapter 242 242: You Can Hold Me for as Long as You Want
Robin understood Kiana's unspoken meaning.
If they could not change Sunday's mind soon, once the situation escalated, it would be difficult to clean up.
She thought seriously for a long while, her expression gradually turning resolute. "If I can't persuade my brother, then we'll find a way to sabotage his plan. If necessary, we can even stop the Charmony Festival from being held!"
If she could not persuade him, then she would destroy his plan so he could not enact Ena's Dream. As long as Ena's Dream did not descend, there would still be room to turn things around.
Stop this Charmony Festival?
Kiana looked at Robin in surprise. Unlike Sunday, who had deviated from the Family and walked the path of Order, Robin was undoubtedly a Pathstrider of Harmony.
"The Charmony Festival can be postponed, but if Ena's Dream descends, it will be a devastating blow to Penacony."
"I can't just stand by and do nothing. And I can't watch my brother walk further and further down the wrong path." Robin's expression was complicated. "My brother's path is not suitable for Penacony."
"Don't be sad. You still have me~" Kiana said with a bright smile. "I'll help you."
Yes... at least Kiana was still by her side.
Although not in the identity or way she had once hoped for, Kiana was here now. Right here beside her. In her bedroom.
Robin looked at her with emotion in her eyes, glancing at the hand Kiana had lifted earlier—still clasped and not yet released.
Her gaze shifted slightly. She extended her other hand and used both of hers to tightly hold Kiana's long, strong hand.
"You'll stay by my side, won't you?"
Like someone drowning clutching at a lifeline, Robin's eyes made Kiana's heart tremble.
"Of course!" she replied loudly. "You're not alone. I came here for you. Of course I'll stay by your side!"
"...If you weren't here, I really wouldn't know what to do." She lowered her eyes, looking fragile and sorrowful.
That vulnerable expression stirred Kiana's protective instincts. She immediately lifted her other hand as well, holding Robin's hands firmly in both of hers, and said with utmost seriousness, "You don't need to feel any burden. You're my friend. This is what I should do. I promise I'll do my best to stop Ena's Dream from descending and change his mind."
"You've already done so much for me. If this continues, I won't even know how to thank you."
Kiana instinctively wanted to say there was no need. She hadn't come to help for Robin's gratitude. She simply regarded her as her best friend.
But when the words reached her lips and she saw the look in Robin's eyes, she couldn't bring herself to say it.
If she said she didn't need anything in return, Robin might feel troubled.
"You've already thanked me." She changed her tone. "When I first arrived in Penacony, you helped spread the word that I was looking for a Galaxy Ranger. Have you forgotten?"
"That was nothing."
"How is that nothing?" Kiana widened her eyes. "That helped me a lot!"
It wasn't the answer she had hoped to hear. A trace of bitterness rose in Robin's heart. Kiana truly saw her only as a friend, without a single extra thought.
Her gaze dimmed.
Kiana had no idea why she had suddenly become so downcast. Was it just because she said Robin had already repaid her and didn't need to dwell on it?
She seemed to have made her upset. Feeling a little embarrassed, she hurriedly tried to think of another topic to distract her so she wouldn't overthink it.
But logically speaking...
Even if Robin thought she was wrong, she shouldn't look this disappointed. The matter wasn't over yet.
Or was Sunday's situation such a heavy blow that she couldn't control her emotions properly right now?
After turning the thought over a couple of times, Kiana looked at their tightly clasped hands and suddenly felt the posture between them was rather intimate.
In Robin's bedroom. Sitting on the edge of her bed. Holding both of her hands like this. The distance did seem a bit too close.
Robin could be unsettled because of Sunday—he was her brother. But Kiana couldn't take advantage of her vulnerable state and stay this close while she was feeling low. That would be unethical.
Realizing they had been maintaining this posture for quite some time and that something felt off, Kiana instinctively tried to withdraw her hand and return to a safe social distance.
But Robin, sensing her attempt to pull away, tightened her grip instead.
Was this... insecurity?
Kiana froze for a moment, staring blankly at her hand being held so tightly that she couldn't pull free without force.
Her brother's matter was urgent.
Kiana had said time was pressing. Robin should be going with her to stop her brother's plan.
Yet feeling Kiana's instinctive "retreat," even beneath her flawless disguise, Robin's heart clenched painfully.
"Can you let me hold you for a while?"
Her voice was low, and it was clear her mood was extremely down.
Hold her for a while?
Kiana didn't think much of it and replied generously, "Of course. If you want to hug me, then hug me. You can hold me for as long as you want."
As long as she wanted?
Robin released her hand and leaned forward slightly. Her arms slipped around Kiana's waist from both sides, her head resting against her shoulder as she pulled her tightly into her embrace.
From the moment she understood her own feelings, this girl who had just begun to fall in love had spent countless restless days and nights yearning for the one she loved. She longed to see her again, longed for her embrace, longed for the day when her feelings might be returned.
Just like this.
Holding her in her arms.
Robin's grip slowly tightened. Kiana could feel that she was far from calm. Assuming she was worried about what lay ahead, she gently patted her and comforted her, "Listen to me. Your brother will be fine. The worst outcome would just be that he leaves Penacony for a while."
"...Thank you, Kiana."
She didn't know whether to be pleased by her own acting skills or frustrated by Kiana's obliviousness.
But now was not the time for her to find out. Robin could only swallow her unwilling emotions once more.
After embracing the person she liked, the emptiness in her heart was briefly filled. Closing her eyes, Robin savored this short-lived peace.
"By the way, this is your bedroom, right?"
"Yes. But ever since I left Penacony to tour other worlds, I haven't come back often." Because of work, she rarely returned to Penacony.
"Those photos on the wall..."
Robin opened her eyes and followed Kiana's gaze. When she saw the wall covered in photographs, nostalgia surfaced in her eyes. "That photo wall holds my memories from childhood until now."
"My brother wasn't like this before. Maybe I didn't care about him enough, and that's why I didn't even notice when he..."
"What does that have to do with you?"
Seeing her blame herself, Kiana raised a brow and immediately reached out to cup her face, turning her head away from the photo wall so she had to look at her.
"And his intentions are good. His methods are just a little extreme. We just need to help him correct them, and it'll be fine."
As Kiana spoke earnestly, Robin listened, her gaze unconsciously lingering on Kiana's moving lips. A deeper longing stirred within her.
She was no ignorant child. Of course she understood what this sudden yearning meant.
Flustered, she forced herself to look away.
"As long as we make him realize that Ena's Dream isn't as perfect as he says—that it isn't the paradise we imagine—he should be able to change his mind."
"Sunday is meeting with people from the IPC right now. If he discovers you've broken free from Order's control, he might come back at any moment. We shouldn't stay here. Let's leave first."
They hadn't yet decided how to deal with Sunday. For now, it was best to avoid a direct confrontation.
"...You're right. We should leave first." She smiled gently. "Once this is over, I'll invite you here again as my guest."
She was thinking the same thing. Until they decided on their next move, they had to avoid another head-on clash like before.
She had already tried that approach.
It hadn't worked.
Now they would have to take a different path. A firmer one, if necessary, to make Sunday abandon Ena's Dream.
There was no need to worry about how to leave, nor about avoiding the watchers outside. Kiana's spatial ability was unreasonable in the best way possible, and Robin's own evasive skills were nearly maxed out.
Taking Robin with her, Kiana shifted space. One moment they were still in Robin's bedroom, and the next, they stood atop a rooftop terrace.
From this height, most of the dreamscape lay in full view. It was an excellent vantage point. In the distance, the grand theater stood out most prominently.
"No matter how many times I see it, your ability really is incredibly convenient," Robin said with genuine admiration.
Technology could achieve warp travel and spatial jumps, yes—but it was nowhere near as convenient as personally wielding such power and going wherever one wished.
Whether near or far, she could move at will, treating distance as nothing.
Even among Emanators, Robin had never heard of anyone who could traverse such vast distances as effortlessly as Kiana.
"Want it?" Kiana raised a brow playfully. "I could give you a Stigmata. Have Araya inscribe some spatial knowledge into a blank Stigmata. There's a chance you'd gain the ability to control space too."
"Sure."
"...Huh?"
Kiana had only been joking. She hadn't expected Robin to agree so readily. She blinked, then quickly recovered.
"Alright. If you don't mind, once the technology matures a bit more, I'll equip you with one."
If spatial abilities could truly be inscribed, their utility would be immense. Maybe it wouldn't let you defeat an opponent outright, but if you wanted to run, it would greatly increase your chances of survival.
After that small detour in conversation, she looked toward the grand theater in the distance.
"Penacony Grand Theater. There's actually a Stellaron hidden there. Penacony itself was built by harnessing part of the Stellaron's power. A Stellaron—the cancer of all worlds. That thing can influence people's emotions, making them more likely to slide toward certain extremes..."
Kiana told her about the Stellaron, a presence that had faded into obscurity within Penacony's history.
"...A Stellaron?"
Robin frowned slightly as she gazed at the grand theater. She was not unfamiliar with that place.
Long ago, she had stood upon its stage.
"For now, the Stellaron won't cause greater trouble. We can set it aside. As for its negative influence, we'll have to deal with that gradually in the future."
What mattered more at the moment was Sunday's attempt to summon Ena's Dream and drag Penacony into the dream of a dead Aeon.
"Do you have any new ideas about stopping Ena's Dream?" Kiana asked.
"I have a few, but they all require time to prepare." Robin looked troubled. "And the Charmony Festival is about to begin. I'm afraid there simply isn't enough time."
To suspend the Charmony Festival...
She would need the approval of the other Family heads.
Without revealing the full truth about Ena's Dream, the chances of persuading them to postpone the festival were practically zero.
The Charmony Festival was announced across the entire galaxy. If it were halted just like that, the resulting losses...
The other heads would never agree.
"I actually have an idea."
Seeing her distress, Kiana hesitated before speaking, a little slower than usual.
Robin looked at her, expectation shining in her eyes.
"What is it?"
"Are you sure it's okay to use my method?"
Instead of explaining, Kiana asked that question. Implicitly, she was asking whether it would be alright for her to take the initiative.
"Of course it's okay." Robin shook her head seriously. "I trust you."
Kiana pondered for a moment. "I've only interacted with him a little, but I more or less understand what kind of person he is. In my view, confronting him head-on isn't the best solution. He's your brother."
"But I've already tried talking to him. He... my brother's will is very firm."
"Ena's Dream is absolutely not a paradise," Kiana said. "People in that dream wouldn't just lose the right to choose. They would lose their freedom and even their dignity as human beings. Living forever in false satisfaction and happiness—how is that any different from being a puppet? How is that world any different from a game where every detail is predetermined? His Ena's Dream would turn everyone into NPCs, living within fixed scripts, allowed to feel only 'contentment.' Is that really living?"
When Kiana had first explained what Ena's Dream truly was, Robin had already thought the same.
It was far too cruel for everyone.
A future with only one possible ending.
It might look beautiful on the surface, but it was bound to lead to destruction. Not everyone was willing to remain immersed in a pleasant dream and never wake up.
—
—
6 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven