Chapter 194: Eye of Destiny Upgraded
April looked at the final remaining insight slot for the day. [1/5] Using it meant she wouldn’t be able to run her fortune-telling stall at the black market tonight, but she didn’t regret it for a single second. She had used it for her own good. And as for this last slot... This was also important.
Yes.
The translucent blue screen flared silently before her eyes, displaying the narrative timeline of Emily’s upcoming choices. April read the floating text line by line, her chest remaining perfectly still, her expression unchanging.
Her hold on Emily’s hand didn’t loosen, nor did her posture shift.
In the end, I was just paranoid. April thought, shutting her eyes for a brief second before opening them to stare at the quiet dashboard. But... Being cautious isn’t necessarily a bad thing either. Will the timeline change along the way because I plan to keep interfering? I wonder.
She let out a silent breath of relief. Emily’s future path held no hidden betrayal, no malicious greed waiting to bite the hand that fed her. Her twin’s core nature was fractured and bruised, but it was fundamentally loyal—bound by shared scars and a mutual desire for true justice.
But it didn’t end there. If it had, April wouldn’t be so worried about the timeline changing. But... she let it be for now. No one knows tomorrow, except her of course.
Just as April prepared to dismiss the floating blue text, the interface suddenly shuddered. The translucent blue lines flared with a brilliant, luminescent gold flash that only she could perceive.
A sharp, familiar chime echoed inside her skull.
[System Announcement: Milestone Achieved!]
[The Host has successfully utilized ’Insight’ a total of 20 times.]
[System Criterion Met — Insight Skill Upgrade Initialized...] [Processing... 100%]
[Congratulations! ’Eye of Destiny: Insight’ has successfully leveled up to Rank 3.]
New Sub-Perks Unlocked:
Daily Limit Increased: The Host’s maximum daily uses for Insight have been permanently upgraded from 5 uses per day to 10 uses per day.
Refreshed Capacity: Current daily count has been adjusted to match the new baseline.
Expanded Vision: Readings now integrate advanced systemic forecasting, providing higher resolution on micro-timelines and behavioral branches.
[Number of insights remaining left today: 5/10]
April blinked twice, a rare flicker of genuine surprise crossing her face.
She hadn’t been keeping a meticulous tally of her cumulative usages, but out of nowhere, the system had evolved right when she needed it most. Just moments ago, she had accepted the fact that she wouldn’t be able to run her fortune-telling stall at the black market tonight because her daily slots were completely exhausted.
Now, not only did she have five fresh insights ready to deploy, but her daily capacity had doubled to ten.
It’s a good thing, April thought to herself, a subtle, razor-thin smile touching the corner of her lips.
With the mountain landscape shifting past the tinted windows of the armored SUV, April rested her head back against the leather headrest, her hand still securely interlocked with Emily’s.
The convoy turned off the main highway, ascending the private mountain road that led toward Xavier’s estate.
As the SUVs pulled into the sprawling stone courtyard and came to a stop, the heavy doors unlocked. April stepped out of the vehicle, holding Emily firmly by her hand to support her when they were greeted by a very loud canine.
WOOF!
A loud, thunderous bark echoed across the courtyard.
Emily went rigid in an instant, her breath catching in her throat as her hand clamped onto April’s arm in sheer, paralyzed terror.
"Ah—!" Emily gasped, shrinking back into the car.
"Don’t be afraid," April said softly, gently squeezing Emily’s hand. "They are mine."
Rufus came sprinting over, his tail wagging violently, his deep barks echoing with pure, ecstatic joy at his master’s return. Perched right on top of the massive dog’s head, gripping his midnight grey fur with her tiny claws like a proud little general, was Lily. The tiny snow-white kitten was riding Rufus’s head, her pink nose twitching as she purred loudly.
Rufus trotted right up to the open car door, his massive head nudging against April’s knee, completely unbothered by the fact that she had only been gone for less than two hours. To the loyal beast, any absence felt like an eternity.
April leaned down, her posture softening as her fingers stroked Rufus behind his large ears, while Lily let out a tiny, high-pitched meow from atop his head, hopping down onto April’s shoulder.
"Did you miss me?" April murmured softly to the dog, a faint, rare warmth gracing her eyes.
Emily stood beside her, still clutching April’s hand tightly, her wide brown eyes staring at the massive dog and the tiny kitten in absolute wonder.
The terror in her chest slowly began to melt away, replaced by the unbelievable realization that she was finally, truly safe.
Everyone else began to get down from the vehicles as well.
Samuel stepped out with immaculate composure, adjusting his thin-rimmed glasses, while Alexander climbed down, stretching his arms and letting out a long breath.
Dr. Oliver Baxter stepped out of his white sedan last, holding his tablet tucked tightly under his arm as his sharp, clinical eyes immediately locked onto Rufus and Lily.
Without missing a beat, Oliver tapped his stylus against the screen, muttering softly under his breath. "Subject canine exhibits uncharacteristic interspecies social harmony with feline specimen. Neurological conditioning or spatial exposure side-effect? Query logged."
Nat swung his door open and stepped out into the crisp mountain air. He finally took off his dark shades, hooking them into his collar, and caught sight of the doctor furiously scribbling notes about the dog and kitten.
"You’re still taking notes, doc?" Nat drawled, a lazy, dangerous smirk touching his lips as he stretched his broad shoulders. "If you write down any more nonsense, I’m going to feed that tablet to the dog."
Oliver didn’t even look up. "This canine’s digestive tract would be severely compromised by lithium-ion battery ingestion, Nat Collins. I advise against it."
Alexander snorted, covering his mouth to hide his sneer, while Samuel let out a soft, exasperated sigh.