Chapter 105: Bluey
Carrie stared at the empty space where the luggage had disappeared, then turned toward Armani. "Aunt Armani, how are we going to Central City?"
Armani looked down at her. "Are you excited to find out?"
"Yes, but my brother told me it was really difficult for him to get there. He said the journey took him two or three days."
"Well, in that case, you don’t need to worry." Armani smiled. "We’re flying."
Carrie’s eyes widened. "Flying? I’ve never flown before."
Her earlier disappointment vanished momentarily, replaced by unbridled excitement.
"Brother once promised he would take me flying on a beast, but then he ran off to the academy without doing it."
Armani laughed. "It sounds like he owes you."
"Yes, and I’ll collect that debt when I see him." Carrie’s expression turned solemn. "With interest."
Armani walked toward the open area in front of the house and closed her eyes briefly. Carrie watched her curiously, unable to discern what she was doing, while the other two understood immediately.
"I’ve called our ride. She should be here soon."
Lima gently pulled Carrie to her side. "Come here. Let me talk to you before you leave."
While Lima spoke with Carrie, Martha returned to the doorway and stood there silently, gazing at the modest house.
Armani noticed the change in her expression and slowly approached her. "What happened, Sister?"
Martha did not answer immediately. Her eyes remained fixed on the house. "You know, Kitty, it has been almost nine years since he disappeared."
Armani’s expression softened instantly.
"Zac was only ten, and Carrie was barely two years old," Martha continued quietly. She ran her fingers along the edge of the doorway as memories of the past resurfaced.
"When I first came to this city, the little money I had went into buying this house. Since I had already given up my life as a variant, earning money as an ordinary person was never easy. I had to work two shifts every day just to provide for them."
Armani remained beside her, listening without interruption.
"Both of my children grew up here. Zac doesn’t remember his time in Central City, and Carrie was only a baby when we left. Nearly every childhood memory they have is tied to this place."
A wistful smile touched Martha’s lips.
"I watched Zac become the man of the house long before he should have and Carrie take her first steps in that room. We fought, laughed, and cried here as a family."
"Every corner of this house carries a memory we shared together."
"Now that we’re leaving it for good..." Martha paused. "I may have put on a brave front, but walking away from this place isn’t as easy as I made it seem. I know it’s only a house, but still..."
Armani placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled gently. "Do you remember what you told me before you left Central City, Sister?"
Martha turned toward her.
"You said that life is about moving forward, and sometimes, moving forward means leaving something behind."
Martha smiled faintly. "You always enjoy using my own words against me, don’t you?"
"You can’t blame me, Sister. Wisdom is passed down from seniors to juniors."
Martha chuckled.
Suddenly, the wind around them intensified.
The nearby trees bent beneath the mounting pressure as dust swept violently across the street. An enormous shadow passed over the house, blotting out the morning light.
Carrie looked up, her mouth slowly falling open. "What is that?"
Lima reacted instantly. She pulled Carrie behind her and turned toward the sky as Mana gathered around her body, readying herself for battle.
Armani, however, calmly raised a hand. "Relax. That’s our ride."
Only after hearing her words did the tension leave Lima’s shoulders.
The beast slowly descended from the clouds, gradually reducing its size as it approached the ground. Even after shrinking, it remained colossal, nearly as large as four school buses placed together.
Its body was covered in dark-blue scales that shimmered beneath the morning light. Two powerful wings extended from its back, while a long tail swished through the air behind it.
The ground trembled as the beast landed.
Carrie stared at it with perfectly rounded eyes. "Auntie... is that a dragon?"
Armani laughed softly. "No, Carrie. She’s a wyvern."
Carrie tilted her head. "What’s a wyvern?"
"It resembles a dragon, but it isn’t truly one," Lima explained. "Wyverns possess a powerful bloodline closely related to dragons."
She then turned toward Armani in disbelief. "Miss Armani, I can’t believe you own a wyvern."
"She isn’t merely a pet," Martha said, still staring at the beast. "She’s your soul beast, isn’t she?"
Armani nodded and looked at Martha with mild amusement. "Do you truly not recognize her, Sister?"
Martha frowned and studied the wyvern more closely. The deep-blue scales and silver markings around its eyes stirred a memory she had long forgotten.
"No way..."
Armani smiled. "Remember her now?"
"Are you telling me this is Bluey?"
At the sound of her name, the wyvern lifted her head and looked toward Martha.
Martha stared back in disbelief. "I can’t believe it. She’s grown so much." With that, Martha slowly began walking toward the wyvern.
Carrie immediately shouted from behind her, "Mom, don’t go near it! What if it eats you?" Ignoring her daughter’s warning, Martha approached Bluey and extended a hand.
The wyvern lowered her enormous head and stared at her for a second. Then, without warning, it opened its mouth.
Carrie froze in terror, convinced she was about to watch her mother get devoured by a monster.
But instead of biting Martha, Bluey dragged her enormous tongue across her face. Martha immediately burst into laughter as the wyvern continued licking her.
"Enough! Enough, Bluey!" Martha tried to push the beast’s head away. "You’re still exactly the same. Some things never change, do they?"
Lima watched in stunned silence. "Is that a wyvern or a dog?"
Bluey finally stopped licking Martha and gently pressed her head against her shoulder.
Lima moved closer to Armani. "Miss Armani, do they really know each other?"
Armani nodded. "Zac’s father found Bluey’s egg inside a mystic realm and gave it to me as a gift."
Lima looked at Bluey again. "He gave away a wyvern with S-rank potential?"
A faint smile appeared on Armani’s face. "That was simply the kind of person he was. When Bluey hatched, all three of us were there. She practically grew up around us."
Her gaze shifted toward Martha and the wyvern. "When Sister left Central City, Bluey was even more heartbroken than I was. Despite all these years, she still remembers her."
"I see." Lima nodded in understanding.
Armani then turned toward Carrie, who was still keeping a wary distance from the beast. She walked over, lifted the small girl into her arms, and carried her toward Bluey.
Carrie immediately clung to Armani’s neck. "Auntie, are you sure she doesn’t bite children?"
"I’m certain she only eats noisy ones."
"Noisy ones? You mean me?"
Armani laughed. "I’m only joking."
She stopped in front of the wyvern. "Look at her, Bluey. This is Sister Martha’s younger daughter."
Bluey stared directly at Carrie for several seconds before slowly nodding.
"What is she doing, Kitty?" Martha asked.
"She’s acknowledging Carrie’s potential, Sister."
Martha frowned in confusion. "But Carrie hasn’t awakened yet."
"Bluey inherited a unique pair of eyes from her dragon bloodline," Armani explained. "She can perceive a person’s potential to a certain extent."
Lima looked impressed. "Being acknowledged by a wyvern with dragon blood means Carrie must possess remarkable potential."
Armani and Martha smiled proudly. "Of course she does," Armani said.
Carrie glanced between them. "So I’m powerful?"
"Not yet, Carrie," Armani replied. "But you could become powerful if you train properly."
Carrie’s expression immediately brightened. "Then I’ll train hard, become stronger, and teach my brother never to break his promises again."
Everyone burst into laughter at her childish declaration.
Once Carrie’s fear had subsided, she cautiously reached out and touched the side of Bluey’s face. The wyvern closed one eye and remained perfectly still beneath her hand.
Armani helped Carrie climb onto Bluey’s back and settled her near the front, close to the wyvern’s neck.
Martha then turned toward Lima with a warm expression. "Lima, why don’t you come with us to Central City? You’ve helped us so much over the past two months. It doesn’t feel right to leave you here alone."
Lima slowly shook her head. "I can’t, Aunt Martha."
"Why not?"
"I have too many responsibilities here. I’ve only recently become the chief of this branch. If I abandon my position without making the proper arrangements, a great many people will be affected."
Martha frowned. "Couldn’t you request a transfer to Central City?"
"I could, but..." Lima smiled faintly. "In Central City, someone at my level would probably only be appointed as a squad captain."
Martha looked at her with concern. "But once we leave, won’t you be alone?"
Lima’s smile remained, though something behind it dimmed. "I’m accustomed to being alone, Auntie."
Martha stepped closer. Seeing the melancholy in Lima’s eyes, she gently took both of her hands. "You don’t always have to be, Lima. No one is destined to remain alone for their entire life."
Lima’s gaze wavered slightly at those words. Before she could respond, Carrie called out from Bluey’s back.
"Sister Lima, you’ll visit us, right?"
"Of course. As soon as I get the chance."
"That sounds like something people say when they have no idea when that’ll be."
Lima laughed softly. "Don’t worry, Carrie. I promise I’ll visit as soon as possible."
She reached up and tucked a few loose strands of hair away from the girl’s face. "And unlike your brother, I’m not someone who breaks her promises. Be a good girl and listen to your mother, all right?"
"Of course." Martha stepped forward and embraced Lima tightly. "Take care of yourself. And don’t keep working until midnight, understood?"
"Yes, Auntie. I won’t."
Martha then climbed onto Bluey’s back and settled beside Armani.
Before the wyvern could take off, Armani turned toward Lima. "Think carefully about what I told you."
Lima’s expression immediately stiffened.
"Until we meet again, little girl."
Armani patted Bluey’s back. "Let’s go, Bluey."
The wyvern spread her enormous wings. With the first powerful flap, a violent gust swept across the street, scattering dust in every direction.
Her massive body rose from the ground, and within seconds, she had become little more than a distant silhouette in the sky.
Lima remained where she stood, watching them leave with a smile on her face. The smile lingered for a few moments before gradually fading as her gaze fell upon the now-empty house.
Memories of the happiness she had shared with them over the past two months resurfaced in her mind.
"As always, no one stays with me forever." She slowly lowered her head.
"And once again..."
"I’m all alone..."