Chapter 208: Conundrum
As silence settled over the room, Ivan and Eve gave Gavriel time to let everything sink in.
But Ivan was sharp enough to notice Gavriel’s reaction when he had mentioned the full moon.
Leaning back slightly, he asked, "Do you know something about the full moon?"
Gavriel gave a small nod. "Every demon’s power is heightened during a full moon. What does not make sense is... why does the rift appear only after the six-month interval?"
Ivan and Eve exchanged surprised glances upon hearing that. Even the smallest piece of new information was far better than having none at all.
This time, Evelyn could not help but ask, "Do you think a demon is behind this?"
"It is a strong possibility," Gavriel stated without a flicker of emotion. "Demons are notorious for interfering where they should not. Greed is inherently a part of their nature, so I would not be surprised if one of them is pulling the strings. Even so, the underworld possesses strict rules to maintain order between realms. If a demon is responsible, they must be exceptionally powerful to attempt something so strictly forbidden."
A slight smirk curled the corner of Ivan’s lips. "You speak of your own kind as if you have no part in them."
Gavriel met the man’s eyes squarely. "What they are is something I cannot change. I am simply stating facts about their nature."
Once again, his straightforward, detached answer caught them off guard.
He made no effort to defend his kind, a realisation that reassured the couple that this man truly was a rare breed among his people. Which only reassured the couple that this man truly was a rare exception among demons... someone who was not their enemy.
And for that, they were genuinely grateful.
Just then, Gavriel asked, "You two passed through a dimensional rift so confidently. Are you not afraid of being trapped here forever?"
An arrogant smirk curled Ivan’s lips as he replied, "Why would we be afraid when we can simply create a portal to return to our own world?"
Gavriel raised a brow in intrigue. "So the two of you possess the power to travel across dimensions at will?"
"We do," Ivan replied. "As long as we don’t disrupt the events unfolding in other dimensions," Ivan replied.
"Does that mean your ability to interfere is strictly limited?" Gavriel asked.
"That is correct," Ivan explained. "Because our timelines are already mismatched, we are forbidden from involving ourselves in anything too direct."
"Yet here you are, attempting to hunt down whoever is responsible for those deranged humans you mentioned earlier."
"We are pursuing them only because they happened to appear in our world as well," Ivan replied, his expression souring at the memory of one of those creatures almost harming their daughter.
Meanwhile, Gavriel pieced the puzzle together. "I see. It seems the two worlds are becoming far more interconnected than I care for. Every cosmic anomaly creates a distortion in time, and nothing good ever comes from tampering with the natural flow of time."
"I agree," Ivan responded. "Which is exactly why we need to wrap up this investigation quickly and return to our world."
.....
Following that heavy revelation, the next conversation Gavriel had was a rather short one, taking place when Aliana woke up later that evening.
He had urged her once more to tell him if anything was troubling her, but she had simply brushed it off again, claiming she was exhausted and wished to go to Astoria.
That brief exchange, however, was not the only significant event of the evening.
Later, Aliana approached Evelyn with a private request, asking if she could teach her how to master her abilities.
And because Gavriel had explicitly asked the couple to withhold the truth regarding her demonic soul to prevent her from becoming even more emotionally destabilised... they agreed to keep that dark truth hidden from her for the time being.
Instead, they revealed only that she possessed highly unique powers. Ones she would eventually need to master for both her own safety and the safety of everyone around her.
Evelyn had agreed to assist her, offering to share only the basic foundational techniques she herself had learned when first trying to control her own magic.
However, she also issued a clear warning, explaining that her guidance would be limited because her own powers were of a vastly different nature compared to Aliana’s. If their respective energies ever collided, it could inadvertently cause Aliana severe physical harm.
With risks being involved, Evelyn strictly cautioned Aliana never to practice the techniques alone, emphasizing that she must only train when Gavriel was present.
Aliana didn’t understand why Gavriel’s presence was a non-negotiable requirement. But Evelyn firmly insisted upon it. She explained that having him nearby was imperative because his presence played a vital role in maintaining Aliana’s emotional stability.
Once Aliana agreed to those strict conditions, Evelyn taught her a few basic techniques that she could practise under Gavriel’s supervision.
When the couple was preparing to leave, Aliana finally mustered the courage to ask Evelyn and Ivan what kind of beings they truly were.
Keeping their true origins a mystery, they simply replied that they possessed divine powers.
Following that, the couple departed, stating they had more pressing matters to attend to, though they mentioned they might meet again.
.
Coming back to the present...
.
As Gavriel went over every detail of the conversations that had taken place in Aria, he couldn’t help but remain restless.
Worry... a rare emotion, continued to cloud his mind.
Mainly because of the world-altering events unfolding behind the scenes, with no one knowing who was responsible for them.
On top of that, Aliana had retreated so deeply into herself that there was no opportunity for him to initiate any form of physical intimacy, nor was there a single opening to gently encourage her to speak.
With his communication skills being as poor as they were, they had reached a complete standstill.
He had never been a man of many words to begin with, and her silence only made things harder.
Gavriel also found himself struggling to fight the craving for that euphoric feeling they had shared when they had been intimate before the incident with the creature had ruined everything.
He wanted her... maddeningly so, leaving him caught in an impossible conundrum.
He was torn between fighting his overwhelming desire for her and an equal desire to help her.
The only solace he found in the current situation was that he had at least managed to share a small portion of his powers with her when she had spiralled out of control, allowing her to stabilise.
But her constantly fluctuating emotions remained a risk factor that could cause the same incident to happen all over again.
Without even realising it, a soft sigh escaped his lips, just loud enough to pull Aliana’s attention away from the window and back to him.