novelraw Chapter 240: Architect Of Fate
Chapter 240: Architect Of Fate
[Thank You Akbeauty87 For Gifting Mirabella A Magic Castle.]
Cupcake sat there on the velvet grass, watching the two in silence. For those two minutes, the air in the garden seemed to hold its breath, vibrating only with the sound of Mirabella’s muffled sobs. But then, as abruptly as a summer storm clearing, Mirabella let go.
"Sorry... I am sorry for losing control of my emotions." She said, wiping her face with a sharp, brisk motion.
Instantly, like a snake which sheds its skin without a care, her expression changed. The vulnerability vanished, replaced by the icy, calculated gaze of a survivor. Her energy signature, which had been erratic, stabilized into a cold, defensive barrier.
"If I may ask, who are you?"
".....?!"
The question caught Genevieve and Cupcake off-guard. The two stared at her in surprise, the whiplash of her emotional transition leaving them stunned. Cupcake’s wings twitched—even she hadn’t expected Mirabella to turn so clinical after such a raw display of grief.
"I am sorry, but the mother I know is dead, and there is no way she can appear in this place," Mirabella added, her voice devoid of its previous warmth. She moved her gaze around the pocket dimension, searching for the tell-tale ripples of an illusion or a mental trap, before stopping her gaze back on Genevieve.
Genevieve sighed sadly, her shoulders drooping under the weight of her daughter’s suspicion. "It’s all my fault dear, because of me, you are so cold and distant to everyone..." She raised her hand with heartbreaking gentleness and placed it on Mirabella’s cheek.
’Why can’t I move away from her? Is she really my Mum?’ Mirabella thought, her body refusing to obey her command to retreat. There was no hostile intent, no fluctuation of ’Villain Crystals’ or dark magic—just a profound, ancient resonance. She stared at the woman’s arm, her mind racing through the logic of the world.
"I was scared... Truly scared," Genevieve exhaled, a weary light in her eyes. "Maybe I should have given you the Master System in your previous life, but my fear led to your death... I was so heartbroken." She said, as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks.
Mirabella froze. The air in the gazebo suddenly felt thin. Not only does this woman look like her mother, she also knows about the Master System—a secret Mirabella held closer than her own life—and she knows about her previous life’s end.
"You? Are you saying you have a hand in my reincarnation?" Mirabella muttered in disbelief, her guard finally beginning to crack.
"There are a lot of things you know not of... Come."
Genevieve held Mirabella’s wrist. It wasn’t a forceful grip, but the space around them buckled instantly. With a single step, the two and Cupcake vanished from the sanctuary.
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Mirabella appeared in the sky, the serene garden replaced by a horizon of ash and fire. Cupcake was hovering beside her, her fur standing on end as she recognized the scent of death. On Mirabella’s right was Genevieve, her form glowing with a protective aura.
Mirabella moved her gaze around the familiar, agonizing landscape. She lowered her gaze to the ground, seeing a literal sea of monsters—thousands of high-level beasts, their eyes glowing with the corruption of the previous era—surrounding two figures in the center of the carnage: her former self, and Bella.
"This? This is the moment and place I died in my previous life!" Mirabella exclaimed in horror, her breath hitching as she watched the monsters close in on her past self. She turned to Genevieve, seeing her mother crying as she watched the doomed battle play out below.
"Yeah, I could only watch... I so wanted to charge forward and wipe out all these ants who dared hurt my daughter, even..." she paused, her voice trembling, and continued:
"I had to use all my powers and resources, and with ’HIS’ help, I could take your soul and send you back... This time, I kept my fears aside and gave you the system." She said, her words providing the missing link to Mirabella’s second chance, yet confusing her more.
"Wait! Are you the one who built the system?! And who is this ’He’?" Mirabella asked, turning her head back to the monstrous tide, trying to spot any sign of a divine benefactor.
"Nope, I don’t have that much power to create such a powerful system... I myself don’t know who created the systems." Genevieve waved her hand, and the blood-soaked battlefield dissolved. The surroundings shifted instantly into a quiet, dimly lit bedroom—Mirabella’s room.
"Systems?" Mirabella stared at herself on the bed, the younger version of her current body jolting awake, sweating and gasping from a nightmare. It was the first day of her second life.
"There are three systems in the whole Galaxy... I was with one, which is known as the Master System. There are two more systems out there... And each already picked their Masters." Genevieve explained, wiping her tears as she watched the young Mirabella grapple with her new reality.
The space shattered again, the bedroom walls falling away like broken glass, and they appeared back at the beautiful, sun-drenched dimension.
"Don’t you know about the other systems?" Mirabella asked, her mind reeling.
"Sorry Mira, those Memories aren’t with me." She said, walking toward the tea table and pulling a chair back. "Come on, let’s sit and chat." She gestured to the chair, her tone returning to the domestic warmth of a mother.
Mirabella stared at the seat before her and walked forward, sitting down. She stared at her mother, her eyes searching for the truth in that familiar face. "Where are these memories of yours?"
"They are with my other soul fragments."
"Huh?"
Mirabella was dumbfounded. The concept of a fragmented soul suggested that Genevieve was existing across multiple planes or states of being. Seeing her expression, Genevieve giggled lightly, the sound like wind chimes.
"Oh Mira... I can’t tell you everything, but at least, I should let you know about my past, and your origin."
She snapped her fingers. In a puff of white energy, a cup of steaming coffee appeared before her, while a delicate cup of black tea appeared before Mirabella, accompanied by a plate of colorful sweets.
"Your favorites." She smiled.
Mirabella stared at the black tea, then at the sweets. These were specific—her favorite brand of honey-drops and a bitter black tea blend. No one except her and her mother knew the exact ratio she liked.
"Come on, don’t put on that expression. I am truly your mother, ok... What can I do for you to believe me?"
Mirabella looked up at her, her voice small, a lingering trace of the child she used to be. "Tell me something only our family knows about." She muttered, lowering her gaze to the dark surface of the tea.
"Hmm..." Genevieve leaned forward, resting her cheek on her palm. A playful, mischievous glint danced in her blue eyes. "Hehehe, are you sure about that? Cupcake is here, you know?" She teased, her smile widening.
Mirabella raised an eyebrow at her words, a sense of dread forming as she realized which memory her mother was targeting. Genevieve burst out laughing, the sound echoing through the garden.
"Ok, Ok... When you were five, you misplaced your favorite toy, and started screaming non-stop in the room, even running outside naked... I had to chase you around with your clothes, and—"
"--Stop..." Mirabella interrupted, her face flushing a deep, brilliant red in pure embarrassment. The cold, legendary warrior of the Dragon Academy was gone, replaced by a flustered daughter. She knew then—there was no entity in the galaxy that would know that specific, humiliating detail besides her true mother.