Level Up Legacy

Chapter 1379 You Are You

Rain felt her heart sink a little as she met her eyes. His golden irises seemed capable of seeing through her emotions and worries, unmasking what she tried to hide. She looked away, but Valeria slapped her head and rose to leave.

"She wanted to hide from you," Valeria said to him as she stopped. "We might have never met, but I know that you are the reason we are still alive. Thank you, Arthur Netherborne."

Arthur nodded toward her as she walked away. Rain sat there while hugging her knees, almost burying her face into her thighs. Arthur sat down beside her without saying a word. The two of them watched the waves slam themselves to the shore, not saying a thing.

Rain appreciated him not saying anything, but she didn\'t know how to start to tell him the things she feared would make them drift apart. Arthur indeed helped her find Valeria and save her, but in the end, their relationship might collapse if he knew the truth.

"I\'m glad you are unharmed," Arthur said, breaking the silence. Rain snapped out of her storm of confusion and turned toward him. His golden eyes stared at the waves, bellying infinite serenity inside them.

Tears streamed down her face, and Rain began sobbing as she hid her face into her legs and cried her eyes out. Arthur patted her back gently as he allowed her to let it out.

Arthur remained silent, his hand resting lightly on Rain\'s back as her sobs subsided. The rhythmic sound of the waves crashing against the shore filled the space between them, offering a calming backdrop to her turmoil. After a while, Rain sniffled, wiping her tears with her sleeve, and sat upright, though her gaze remained fixed on the horizon.

"Arthur," she began, her voice trembling. "There\'s something I need to tell you, but... I don\'t know if I can."

Arthur turned to her, his golden eyes steady and unyielding yet softened by a rare gentleness. "Take your time," he said, his voice low and calming. "I\'ll listen."

Rain clenched her fists against her knees, gathering her courage. The weight of her secret had grown unbearable, pressing down on her like a storm cloud she couldn\'t escape. She had to tell him-she owed him that much.

"I\'m... not who you think I am," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "I\'m not just human, Arthur. I\'m..." She paused, her breath catching as she forced the words out. "I\'m half-deity."

Arthur\'s expression didn\'t waver, though the air between them seemed to still. Rain\'s heart raced as she searched his face for a reaction, dreading what she might find. Instead of anger or betrayal, there was only a quiet curiosity.

"I learned the truth from Valeria," she continued, her words tumbling out now that she had started. "My mother was a mortal, but my father... he was one of them. A god. I didn\'t know until recently, and now... I don\'t know who I am anymore."

Her voice cracked on the last word, and she looked away, ashamed of the tears threatening to fall again. "You hate the gods, Arthur. I know why. And now I find out that their blood runs in my veins. How can I stand by your side when I carry the very thing you despise?"

Arthur was silent for a long moment, his gaze fixed on the waves. Rain felt the weight of his contemplation, each passing second tightening the knot in her chest. Finally, he spoke.

"Rain," he said, his voice steady but edged with an unfamiliar softness. "Do you think your blood defines you?"Nôv(el)B\\\\jnn

She blinked, startled by the question. "I... I don\'t know. Doesn\'t it?"

"No," Arthur replied firmly, turning to face her. "You are not your father, nor are you beholden to the gods who abandoned this world. You are you. The woman who risks everything to save her friends. The woman who stands here, terrified of rejection, yet brave enough to tell me the truth."

Rain\'s breath caught as his words sank in. She had expected anger, condemnation, or worse-indifference. But what she found in his eyes was something entirely different: acceptance.

"I\'ve fought gods," Arthur continued, his voice low and fierce. "I\'ve seen their cruelty, their arrogance. But I\'ve also seen mortals commit atrocities. What matters to me is not where you come from, but who you choose to be."

Tears welled in Rain\'s eyes again, but this time they weren\'t born of fear or sorrow. She felt the tightness in her chest begin to loosen, the storm within her quieting.

"Do you mean that?" she asked, her voice trembling.

Arthur nodded. "I do. Your blood doesn\'t change what you\'ve done, or the person you are. If anything, it makes your courage even more remarkable."

Rain let out a shaky laugh, the weight of her fears lifting as she met his gaze. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.

Arthur offered her a small, rare smile. "You\'ve already proven where your loyalties lie. That\'s enough for me."

For the first time in days, Rain felt a sense of peace settle over her. The waves continued their endless dance, and the two of them sat in companionable silence, side by side on the shores of Sourna. Though the path ahead was uncertain, in that moment, Rain knew she wasn\'t walking it alone.

Her origins seemed to matter very little when she sat beside him. He was her anchor in this storm, letting her remember who she was. As long as she was his friend, even if not more, then she would by happy.