"Overthinking again?" A deep, manly voice echoed from behind her. Veronica turned, and there he stood, Lucian Darkheart, exuding his usual air of composed control.

Veronica's lips curved into a small, knowing smile as she faced forward once more. "Yeah, not exactly overthinking," she admitted softly, "but… I've been thinking about Vega. After all, I suppose I've been a bad friend."

Lucian remained silent for a brief moment, as though weighing his words carefully before speaking. "Have you ever considered that all this… all these worries of yours, might be nothing more than your imagination? That perhaps she isn't judging you at all?"

Veronica had already confided in another Damian over the course of their previous relationship. Lucian, of course, knew that Damian was dead and had been with Veronica during her 'mourning journey,' a period of solitude and introspection following her loss.

His words lingered in her mind, resonating like a delicate chime in the stillness of her thoughts. She paused, momentarily forgetting to blink or even breathe, her chest tightening slightly.

"Well…" Veronica exhaled with a soft sigh, "I haven't actually considered that."

"Well," Lucian said calmly, "now you have."

He moved with an effortless grace, lifting himself over the balcony railing and perching there as though he belonged to the very air itself. His gaze drifted skyward, settling on the clouds that floated lazily across the cerulean expanse.

"So… should I call her?" Veronica asked quietly, her beautiful white eyes leaving the sky to meet Lucian's deep black ones. He had never pressured her to reach out to Vega, only advising her to move at her own pace, to act in accordance with her own heart.

"For the first time," Lucian replied, a playful smile tugging at the corners of his lips, "I'm going to tell you not to."

"Why?" Veronica asked, her brow slightly furrowed. "You've always been… well, on the fence about it."

Lucian tilted his head toward her, their eyes locking for a brief, silent moment. "Because," he said with quiet confidence, "I have a feeling you two will meet soon enough, naturally."

At his words, Veronica paused. Then she smiled, a small, knowing curve of her lips. She had known Lucian for five months, long enough to understand the staggering breadth of his influence, power, and wealth. So, when he said something like that, she found herself inclined to believe him, inexplicably.

Veronica had already explained her friendship with Vega and Vega's connection to Anthony. What she didn't know was that Lucian knew Anthony personally. He could easily predict that Anthony would bring Vega to the upcoming Galaxy Top Forces Meeting. He, in turn, planned to bring Veronica, orchestrating the meeting in such a way that she and Vega would cross paths and clear up any misunderstandings, assuming any even existed in the first place.

'So the Author finally gave Anthony a girlfriend, and my own girlfriend is the best friend of Anthony's girlfriend… what a thread,' Lucian mused silently, his eyes momentarily drifting from Veronica to the sky. 'I wonder if Aaaninja has a girlfriend, and how that all connects…'

'No need to overthink it. I'll be meeting the two of them soon enough anyway,' he concluded, a faint grin tugging at his lips.

"Remember the meeting I told you about?" Lucian asked, bringing his attention back to Veronica.

"You mean the Galaxy Top Forces Meeting… or whatever it's called?" Veronica replied, a hint of curiosity and apprehension in her tone.

"Yes, that," Lucian confirmed. "We'll be leaving in just a few hours so that we can arrive on time."

Veronica fell silent for a moment, her mind already racing with thoughts of inadequacy. "Since this is… a galaxy-level event, where the most powerful forces gather," she said cautiously, "aren't I too weak to even attend? I mean, yes, I've been improving under your guidance for the past three months, but I'm sure I'm still far behind everyone else in the so-called younger generation of powerhouses."

Lucian smiled knowingly. Indeed, as she had suspected, she was still far weaker than nearly everyone else who would attend. That was precisely why he had trained her personally. He knew she would not suddenly ascend to the ranks of the elite in just three months, but that did not concern him in the slightest. Anyone who dared to overstep against Veronica would find themselves having a rather unpleasant meeting with fate… or the Grim Reaper.

"You're overthinking it," he said gently, his tone calm but firm. "This isn't about battling anyone. You can use this meeting simply to forge connections, to observe, to learn. That is more than enough."

Veronica pondered his words for a moment before nodding, a small smile forming on her face. Though she had traveled extensively with Vega and Damian, she had never, and perhaps might never again, attend an event of such magnitude.

Unconsciously, she began to compare Lucian to Anthony and Vega. These three were human, yet their abilities, backgrounds, and influence seemed almost absurd. Talented, handsome, astonishingly wealthy, and backed by powerful, influential families.

'Are we the fake humans here?' she mused silently.

She also wondered why Vega's parents remained unknown, despite their apparent power. 'Those two are far too powerful to be overlooked by the Galaxy Top Forces,' she thought.

Earlier, she had asked Lucian about the invitation list, merely to see if Klaus or Amara's names were among them. They were not.

'I know they're the low-key type,' she reflected, 'but I didn't expect them to be so invisible that even the Galaxy Top Forces are unaware of them.'

She had never considered the possibility that perhaps Klaus and Amara were simply too weak to be noticed. To Veronica, however, it seemed far more likely that the Galaxy Top Forces themselves were lacking… not Klaus and Amara.

"Aren't you going to choose your dresses and prepare?" Lucian asked, his voice pulling her from her reverie. "You women always take hours to decide. You should start now; we leave in ten hours."

Veronica nodded silently, understanding the logic. She did not want to be the reason they missed such an important event. With that, she spun on her feet and stepped back into the room, leaving Lucian alone on the balcony, serene as ever.

'Aaaninja… prepare to lose this time,' he thought to himself, a wide, confident grin spreading across his face as he gazed at the horizon, the wind tugging at his hair in a dance only he seemed to control.

______

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I hadn't released the chapters since because of internet connection issues. Also, I need your golden tickets, please.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.