Luke stayed quiet this time. He left room for her to continue.

"If none of this had happened… would you have gone back?" he asked. "Or would you have chosen revenge anyway?"

Allison didn't answer right away.

When she finally spoke, it didn't sound like she was talking to him at all. More like she was talking to something deep inside herself.

"I don't know anymore. Should I avenge my adoptive mother's death? Or should I honor what she wanted before she died and actually try to live?"

Luke listened without interrupting. Then said, softly:

"So you haven't made that decision yet. That's good. It means the question still matters to you. It means you're still alive. All that's left is dealing with the obstacle that is your family."

She looked at him. "Still trying to make me stay alive?"

"I told you," Luke replied, eyes steady and calm again. "I have one trick left. But it only works if you help me. The trick is that I beat you using words."

"It won't work," she said. But this time, there was no sharp edge to it. Just exhaustion.

"I'm going to try anyway."

Luke took a moment to gather his thoughts. Then, still lying in the snow, he looked at her.

"The real problem is the woman in charge of your family. She's the one who wants you gone."

Allison didn't speak.

"Why does she hate you?"

The silence that followed wasn't dramatic. Just heavy.

"I told you… I'm the result of a betrayal. And that's serious. Very serious, when it comes to noble families. Even worse when it's an ancient clan. A dragon blooded clan."

She still didn't look at him. She just kept going.

"My father doesn't lead the family anymore. We were already in crisis back then. My ancestor from the first system generation was the one who ruled. He married a dragon through an arranged union. He was a powerful member of the world government. And he died. He was the only ruler of the first generation to die."

Allison breathed slowly.

"That death put the Rhiannon family into a deep decline. One of the world's kings had fallen. We lost our footing among them. My father was supposed to take his place, but he wasn't the type. He had no talent. No ambition. Just drinking. Spending wealth."

Her gaze dropped to the snow.

"Among all the descendants of my great ancestor, he was the weakest. In level. In ambition. In presence. The only power he had was our name. And he still threw that away. He cheated on his wife. Had an affair with a maid. And I was born from that."

Luke said nothing.

"So I grew up there. The child of the family's failure. Raised in a nest of greedy, power starved, arrogant people. Humans are already naturally drawn to ego and vanity."

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She finally lifted her eyes to Luke. Slowly.

"Now imagine a family of kings. And then imagine that those kings are half dragons. The pride, the ego… all of it is multiplied."

There was no anger on her face. Just weariness.

"No one there liked me. Not even my father. Even though he was a failure, he was supposed to inherit the family as the eldest. But…"

"You were born," Luke said gently.

"Yes."

She blinked, tired.

"I am the proof of his betrayal. The living reminder of his mistake. I'm his failure, given form."

Her voice dropped to almost a whisper.

"He lost his chance to be king because of me. Because I'm a bastard. Because I represent his failure as a king, as a dragon, as everything."

Her hand rested on the katana at her side, not to draw it, but just to hold on to something solid.

"My family has factions. Uncles. Cousins. Servants. Heirs. I became a target inside my own bloodline. From the ones who supported my father and were cast down. From my own father. From the Rhiannon who took pride in their name and now have a bastard in their lineage."

She looked back at him. There was no plea for sympathy in her eyes. Just fact.

"I am the greatest symbol of their failure. Even more after the death of King Rhiannon. I carry all of their disgrace. Do you understand now?"

Silence.

"I don't have a home to return to on Earth."

Luke felt the weight of it. It wasn't drama. It wasn't exaggeration. It was just truth.

"The head of your family, the one who became king. Does he have the authority to leave you alone? If he ordered it, would the others obey?" Luke asked.

Allison thought for a moment before answering.

"Yes. If he ordered it, they would leave me alone."

"Then that's something," Luke said. "From what I understood, they're afraid you might pass on the Rhiannon name. That your bloodline could continue. That it could end up in the wrong hands."

"Something like that…" Allison murmured, eyes still on the snow.

Luke ran a hand through his hair, thinking aloud.

"Then make a deal."

She lifted her gaze, tired, like she'd been waiting for that suggestion.

"Make a deal with the head of your family. The same way you would have made a deal with the archangel. Do it through the system. Say you won't have a child. That you won't claim your nobility. That you'll give it all up and live your life."

He spoke gently, leaving pauses for the words to settle. Nothing grand. Just someone trying to find a crack of light in a dark room.

"They live in the New World, right? Tell them you'll never step foot on those lands again. That you'll spend the rest of your life in modern society. As Allison, not Allison Rhiannon."

Allison let out a laugh with no warmth.

"That's not how it works, Luke. My bloodline transcends universes. I'm a living family relic. They wouldn't just let me wander around doing whatever I want."

Luke shifted his body toward her.

"Then forget the system. Promise you'll never level your class again. Make an agreement that includes all of it. Come back to modern society. Go to college, get a normal job."

He waved his hand in a half joking gesture, trying to soften the heaviness.

"I mean, you don't even need a job. You're rich now, with all the treasures we collected."

His voice lowered.

"Just start over. If you made a deal like that, it could work, couldn't it?"

Allison's shoulders sagged, like she was tired of being herself.

"Even if I tried. Even if there was the smallest chance they'd accept… why would I do it, Luke?"

She rested her forehead against her arm, voice quiet.

"You don't get it. It's not about agreements or family politics. It's deeper. I'm not like you. On the other side of that portal, there aren't people who love me waiting."

She drew in a heavy breath.

"I'm alone, Luke. My life on Earth is just as bad as here. At least here, I can choose how I go. If the choice is between being locked away for the rest of my life, or having a few minutes of freedom, I choose freedom."

Luke leaned closer. Not to touch her. Just to be near.

"That isn't true," he said. "You do have someone. You have me."

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