ALL NOVEL
Chapter 16: The Ice Phoenix - Maria Raven
Luis shook his head and replied, "Not yet. My father has yet to find any lead. But I do have some clues, so I'll take part in the investigation soon."
"What clues?" Alicia asked.
If anyone else saw Alicia's change, they might be pretty surprised, but Luis found her reaction pretty normal.
Luis looked at the pond thoughtfully and said. "That Assassin had a dragon tattoo on his neck."
As soon as the dragon tattoo was mentioned, Alicia's eyes widened in shock. Her lips trembled and her breathing became unstable.
"Are you sure it was a dragon tattoo?" Alicia asked again while trying to calm the waves inside her heart.
Luis looked into her eyes and said while nodding. "I'm certain."
Saying that, he turned his attention to the pond. He knew why she reacted like that at the mention of the dragon tattoo.
'Because it was the same organization that killed her mother.'
Getting her answer, Alicia didn't know what to say. Her previous cold attitude and indifference were long gone.
Looking at Luis, who turned his attention to the pond again. Alicia took deep breaths, trying to compose herself.
She wanted to say something but hesitated.
Since her mother's death, Alicia has always been keen on not showing weakness in front of anyone. She maintained a chilly demeanour around everyone, as she was unsure who would betray her. She has yet to find her mother's killer. She was concerned that her enemies could be one of those people who were trying to get close to her. At one point in time, she even suspected the Suarez family was behind it. But there was no reason to doubt them. Still, she didn't let down her guard.
Now she was going to take that risk. Because even after searching for so long she couldn't find anything but now that she finally got a lead, so how could she hesitate?
In the end, she finally requested, "Is it alright if I take part in your investigation?"
Luis looked at her, surprised, because he didn't expect her to make this choice so fast. 'It seems her desire for revenge burns far stronger than I expected.'
But he wasn't going to agree just like that. "Why?"
It was a simple word, but it was also the most heavy question for Alicia at that moment.
Why does she want to help?
Why is she so concerned about his affairs when their engagement isn't even official?
With her personality, why would she care about him who is almost a stranger?
Alicia understood that what she was doing was out of her character. But even so.
"... Will you listen to a story?"
She can't back down now.
***
Luis glanced at her and gestured for her to go on.
Alicia took a deep breath, remembering that incident still made her tremble. That was the day she lost her mother.
"Do you know about my mother?"
Of course, he knew. Maria Raven, the wife of David Raven and the lady of the Raven family. A Peak Overlord (S) rank human only a step away from Transcendent (SS). She was also known as the Ice Phoenix. A Legendary human whose feats and achievements are famous all around the world. Even David, Ronald, and Lumine, who are also in Overlord rank (S) are far weaker than what Maria used to be. She was an extraordinary genius of her generation. Alas, she is no longer here.
"Yes, Maria Raven, the Legendary Ice Phoenix," Luis stated admirably. Although in his previous life, she was just a game character. But from Luis' memories, she was like a legend for him to admire.
Alicia was stunned when Luis mentioned her mother's name with her title. A little smile formed on her face.
"Yes, but do you know how such a strong person is no longer here with us?"
Luis wanted to say something, but he stopped and finally uttered a single word, "No."
"My mother was a strong and kind person. I loved her a lot. Though she was mostly busy, she always found time to spend with me. Whenever I heard of her achievements, I was proud to be her daughter." Remembering her mother, a smile formed on Alicia's face.
Seeing her smile, Luis felt her strong feelings towards her mother.
"I always wanted to be like my mother. She was the coolest person for me. More than my father, more than anyone else." Alicia's face turned a little sad as she continued.
"My mother went on an expedition to an S-rank dungeon with our guild members. But the S-rank gate had an SS-rank monster as the final boss. While fighting the SS rank boss monster, my mother got injured in the process of saving the guild members." Although this achievement was huge, Alicia's expression was sad.
"She used a forbidden technique and went beyond her limits, breaking through Transcendent (SS) rank for a short time, and defeated the monster. The short power-up was huge, but the cost was her severely damaged mana core." Alicia said with a melancholic expression on her face.
She took a breath and continued. "And that was how the legend of the Ice Phoenix came to an end."
She then looked into the night sky and uttered. "The Ice Phoenix then became a bird without wings."
"She lost her ability to fight. She received a severe backlash from mana, which weakened her body. My father tried everything but couldn't find a cure."
"But, even after all that, she was still my coolest mother. I was determined to become strong and find a way to cure her."
Suddenly Luis felt the temperature around him cool down a bit as the atmosphere grew heavy.
"It was then it happened." Alicia's voice was full of sadness and grief.
"That evening, my father was summoned to the Imperial city. To have an audience with the king regarding a new S-rank dungeon."
"My mother and I were inside our mansion when those assassins attacked. All the guards were King (A) rank and below. But, They were all ruthlessly murdered."
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A.N. - Oh right if this week's Power stones reaches 100. I'll upload a bonus chapter.
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