Reborn: Apocalypse Ready, War Goddess by My Side | Read Free Preview

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Chapter 1 — Reborn, Time to Cling to the Future Ember Eternal

Steven Fisher had spent decades desperately clinging to life, dragging himself through one miserable day after another, but in that final moment, death felt like freedom. An honor.
During the Battle of the Fallen Eternals, the breathtakingly brilliant Ember Eternal, Bianca White, bloomed like a flower at the end of the world.
She shattered all ten Divine Sigils within herself and perished alongside the apocalypse beast.
Steven was caught in the blast and annihilated with everything else, but he died without regret.
That was the final scene Steven saw before calmly accepting death.
...
Aethercrest Awakened High.
The sun was sinking toward the horizon as school let out, cicadas screaming nonstop in the summer heat.
On the athletic field, the campus belle, Lilliana Crowe, stood gracefully in a floral dress, delicate as a blooming white flower. Her curves were impossible to ignore, and those long pale legs drew endless stares from the boys around her.
She looked at Steven holding a bouquet of flowers with complete indifference, still maintaining her untouchable goddess persona.
Students had already crowded around to watch the drama unfold.
"Lilliana is insanely hot!"
"Man, this guy really won't give up till he hits rock bottom. I'm honestly impressed by the courage."
"Seriously, has he looked in a mirror? You think Lilliana would ever date him? How many confessions has this been already?"
"Honestly, Steven is pretty handsome, and they're classmates. They hang out a lot too. Maybe he actually has a chance?"
"No way. Lilliana's definitely not dating anyone before Divine Awakening."
"Exactly. A girl like her is obviously going to choose someone who awakens at least an A-rank Divine Sigil."
...
Chaotic chatter echoed all around him.
Steven suddenly opened his eyes and sucked in several sharp breaths.
He stared blankly at his surroundings.
I'm at... a school?
Wasn't I supposed to have died in the explosion when Ember Eternal blew up her Divine Sigils?
I actually survived?
The scene in front of him felt painfully familiar.
This was when he confessed to Lilliana back in high school at 18.
I've been reborn?
Time has reversed?
Shock crashed through Steven as he looked down at the bouquet in his arms. The texture felt real. So did the suffocating summer heat pressing against his skin.
Everything proved one thing: he had really returned to the past, back to his youth.
Steven slowly lifted his eyes toward Lilliana. This woman, who had long since faded from his memories, was standing before him once again.
She was still stunning enough to take someone's breath away. At 18, she looked even more innocent and pure, the dream girl of nearly every boy at Aethercrest Awakened High.
"Steven, are you done making a scene yet?" Lilliana said coldly and calmly.
Steven rolled his eyes internally. Yep, same exact line. Could she be any more cliché?
Still the same arrogant Lilliana. The same untouchable, superior campus belle.
In his previous life, Lilliana awakened an S-rank Divine Sigil and instantly became the center of attention, rising higher and higher until she reached Level 45 as a Five-Sigil Divine General. Meanwhile, Steven nearly killed himself struggling his way into the twenties, ending up as nothing more than a pathetic Three-Sigil Divine Adept.
Before awakening, Lilliana's relationship with him had actually been decent. To put it bluntly, he just spent way too much time simping for her.
After awakening her S-rank Divine Sigil, though, she immediately distanced herself from him. She ignored him completely and acted like they'd never met.
Worse, during a mission later on, Steven got caught in danger, and not only did Lilliana refuse to save him, she even used him as bait to distract the beasts, nearly getting him killed.
That was the moment Steven truly saw her for who she was.
His expression turned strange. The timing of this rebirth was honestly awkward as hell.
This time around, he definitely needed to stay far away from her, except...
"Not yet," Steven said calmly.
Lilliana looked at him coldly, a flash of annoyance crossing her eyes.
Back then, Steven never realized it, but she'd always looked at him this way. To her, he was nothing more than an irritating simp.
The surrounding students immediately started grinning. Knew it. He got rejected again.
"Lilliana's never gonna say yes to you. Go look in a mirror, man."
Mocking voices instantly rang out around them.
Lilliana said coldly, "I'll say this one last time. Before Divine Awakening, I'm not accepting anyone's confession. If you keep this up, we don't even have to stay friends anymore."
Watching this embarrassingly immature scene replay itself, Steven genuinely wanted to punch his past self in the face. What the hell was wrong with me back then? But since he'd been reborn, there was no way he'd keep acting like some idiot. He might as well try something new.
Steven laughed at himself softly, looking oddly relieved as he glanced down at the flowers in his hands. "I bought these flowers for myself today," he said. "Consider it a celebration for finally freeing myself."
Lilliana froze completely. For himself? Freeing himself?
Steven suddenly seemed like a different person. "Lilliana, starting today, I don't like you anymore. And honestly, there's no point pretending to be friends either. You never treated me like one in the first place, did you?"
Steven nearly cringed himself to death internally. Damn, being the tragic romance lead really isn't easy. Still, cutting ties is probably for the best. Maybe she'll even feel guilty about it for a while. Worth it. In the end, this is basically just a bunch of emotional games between teenagers anyway.
But at that moment, as Lilliana looked into Steven's strangely calm eyes, something inside her chest tightened unexpectedly. He doesn't like me anymore? For some reason, it suddenly felt like she'd lost something important, leaving an empty ache in her heart.
Everyone around them froze too.
Wait, what? This isn't a confession... it's a goodbye? Holy crap. That's actually genius. The guy spends years confessing to the school goddess, and now he's hitting her with emotional damage on the way out. Even if Lilliana acts annoyed all the time, people can still tell she at least cares about him as a classmate. But this move...
Several girls nearby suddenly felt bad for Steven. After three years of stubborn devotion, the hopeless romantic warrior had finally fallen. Some of them even wanted to give him a hug.
Lilliana felt like she'd been struck by lightning. He really doesn't like me anymore? An empty feeling suddenly spread through her chest.
Sure, she had plenty of admirers, but among all of them, Steven had always been the most handsome and attentive. The reason she kept him around all this time was that she planned to wait until after Divine Awakening to see whether he was worthy of becoming her boyfriend.
But now... Awakening is right around the corner, and he suddenly stops liking me? Can't he wait just a little longer?
Is this his way of getting back at me?
Lilliana clenched her fists tightly and forced herself to stay calm. "Fine. Then stay out of my sight forever."
Steven's acting instincts immediately kicked in. He nodded with a carefree smile.
"Okay."
That smile stabbed straight into Lilliana's chest. It actually hurt a little. It felt exactly like one of those youth romance movies where the guy turns around and leaves without ever looking back.
Meanwhile, Steven thought, Alright, that's enough acting. This time, I need to stay as far away from her as possible. Since I've already been reborn, why waste another second on her? Right now, the only thing that matters is finding the future Ember Eternal.
Because Bianca, the future Ember Eternal, was still just a student at the moment.
And she was his classmate too.
In Steven's memories, Bianca had never had anyone close to her. If he took the opportunity to get close to her now while nobody else cared...
In this apocalypse, clinging tightly to the Ember Eternal honestly sounded amazing. Even if his Divine Sigil never changed, spending the rest of his life safely protected by the Ember Eternal sounded pretty damn good.
At that thought, Steven's expression sharpened slightly.
Because he knew the real reason behind the Ember Eternal's downfall. Which meant he had a chance to stop that tragedy.
Maybe the Ember Eternal wouldn't die this time.
Maybe this was the opportunity God had given him. He was absolutely going to hold onto the Ember Eternal and never let go.
A grin spread across Steven's face as he hurriedly tried to remember where Bianca should be right now.
Lilliana stood there frozen for a long time. He just stops liking me like that? What does he think I am, some random stray on the side of the road? I've given him more attention than anyone else these past few years, and now he suddenly walks away, making me look like the cold-hearted one instead?
I refuse to believe those are Steven's real feelings. This has to be some pathetic attempt to protect his pride by playing hard to get.
"Steven, you'd better not regret this," Lilliana said coldly.
Steven laughed casually. "Regret what? You're not someone I can't live without. We already said what needed saying. Later."
Steven turned to leave, but his footsteps suddenly stopped. Wait. There's still one classic cliché scene left. That self-righteous white knight should be showing up any second now to beat me up...
The students watching nearby got even more excited. Today's drama was way more entertaining than usual. This guy is incredible.
Even Lilliana is getting annoyed now. Steven has definitely lost his mind today.
She clenched her fists tightly, silently swearing she'd ignore him from now on.
Right then, a cold voice suddenly rang out.
"Steven, you itching for a beating again?"
Steven sighed internally. Yep. The classic scene finally arrives. Looking back now, even I can't describe how pathetic my old self was. A real man should be aiming far higher than this. How did I waste so much time on this kind of nonsense?
The crowd instantly erupted.
"It's Timothy Sherman, Steven's class monitor! He's screwed! Timothy's obsessed with Lilliana too!"
"Those two have always hated each other. Timothy definitely thinks Steven's harassing Lilliana again."
"Timothy's combat techniques are A+-rank. Steven's dead."
"Steven's only B-rank in combat class. No way he can win."
The next instant, a figure shot out from behind Lilliana with incredible speed.
Timothy threw a punch straight toward Steven's face.
The nearby students watched excitedly. The school never stopped students from sparring with each other. Combat training was a required course for everyone.
Everything was in preparation for Divine Awakening.
Facing the incoming punch, Steven remained calm.
Timothy attacked him in his previous life too. Back then, Steven got beaten badly, yet still kept simping for Lilliana afterward.
But things were different now. Even without awakening his Divine Sigil yet, he still carried decades of combat experience in his mind.
Steven didn't panic at all.
Meanwhile, Lilliana almost seemed willing to let Timothy teach Steven a lesson. Her expression remained completely cold. Playing hard to get, huh?
Timothy's punch is powerful.
If it lands, Steven will probably cough up blood immediately.
Everyone around them had already imagined Steven getting blasted backward.
But Steven's mind stayed completely calm.
A voice inside him seemed to whisper, Shift nine inches left. Kick.
At that moment, it felt like his body had become someone else's entirely. His coordination improved dramatically. Sidestep. Pivot. Leg out.
The movement looked incredibly simple, but hidden within it were decades of combat instincts from Steven's previous life.
Timothy charged in confidently, convinced victory was guaranteed.
Then his expression changed instantly. His punch missed. Completely.
The force of his own momentum carried him straight past Steven, and in that split second, Timothy clearly saw Steven mouth one simple word at him.
Idiot.
At the same time, Steven's foot suddenly hooked around Timothy's ankle from nowhere.
Timothy nearly cursed out loud. What the hell just happened?
He lost balance instantly and flew forward, crashing face-first into the ground.
The entire field fell silent. Everyone stared with wide eyes.
What just happened?
Even Lilliana's cold eyes showed a trace of shock.
That kind of reaction speed... is B-rank?
Steven smirked faintly and stretched his young body.
Damn, this feels good.
Being young again really is amazing. I've really missed this body.

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Chapter 2 — Operation Ember Eternal!

Timothy couldn't understand how he'd been sent flying. All he felt was the burning sting spreading across his face.
At the same time, a crushing wave of humiliation surged through him.
How did this loser dodge me so easily? Before, I could beat the crap out of this guy whenever I wanted.
No!
This is impossible!
Steven just got lucky. I messed up, that's all!
Timothy slammed both palms against the floor, flipped himself over, and sprang back to his feet in one motion.
"Steven!!"
Timothy roared.
The stunned students around them finally snapped out of it.
What the hell just happened?
Wasn't Steven supposed to be the one sent flying? How did it become Timothy instead?
Combat skill ratings ranged from D to A, with each rank further divided into three ranks like A-, A, and A+.
Steven was only a B. Timothy was an A+. The gap between them was huge.
No matter how you looked at it, Steven should've been the one blasted away by Timothy.
But instead, Timothy had been thrown back so hard that his clothes were torn from scraping against the ground.
Timothy was furious.
Steven looked calm. "Yeah? What is it this time? Need me to buy you a bottle and a pacifier too?"
Everyone froze in shock.
"Steven's seriously screwed now. Timothy might've let that first hit slide, but after this..."
A lot of students shook their heads. If Steven didn't cough up blood today, this probably wasn't ending anytime soon.
Timothy's eyes turned red. "You wanna die?"
Steven sighed. "Seriously, stop already. You're just gonna embarrass yourself again. Besides, I'm done chasing Lilliana. She's all yours. Hurry up and take her home."
That instantly pissed Lilliana off in the back. What the hell does he mean, take me home?
Timothy froze for a second, his brain almost short-circuiting. He wasn't chasing her anymore? That was obviously a good thing. But after getting humiliated like this, there was no way he could let it go without payback.
His blood rushed to his head as he barked, "If you keep messing with Lilliana, I swear I'll beat the hell out of you!"
Steven rubbed his temple. What a headache. Forget it. Better end this quickly so I can go find Bianca. He let out a cold laugh. "That's a lot of tough talk coming from you."
The entire class was stunned. He's still provoking Timothy?
Timothy roared and stomped forward even more viciously this time.
"I'll beat your ass into the ground!"
Wind kicked up beneath his feet as he charged Steven with his fist raised.
Steven still looked completely unfazed.
A lot of students silently sighed. Steven has clearly given up at this point. He's finished. Timothy comes from a rich family, and he even has Awakened relatives backing him up. Hardly anyone dares mess with him.
Only one person in the room noticed something strange.
Lilliana. She actually knew Steven pretty well. Facing an A+ combat specialist like Timothy, Steven wasn't showing even a trace of panic.
That was completely unlike him.
And what happened next confirmed her suspicion.
Timothy attacked like a madman, every strike aimed straight for Steven's weak points.
The school allowed sparring, but serious injuries were forbidden. Students who hadn't awakened yet were considered precious assets. But Timothy clearly didn't care.
His family had money and influence. He wasn't afraid of consequences.
Steven had embarrassed him this badly. There was no way he'd let it slide.
Yet despite how fierce his attacks were, after an entire barrage, he still couldn't touch even the corner of Steven's clothes.
Instead, it felt like Steven was toying with him. Like an old expert messing around with a child.
"Look closely. Steven keeps retreating, but his footwork hasn't slipped once. Since when did he get this strong? Isn't he supposed to be a B-rank?"
A lot of people felt their hearts jolt.
Seeing that he still couldn't land a hit, Timothy exploded in rage.
"Are you done dodging like a coward? Got the guts to fight back or not?"
Steven sneered inwardly. Handling Timothy was ridiculously easy.
Fine. Time to teach him a lesson.
With Steven's current combat experience, playing with Timothy was effortless. Still, better wrap this up quickly.
A sharp glint flashed through Steven's eyes. He sidestepped Timothy's punch, spun around to his flank, and slammed a vicious elbow straight into the back of Timothy's neck. The exact same scene repeated itself. Timothy crashed face-first onto the ground again.
A wave of shocked cries erupted around them.
"What just happened?"
"How can Timothy not even touch Steven?"
"This is insane. Is Steven really only ranked B?"
Timothy lay sprawled on the floor, overwhelmed by humiliation and fury.
"I'm gonna kill you!"
Steven replied flatly, "Moron."
Right then, the homeroom teacher, who'd been standing in the back without intervening, finally frowned. What's wrong with Timothy?
At this rate, he's gonna end up the one suffering.
She hurriedly shouted, "Both of you, stop!"
Pretending to rush over in a panic, she strode toward them.
She wore a white blouse up top, with the outline of her bra faintly visible beneath it. Her tight pencil skirt hugged her hips closely, outlining a subtly seductive curve.
Black-rimmed glasses rested on her face.
And she looked furious.
The moment Steven saw her, he paused slightly.
So it's this old witch.
Cassandra Chapman, Steven and Timothy's homeroom teacher. She was a level 10 beginner Awakened who'd hit her ceiling long ago and ended up teaching at this high school instead.
Just an old hag with a temper worse than a warlord and a disgusting obsession with status.
Steven didn't like talking about women that way, but she genuinely made his skin crawl. She looked down on poor students with zero shame, constantly preaching self-righteous lectures while insulting them, yet spent all day fawning over rich kids. She was revolting. Someone like her didn't deserve to be a teacher. And with her stepping in, it became inconvenient for Steven to keep fighting.
Looks like there wouldn't be a chance to teach Timothy another lesson today. Steven dropped the thought.
Cassandra turned toward Steven and snapped, "Steven, what the hell are you doing? School's over, so go on home! If you want to spar, do it during combat class. Don't cause trouble here!"
Steven looked at her coldly. He'd known this old hag would act exactly like this.
"Uh, old hag... I mean, Ms. Chapman, he started it first..."
Before he could even finish, Cassandra exploded. Old hag?
"Steven! How dare you insult a teacher? Shut your mouth! I'll deal with you in a minute!"
Steven curled his lip. So she knows she's an old hag, after all?
Can't even stand hearing it out loud? What a joke.
The old hag immediately turned and walked over to Timothy.
"Timothy, are you alright?"
Timothy was humiliated beyond belief and didn't even want to answer.
Cassandra noticed the injuries on his body.
She immediately whipped around and glared at Steven furiously.
"Look what you did! You're classmates. Did you really have to hit him that hard? He's bleeding! Go home and write me a 10,000-word essay to reflect on your mistakes!"
Damn, this old hag is really asking for it.
"Old hag, maybe open your damn eyes and see who started this. Someone like you shouldn't be teaching anybody."
Cassandra was both shocked and furious, her chest rising violently with anger. "This is outrageous! Come with me to the disciplinary office!"
The surrounding students were stunned speechless. What the hell is wrong with Steven today? He's openly going against the homeroom teacher. Who the hell says stuff like that? That's insane.
Nobody even dared make a sound anymore.
Steven glanced around casually. "I've got things to do. Maybe next time. Later."
Right now, Steven honestly wanted to slap the hell out of this old hag. She really disgusts me. Why the hell should I care about her? After my Divine Awakening, she'll be nothing anyway.
Better leave fast.
Some of the students from ordinary families in Cassandra's class felt unbelievably satisfied watching this unfold. They'd wanted someone to curse this old hag out for ages. Poor kids were humans too. She always sided with rich students without caring who was right or wrong. She didn't even bother pretending to be fair. And this whole thing obviously wasn't Steven's fault.
Timothy felt like his face was burning.
Cassandra seemed to notice something off as well.
"Everyone disperse! Don't you all have homes to go to?" Cassandra barked at the surrounding students.
The crowd immediately started scattering.
Cassandra shot Steven another glare. "Come with me to the disciplinary office. I expect to see your self-reflection essay tomorrow!"
Steven rolled his eyes. "Already told you I'm not going. As for that stupid self-reflection essay, whoever wants to write it can write it. I sure won't."
Inside, he cursed, Like hell I'm writing that shit.
Then he turned and walked off immediately. No point arguing with this old hag any longer.
Cassandra's face turned pale, then red with rage.
"Steven!!!"
But Steven had already vanished.
Lilliana stayed silent for a moment as she stared at Steven's retreating figure. Something felt seriously wrong with him today.
Then she left too.
Timothy panicked a little.
"Ms. Chapman, thank you, but I'm fine. I should get going."
He hurried after Lilliana.
Cassandra still wanted to comfort Timothy, but she didn't get the chance.
"Lilliana, I'll walk you home."
Unfortunately, no matter how enthusiastic Timothy acted, Lilliana's expression stayed ice-cold.
"No, thanks," Lilliana replied flatly.
Timothy laughed awkwardly. "Alright. But don't worry. If Steven keeps bothering you, I'll definitely get him off your back."
Lilliana ignored that completely.
Her mind was still replaying everything Steven had just said. The more she thought about it, the more irritated she became.
Steven, you're definitely going to regret this. Stopped liking me? Yeah, right. I don't believe that for a second.
"Lilliana, wanna come train at my family's combat arena tonight? Divine Awakening's almost here."
"Not today." Lilliana's tone remained cold.
Timothy forced another smile. "Okay, then maybe tomorrow."
As Timothy stared in the direction Steven had disappeared, his face darkened. How dare you embarrass me in front of Lilliana! This isn't over. Tomorrow during combat class, let's see how many people you can beat. Just wait.
After leaving the field, Steven briefly recalled some things from his previous life.
Cassandra had desperately tried climbing the social ladder back then, but in the end, she'd only reached level 13 as a Two-Sigil Divine Envoy. Just looking at her disgusting face made him sick.
Later, she supposedly became the dean's mistress before eventually getting fired...
Steven quickly tossed the thought aside. Someone like her wasn't worth wasting time on.
After thinking it over, he realized that with his trash-tier talent in this life, surviving all the way to the end probably wouldn't be easy.
He needed to latch onto the Ember Eternal as tightly as possible.
She was a top-tier Awakened with an SSS-rank Divine Sigil!
A monster who cut down gods and beasts alike, all the way to the realm of Divine Eternal.
She became Draconia's fourth Divine Eternal, and the only female Divine Eternal.
In his previous life, she'd been like a brilliantly blooming flower that vanished too quickly. She'd only held the title of Divine Eternal for a short time before betrayal led to her death. It was honestly tragic.
But her achievements were terrifying.
Her life had been short and lonely. Even after creating her own Ember Celestial Army, she still kept everyone at arm's length.
There wasn't a single person truly close to her. Rumor had it she'd walked her entire path alone. Only after becoming the Ember Eternal had the other three Divine Eternals pressured her into forming the Celestial Army.
Even after reaching the top, she never indulged herself. Most of her life was spent fighting beasts.
She'd slaughtered countless level 8 and level 9 beasts, becoming the new symbol of Draconia itself.
All three Divine Eternals had once wanted to marry her, and every single one of them got rejected.
She should've continued shining.
But in the end, she was stabbed in the back by a traitor. An 80-plus-level Divine Saint marshal critically wounded her at the most important moment of battle.
Because of those injuries, during the final war, she'd been forced to self-destruct her Divine Sigils just to kill that level 10 beast.
Now that Steven had been reborn, he knew exactly how pathetic his own talent was. At best, he'd probably cap out as a Three-Sigil Divine Adept.
Might as well ride the Ember Eternal's coattails instead.
People capable of awakening a Divine Sigil were called the Awakened, but they were actually pretty rare. Maybe only three out of ten people could awaken one. And out of those three, two and a half only awakened the lowest-grade sigils with barely any future. People like the old hag, Cassandra.
The Awakened had ten sigil realms.
First Sigil, Awakened.
Second Sigil, Divine Envoy.
Third Sigil, Divine Adept.
Fourth Sigil, Divine Knight.
Fifth Sigil, Divine General.
Sixth Sigil, Divine King.
Seventh Sigil, Divine Lord.
Eighth Sigil, Divine Sovereign.
Ninth Sigil, Divine Saint.
Tenth Sigil, Divine Eternal!
Divine Sigils themselves were also ranked.
C, B, A, S, SS, and SSS. Six total grades.
Steven himself had only awakened a B-rank Divine Sigil. Pretty damn mediocre... Even if he spent his whole life struggling, becoming a Three-Sigil Divine Adept might already be his limit.
Back then, people mocked him nonstop. Combat skill B plus Divine Sigil B. Together, they called him the "Double B Idiot."
Honestly, he'd rather cling tightly to the future Ember Eternal and change both their destinies.
Right now, the future Ember Eternal was still just an ordinary girl who hadn't awakened yet.
Which meant he still had a chance.
The cold and ruthless Ember Eternal of the future never smiled or joked around with anyone. That icy personality had a lot to do with both her family and the things she experienced during her school years.
In other words, Bianca's life right now was bad. Really bad.
After the Ember Eternal became a legend, people dug up countless details about her past. Even this Divine Awakening High School ended up benefiting from it.
Their hometown of Rowenville had its status raised several levels because she'd been born there.
Steven thought carefully.
Back in his previous life, because they'd attended the same high school, he'd always admired Bianca from afar.
But there'd never been a world where they could meet as equals. One was the untouchable Ember Eternal. The other was a trash-tier Awakened at the bottom of society.
Still, he'd once thoroughly investigated and reviewed everything about their high school years.
He'd carefully recorded every detail related to Bianca.
And he remembered something: after his confession this time around, Bianca had apparently disappeared from school for over a week.
Did something happen today?
Steven thought for a moment before deciding he should go take a look. Maybe there's something I can help her with. Won't her affection for me skyrocket instantly then?
A faint smile tugged at Steven's lips.
Then he sprinted toward Bianca's house.
A bold idea slowly formed in his mind. Using the advantage of being reborn, he'd keep showing up like a savior whenever the Ember Eternal needed help. Operation Ember Eternal!

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Chapter 3 — Taking the Ember Eternal Home!

In eastern Rowenville, tucked inside an aging civilian district, there were no towering apartment buildings in sight, just rows of worn, modest houses.
The girl had only reached the front door and she barely even take off her backpack.
A drunken voice came roaring from inside the house.
"You bitch, where's my booze? Go buy me another bottle already!"
"With what money? There's nothing left!"
"You talking back to me now? You think I don't know you've been hiding money? Go buy me booze right now, or I'll beat you to death!"
Sobbing broke out from inside.
"Then kill me already, Howard! I don't even want to live anymore! If it weren't for Bianca, do you think I'd still stay here taking care of you?
"In all these years, have you ever earned a single cent? All you do is drink and gamble. Are you even a man?"
"Shut up, bitch. How dare you mouth off at me! Without me, do you think you'd still be alive?
"I'll kill you!"
Smack!
The slap rang so loudly that it could be heard from outside the house.
Something crashed over immediately after.
The girl's eyes reddened instantly.
She bolted inside like she'd lost her mind.
Then she saw her mother collapsed on the floor, blood running down from her forehead.
Bianca froze for half a second before her entire body started trembling uncontrollably.
"Mom!"
She rushed over and helped her mother up from the ground.
Her heart twisted painfully at the sight.
Then she shot a vicious glare toward the drunken man standing nearby without a shred of guilt on his face.
At this point, she hated him more than anything.
Howard White didn't care about the injured Vanessa White at all when he saw Bianca come home.
"Girl, go buy me booze!"
Tears were already streaming down Bianca's face.
"Why don't you just drink yourself to death? Get the hell out!"
The second Howard heard that, his temper exploded.
"You little brat, you think you can talk back to your father?
"You're dead!"
He staggered forward and slapped Bianca hard across her delicate face.
Smack!
Even through her daze, Vanessa's heart shattered at the sight.
"You animal! Howard, she's your daughter!"
The force of the slap knocked Bianca onto the floor, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
But she didn't cry out. This wasn't anything new to her anymore.
Her heart had already gone cold. She swore to herself she'd take her mother and escape this monster as soon as possible.
"Bianca, are you okay?"
Vanessa pulled Bianca's fragile body tightly into her arms.
Bianca shook her head calmly.
"I'm fine, Mom. Come on, I'll take you to the hospital."
She tried helping Vanessa to her feet.
But Howard had no intention of letting them leave.
"You've got money for a hospital but not for booze?
"Move! Go buy it, now!"
Howard roared drunkenly, swaying on his feet, as if he could collapse at any second, yet somehow still obsessing over alcohol.
Bianca glared at her alcoholic father with pure hatred in her eyes.
"Then kill us if you've got the guts!"
Howard barked out a furious laugh. "Fine! I'll kill both of you today and be done with it!"
He looked like a wild beast now, eyes bloodshot and completely devoid of humanity.
Grabbing a wooden stick nearby, he swung it viciously at the mother and daughter.
"This is what you get for not buying me booze!"
At that moment, Bianca truly fell into despair.
She could only hold her mother tightly. If they were going to die, then fine. Living like this had stopped meaning anything a long time ago.
Vanessa let out a terrified scream.
"Ahhh!"
Right at that critical moment, someone suddenly charged into the house.
The newcomer wrapped both Bianca and Vanessa in his arms and used his own back to take Howard's blow head-on.
A heavy thud echoed through the room.
Bianca waited for the pain that never came. Stunned, she realized someone was shielding both her and her mother from behind.
She turned sharply and found a face right beside hers. A familiar stranger.
It was Steven from her class. The same Steven who liked Lilliana.
Why is he here? And why is he protecting us?
At that instant, Steven felt like the first ray of light to break into Bianca's pitch-black world.
Meanwhile, Steven's face was twisted in agony. Forget being anybody's light. Right now, he didn't believe in light. He believed in fists.
Damn it. With this weak body of mine, taking a hit like that hurts like hell.
Without a Divine Sigil protecting me, this body really is pathetically weak.
But there was no time to worry about that now.
Steven whipped his head around and stared at the drunken Howard.
Howard cursed furiously, "You damn bitch, is this your boyfriend?
"Good! I'll beat both you cheating bastards to death today!"
Howard raised the stick again and swung it down.
A sharp glint flashed through Steven's eyes.
How could someone this disgusting even exist?
The second the stick came down, Steven reacted instantly. His combat instincts were still there.
He sidestepped Howard's drunken swing with a quick shift of his body.
Then he slid to Howard's side and slammed a vicious chop into the back of his neck.
Howard collapsed to the floor on the spot, completely unconscious.
A burning pain shot through Steven's palm. It felt like he'd cracked a bone. That strike had used almost all his strength. He honestly wasn't sure it would knock the guy out.
Still, seeing the drunk unconscious, he finally let out a breath.
Then he turned toward Bianca and Vanessa.
"Bianca, are you okay?"
Bianca still looked dazed. She couldn't understand it. This boy, who barely ever spoke to her at school, had suddenly appeared here and saved them.
Steven also froze for a moment.
It was hard to connect the girl in front of him with the future Ember Eternal. The woman who would one day stand above everyone else like an untouchable queen now looked heartbreakingly fragile, tears clinging to her delicate face, a streak of blood at the corner of her lips.
Steven had seen posters of the future Ember Eternal before—cold, elegant, and untouchable, like a goddess looking down upon the world. Who could've imagined that at this point in time, she was still such a thin, vulnerable girl?
And living through something this awful. No wonder she spent her future alone. A family like this could freeze a person's heart solid.
For a moment, Steven felt like he'd crossed into another lifetime. He still couldn't believe that in this life, he was standing this close to the future legendary Ember Eternal.
Vanessa called weakly, "Bianca..."
Bianca snapped out of it. "Mom, I'm okay."
"Come on, let me help you up."
"I'll help too."
Steven quickly stepped over and helped lift Vanessa to her feet.
The three of them glanced at Howard lying unconscious on the floor.
Tears kept streaming down Vanessa's face, full of regret and exhaustion.
But she still asked hesitantly, "Is he..."
Steven answered calmly, "Don't worry. He's just unconscious. He'll be fine.
"But you're both hurt. You need to get treated right away."
Vanessa nodded and tried hard to steady her emotions and stop crying.
"You're Bianca's classmate, right?"
"Yes. I'm in Bianca's class. My name's Steven."
Only then did Bianca finally look over at Steven.
"Thank you... You got hurt too, didn't you? Is it serious?"
Steven shook his head. "I'm fine. You two are worse off. Let me take you to the hospital."
Vanessa immediately shook her head. "No, no, it's okay. Thank you, Steven.
"I'm sorry you had to see something so humiliating."
Steven shook his head. "None of this is your fault. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone.
"But your injuries really need treatment. Mine too.
"And you probably don't want to wait for him to wake up and start hitting you again.
"You should leave first."
Vanessa hesitated. The problem was money.
Bianca spoke up softly too. "Mom, we can just go to a small clinic. It'll be okay. I still have a little money saved."
Steven didn't say anything.
But now, he understood how badly this family was struggling.
At last, he understood why Bianca had disappeared from school for an entire week in his previous life.
Today must've been the day she and Vanessa got beaten badly enough to end up hospitalized.
Who would've thought the future Ember Eternal had lived such a miserable life as a student?
With Steven helping them, they went to a nearby clinic and got all their injuries treated.
A long bruise stretched across Steven's back.
The sight of it filled Bianca with guilt.
After everything was done, the two of them stood outside the clinic together.
"I'm sorry you got hurt because of us." Bianca lowered her head, nervously rubbing her small callused hands together.
Only now did Steven really take a proper look at her.
Her features were honestly beautiful. She just looked thin from years of poor nutrition.
But her eyes were unbelievably clear.
Thinking back to his last life, Lilliana being called the school beauty was a joke.
The real one was standing right in front of him.
Give Bianca proper nutrition and a little care, and she'd leave Lilliana in the dust.
Steven smiled gently. "It's fine. I'm a guy. I get hurt during sparring all the time anyway. I'll recover fast."
Bianca looked up at Steven for a brief second and realized he was staring at her. Her face heated up, and she quickly lowered her head again.
"I'll pay you back for the medical bills."
Steven shook his head. "It's okay. It wasn't much."
"No. I have to repay you." Bianca shook her head stubbornly.
Steven smiled and let it go. If she insisted on paying him back later, he could always refuse then.
"Are you two still going home tonight? Once he wakes up, he definitely won't let this go."
Hearing that, confusion flickered through Bianca's clear eyes.
"If we don't go home... where else can we go?"
Steven hesitated briefly. Maybe I really should bring the future Ember Eternal home.
"How about this? You and your mom can stay at my place for now. At least you'll be away from that drunk."
The moment those words came out, Bianca froze. She stared at Steven in disbelief.
"Huh?"
For a second, she thought she'd misheard him.
He's inviting us to live at his house?

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