Reborn: Apocalypse Ready. War Goddess by My Side novel Chapter 6

Inside Bianca's house.
Steven lay unconscious on the bed, his face pale as paper.
Beside the bed sat a young woman dressed in black robes, both of her hands glowing with a soft emerald light.
Each of her arms bore a glowing leaf-shaped sigil, with a third one shining at the center of her forehead.
That alone proved she was a Three-Sigil Divine Adept!
Bianca sat nearby, still weak herself, but her eyes never left Steven for even a second.
Her beautiful eyes were filled with worry and tenderness.
If Steven hadn't been there tonight, she didn't even dare imagine what kind of nightmare awaited her and her mother.
Steven had risked his life for her. She felt like she owed him far too much. Without him, she would already be dead.
Finally, the black-robed woman withdrew her Divine Sigils, and the green light slowly faded away.
Sweat covered her forehead as she let out a long breath.
"He's stable for now. Luckily, the wound missed anything vital. With some rest, he should recover."
Looking at the scabbed-over wound on Steven's shoulder, the massive weight crushing Bianca's chest finally eased.
"Thank you... Thank you so much!"
The woman shook her head. "No need. This was our mistake. Those two Bloodfang Rats should never have escaped."
A trace of guilt flashed through Darlene Reese's eyes as she glanced toward the body near the doorway, covered by a sheet.
Vanessa sat slumped beside it.
The body underneath the cloth was Howard.
Howard was really dead.
Bianca glanced over as well, bitterness rising inside her.
The man who'd done nothing but hurt her and her mother... was gone just like that.
Everything had happened too suddenly.
And yet Bianca realized she didn't feel much grief. After all, she'd never once received love from that man.
Ever since she was old enough to remember, all he ever did was drink, gamble, and beat her mother.
Bianca slowly pulled her gaze away and looked back at Steven, lying on the bed.
That face had already carved itself deep into her heart. No matter what happened, she knew she would never forget it.
Soon, Peter returned.
"Darlene, how's the kid doing?"
Darlene replied, "His injuries are stabilized. The rest depends on his own recovery."
Then she asked curiously, "Did this kid really kill that Bloodfang Rat himself?"
Peter glanced toward Bianca. "Looks like it."
Bianca's eyes turned red again as she answered softly, "He did."
Darlene could barely believe it.
"You're both still students at an Awakened high school, right?"
Bianca nodded. "We go to Aethercrest Awakened High."
Darlene inhaled sharply.
A high school student who hadn't even awakened a Divine Sigil yet had managed to kill a level 1 Bloodfang Rat.
Who would believe something like that if word got out?
Peter crossed his arms and said, "The kid's got talent. If he awakens a Divine Sigil later on, maybe we can recruit him into our squad someday."
Darlene nodded in agreement.
Then she looked toward Bianca. "I'm sorry about what happened tonight. It was our fault. About your father..."
Bianca shook her head. "He brought it on himself. He's a drunk who couldn't even fight back. This isn't your fault."
Peter and Darlene both froze briefly at those words.
Looks like the family situation was complicated.
Peter sighed and pulled out a blood-red crystal about the size of an egg.
"This is the beast crystal from the Bloodfang Rat he killed. It belongs to him. Once he wakes up, please give it to him."
Bianca accepted it quietly without saying anything.
Peter and Darlene turned and walked out of the house.
They saw Vanessa still sitting on the floor in a daze, tears streaming down her face.
Peter spoke gently. "We already contacted the crematorium for you. They'll come tomorrow morning to take your husband away. Please accept our condolences."
Vanessa gave no response. Her eyes were hollow and unfocused.
The man who had tormented her for over ten years was finally dead.
No matter how terribly he'd treated her, part of her still grieved for him at this moment.
But there was nothing she could do.
In this world, tragedies like this weren't uncommon anymore.
Everything was handled as simply as possible.
People had long since grown used to it.
Peter and Darlene said nothing more and soon left to regroup with the rest of their squad.
The house fell into dead silence. Bianca sat there blankly, clutching the beast crystal tightly in her hands.
Meanwhile, Steven seemed trapped inside a dream.
He slowly forced his eyes open as overwhelming weakness washed through his body.
Half-conscious and disoriented, he suddenly saw a pair of enormous golden eyes staring directly at him, each one nearly 15 feet wide.
Those weren't human eyes.
They were beast eyes!
Steven even felt like those eyes were strangely familiar, yet no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember where he had seen them before.
After becoming slightly more clearheaded, he looked carefully again.
Those are beast eyes!
Terrifying beast eyes!
Where am I?
Why am I seeing something like this?
Those eyes felt like they belonged to a level 8 or 9 beast, vast as an endless abyss.
Just one glance at them was enough to make Steven feel like he was about to be crushed apart.
Golden light shone across his translucent body, and the pain was unbearable.
It felt like his entire body was being torn apart, forcing Steven to scream in agony.
"What the hell?"
The pain felt like it was trying to completely vaporize him.
He let out a tortured roar and suddenly jolted upright in bed.
That painful scream startled Bianca badly.
"Steven, are you okay?"
Steven looked around in horror, cold sweat already covering his forehead.
Bianca panicked and grabbed onto Steven's hand.
"Steven, I'm here. Did you have a nightmare?"
Steven glanced at Bianca and took several heavy breaths.
What exactly were those eyes just now?
He had a strange sense of familiarity, but he just couldn't remember where he had seen them before.
Soon, the pain from his injuries helped pull Steven back to his senses a little, and he realized it was probably just a dream.
"I'm fine. I'm okay. Just had a nightmare."
Bianca finally let out a breath of relief.
"Don't be scared. The Bloodfang Rat situation's already been handled."
Steven looked at Bianca and saw the concern in her eyes.
Then Steven noticed Bianca was still holding his hand.
The future Ember Eternal is holding my hand!
Bianca noticed something was off and hurriedly let go of Steven's hand, her cheeks turning slightly red.
"Y-you got the wrong idea..."
The corner of Steven's mouth secretly lifted a little. At least now, he'd managed to leave some kind of impression in Bianca's heart.
In a weird way, this whole disaster hadn't been all bad.
Steven coughed lightly twice.
"Who treated my injuries?"
Bianca quickly explained everything that had happened afterward.
Only then did Steven understand. Back then, a military squad must have arrived, and one of their healing Divine Adept stabilized his injuries. He didn't need further treatment anymore, only time to recover.
Steven looked toward Vanessa outside, still sitting beside Howard's body, and quietly sighed as well.
This was probably the tragedy Bianca experienced in his previous life. Back then, the two people lying there were most likely both of her parents.
This time, because of his appearance, her mother survived.
"I should head home now. Otherwise, my grandpa's going to worry."
Bianca asked worriedly, "What about your injuries?"
Steven shook his head. "I'm fine. It's nothing serious anymore."
Bianca helped Steven to his feet.
Steven glanced around their house. Earlier, the Bloodfang Rat had destroyed quite a lot of it, and calling the place a complete wreck wouldn't be an exaggeration.
"You're going to spend a lot fixing this place. Honestly, you and your mom should just move in with us instead. Think about it."
Bianca froze for a moment but didn't say anything.
Steven greeted Vanessa before leaving, but she still hadn't snapped out of her daze.
So Steven could only leave first.
"This is the beast crystal from the Bloodfang Rat you killed. Keep it safe, and be careful on your way home."
At this point, this was as much concern as Bianca could openly show Steven.
"You keep it. You can sell it for money."
Bianca firmly shook her head. "No. You already got dragged into enough trouble because of us tonight. This is your trophy. I absolutely can't take it!"
Bianca directly stuffed it into Steven's hand.
Steven smiled bitterly and could only nod before leaving.
Grandpa is probably worried sick by now.
Watching Steven's departing figure, Bianca couldn't describe what she was feeling.
Why is he helping me this much?
I'm someone almost everyone in class hates, so why is he treating me this way?
A trace of tenderness flashed through Bianca's eyes, and she could only bury those feelings deep inside her heart.