Supreme Hunter of Beautiful Souls-Chapter 428: A special place for Eva.

Eva didn't answer immediately.

She simply stepped away from the railing, giving a short nod for Kael to follow. They walked away from the port, leaving behind the noise of the docks and the strong smell of salt and wet wood. The streets grew narrower, then less busy, until the sounds of the city began to fade into something distant, almost irrelevant.

"Where are we going?" Kael asked, breaking the silence.

"A place that almost no one knows," Eva replied. "And those who know it… respect it."

She passed through a small stone arch covered in ivy, almost invisible between two old buildings. On the other side, a narrow path descended gently, flanked by tall, dense trees. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, creating vibrant patterns on the ground.

Kael felt the air change again.

"Mana…" he murmured. "The flow here is different."

Eva gave him a quick glance.

"You noticed quickly."

"He's focused," he continued. "But not aggressive. He's… calm."

She didn't answer, but the slight smile that appeared on her lips said enough.

The trail ended abruptly.

Before them, the world seemed to open up.

Kael stopped, not realizing he had held his breath.

It was a lagoon.

The water was incredibly clear, reflecting the sky like a perfect mirror. Shades of blue and green mingled in depths impossible to measure with the naked eye. Small aquatic flowers floated on the surface, emitting a soft, almost ethereal glow. Around them, natural rock formations protected the place from the strongest winds, creating a feeling of absolute isolation.

In the center of the lagoon, there was a small island.

It wasn't large—perhaps fifteen meters in diameter—but it seemed carefully preserved, as if the world itself had decided to spare it from the ravages of time. In the middle of the island, a single tree stood. She was ancient.

The wide, twisted trunk showed marks of centuries, perhaps more. Its leaves were a deep, almost bluish green, and moved slowly, even without wind, as if responding to something invisible.

Kael swallowed hard.

"Eva…" he said softly. "What is this place?"

She walked to the edge of the lagoon and stopped.

"A refuge," she replied. "A natural mana node. Rare. Stable." She looked at the island. "Safe."

Kael followed her gaze.

"Safe from whom?"

She raised a hand.

The surrounding mana responded immediately.

The lagoon water began to move, not in chaotic waves, but in smooth, precise lines. A bluish glow swept across the surface, and, little by little, shapes began to rise.

A walkway.

Made entirely of condensed mana, translucent as crystal, solid as stone. It stretched from the shore to the island, each step forming before them, as if the path were being woven in real time.

Kael's eyes widened.

"You make this look too easy."

Eva shrugged.

"Here it is."

She took the first step onto the walkway, testing it out of habit. Then she turned and extended her hand to Kael.

"Come."

He hesitated for a brief moment, then accepted.

The surface beneath his feet was warm, vibrating slightly with living mana. Kael felt as if he were walking on something that breathed, but not in an unsettling way. On the contrary—it was welcoming.

"This place…" he began. "It doesn't just feel like a point of mana."

Eva gently pulled him along, compelling him to continue walking.

"Because it's not just that."

As they approached the island, Kael felt a subtle pressure in his chest. Not pain. Not fear. It was something closer to reverence, as if the place itself demanded inner silence.

They arrived at the island.

The ground was covered in short, soft grass. Small white stones were arranged in natural circles, and the sound of the surrounding water created a constant murmur, almost like a distant song.

Eva released Kael's hand and walked ahead, towards the tree.

Kael followed her.

Only when they were very close did he notice.

At the base of the tree, partially shaded by its thick roots, was a gravestone.

Simple.

No exaggerated ornaments. Just smooth, light-colored stone, polished by time.

Kael stopped.

His eyes slowly descended, reading the engraved words.

Elizabeth Sparda

He felt the world become a little quieter.

"...Sparda?" he murmured.

Eva stopped beside him.

For a moment, she said nothing. Her usual smile was gone. Nor the irony. Nor the dangerous lightness.

When she finally spoke, her voice was soft.

"My mother."

Kael took a deep breath.

"I…" He swallowed hard. "I didn't know."

"Few people know," Eva replied. "Even fewer know where she's buried."

She crouched before the gravestone, running her fingers over the stone with almost reverent care.

"Elizabeth Sparda," she repeated. "The kindest woman I've ever known. And the most stubborn."

Kael remained silent, respecting the moment.

"She hated titles," Eva continued. "She refused them all. She said names were enough."

She let out a low, almost nostalgic laugh.

"'If someone needs anything more than my name to respect me,' she'd say, 'then that person isn't worth the effort.'"

Kael closed his eyes for a moment, absorbing it all.

"She… died here?"

Eva nodded.

"Yes." She sat down on the grass, leaning her back against the tree trunk. "I brought her here when… when it became clear there was nothing more to be done."

Kael sat down beside her carefully.

"You saved her from many things," he said with conviction.

Eva let out a slow sigh.

"Not enough."

The silence that followed wasn't heavy. It was dense. Laden with memories that Kael didn't share, but felt.

"Why…" he said after a few moments, "did you bring me here?"

Kael stared at the gravestone for a few seconds after asking the question.

Eva didn't answer immediately.

She remained seated, her back against the tree trunk, her eyes fixed on the name engraved on the stone, as if she were rearranging something within herself before speaking. The gentle wind made the leaves above them whisper, filling the silence without breaking it.

"We're not that close," she said finally, naturally. "At least… not in the usual sense."

Kael turned to look at her.

"What do you mean?"

Eva shrugged, but the gesture wasn't careless.

"I spend a good part of my time on missions. Outside the Empire. Outside of everything." She closed her eyes for a moment. "When I return, you're usually too busy trying to save the world, die, or get lost inside your own head."

Kael let out a short laugh.

"That… seems right."

"Indeed." She opened her eyes and looked at him. "So no. We don't share a routine. Or constant confidences. Or dramatic promises under the moonlight."

She stood slowly and walked to the front of the gravestone, stopping directly in front of it.

"But," she continued, "I always knew where you were. Even when no one else knew. And I always knew… who you were."

Kael felt a pang in his chest.

Eva knelt before the gravestone.

Carefully, she smoothed the grass in front of the stone, as if preparing the space for someone important to arrive. Then, she straightened her posture and spoke, her voice clear, firm, without any irony.

"Mother…," she said.

Kael held his breath without realizing it.

"I wanted to introduce you to the man I chose to follow."

The world seemed to stop for a full second.

Kael blinked.

"...What?"

Eva turned her face just enough to give him a sideways glance.

"Sit down."

"Eva, wait, I think there was some—"

"Kael." The tone wasn't harsh. It was definitive. "Sit down."

He obeyed.

He sat down a little behind her, still trying to process what he had just heard. His heart was beating too fast for a situation that, technically, didn't involve any physical danger—which, for Kael, made everything even more unsettling.

Eva took a deep breath before continuing.

"You know," she said, looking at the gravestone, "that I've never been good at following anyone."

She smiled slightly.

"Authority irritates me. Titles give me allergies. Prophecies..." she made a vague gesture with her hand, "are just elegant excuses for cowardly people."

Kael watched her in silence.

"But you…" she continued, "never asked to be followed. Never demanded it. Never used what you carry inside to bend anyone to your will."

She tilted her head slightly.

"You only walk forward. Even when you don't know where you're stepping."

Kael swallowed hard.

"Eva…" he began. "When you say 'follow,' you mean—"

"Don't interrupt," she replied calmly. "I'm talking to my mother."

He immediately shut his mouth.

Eva placed her hand on the gravestone.

"I said I'd come back here when I was sure," she said. "I took longer than I wanted. But now…" She took a deep breath. "Now I am."

Kael felt a strange chill run down his spine.

"Sure about what?" he asked, in a low tone, despite the previous warning.

Eva turned partially, facing him directly for the first time since she had begun speaking.

"From you."

The silence that followed was unlike any other.

It wasn't dense.

It was expectant.

"Eva…" Kael ran a hand through his hair, clearly uncomfortable. "I don't know if you're… interpreting something wrong. I'm not exactly someone—"

"Destined?" she finished. "Strong enough? Stable?" She gave a short laugh. "You sound exactly like everyone else who tried to define you before me."

She stood and walked toward him, stopping a few steps away.

"Do you remember what my mother used to say about choices?" she asked.

Kael thought for a moment.

"...That names were enough?"

"That," she confirmed. "And she also said something else."

Eva knelt before him, getting to Kael's eye level.

"'The world will always try to choose for you. The only true rebellion is choosing someone of your own free will.'"

Kael's heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest.

"Eva, I..." He took a deep breath. "You're saying that as if—"

"As if I were making something official?" She smiled. "Because I am."

His eyes widened.

"MAKING WHAT OFFICIAL?!"

Eva let out a short, genuine laugh.

"Calm down." She raised her hands. "No one is dragging you to an altar. Yet."

"YET?!"

She ignored the comment. "When I was younger," she continued, "my mother used to joke that I would only follow someone if that person survived long enough to truly grow up."

Kael felt a pang in his memory.

"Wait…" He frowned. "Didn't she say…?"

Eva nodded.

"She did."

She stood up, placing herself between Kael and the gravestone.

"'When he grows up,' she'd say. 'When he stops being just a force and becomes a choice.'" Eva smiled slightly. "I took that to heart."

Kael ran his hands over his face.

"When you grow up, we'll get married."

Kael remembered a conversation in a carriage.

"Ah…" He said. "One more…"