Lilly glared at the tall boy in front of her, her anger simmering beneath the surface.
Although she did not know the details, she had a feeling that something was amiss with Ivan.
And this big boy in front of her seemed to be involved.
Alban locked eyes with Lilly, his gaze carrying a dangerous intensity. “What's your relationship with van?” he demanded.
Lilly fought to suppress the anger welling up inside her. Her father had always taught her not to judge someone as good or bad before knowing the truth. What if she was mistaken? Lilly could not shake off the feeling that something had happened to Ivan. The last time she saw Ivan, he told her to tell Mr. Shaw that he would return later. Deep down, she believed that Ivan would come back.
Pursing her lips, Lilly maintained her unwavering gaze at the tall boy and replied, “He’s my brother's friend, and he’s also my friend!” Alban’s expression turned cold. He picked up Tia’s schoolbag and said icily, “Then we have nothing more to say” Initially, he had thought that this little girl might be of the same kind, and he intended to approach her. However, if she was associated with someone like Ivan, there was no need to have any further interaction.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtAlban scooped up the Tia, who was weeping, and began to walk away.
But Drake, Josh, and Zachary swiftly positioned themselves, blocking his path.
Alban’s eyes turned frigid.
The teacher by the gate stood there, dumbfounded. Just a moment ago, two kindergarten children had gotten into a dispute over whose older brother was stronger. They would not fight, could they? Another teacher rushed over, trying to defuse the situation. “Kids, let's not fight. We're all friends here...” Alban scoffed disdainfully. “Friends with them? | think not.” Anxiety gnawed at Lilly's heart, leaving her with no choice but to persist in her questioning. “What happened to Ivan? What happened to Ivan?” she repeated, her voice trembling.
Alban’s gaze hardened with disgust as he looked at Lilly. “You truly are of the same kind. So self-righteous. Did you see it with your own eyes? Or did something happen and you just assumed | was involved with Ivan?” Josh interjected, “Why shouldn't we? We're not being self-righteous. If you want us to understand, you need to explain what happened first!” At that moment, they forgot about the floating head. Their younger sister's implication was clear—something happened to Ivan, and it somehow involved this boy.
Unable to ignore their persistence, Alban responded coldly, “As we were passing through the abyss, | kicked him down.” Lilly's heart sank.
“Why would you do such a thing?” she demanded.
Ignoring Drake and the others who were blocking his way, Alban held Tia tightly and continued walking, refusing to answer Lilly's question.
Among the three boys, only Drake stood at a similar height to Alban. Yet, standing before them, Alban felt as if he were facing a group of children.
Alban bumped into Josh, causing him to be sent flying inexplicably. Nothing seemed to stop him.
“Josh!” Lilly quickly helped Josh up, noticing that his elbow was bleeding.
However, with impatience clouding her mind, she did not have time to dwell on it. She applied a soul flower petal to Josh's arm.
Then, without hesitation, she chased after Alban.
The moment Alban caught sight of the soul flower petals, he came to an abrupt halt. His eyes fixated on the petals in astonishment.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm“You were able to get soul flower petals?!” His calm and indifferent demeanor finally showed a trace of surprise as he looked at Lilly once again.
Lilly didn’t provide an answer. Instead, she fired back with her question, “What did you do to Ivan? Where is he now, and did he come back later?” Perhaps it was the sight of the soul flower that he finally responded, “I met Ivan in the Ghost Abyss. We were both being pursued by spirits. There was only one opportunity to escape when we were climbing up, so | kicked Ivan down.” He spoke naturally, as if killing someone was a common and trivial matter to him.
Although he was a villain, he did not bother to hide it.
Lilly's eyes instantly welled up with tears, anger rising within her for no apparent reason. “You... you killed Ivan just to save yourself?” Alban looked at her mockingly. “What else would you expect? Did you think | would sacrifice myself for Ivan’s sake? I'm not that virtuous.” “There was only one chance to survive, and | believe that if | had been one step behind, he would have kicked me down.” Did she think it was a child's playhouse? Asking such a foolish question.
Lilly's heart turned cold, a mixture of anxiety and anger consuming her. “Ivan would never do that! | didn’t say you couldn’t save yourself, but you didn’t have to kick him down.” If he had been one step behind, it was understandable for him to prioritize himself. She had no intention of letting him sacrifice his chance of survival for Ivan.
But did he have to be so evil and kick Ivan down? If he wanted to run ahead, then run ahead. Why resort to such actions? Alban understood her point, but he remained indifferent.
“That's because you didn’t understand the situation! The anomaly in the abyss was coming up. By kicking him down, | bought myself more time, and what if he caught up with me?” What if Ivan caught up, surpassed him, and took away his only chance of survival? If he had not kicked Ivan down, that thing would have killed them both.
Everyone knew how to choose between death and a chance at survival.
He was right.
When it came to one’s own life, who would not do everything in their power to survive?