Chapter 164: An Explosion
Aziel and Arthur stood frozen in the doorway, their minds struggling to process the impossible scene before them. The silence stretched like a taut wire, threatening to snap under the weight of collective disbelief. Arthur felt his heart hammering against his ribs as he stared at the two women, his brain refusing to accept what his eyes were telling him.
The first woman was exactly as he remembered her—short with mousy brown hair pulled up in a practical bun with golden tan skin, and a rather small figure. She stared back at them with eyes that looked like they might literally pop out of her head, her expression cycling rapidly through shock, disbelief, and what appeared to be growing horror.
But it was the second woman who truly stole Arthur’s breath away. She was, without question, one of the most stunning women he had ever laid eyes upon. Her beautiful blonde hair was cut in a perfect line at her shoulders, framing a face that belonged in classical paintings rather than military operations. Her brilliant blue eyes complemented her features so perfectly that Arthur wondered if she might actually be some kind of artistic creation rather than a real person.
Both women wore identical uniforms—tight-fitting long-sleeve black combat shirts tucked neatly into camouflage fatigue pants. The practical nature of their clothing did nothing to diminish their presence; if anything, it served to highlight the contrast between their personalities. Where her companion looked ready to explode with emotion, the blonde remained entirely impartial and stoic, her face a mask of professional composure as she studied the two silent boys who still hadn’t managed to form a coherent word.
The tension in the room was palpable, thick enough to cut with a knife. Arthur could feel sweat beginning to form on his forehead despite the room’s reasonable temperature, and he was dimly aware that his mouth was still hanging open in a way that probably made him look like a complete idiot. Beside him, Aziel seemed equally paralyzed..
Finally, the silence was shattered like glass hitting concrete.
"You two!?" The explosion came from the shorter woman, her voice rising to a pitch that could probably shatter windows. "What the hell are you two doing here??"
Myah—because of course it was Myah, Arthur’s brain supplied helpfully—took a step forward, her entire body language radiating indignation and disbelief. She looked back and forth between Arthur and Aziel as if they were some kind of particularly unpleasant hallucination that might disappear if she blinked hard enough.
"D-did you know about this?!" she demanded, spinning to face Cara with an accusatory finger pointed in their direction.