Absolute Cheater - Chapter 317

Chapter 317: New Companion
The halls of the Varnis estate felt colder now, quieter—as if they too recognized that a final chapter was closing.

Veyra walked alone, her steps slow and unsure. She hadn’t packed anything; there was nothing she wanted to take. What she needed was already inside her: the weight of expectation, the sting of exile, and the fragile bloom of possibility.

She reached a side chamber just off the garden path, where a tall boy with a quiet demeanor sat with a book in hand. Her older brother, Calven. He looked up, startled.

“Veyra…? You’re back already?”

She gave him a weak smile, then nodded.

“Not for long,” she said softly. “I’m leaving.”

His expression faltered. The book fell from his lap as he stood, moving toward her. “Leaving? What are you talking about?”

“I’m not part of the family anymore.” She looked up at him. “I’ve been… given away. As part of a deal.”

Calven’s hands clenched at his sides. “To who?”

“To someone who healed me. Someone powerful. Someone who says I have potential, even if Father doesn’t believe in it anymore.”

Silence.

Then, he pulled her into a hug.

“Take care of yourself, Vey,” he murmured. “You always deserved more than they gave you.”

She hugged him tighter. “Thank you for being the only one who saw me.”

Then, pulling away, she stepped back. “I have to go now. I don’t know if I’ll be allowed to come back.”

“Then don’t come back until they’re forced to bow to you,” Calven said with sudden fire in his eyes. “Make them regret every word they spoke against you.”

Veyra smiled. This time, genuinely.

“I’ll try.”

An Hour Later – Front Courtyard, Varnis Estate

The skies above the estate were painted in muted gold and gray. Storm clouds lingered at the horizon, yet none dared drift closer. Not while Asher stood at the gates, a box of Law Crystals secured in his ring, his cloak fluttering gently.

Valeris stood to his right, arms crossed, her silver hair catching the wind. Her gaze tracked the estate’s many windows—watching silently for any last-minute interruptions.

Veyra approached, cloaked now in a simple travel robe of violet-black, her soft footsteps barely making a sound on the stone.

“I’m ready,” she said.

Asher looked her over once, nodding with approval. “You’ll need to be. The path ahead is nothing like the life you’ve known.”

“I wasn’t really living here,” she replied quietly. “Just surviving.”

Valeris gave her a rare smile. “You’ll fit in fine, then.”

With that, Asher raised a hand. A ring of darkness folded outward like a flower blooming in reverse—revealing the hidden corridor that led away from the Varnis estate and back into the wilds beyond the noble quarter.

Veyra turned only once. Her father watched from an upper window. Stoic. Distant.

She said nothing.

Lord Varnius remained still at the window, watching as the last wisps of the shadow gate faded into nothing. Silence stretched in the chamber like a blade drawn too long.

Behind him, soft footsteps approached. His wife, Lady Melyra, stood at his side, her eyes wide with pain and disbelief.

“Why did you do it?” she asked quietly.

He didn’t look at her. His hands, clasped behind his back, tightened just slightly.

“I had no choice,” he replied, voice steady but low.

“Sending her with them… it’s no different than marrying her off to some second-rate house. A way to make hollow bonds, cast her out of sight.”

“It’s better than what awaited her here,” he said, finally turning to face her. “Better than being a tool… better than being used as leverage. At least with them, she might live by her own will.”

Lady Melyra looked away, swallowing hard. “Will she be safe?”

Varnius was quiet for a moment. Then his eyes narrowed, hard with resolve.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “But I’ll speak to her again in a week. If she’s not well… if she’s harmed, used, or broken—”

His gaze sharpened, cold light flashing in his eyes like a buried sword unsheathed.

“—I’ll take her back myself. No matter the cost. Even if I have to die for it.”

His wife’s breath caught, but she nodded slowly, understanding the weight of the vow.

For all his coldness, Lord Varnis was still a father. And though the world might call it a transaction, for him, it was a silent war waged on his daughter’s behalf.

***

The world outside the Varnis estate was calmer, cooler. The shadow gate closed behind them with a whisper like the breath of a forgotten world, and the oppressive aura of ancient bloodlines and family expectations vanished into silence.

Veyra turned slightly as they walked, her steps slow and uncertain, eyes lingering on the horizon behind them—on the towering structure that had been her prison and her shelter for so many years. Her fingers curled, trembling just faintly. She was free now, and yet a strange hollowness clung to her chest.

She didn’t speak.

Valeris walked ahead, cloak trailing like dusk behind her, sharp eyes scanning the surroundings with habitual vigilance. She didn’t speak either, giving space.

It was Asher who finally broke the silence.

“Veyra.”

She startled slightly at the call of her name and turned toward him.

He gave her a calm look, one hand resting lazily on the hilt of his sword. “I want to talk to you about your innate skill.”

She blinked. “My skill…? The Blood Root of Crimson Bloom?”

Asher nodded. “Yes. It’s unique. A hybrid of Wood and Blood attribute—not something that belongs fully to either legacy.” He gestured for her to sit as they halted near a low cliffside, where a black lake shimmered below. “Do you understand what it does?”

She hesitated. “Not… fully. I’ve only used it once, by instinct. It… spreads something through the ground. A root. It pulses with blood, and wherever it touches, I can feel the enemy’s vitality. I can either leech it to heal or make the root bloom—violently.”

Asher smiled faintly. “Good. That means it’s tied to more than just offensive power. It can be used in battle for disruption, or in support to rapidly regenerate. Blood is life, and Wood is growth—together, it’s a parasitic art. You feed on what you touch. That’s your core.”