Help! My Moms Are Overpowered Tyrants, and I’m Stuck as Their Baby! - Chapter 152

Chapter 152: Sudden Notifications
“Glad to see someone’s having fun,” I said, grinning from ear to ear.

The sun shone brightly, glinting off the magical sparks that crackled and danced across the sand as the volleyball flew violently between us. It had gone beyond mere competition. Now, it was pure, unadulterated chaos a magical battlefield disguised as a friendly game.

Riven, apparently deciding he was done holding back, launched himself dramatically into the air with a shout. Flames erupted from his fingertips, engulfing the ball in a dazzling, swirling firestorm.

“Watch and learn, peasants!” he cried triumphantly, hurling the flaming orb towards Aria.

Aria squeaked in alarm, but she recovered quickly, summoning a shimmering barrier of ice that halted the ball mid-flight, freezing it in place. She sent Riven a fierce look. “Nice try, hotshot!”

“Literally,” Mara muttered under her breath, eyes sparkling mischievously. She flicked her wrist effortlessly, and the frozen ball shattered into tiny shards of ice, showering Riven like glittering confetti.

He stood dumbfounded, wiping ice from his eyes. “Oh, come on! Unfair!”

“Strategy, Riven,” Mara said sweetly. “Ever heard of it?”

Velka stood off to the side, still pretending she didn’t care. Yet, every time the ball approached her, her reactions were swift, ruthless, and precise, sending bursts of shadow and wind back at us. Each time she scored, she maintained that infuriatingly blank expression, though I could swear her eyes were gleaming with smugness.

A volley of sparks flew past my head, snapping me back to attention. Elira grinned wickedly, gathering an orb of electric energy between her palms. “Pay attention, princess!” she teased, and sent the ball crackling toward me at lightning speed.

I reacted without thinking, my magic surging instinctively, wrapping around the ball in violet flames. It hovered momentarily in the air, glowing softly, before exploding into a shower of shimmering embers that drifted harmlessly down around us.

Everyone paused, staring at me.

“Oops,” I offered weakly.

Riven clapped slowly, theatrically. “Congratulations, Elyzara, you destroyed the ball.”

“I panicked, okay?” I protested, embarrassed heat rising to my cheeks.

“Never mind,” Aria chirped brightly, producing another ball seemingly from thin air. “Good thing I brought spares.”

Mara raised an eyebrow. “Exactly how many did you bring?”

Aria shrugged innocently. “Enough.”

The game resumed, each volley becoming increasingly extravagant. Mara conjured miniature hurricanes, Riven ignited the sand with fiery glyphs, Aria crafted elaborate illusions that distracted everyone, and Velka simply terrified us with her cool, precise bursts of shadow magic.

Finally, after another half hour of magical chaos, we collectively collapsed onto the warm sand, gasping for breath, our laughter mingling with the roar of waves.

“Okay,” Riven wheezed, dramatically spreading his arms wide. “I officially declare that the most dangerous volleyball game in history.”

I snorted, nudging his shoulder. “Drama queen.”

Mara stretched luxuriously, shooting Elira a fond glance. “You’re all lucky I was holding back.”

“Please don’t ever stop holding back,” Aria said earnestly. “I like living.”

Riven sat up abruptly, sand scattering everywhere. “Last one into the water is a basilisk egg!”

Before anyone could respond, he sprinted toward the waves, shrieking wildly as the cold water splashed around his ankles. Aria and Mara quickly chased after him, laughter echoing across the beach. Elira rolled her eyes affectionately, following them at a more leisurely pace.

I turned toward Velka, still sitting quietly in the sand, seemingly fascinated by a shell she’d picked up.

“You coming?” I asked gently.

She glanced up, eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Do I have a choice?”

“Nope,” I said cheerfully. “None at all.”

She sighed deeply, a sound filled with more resignation than actual annoyance, then stood, brushing the sand from her legs. “Fine. But I swear if Riven tries splashing me, he’ll regret it.”

“I’ll hold him down for you,” I offered solemnly.

“Deal,” Velka replied, lips twitching in a faint, reluctant smile.

We joined the others at the water’s edge. Riven was already engaged in a losing battle against Aria, who’d enchanted the waves to repeatedly knock him off balance. Mara and Elira were swimming gracefully farther out, locked in their own private world. For a moment, everything felt perfect simple and bright, untouched by shadows or hidden secrets.

The cool water embraced me as I waded in deeper, washing away the lingering tension from the past weeks. Beside me, Velka hesitated, her toes barely dipping into the waves.

“It’s just water,” I teased, splashing a tiny wave toward her. “It won’t bite.”

She glared. “It’s wet.”

“That’s kind of the point.”

Her eyes narrowed further, but she eventually stepped forward, grimacing slightly as the waves lapped around her ankles. “Satisfied?”

“Not even close,” I laughed, diving beneath the surface and emerging moments later, dripping water. “Come on, it’s fun!”

Velka merely crossed her arms stubbornly, seemingly determined to be the grumpiest person to ever grace the beach.

I was about to splash her again just for good measure when suddenly, a familiar, irritating ping! echoed sharply in my mind. I froze, heart sinking as the system’s screen flashed urgently in my vision.

[Urgent Notification: Important Event Scheduled. Mission assigned.]

“Oh, come on,” I muttered under my breath, stepping away slightly from the group. “Not now. I’m at the beach.”

[Sorry, darling. World-ending plots don’t schedule around leisure time.] The system’s voice dripped with false sympathy.

“What’s going on?” I whispered, turning away slightly, pretending to watch the horizon. “I thought today was clear.”

[It was. Until your parents decided otherwise.] The screen flashed urgently again, a red border pulsing ominously. [Tomorrow, Verania and Sylvithra are scheduled to execute multiple nobles accused of treason. Tensions in the capital will spike dramatically. You’re required to investigate immediately.]

My stomach twisted. “Executed? Treason?”

[Correct. And given recent events, it may tie directly to the rebel factions that kidnapped you. Things are escalating quickly. The capital is becoming unstable. You need to know why your parents are suddenly making this move.]

I squeezed my eyes shut, the warmth of the sun abruptly fading beneath the weight of responsibility. “Great. Just when I thought things were calming down.”

[If it makes you feel better, chaos suits you.] The system sounded far too amused.

“It doesn’t,” I hissed. “And can’t you see I’m enjoying myself?”

[I can. That’s exactly why this notification is urgent. Sorry, Elyzara. Duty calls.]

I sighed heavily, my moment of relaxation crumbling around me. “Fine. I’ll handle it. But just give me a minute. Please.”

The system paused, then spoke gently. [Take your moment. You deserve that much, at least.]

I exhaled slowly, forcing the anxiety back down. I turned back toward my friends, smiling weakly as they splashed and laughed, oblivious to the turmoil suddenly churning inside me. I couldn’t spoil this for them—not now.

Velka glanced my way, noticing my expression shift. “You okay?” she asked quietly.

I forced a smile. “Yeah. Just… thinking.”

She studied me carefully but didn’t press further, though her eyes lingered on my face thoughtfully.

“Come on!” Riven shouted, waving dramatically from deeper water. “You two are missing out!”

I nodded, shaking off the lingering dread. “We’ll be right there!”

The waves crashed gently around me, washing away the tension for now, but I knew it wouldn’t last. Tomorrow, chaos awaited politics, secrets, and an execution that threatened to shake the foundations of everything.

But for one more precious moment, I let myself smile and plunged into the surf, determined to squeeze every last drop of peace from this day before duty inevitably dragged me back into shadow.

Tomorrow, I’d deal with the nobles, the conspiracies, and whatever danger was lurking on the horizon.

But today?

Today, at least, belonged to me.

The waves embraced me as I dove deeper, the cool water washing away the worry that had settled in my chest. For a moment, the world was nothing but the rush of the sea, the sound of the water crashing against my ears, the sensation of weightlessness that came with being submerged. I floated for a few seconds, trying to push everything else from my mind the system’s ominous warning, my parents’ sudden plans, the tension with Velka.

But as much as I tried to lose myself in the waves, the truth was still there, lurking beneath the surface, just waiting to break through.

I surfaced with a gasp, shaking the water from my hair. I caught sight of Velka, standing at the edge of the surf, arms crossed tightly as if guarding herself from the world. I swam closer, feeling the pull of her reluctance and the quiet tension that hung between us.

“Come on, Velka,” I called, splashing her with a playful grin. “It’s not so bad!”

She glanced at me, her face unreadable, then took a small step back, the water lapping around her feet. “I’m fine here,” she said curtly, her voice cool and distant as always.

I floated there, watching her, my smile fading. There was something off about her something different, though I couldn’t place it. Maybe it was the way she was keeping her distance, or maybe it was the fact that, despite being here, she was so far away.

I turned back toward the others. Riven and Aria were in a mock duel with water spells, laughing and dodging each other’s attacks. Elira and Mara were deeper into the water, their faces glowing with the kind of peace I longed for.

“Hey, are you coming?” Elira called, her voice light, almost musical against the crashing waves.

“Yeah, in a minute!” I shouted back, though I didn’t move. I couldn’t.

The weight of the impending mission loomed over me, like a dark cloud threatening to swallow everything. Tomorrow, the nobles would die. Tomorrow, my parents would take another step toward an unknown future. And I had to find out what the hell was going on, what it meant for me, for us, before it was too late.

I glanced at Velka again, but this time she wasn’t looking at me. She was staring out at the horizon, the same far-off look in her eyes that she always wore. I wanted to say something anything that might bridge the gap between us, but all I could do was swim toward the others, pushing aside the growing unease that threatened to overwhelm me.