Apocalypse with my SSS Harem Beauties-Chapter 117: Awake

Lilian had tried her best to reach him as fast as she could, but the paths between realms had fallen into chaos.

Travel after the Etherfall was never simple. Stable routes shattered and coordinates shifted. Even established passages turned unreliable in this short time.

To reach this specific world, Lilian had been forced to pass through several other realms first, enduring resistance, distortions, and hostile currents of power along the way that attracted to her status.

This world was not important on a grand scale. It was a small lower realm where Ether had not even existed before the Etherfall. No major factions cared about it so no proper travel route had ever been established. Reaching it was troublesome even for a higher being like her.

But she came. Because the bond told her everything.

The moment she felt it tremble, worry had flooded her mind. If the danger had been nothing more than monsters, she would not have moved so urgently. Myles could handle monsters. Even powerful ones.

But this threat felt different. It came from a higher realm.

That was something Myles and his companions could not overcome on their own.

And now, kneeling beside him, Lilian knew her fears had been justified.

Myles lay broken beneath her hands. His body was torn and exhausted after it had been pushed far beyond what a mortal vessel should endure.

But it got worse, the damage was not limited to his flesh. His soul also had wounds as well. His soul frayed and strained by power it had barely contained.

Her fingers tightened slightly as she examined him. He was forced too far. Yet beneath the damage, Lilian sensed something else.

His Ether felt different than before.

It carried a depth she had not felt before. More dense, and... ancient. As if something dormant had stirred within him. This was not a simple mutation caused by the Etherfall or the bond between them. This was something greater.

For a brief moment, questions surfaced in her mind. Then she shook her head. Those questions could wait.

Right now, only one thing mattered which was healing him.

Lilian placed both hands over Myles’ chest. Soft black light spread from her palms, seeping into his broken body.

She could not release her full power in this realm. The world would not withstand it. Even so, the healing energy she poured out far exceeded what any mortal healer could produce.

Cracked bones began to knit together. Torn muscles slowly mended. His breathing steadied.

A few minutes passed. Smoke drifted through the ruined street. Embers crackled in the distance.

Then footsteps approached. Daniel, George, and Clara emerged from the shattered corner of the street.

Their clothes were torn. Blood stained their armor. The moment they saw Myles lying on the ground, their faces tightened with fear.

Then they noticed the woman kneeling beside him.

They recognized her. But not like this.

Before, Lilian had always appeared as a female human beside Myles. Now black wings rested folded behind her back and her presence carried an unmistakable pressure that made the air feel heavy.

Only Myles had ever known the truth.

The three of them exchanged confused glances, their worry mixing with relief. Whoever she was, she was healing him so she must be their ally.

They ran closer.

"How’s his condition?" George asked, his voice tight.

"It’s complicated," Lilian replied without looking up, her focus never leaving Myles. "The damage isn’t limited to his body."

Daniel and George stiffened. Clara’s hands clenched at her sides. A grim silence followed.

"There are two others of our friends over there," Clara said after a moment. "They’re badly wounded. You need to help them."

Lilian finally looked up. Her gaze was cold.

The pressure behind her eyes made Clara flinch and instinctively step back.

For a moment, Lilian considered refusing. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Then she sighed slowly.

"They’re his companions," she thought.

"...Alright," Lilian said at last.

She returned her focus to Myles, her healing light intensifying, while preparing herself to stabilize the others next.

—

Myles felt his consciousness drift, slipping toward somewhere distant and indistinct.

Then he blinked his eyes repeatedly to adjust his vision.

His eyes opened to a darkened sky choked with smoke. Ruined buildings burned in the distance with flames that painted the street in flickering orange light.

This world looked real, but his mind lagged behind, slow and unsteady.

His head throbbed.

"I was dreaming..."

The memory slipped away the moment he tried to grasp it. He could not remember what he had seen, only the weight it left behind. The feeling lingered stubbornly in his chest. The feeling of anger, confusion, and a strange sense of amazement tangled together.

"It was important. I know it was," he thought.

But the dream refused to return for now.

Myles moved and let out a low groan. Sharp and immediate pain surged through his body as if he had been run over by a truck and dragged across the ground afterward. His muscles screamed in protest.

He pushed himself up anyway.

His legs trembled beneath him, but fortunately they still held. He straightened slowly and took in his surroundings. Not far away, several figures stood gathered in a loose circle.

His companions. And Lilian.

She was among them in her true form, black wings folded behind her back, dark attire untouched by the ash and blood staining the street.

Myles took steps forward.

The group did not notice him moving. Their attention stayed fixed on something lying at the center of the circle.

He drew closer. Then he saw them.

Nadine lay on the ground, pale and unmoving, dried blood staining her clothes. Victor lay beside her, his chest rising shallowly, his body wrapped in hurried bandages soaked through with red.

The memory slammed back into him.

He remembered Ryan and his sudden attack.

The sound of flesh tearing.

Myles’ jaw tightened.

His hands clenched at his sides as guilt and anger surged together, stronger than the lingering pain in his body.

He had chased Ryan and wanted to kill him. But he failed. Ryan had gotten away.

"Myles?"

Clara was the first to notice him standing there. Her eyes widened as she turned fully toward him.

"You’re awake?" George followed her gaze, shock flashing across his face. "You idiot. Don’t just stand up like that!"

Daniel moved instinctively, reaching out as if to steady him, but Myles barely noticed.

His eyes stayed locked on Nadine and Victor.

"What happened to them?" Myles asked. His voice came out rough, scraped raw from shouting and Ether burn.

Clara swallowed. "I think Ryan stabbed them. We managed to stabilize them, but..."

"But they were dying," Lilian finished calmly, her tone heavy with certainty.

She looked at Myles then. Her gaze softened, just slightly.

"I arrived in time," she continued. "Victor will live."

Myles closed his eyes, and asked. "What about Nadine?"

"She is already dead," Lilian said.

—