I Ascend Alone-Chapter 116: Ahn Mirae Part II

The ride back from the airport was smooth, quiet—the kind of silence that wasn't awkward, just thoughtful. Leon kept his eyes on the road, his usual calm presence at the wheel. Mirae sat in the backseat, her gaze drifting out the window, taking in the shifting skyline of City-A. She hadn't said much since the airport, but I could feel her awareness, the way she observed everything with that razor-edged calm S-Rank Hunters always seemed to carry.

We pulled into Leon's private district, a more secluded neighborhood nestled against a patch of warded greenery. The gate slid open with a low hum, and the car rolled up the short driveway toward his modern, steel-and-stone residence. Clean lines, reinforced frame, arcane defense runes subtly etched along the edges. No flash. Just substance.

Leon parked and killed the engine.

"We're here," he said simply.

Mirae stepped out first, stretching her shoulders with a muted breath as she glanced at the house. "Still feels the same," she murmured, her tone neutral but touched with familiarity.

Leon offered a faint smirk. "You expected it to change?"

"Maybe just the paint." She gave him a sideways glance. "You were overdue."

He only shook his head, heading to the trunk to grab her luggage. I followed after them into the house.

The interior was warmly lit, the faint scent of old books, incense, and faint magic lingering in the air. It was tidy, lived-in in the way only someone like Leon could manage—organized, quiet, but not empty.

As we stepped into the living room, Mirae's eyes scanned her surroundings with the precision of someone cataloging details subconsciously. She placed her spear gently by the entry wall before turning to me.

"So," she said, settling into the armchair across from the couch. "How long have you been staying here?"

I leaned back, relaxed but alert. "A few months now."

Her brow lifted slightly. "Months?"

She glanced at Leon, then back to me. "That's... interesting."

Something shifted in her expression then. Not suspicion—more like realization.

"...Wait," she said slowly. "A while back, Leon mentioned someone. A best friend he lost ten years ago. Someone who just... vanished."

Her eyes narrowed slightly, not with hostility but curiosity edged with something else. "Was that you?"

Leon, still in the kitchen preparing mugs of coffee, paused mid-motion.

I nodded slowly, meeting her gaze. "Yeah. That was me."

She stared at me for a moment longer—really stared, like she was seeing past the surface. Then she leaned back, exhaling softly.

"...Well," she said finally. "That explains the look he had when you opened the door."

Leon reappeared, setting down mugs for each of us before handing one to Mirae. He didn't say anything about the comment, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes—memories, maybe. Gratitude.

Mirae took the mug, her posture relaxing a little. "That story always stuck with me. I remember thinking, back then... no way someone like that just disappears without a reason."

I shrugged. "It wasn't really by choice."

"No," she said thoughtfully. "I don't imagine it was."

Leon sat beside me with his own cup, quiet as ever. Mirae studied the two of us for a beat, then offered the faintest smile—wry, knowing.

"Well, if you're the one he never stopped talking about, I'm glad you're back."

I gave a small smile in return. "Me too."

Mirae cradled the mug in her hands, the steam rising and curling around her face as she leaned back in the armchair. Her gaze shifted to Leon, and for a moment, there was a soft silence between them—unspoken understanding threading through the years they'd shared.

"You really didn't think to tell me it was him?" she asked, a hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.

Leon took a slow sip of his coffee, unbothered. "Didn't think you'd believe me."

Mirae arched a brow. "You're married to me, Leon. I've believed you about far crazier things."

He gave a small, amused shrug. "Fair enough."

She set the mug down on the table and crossed her legs. "Still... I kept wondering if there'd ever be closure for that story. And now he's just... here. Sitting on the same couch."

Leon looked over at me for a moment, then back at her. "It wasn't closure I was waiting for."

Mirae's eyes softened slightly. "No. You were waiting for him to come back."

A quiet beat passed between them—years' worth of words tucked into the silence.

"...You missed him," she said quietly, not as an accusation, but a statement of truth.

Leon didn't answer right away. He just looked at me for a long moment, then nodded once. "Yeah. I did."

Mirae's expression eased into something gentler—more understanding than anything else. "Then I'm glad you found him again."

Leon gave a rare, small smile. "Me too."

She leaned forward slightly, her elbows resting on her knees. "So, what now? You two going to brood in separate rooms again like old times? Or are we actually doing something with this reunion?"

Leon chuckled under his breath. "I'm not the one who brooded."

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Mirae looked at me and grinned. "He totally was."

I laughed softly, the tension easing in my chest. "I believe it."

Leon rolled his eyes but didn't deny it. "Some things never change."

Mirae tilted her head. "Except now I'm here to keep you both in check."

Leon raised his mug in salute. "Heaven help us."

Mirae matched his toast with her own mug. "Too late for that."

Mirae leaned back a little in her chair, her gaze drifting toward me now with a faint gleam of curiosity. Her tone was casual, but there was a sharpness behind it—like someone skilled at reading between the lines.

"So, Ryzen," she began, swirling the last bit of coffee in her cup, "Leon told me a little about how you two reunited."

I gave a small nod. "Right. Wasn't exactly under the best circumstances."

She smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "And he mentioned something about a private chamber... and a bit of a scuffle."