A Chemist's Interstellar Saga

Chapter 223: Extinguished
Chapter 223: Extinguished

When Arix woke up again, she was hit with some news that didn’t sit right with her.

”Arix, I’m sorry, but you’ve been disqualified from the upcoming freshman mecha competition. Your health condition just isn’t fit to participate,” Spears said, his tone a mix of firm and regretful as he stood by her hospital bed.

”Coach, you were praising me just a while ago. What changed? Why am I suddenly out?” Arix asked, trying to shake off the uneasy feeling from the weird dream she’d just had.

Arix wasn’t one to brag, but she knew her skills were solid—top five out of 30 students wasn’t a stretch. If this had happened earlier, maybe she could’ve seen it coming, but now? It didn’t add up.

”Arix, do you really not remember anything?” Spears asked, giving her a sharp look.

”Remember what? I just took a nap and had a bad dream, that’s all,” Arix replied, clearly puzzled.

Spears stared at her for a beat, then cautiously asked, ”You almost died. Don’t you remember?”

”Coach, seriously? Stop messing with me. How could I have died?” Arix said, thinking he was playing some cruel joke.

Instead of answering, Spears pulled out a recorder and played a video on a holographic screen.

The footage showed a young woman who looked exactly like Arix, lying on the ground, barely clinging to life.

Arix’s eyes widened in shock as she pointed at the screen. ”That’s not me! Her necklace isn’t the same color as mine!”

Instinctively, she reached for her own necklace, but the moment she saw it, her words caught in her throat.

The blue gemstone that usually hung around her neck had turned into a dull, clear stone.

”What... how did this happen?” Arix whispered, staring in disbelief at her necklace.

It was hers, no doubt about it, but how could it have changed like that?

Suddenly, the memory of the searing pain from her dream flashed back. She looked at the now-colorless necklace again, and a terrifying thought began to take root. ’Is the dream real? Has the Moon’s Blessing tried to protect me, and this is the result?’

While Arix wrestled with these thoughts, Spears sighed and said, ”This wasn’t just my decision. Your parents had a say in it too. I think it’s best if you rest now. Someone’s coming this afternoon to take you from the training base.”

The mention of her parents, Thaddeus and Fleur, made Arix’s resistance crumble. If they were involved, then this was beyond her instructor’s control. She decided not to push back against Spears and figured she’d wait to talk to her parents, hoping to find some middle ground.

”I get it. Thank you, sir,” Arix finally said, giving in.

Spears sighed, his regret evident. If things had gone differently, Arix would’ve been a top contender in the mecha competition—only there was no ”if” now. Shaking his head, he left the room, leaving Arix to her thoughts.

After Spears left, Arix stared down at the necklace, her face clouded with worry.

”Scion...” she whispered, the word slipping out like a secret.

She held onto the necklace for a few more seconds, then let it go and shut her eyes, feeling the weight of exhaustion pull her under.

By the afternoon, just as scheduled, Thaddeus and Fleur arrived to take her home.

When Arix saw them, she didn’t jump right into asking about the competition. Instead, she wrapped them both in a tight hug, her usual sweet and playful self coming to the surface.

”Mom, Dad, you don’t have to come by yourself. I can go back on my own,” Arix said in her sweetest voice, cuddling into Fleur’s embrace.

But Fleur’s smile quickly vanished, replaced by a serious look. She locked eyes with Arix, concern etched into her features.

”Arix, what happened? The instructor told me you almost lost your life. Why?” Fleur’s tone was sharp, cutting straight to the point.

Thaddeus’s expression turned cold too, the protective father ready to take action against any perceived threat.

Seeing how worried they were, Arix felt a surge of affection and rubbed her head against them, trying to reassure them with her closeness. But the question still hung in the air.

”I really don’t know,” she said, her brow furrowed in confusion. ”If the instructor hadn’t mentioned it, I’d have thought it was just a nightmare. But I think this necklace saved me.”

She lowered her head and showed them the now-broken necklace.

Thaddeus squinted at it, not recognizing what it was. ”What is this?” he asked, his tone full of suspicion.

But Fleur’s reaction was different. Being from the Empire, she recognized it instantly.

”This is the Moon’s Blessing,” Fleur said, her voice tinged with surprise. ”It’s a powerful protective charm, but only the heir to the Empire’s throne is supposed to have one. Arix, did Cassian give this to you?” Her eyes flickered at the mention of Cassian’s name.

Arix blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected her mother to know about the necklace. ”Yes, Cassian gave it to me.”

Fleur’s expression softened slightly, a mix of emotions playing across her face. ”He must care about you a lot. Arix, what do you think of Cassian?”

Arix shook her head quickly, almost panicked at the thought. ”Cassian’s my best friend.”

”Just a friend...” Fleur echoed quietly, her voice laced with a subtle disappointment and something else that Arix couldn’t quite place.

”Mom, what’s up?” Arix asked, eyeing Fleur, who seemed lost in thought.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off with Fleur today, though she wasn’t sure if she was imagining it.

”Nothing, just thinking out loud,” Fleur replied, brushing off Arix’s concern and quickly shifting the topic. ”If you’re feeling okay, let’s head home.”

Arix hesitated at the mention of going home. He gathered her courage and looked firmly at her parents, Thaddeus and Fleur. ”Mom, Dad, I want to stay here and continue with the competition.”

”No way, absolutely not,” Thaddeus immediately objected, his voice firm before Fleur could respond. ”Arix, if it weren’t for what just happened, I might’ve considered it. But if you stay and something dangerous happens again, what then?”

He thought about how much the Kering family had already sacrificed and couldn’t bear the thought of risking his youngest daughter.

Seeing her usually calm father so upset, Arix didn’t dare push back. Instead, she looked at Fleur, hoping for some support.

Fleur hesitated, but then, to Arix’s surprise, she said, ”If Arix wants to, she can stay and continue the selection.”

”Mom?! Really?” Arix’s eyes lit up with excitement.

”Honey!” Thaddeus exclaimed in rare frustration.

Fleur gently patted Thaddeus’s hand to calm him. Then, with a smile, she looked at Arix and said, ”But I have one condition.”

”Mom, whatever it is, I’ll agree—even if there are ten conditions!” Arix declared confidently. After all, this was Fleur, her motehr; there was no reason to worry.

”Great, I want you to get engaged to Cassian right away,” Fleur said, still smiling.

”No pro...blem?” Arix, who had been thrilled just moments before, suddenly realized what her mother had said.

The smile on her face vanished, and she stared at Fleur in shock. ”Mom, are you kidding?”