Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1915: Regression…?

Regression.

That might be the right word for what happened to Lily.

Lily was certain that she had died then and there, yet for some reason, she had returned to the past.

Not too far back, only around two weeks before everything had happened.

She didn’t know the reason or why she had been particularly chosen, but… this was her hope.

Her only hope to stop the disaster that had destroyed her family.

She knew every Governor had been involved in it, and she knew they were coming for Aether, but she still didn’t understand the exact reason behind it or why her own father had nearly killed her.

Was everything around her fake?

Was her father’s love nothing more than a carefully crafted manipulation?

She remained locked inside her room for the entire day, crying until her eyes burned and her chest felt hollow.

Every time she closed her eyes, the memories returned in painful flashes. She remembered how her brother had died, how everything had fallen apart, and how… even that pedophile Jonathan had fought for them until the very end.

That person she hated… in fact!

And yet… How could her father do that?

How could the same man who had held her with love all these years become the person who was willing to destroy her?

She finally broke down into sobs, burying her face into the quilt as memories of her father’s affection continued to haunt her. Every gentle word, every reassuring smile, every moment when she had believed she was safe now felt like another piece of evidence she could no longer understand.

After she had finally cried herself empty, Lily slowly clenched her fists. Her eyes were bloodshot, her cheeks damp with tears, and her breathing remained uneven as she slowly peeked out from beneath the quilt.

“I will change the future,” she mumbled, her voice trembling slightly despite the seriousness in her expression.

And very soon, she got ready to secure the one person her father was hiding…

She stepped out of her room after washing up and saw her father sitting in the living room, watching the news while calmly drinking his coffee.

The ordinary sight of him almost made her stop.

For a brief moment, she remembered the father she had known.

Then the memories of the future returned.

Lily coldly stared at him before slowly making her way down the stairs.

Upon seeing his daughter, Allen immediately smiled and patted the empty space beside him.

“Come here, Lily. Sit down.”

But to his surprise, she walked past him and sat opposite him instead, her expression unusually stern.

Allen was utterly taken aback by the sudden distance between them.

“Dear… is everything alright? You’ve been staying in your room all day. You haven’t even eaten anything.”

Lily merely hummed without saying a word.

Allen carefully placed his coffee cup on the table and studied her face. His smile gradually faded when he noticed how distant she looked.

“You seem to be avoiding me, dear. Did Daddy do something wrong?”

Lily quietly stared at him with her fists clenched beneath the table. Fury and pain pressed against her chest, demanding that she confront him, yet she forced herself to remain calm. She slowly shook her head and answered,

“No… Father.”

“Father?”

Allen’s expression changed the moment he heard the word. It sounded strangely formal coming from her, almost as though she had placed a wall between them.

He felt a sudden ache in his chest, unable to understand where this distance had come from.

Allen parted his lips to say something, but Lily hurriedly interrupted him.

“I’ll be staying at a friend’s house tonight.”

“What? Where is this coming from?” Allen frowned.

He knew Lily had hardly ever gone out like this before, and the sudden decision made him visibly uneasy.

Lily didn’t answer. She simply stood up from her seat and turned away—

“Lily!” he quickly stood up and caught her hand.

“What’s wrong with you?” he asked, his frown deepening as he looked into her distant eyes.

“Why are you suddenly so cold toward me? Did I do something to hurt you?”

Lily merely glanced at Allen, her expression remaining strangely calm.

“I am… being myself, Father. It’s you who’s acting weird,” she said quietly as she slowly wriggled her hand free from his grip.

Allen’s expression tightened as he stared at her. Acting weird? What was she talking about? He had spent the entire morning worrying about her, and now she was looking at him as though he were a stranger rather than the father who had raised her.

He wasn’t willing to let her simply walk away, but before he could question her further, Emily gently placed her hand over his shoulder.

“Let me talk to her,” Emily said softly.

Allen looked at his wife for a moment before reluctantly nodding. He loosened his grip and allowed Emily to take over, though the concern in his eyes remained.

“Come on, let’s go,” Emily said gently as she took Lily’s hand and guided her toward the door.

Lily followed without resistance, but she never looked back at her father.

Allen remained standing in the living room, watching the door close behind them with a worried expression.

The quiet click of the door seemed strangely loud in the silence that followed. He could not understand what had caused Lily to change so suddenly.

Only yesterday, she had been the same daughter he had always known, yet today there was an unfamiliar distance in the way she looked at him.

Meanwhile, Emily helped Lily into the car before getting into the driver’s seat herself. She started the engine and drove toward the location Lily had given her, occasionally glancing at her daughter.

Lily sat quietly beside her, resting her head against the window while watching the city pass by.

The buildings, vehicles, and people outside all seemed strangely familiar, yet none of them carried the warmth they once had. Her mind remained trapped in the memories of the future she had already lived through.

“So… what happened?” Emily finally asked, breaking the silence. “Your father was worried about you”

Lily continued staring through the window for several seconds before sighing. “Can we not talk about this, Mom?”

Emily glanced at her briefly but did not push the question immediately. She could see that Lily was deliberately avoiding the subject, and something about the way she spoke made Emily feel that this was more than ordinary teenage frustration.

After driving for another minute, Emily carefully tried again.

“Can you tell me what the nightmare was about? You’ve never cried like that before, Lily. Tell me, dear. Maybe it’ll help you feel better.”

She asked as gently as she could, hoping that Lily might reveal something that would explain what had happened. Perhaps the nightmare had affected her more deeply than they realised, or… perhaps something else had frightened her.

Lily remained silent for a moment before finally answering, “I forgot…”

Emily blinked and glanced at her daughter. “You forgot…?”

She fell silent after that, her hands remaining firmly on the steering wheel.

She knew Lily was lying.

Emily had known her daughter for her entire life, and she could recognise the subtle changes in her expression, her voice, and even the way she avoided eye contact.

But this time, something was different.

Lily felt distant and cold, almost as if the cheerful little girl Emily had known had been replaced by someone who had already experienced death.

Emily’s concern deepened. She had initially thought Lily might simply need some time to calm down, but the longer she watched her, the more uncomfortable she became.

“Should I take you to the hospital?” Emily asked cautiously. “Maybe they could help you. You’ve been acting differently since last night.”

“I am not sick, Mom!” Lily suddenly interrupted, “I am not fucking sick!” Lily repeated with a serious expression as she pointed toward herself.

“Okay… okay. Calm down,” Emily said quickly, keeping her voice gentle as she tried to prevent the situation from escalating.

She glanced at Lily again, her expression filled with confusion and worry. Lily had never spoken to her like this before, and Emily could not shake the feeling that whatever had happened to her was far more serious than a simple nightmare.

For the rest of the drive, neither of them said much. Emily occasionally glanced at Lily, while Lily continued staring through the window.

Soon, the car arrived at another apartment building. Emily pulled over near the entrance and shifted the vehicle into park.

Lily opened the door and stepped out of the car. Emily immediately reached for her own door, intending to follow her inside, but Lily turned around before she could leave.

“I’ll be fine…” Lily said quietly.

She closed the car door before turning away and walking toward the apartment entrance.

“Call me if you need anything, dear!” Emily shouted after her through the open window.

Lily stopped for only a moment before raising one hand and giving her mother a quiet wave. She did not turn around, and within seconds, she disappeared through the entrance of the apartment building.

Emily remained in the driver’s seat, staring blankly at the entrance long after Lily had disappeared. Her hands slowly tightened around the steering wheel as she tried to make sense of everything that had happened.

“Maybe… she’s just going through some kind of rebellious phase.” she muttered.

Her eyes remained fixed on the apartment entrance for another few seconds before the sound of an incoming call came through the car’s dashboard.

Allen’s voice echoed through the speakers. “Was she alright?”

Emily leaned back against the seat and released another tired sigh. “No… She’s hiding something from us, but she refused to talk to me.”

There was a brief silence from Allen’s side before he finally responded.

“What could she possibly be hiding? She was perfectly fine until last night. Something must have happened.”

Allen’s voice came through again, more uncertain this time.

“Maybe we should call a psychiatrist. If that nightmare affected her somehow, perhaps a professional could help us understand what’s happening.”

Emily weakly smiled and shook her head. “That’s the last thing we need to do.” She remembered how furious her daughter had become the moment she had even mentioned visiting a doctor.

“Then what?” Allen asked, his voice filled with worry and pain. “We can’t just stay quiet and let her go through whatever the hell it was.”

Emily hummed softly and nodded. “Maybe… if she spends some time with her friends, she’ll be fine.”

“Still…” Allen bit his lip, clearly unconvinced.

Emily was worried too, but she tried to keep her voice calm. “Just give her a day, darling. Maybe she’ll be alright tomorrow. If she isn’t, then we’ll take her to the hospital.”

“Okay?”

“Hmm…”

Allen could only nod at her words.

Emily gave him a small smile before driving the car away from the apartment.

As soon as the car disappeared from sight, Lily cautiously peeked out from the entrance. She waited until she was certain that the car was no longer visible before a faint smirk appeared on her face.

She quietly stepped out of the apartment and walked away.

Lily hailed an autonomous taxi and climbed inside before giving it the destination. The vehicle smoothly pulled away from the area, carrying her farther from the place where her parents believed she was safely staying.

Soon, the taxi arrived near the beach. Lily stepped out and immediately pulled a dark cloak over herself, carefully concealing her face beneath the hood before approaching the hidden entrance.

She entered through the secret passage she already knew well.

Lily moved carefully through the narrow paths, stepping around broken sections of fencing and keeping an eye on the security drones patrolling the area.

After making her way through the passageways, she finally arrived at the slums.

Since it was already nighttime, there weren’t many people around the checkpoint. Lily had already contacted Lucus, and he had immediately arranged for her to enter without any trouble.

Lucus looked at her with curiosity as she approached. “Why the sudden urgency?”

Lily didn’t answer.

After losing her trust in a man who was supposed to be her father, she couldn’t bring herself to place complete faith in Lucus either. She kept her thoughts to herself and quietly looked at him.

“I need a car, Lucus, and don’t ask me anything else… Please.”

Lucus studied her serious expression for several seconds. He seemed to notice that she wasn’t willing to explain herself, so he simply hummed and nodded.

“Fine.”

Once Lucus had prepared a car for her, Lily immediately got inside and drove toward her target location, her expression remaining serious throughout the journey.

When she finally arrived, she brought the car to a halt and stepped outside.

She stood there for a moment, staring at the house in front of her. Her fingers tightened slightly as she gathered herself before walking toward the door.

Lily took a slow breath and knocked.

There was no response.

She knocked again, this time harder.

A weak, elderly voice finally came from inside. “Leave me alone. I’m sleeping.”

Lily’s expression remained unchanged as she raised her hand and began banging on the door again.

After several heavy knocks, the lights turned on, and the door finally opened.

“What the fuck are yo—”

Before the old woman could finish her sentence, Lily surged forward and pushed her onto the ground. In the same motion, she drew a knife and pressed its blade against the woman’s neck.

“Don’t move!” Lily said coldly.

Her eyes quickly scanned the room before she raised her voice.

“Penelope! Are you there?”