Chapter 686

“But don’t put too much pressure on yourself,” Megan said softly. “You’re still young. You need to take care of yourself, too.”

Young Aurora smiled but didn’t say anything. Right then, she made a quiet vow to herself—to learn something she could rely on. Otherwise, if she ever ran into those thugs again, what would she be able to do? More than that, she needed to learn how to protect herself. She had to value her life, to protect both herself and Megan. If she stayed this naive, what would she do if someone bullied her next time?

Just thinking about it made Aurora’s heart ache. She couldn’t believe how helpless she still was.

But Megan had no idea what was going through Aurora’s mind at the time. All she knew was that she’d found someone she could truly call family. Her parents were always busy with work. Though they never let her lack for anything materially, deep down, Megan had always been a child starved for affection. What she wanted more than anything was for her parents to be less wealthy and to spend more time with her. That way, she wouldn’t feel so alone. It was that loneliness that had turned her into a porcupine, keeping everyone at arm’s length so no one could hurt her. And yet, even that hadn’t stopped those thugs from targeting her.

After going home, both girls went to their parents and asked to learn self-defense. Unsurprisingly, both sets of parents agreed. When they learned that the other child was joining as well, they decided to send the girls to train together. Aurora picked things up quickly–always a step ahead of Megan. Fueled by her determination to protect her, she rose through the ranks at an astonishing pace.

Just like that, while Megan was still busy learning, Aurora took the opportunity to enroll in even more courses. Before long, her skills had progressed to the point where taking down several grown men was no issue at all. Even the instructors began praising her speed and precision, saying she was more than a match for most adult men. But despite all the compliments, Aurora didn’t get cocky or overly proud because she never forgot why she started learning all this in the first place. If it hadn’t been for Megan, she might never have touched any of it in her entire life. Of course, that was a thought for another time.

Back at the hospital, Aurora looked at the peaceful scene before her, then quietly slipped away for a walk. She still couldn’t quite figure out what this place really was, nor did she know when, or if, she could leave. After staying here for so long, the only thing she’d figured out was that no one could see her. As for anything beyond that, she hadn’t made any real progress and had no idea what came next.

On Megan’s side, things were finally stable. As long as she stayed close to young Aurora, her days would be smooth sailing. And for Aurora, having Megan around made life feel less lonely. Every day was now filled with laughter and warmth.

Thinking about the days ahead, a smile tugged at Aurora’s lips. She couldn’t help but wonder–what was it that made her bond with Megan so deeply? Maybe some things were just fate.

Aurora strolled through the world around her. It had been so long since she’d been back that her memories had started to fade. Between the nonstop demands of running a company and how much the world had changed, Aurora really hadn’t had time to look around and take it all in.