[Your fate has once again intertwined with another.]
[The Eclipse Blessing has unlocked a portion of the full Blessing!]
[1. When within 1km of each other, stat growth is increased by x100.]
[2. You can sense the location and condition of your Fated Bond regardless of distance.]
[3. You can communicate telepathically with your Fated Bond.]
[4. ??? (Locked)]
[5. ??? (Locked)]
[6. ??? (Locked)]
[Bond Status: Semi-Complete]
[Raise the rapport between each other to increase your Bond Status.]
"Oh..."
He did it.
He had finally unlocked the blessing, or at least part of it. The rest would unlock as they grew closer, but even then, the first bonus alone was a massive cheat in and of itself.
Though, he was also a bit curious about the third one.
How did it work?
Victoria, can you hear me?
...
[Can you not even let me dress in peace?]
Her voice rang out inside his mind.
It was trippy, but neither too loud nor too quiet. It was just perfect.
I forgot to tell you, but most of your clothes are probably in the closet. The closet is—
[I know, I know. I may be blind, but my spatial awareness isn’t that—]
CRASH!
SHATTER!
[T-That terrible.]
"Mhm."
The crashing and shattering of whatever was in the room continued until she finally got dressed and knocked on the door.
He opened it and saw her fully dressed in the same clothes she had been wearing when he saved her yesterday.
"I can somewhat feel where you are now. It’s strange," she said, glancing right at his eyes again. "I’ll follow after you, so if there’s a bump or something, tell me. I wouldn’t want to trip and alert the nurses."
"Uh-huh."
He could somewhat feel her, too.
It was hard to tell since the sensation wasn’t particularly strong, especially with Victoria standing right next to him rather than somewhere far away. But since two of the bonuses were working, he wasn’t going to doubt that this one worked, too.
Regardless, he began making his way through the hallways, leading Victoria out of the hospital.
It was kind of fun, reminding him of a heist of sorts. The only problem was that every now and again, he had to catch her or guide her since she was either on the verge of falling or had wandered too far.
Since the elevators were too dangerous and they might get spotted, they had no choice but to take the stairs.
Thankfully, the extra strength he had gained when he carried her down the mountain made climbing down the stairs with Victoria on his back trivial.
By the time they reached the first floor, Arthur realized that the nurses and doctors had noticed someone was missing.
They were rushing up the stairs and into the elevators. Some were even yelling out descriptions of Victoria to make it easier for the others to find her.
He didn’t get it.
What made her so special that she needed to be monitored so closely?
It wasn’t like she was the successor to some conglomerate in this world.
She was nobody, right?
Considering they were going to get into trouble the moment they got back home, Victoria was acting pretty nonchalant about this.
Well, he might as well hop on the delusional train and do the same.
He took the back exit out of the hospital and ran away, jumping over a fence, pushing through some bushes, and then onto one of the main roads.
Before long, he began sprinting straight toward a nearby elevator.
Since the Ground Level was practically abandoned, he didn’t need to worry about bumping into anyone there.
It was just that the moment he entered a nearby elevator, he immediately faced a problem.
"Over there! Stop them!"
The hospital staff ran out and chased after him.
They were way faster than he was, but apparently, Lady Luck was on his side, as the elevator was completely empty.
He pressed the button for the Ground Level, and before they could reach the elevator, it began descending.
"Phew. You know, I feel like you should’ve just stayed there a bit longer. Why am I even breaking you out?"
"..."
Victoria lazily rested her chin on his head before speaking.
"I was semi-conscious when they were running experiments on me. They found some kind of abnormality in my body, and they deemed it important enough that they had to contact the government and military about me just to keep me in check."
She sighed.
"If you hadn’t come when you did, the odds of me being shipped away to some special facility were extremely high. The moment we enter your home, we’ll be considered to be on neutral ground. Those homes are designated as refugee territories. Unless there’s a court order or a major criminal offense, government agents can’t simply enter them. Not belonging to the hospital directly while also being under the government."
She gulped.
"At least, I hope your house was provided by the government."
"Uh. Yeah, it is. Were you, perchance, some kind of politician?" Arthur asked.
"No. I just paid attention in class. I can tell you didn’t pay much attention in class, since you’re not very keen on getting back home."
"Haa? Woman, you paying attention in class and getting a conglomerate isn’t the same as me paying attention in class and having hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt shoved down my throat."
Right on cue, the elevator stopped, and their conversation from a moment ago was no longer on their minds.
Instead, Arthur put all his focus into running home as fast as he could.
He wished that same woman from yesterday would pull up and pick him up again.
But that would just be too lucky.
On that note, he did need to repay her for the favor. He would do it once he got a phone.
After several dozen minutes of running and practically gassing himself out, Arthur finally saw his neighborhood in the distance.
He was so close.
Yet, to his dismay, a woman in some kind of golden armor appeared in front of him.
She had literally manifested herself.
Was it teleportation, or just pure speed?
Whatever it was, he was now fucked.
So, Victoria, I think we’re at the end of the road here. Some strong woman appeared, and she can probably move at the speed of sound. Any suggestions?
[...]
[There is something, but I think it’s best you close your eyes for this one,] she said.
Close my eyes? What for?
[Just do it. Also, how far away would you say this neighborhood you’re thinking of is? And is there any significant elevation?]
Could she read his mind?
Well, that wasn’t exactly fair, was it?
Anyway...
300 meters or so. And uhh, no. It’s just straight ahead, maybe a meter or two of elevation at most, he replied.
"Arthur Vegas and Victoria Vegas. You two are under arrest for the possession of a dangerous weapon. Come quietly, or I will not hesitate to use force."
Victoria?
[It’s done,] she said, her voice sounding exhausted as she suddenly patted his head. [Close your eyes now, and don’t reopen them until I tell you.]
He decided to listen to her and closed his eyes.
For a couple of seconds, he couldn’t hear or feel anything, which was strange, since it had been quite windy just moments ago.
He got the urge to open his eyes, but his instincts told him to keep them closed.
Thankfully, he listened.
His senses returned all at once, and while he felt a bit nauseous, the sight in front of him far outweighed his nausea.
He was back in his neighborhood...
Somehow?
He glanced back and noticed that the armored woman was equally as confused by the fact that Arthur and Victoria were now inside the provided neighborhood rather than standing in front of her.
"Holy shit. Did you just teleport us?" Arthur asked excitedly.
But instead of good news, he felt something wet on his cheek.
He touched it and realized it was blood.
Soon after, a pop-up appeared.
[Your Fated Partner has received a serious injury!]
[Seek immediate treatment!]
"Shit..."
I need to bring her home now and heal her.