Published at 20th of September 2023 6:47 am

Chapter 542 Pain Makes Us Stronger

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Viktor's gaze softened as he put his arm around her and said gently, "Hey…What happened had nothing to do with you. In fact, without you, worse things could have happened. What you should think about is the number of lives you saved by being there for your people."

Aelita softly nodded, feeling her chest getting lighter by hearing his words. Strangely enough, his voice was soothing her heart, and sitting so close to him, she couldn't help but feel warm in his presence.

She never expected to feel so comfortable when sitting so close to a man who was practically a stranger to her just a few hours ago.

"And I think being able to feel pain isn't something you should hate," Viktor said with a glazed expression.

"Why…What makes you say that?" Aelita asked with a confused look as she slowly turned her gaze towards her after wiping off her tears.

Viktor softly smiled as he said while staring at the waterfall, "Because pain helps us become stronger. As long as your will is strong enough, you can use what hurts you to become more resilient or motivate you to become stronger so that you won't have to feel the same pain again. But don't ever succumb to it or let it crumble you. It is a double-edged sword."

Aelita's lips parted as she never knew that pain could be dealt with in this way. She unconsciously clenched her hands, already feeling determined to use the pain she was feeling to become stronger for her people. She knew he was right. If she lets this pain break her, then she will become weaker and cause more regret in the future.

Viktor was amazed to see that she was already overcoming her pain, while most won't even know how to deal with it for days, weeks, months, or even years. This made him realize that she was born to be a strong woman.

Aelita couldn't help but ask, "You have felt such pain before?" She was also tempted to ask how old he really was but then suppressed her curiosity since she felt it might be rude.

Viktor's gaze stared down at the ground. He didn't tell her that there were kinds of pain one can never truly overcome without numbing themselves. At that point, they would simply stop feeling anything. But Viktor never wanted to become like that since he felt he would never be the same again. And the price he paid was by letting his heart get scarred.

Aelita's eyes fluttered as she saw how his aura subtly changed and said, "I am sorry if I asked something inappropriate. You don't have to—"

"Well…with human standards in mind, I have been living quite a long life, and surely enough, I wouldn't be here if I never found a way to deal with whatever tragedies fate threw at me on my way here," Viktor said with a light smile.

Aelita felt an ache in her throat, realizing that even if he wasn't showing it, she could feel he had been through a lot…more than she could ever imagine.

This made her feel even more amazed at his sheer iron will, and she now realized why the Nameless Knight chose him.

She couldn't think of anyone more worthy of possessing the Divine Voidbringers.

"You are more amazing than I expected. I wish one day I could be as strong as you…" Aelita voiced what she felt as she looked up at his face, which was just a few inches away from hers.

"You already are…I can definitely say that I was nowhere as strong as you when I was your age," Viktor said as he remembered the past he saw in his visions. If the boy he saw had experienced something Aelita did now, he knew that boy would definitely get crushed, especially with such an innocent mind.

Aelita smiled shyly as she averted her gaze, "I don't believe you…No way…" She felt flattered, but she couldn't believe it.

Viktor found it amusing to see her reaction and asked, as he tilted his head to look at her face, "Why not? I was just an ordinary kid then. If you had seen me, then I doubt you would recognize me as the man sitting beside you now."

"I think…I would have still recognized you even if your appearance was totally different," Aelita said with a subtle smile.

Viktor raised one of his brows and asked, "Really? How come?"

Aelita again looked away as her cheeks became red, "I…I can't say that. It's a secret."

Viktor let out an amused laugh as he tried to lean his head towards the side to look at her face as she kept turning away, "Now you are making me even more curious. I am a man who can never turn away from secrets."

"Viktor, please…"Aelita became even more flustered as she bashfully tried to get up and run, but since she was so distracted, she forgot she was already close to the edge of the cliff and slipped.

"Careful!" Viktor's eyes widened as he swiftly grabbed her hand before she could fall over.

"Viktor!" Aelita felt as if her heart almost jumped out since she was startled after finding herself slipping off the cliff. However, right after, she felt relieved when a strong hand grabbed hers, but Viktor unconsciously pulled her towards him, making her fall right over him.

Viktor realized he had applied too much force as her soft body pressed against his, their faces barely an inch away.

Aelita could feel his cold breath tickling her skin while Viktor could smell her sweet fragrance intoxicating his senses.

Her face appeared even more captivating up close, and he could clearly see her deep, enticing cleavage below his eyes. Seeing all this, he couldn't help but feel something stirring inside him.

The two of them felt some unknown force pulling them together, and the next moment, both unconsciously leaned in as their lips met and pressed against each other.

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