Souls Online: Mythic Ascension-Chapter 416: Back Home (Again)

The Dormhouse was exactly like how they left it. Except for the copious amount of dust that had piled up in their absence. Seeing all of the hard work that Luna had done guiding others to help her clean the place up only to return to it being a mess made her realize one thing.

When it came to the cleanliness of a home, she was a clean freak.

Rachel let out a long whistle as she surveyed the room. "I’m actually surprised this place is still standing."

Greg shot her a look of irritation. "You could have just not said that."

Rachel grinned. "What? I’m just being honest."

Morgan stepped inside, brushing his fingers along the wall. A thin line appeared where he wiped away the dust. "It’s exactly like I remember."

Ethan frowned, looking unimpressed. "That’s not necessarily a good thing."

Greg turned sharply toward him. "If you don’t like it, you can fuck off."

Ethan flinched slightly, though before he could retort, Vivian’s elbow drove into his ribs with surgical precision. The wolf-boy grunted and crouched down, clutching his side.

Vivian gave a soft, apologetic smile. "I’m so sorry about my brother. He can be blunt." Her tone carried no real apology, though. "Personally, I think this place is much nicer than some of the ones we’ve stayed in before."

Her words might have smoothed things over, but Penny was staring at her with narrowed eyes and one hand on her hip. "So that explains it," she said, her tone deceptively calm. "Bad habits must run in the family."

The air in the room froze.

Adam blinked in confusion, glancing between the two girls. Arachne tilted her head. Lily’s eyes widened slightly. Even Leo paused mid-step, sensing the hostility that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Vivian’s smile didn’t fade, but it shifted to something colder and more controlled. "Excuse me?" she asked, her voice surprisingly polite. "Was that supposed to mean something?"

Ethan, ever the survivor, decided that pretending to be on the verge of death was safer than being conscious in this conversation. He wheezed dramatically, curling up tighter on the floor. "Ow. Definitely dying," he muttered weakly, tail tucked between his legs and ears flat against his head.

Rachel’s lips curved into a sly grin as she took in the scene. Penny’s sudden venom wasn’t hard to decode. The usually sassy vampire girl was clearly jealous. And from the way her glare lingered on Vivian, Rachel didn’t even need to guess who the source of that jealousy was.

Greg.

Vivian looked genuinely confused. She wasn’t sure why the rose-haired vampire had just decided to verbally attack her. She was only being friendly. Greg was a martial artist, and so was she. Their mutual respect was purely professional. As far as attraction went, Vivian’s type leaned toward someone more like Leo. She preferred cute, not rugged.

Rachel could have stepped in to clear things up. But watching this unfold was far too entertaining.

Aria sighed quietly, her sharp eyes picking up what Rachel already knew. "That’s not what Penny’s thinking," she said under her breath, her lips curving into a faint, wry smile.

Rachel turned to her, slightly surprised. "You caught that too?"

Aria nodded. "She’s jealous."

Rachel grinned. "Well, this just got interesting."

Adam’s confusion deepened. He looked from Penny to Vivian, completely lost. "Wait, what’s going on? Did I miss something?"

If he had known the truth, if he had realized that his niece who was developing feelings for Greg who was in his mid 20’s while she was still 17, he would have lost his mind on the spot. Thankfully, ignorance was keeping him calm. For now.

Leo, on the other hand, had a faint suspicion. His instincts told him that Penny’s behavior had nothing to do with cleaning habits. But his instincts also told him that getting involved would be suicide. So he said nothing. He simply crossed his arms, kept his expression neutral, and mentally checked out of the conversation.

Meanwhile, Penny’s face had gone bright red. She quickly waved her hands in front of her. "N-no! You’re all imagining things! I wasn’t thinking that!"

Rachel smirked. "Thinking what exactly?"

Penny froze, realizing her mistake, and her blush deepened. "N-nothing! Forget I said anything!"

Greg blinked and turned to Leo for guidance. "What’s going on?"

Leo didn’t even look at him. His expression was that of a man who had seen the edge of hell and wanted no part of it. "Don’t ask me," he muttered quietly. "You’re on your own."

Aria, still trying to be helpful, opened her mouth to explain. "What Penny means is that she—"

"Don’t say it!" Penny squeaked, rushing over to slap her hands over Aria’s mouth. "It’s nothing! Forget it! I was just thinking that we should, um, have a girls’ night! Yes! A girl talk night!"

Rachel tilted her head. "A what?"

"A sleepover!" Penny blurted out. "For bonding! Just the girls!"

Aria blinked, muffled behind Penny’s hands, then slowly nodded in agreement. Lily giggled softly, finding the idea adorable. "I’d like that. It sounds fun."

Vivian hesitated for a moment, her earlier confusion lingering. "I suppose it could be nice," she said finally. "I haven’t done something like that before."

Ethan who was still curled up on the ground couldn’t help but mutter "Cause nobody ever invited you before". The response he got was a heel digging into his kidney.

Rachel glanced toward Adam and Leo, her grin returning. "You know what that means, right?"

Adam frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Leo sighed, already anticipating the outcome. "We’ll make ourselves scarce..."

The words had barely left his mouth before a roar shook the dormhouse.

"Not until you are done cleaning this place!"

Luna’s voice was sharp enough to make the walls tremble. Everyone froze. Even Greg straightened up instantly, broom in hand like a soldier answering roll call. Luna stood in the doorway, her expression radiating righteous fury, her long ears twitching with annoyance.

"Everyone. Clean. Now," she said firmly.

There was no arguing with that tone. The group scattered immediately, scrambling to grab cleaning supplies. Rachel grabbed a rag, Aria opened the windows, and Greg started sweeping like a man possessed. Ethan was dragged up by Vivian, who was smiling far too sweetly for his comfort.

Lily hummed a cheerful tune as she wiped down a table, and Arachne sat down to read a book. Not even an angry rabbit could command a goddess. Even if said goddess was reduced to being a morrtal again.

Penny, still flustered, picked up a duster and began attacking the nearest surface with unnecessary aggression. Every few moments, she shot quick glances at Vivian, who was calmly chatting with Greg as if nothing had happened. Penny puffed her cheeks, her movements becoming even more frantic.

Rachel leaned close and whispered, "Jealousy’s not a good cleaning motivator, Rose."

Penny froze, her cheeks burning. "I-I’m not jealous!"

Rachel chuckled. "Sure you aren’t."

Adam watched the two with mild confusion but didn’t comment. He figured Rachel was just teasing Penny again. Meanwhile, Leo quietly mopped the floor, pretending he didn’t see any of it.

If Adam found out what was actually going on, the entire dorm would be on lockdown.

As the evening went on, the tension slowly gave way to laughter. Luna’s orders turned into gentle reminders, and soon everyone was working in rhythm. Dust vanished, floors shone, and the air felt lighter.

Rachel twirled her rag once and tossed it into the laundry bin with a flourish. "Not bad," she said, grinning. "We should mess this place up more often. It brings out the teamwork."

Luna crossed her arms, unimpressed. "Say that again, and you’re scrubbing the bathrooms."

Rachel quickly zipped her mouth shut.

By the time they finished, the Dormhouse looked almost new again. It wasn’t perfect, but it was theirs.

And as Luna surveyed their work with satisfaction, a rare calm filled the air...that was until Rachel snickered quietly and whispered, "So, when’s the sleepover starting?"

The look Penny gave her could have melted stone.