NovelEnglishChapter 352 "No way!" "Something must have happened to her!" Solaris City.
Dawn had barely broken, but the local police station was already buzzing with activity. At the center of the commotion, a teenage boy faced off angrily against a group of adults.
Archie Fontaine was on the verge of losing it.
Mila had only been on night watch for a short while before she vanished. Judging by the footprints, she'd headed toward the forest. The two young men who'd joined their camp late that night had also disappeared.
Archie wanted to go after them, but the others held him back.
They insisted it was too dangerous to search the forest at night.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtSoon, a rescue team arrived, but instead of listening to Archie, they herded everyone to the Solaris City police station for round after round of questioning. Archie demanded help, but the officers only told him those two men were suspected smugglers and the investigation was ongoing. When he pressed about Mila, all they could offer was, "We're looking, we're looking. Please be patient." How could he possibly be patient? If something happened to Mila-never mind what his family would do to him-he'd never forgive himself.
He'd finally found someone who understood him.
A friend who'd stood by his side through life and death.
And now she'd disappeared right under his nose? The guilt gnawed at him, pushing him to the brink of panic.
"How much longer do you expect us to wait? You're busy interrogating us instead of finding her or catching those men-do you think we're criminals?" Archie snapped, his frustration boiling over. "If you won't do anything, I'll go search for her myself. And if something happens, it's on me, not you!" With that, he turned on his heel and headed for the door.
"That's enough!" A group of officers scrambled to stop him, voices rising in protest. As they moved to restrain him—just as things seemed about to escalate a gentle female voice cut through the chaos.
"Archie?" The struggling boy froze at the sound. The people holding him couldn't stop in tand accidentally pinned him to the ground.
But Archie didn't care.
He scrambled up, ignoring the dust clinging to his clothes, and rushed to the woman standing in the doorway. Grabbing her arm, he spun her around, scanning her up and down in disbelief.
Mila sighed. "I'm fine. Are you all right?" She'd been blindfolded and brought over in an army vehicle, delivered straight to the station. Even before they took off the blindfold, she'd heard Archie's angry shouting and hurried inside.
But before she could finish her question, Archie did something unexpected-he pulled her into a fierce hug.
"You scaredhalf to death," he muttered, his voice thick with relief and emotion.
Mila blinked, taken aback, but genuinely touched. After a second, she hugged him back. "Thank you... cough, cough-" "What's wrong?" Archie immediately let go, concern etched on his face.
Mila stepped back, still smiling, and coughed a few times before explaining, "Dust." Archie flushed, embarrassed and annoyed with himself, but before he could say anything, Mila looked at him seriously and repeated, "Thank you." He ducked his head, suddenly shy.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmAfter a little more questioning at the station-confirming that no one else in the camp knew anything-they were finally released.
Mila and Archie said goodbye to the rest of their group.
By now, the city was bathed in early morning light.
Together, dusty and worn, they stood on the sidewalk, watching Solaris City wake up around them. In the m distance, a grand cathedral rose above the rooftops, its stained glass catching the sun. Priests and townsfolk strolled the streets, while worshippers knelt in quiet devotion along the sidewalks. Mila looked up.
Her gaze drifted to the snow-capped mountains touched by golden sunlight- majestic, awe-inspiring, as if blessed by something divine. In that moment, the world felt both sacred and filled with hope. The sight was breathtaking, yet brought a deep sense of peace, as if nothing could disturb this perfect place. She spoke softly, "We made it." They'd reached their journey's end.
Archie followed her gaze, eyes wide with wonder. Though exhaustion was written all over his face, he broke into algenuine smile. The trip had been rough, full of twists and setbacks, but somehow, they'd made it through. Suddenly, Archie said, "This feels like my real coming-of-age." Compared to the extravagant, glitzy party he'd had for his eighteenth birthday, this -dusty, battered, but alive with awe-was the rite of passage that truly mattered.
It was wild and enormous and a little surreal, and though he was tired and covered in dust, his heart surged with emotion.
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