Akali's POV:

When Akali finally returned, she frankly had no idea what to expect. Given that Evelynn sent her a text message instead of calling, it must have been something important, not suited for a public conversation when someone could have – in theory – eavesdropped. All in all, it did not bode well. After all, her guardian – the so-called siren – was a straightforward person who had other people's opinions in low regard. Yet, a carefully planted seed of curiosity proliferated in the teen, forcing her – to some extent – to find out what was going on as soon as possible. It would not have been an overstatement if she said this curiosity single-handedly affected her decision-making, which led her to leave her friends early.

"I am home," the raven-haired teen decided to announce her arrival. It was – of course – pointless as if the older woman had not seen her passing through multiple cameras before reaching the front door. "Eve? Where are you?" her questions were seemingly swallowed by the sudden coldness and emptiness of the massive house.

"In the kitchen, darling," a velvet-like voice sounded after a long pause, coming from the direction she was urged to take. "I've taken the initiative today, ordering us something you like," the woman added.

"A moment, please."

With nothing better to do, the raven-haired girl removed her shoes and placed the backpack gently on the ground before heading toward the kitchen. A pleasant and familiar scent hit her nostrils as she got closer, making her stomach burp. Until now, Akali did not realise how hungry she was, as if her mind internally surpassed the impulse, forbidding it from affecting the girl. If she were to guess, the lawyer had ordered some Chinese cuisine, possibly with a decent dose of chilli, as its smell was easily distinguished in the air.

"Hello, Eve," Akali said, slightly awkwardly waving her hand once she reached her destination.

"Oh, good evening, sweetheart," the guardian responded immediately, flashing a smile at the teen. "Are you hungry?" she asked, pointing at the still-sealed takeout box to her left.

"Eh … kind of," the raven-haired said, approaching the siren. "Have you already eaten?"

"Yes," a simple response was provided by the woman sitting beside the table. "I didn't know when you decided to come back. Considering you left the school with your friends, I honestly expected you to return much later," she explained, fixating her golden eyes on the girl.

"I mean … if you did not message me, then I would have returned later – that is for sure," the teen replied, sitting opposite her guardian. "But … as you rarely send me messages, I thought it was urgent. Hence, I came back as soon as possible," she continued, mumbling, unsure why she was so stressed out.

"Oh, darling," Evelynn chuckled, pushing the untouched food towards Akali. "I love this side of yours. When you're slowly reddening, frustrated, and conflicted."

"It … it is not funny, Eve!" the raven-haired girl tried to sound confident and angry, but he knew she had failed in injecting these emotions into her reply. "I do not know … what is happening today," she mumbled a moment later. "Anyway, what did you want to talk about?" she inquired, trying to fight the embarrassment.

"Shh," the magenta-haired woman shooed her. "We don't need to speed up this conversation. So, why don't you eat first? It'll be easier when your stomach isn't burping occasionally," she giggled. "Enjoy your meal, darling."

Author's notes section:

[2023-09-02]: Hey, here is a preview of the story's next chapter. Please, bear in mind that it is, as mentioned, a preview. Some parts of it might not be included in the final release. I will try to finish this chapter as soon as possible. I would like to clean up some of the tasks in my schedule, and right now, there are many chapters queued there.

Info: I'm deeply sorry that I have not managed to rewrite the promised chapters; I struggle to find the required energy to deal with this matter. Still, I will try to prioritise it.

Don't forget to comment. I really appreciate your feedback.

Note that the dialogues written in italic are thoughts.

As always, I would like to thank you for everything. See you soon :)

Changelog:
[2023-09-02]: A preview has been released.

Info: I have included more stories in the schedule as I'm not 100% certain what I want to write next. Please, keep in mind that I might add or remove positions from the list. I might rewrite some of the older stories or extract some of the longer stories from `The story of one lost soul`.

Schedule:
- See the world through my eyes (finish the WIP)
- The broken heart (finish the WIP)
- My home is where my heart lies (finish the WIP)
- The shadows can be deceiving (new chapter)
- Hidden in the mountain's shadow (new chapter)
- The war call (new chapter)
- The rise of the Blood Moons' servants (new chapter)
- Black Diamond (new chapter)
- When the clock is ticking (Warhammer 40k new story)
- Sometimes it's just better not to know (new chapter)
- My home is where my heart lies (rewrite chapter 4)
- The heart not so cold (rewrite chapter 2)
- The family tree (revisit the previous chapters and apply adjustments)
- Will you look past my mistakes? (new chapter)
- The silence of the shackles (new chapter)
- The Prisoner of Your Eyes (new chapter)
- Lifetime of war (new chapter)
- Hope is the last one to die (new story in SW universe)
- Sometimes it's just better not to know (finish rewriting the second chapter)
- Life is full of surprises (new chapter)
- Exiled you say? (new chapter)
- Until my last breath (new chapter)
- The family tree (new chapter)
- The story of one lost soul (new chapter)

Bonuses' section:
A new story taking place in the Warhammer 40k universe.
Story of one lost soul: The war call: rewrite.
An entirely new story (possibly Akali x [Irelia, Syndra, Katarina]).
A new short story (Vi x Cait).
An entirely original story (possibly even two stories, one taking place in medieval times, the other in the far future)
Bleach story. (Byakuya x Yoruichi / ?)
Naruto story. (Neji x Hinata / Neji x TenTen / Nagato x Konan)
Fairy Tail story. (most likely Erza x Mira)
Maybe some Star Wars?

References:
- Nobody's Fool - Cinderella

*bonuses will be worked on when I don't feel like writing the chapters pointed out in the schedule :D

End of the author's notes section.