章 13: Emotions
"Oh, I see them!"
One of the students inside the waiting room shouted as he pointed out of a nearby window.
Several other students joined him, curious to see them back so quickly.
"They don't seem to be missing anyone… what happened?" Confusion rapidly spread among them.
"Who's that person with them?" More questions followed.
"Probably a bum. Look at his clothes." They couldn't see the face clearly, but there were massive holes in his shirt, and his pants were tattered.
Their curiosity waned at this answer, and they backed away from the window.
Mike and Kei were too out of it to care about anything else.
Eric sat in his chair impatiently.
Alycia and Sylvia weren't paying attention, too busy thinking about their next steps.
A few more minutes passed before the group reached the entrance of the castle and headed toward the waiting room.
Seeing them enter the room, the students calmed down and took their seats.
The King entered first, his joyful mood confusing everyone.
"My apologies, students. It seems to have been a false alarm—there is no danger at the dungeon."
"However! Goddess Celestia has indeed blessed us tremendously today!"
Languid nodded in agreement as he entered the room a step behind the King.
This caused everyone to look up in excitement.
"Ah! Is it new powers?" One of the students yelled eagerly.
"The blessing of gift-bestowal only happens once, I'm afraid. But this time, Goddess Celestia has blessed our great kingdom in a new way!"
Once again, the interest faded.
Seeing their reactions, the King seemed to give up and just cut to the reveal.
"You may enter."
*tap* *tap* *tap* *tap*
Light tapping sounds echoed as they looked toward the door.
The man they had seen earlier entered. Now that they could see his face clearly, they were stunned by his appearance.
Eric looked at him, disgusted. Yet another man he couldn't stand stood in front of him.
At first, almost no one recognized him. His hair was longer and a different color, and his overall appearance had changed quite a bit.
*Almost* no one…
For the two women sitting in the corner of the room. Their entire world suddenly flipped upside down.
Alycia and Sylvia's minds were a mess, strong emotions flooding their bodies.
Sylvia was the first to move, rising from the ground as tears began to fill her eyes, threatening to spill at any second.
Alycia was slower, her hands trembling as she approached more hesitantly, her eyes never leaving Eden's face.
Both of them stopped a few steps before him, scanning his face over and over as their brains wrestled with their instincts.
They remained frozen for a few moments, leaving others confused.
"What's wrong? Don't recognize—?" Before he could finish his sentence, a bright streak of pink and purple rushed into his arms.
Sylvia crossed the gap in swift steps, flinging her arms around him, holding him tightly as if afraid he might disappear again.
"Eden, you're alive! We thought… we thought we'd lost you forever." Sylvia's tears finally spilled as she sobbed into his shoulder.
Alycia said nothing, but when she felt his arm wrap around her, she collapsed into his embrace, the weight of her grief and relief breaking through.
Everyone else sat in stunned silence, processing the names the two had spoken.
"Eden?"
"Him? How?"
After a brief moment of confusion, everyone was happy. They were in a new world with strange powers and gods. The King even said it was due to a blessing, so Eden coming back to life wasn't too crazy for them.
His change in appearance, however, still needed to be discussed.
Either way, everyone was happy. He had been well-liked in school, and he had died saving them.
"Hey! Your friend is back! Isn't that great?" One of the students patted Eric on the back with a smile.
"…."
"Eric?" Seeing that his expression didn't look good, the boy wisely walked away.
All that could be heard was the heavy breathing and rapid table-tapping from Eric as he stared at Eden.
Kei and Mike, on the other hand, were shocked into soberness. After realizing it, fear set in fast.
They were afraid of getting in trouble and losing the life they had built up. Now that Eden was back, he was definitely going to expose everything.
Nervously, they joined in with the cheering of the others.
Eden paid them no mind, only comforting the two women in his arms while glancing around the room.
---
**Alycia's POV**
"You may enter."
Faint footsteps approached the room.
Seeing that we weren't getting any new powers, I didn't care about whoever was coming. My goals were set, and as long as they didn't interfere, I wasn't bothered.
But that thought vanished the moment he entered.
Him. Of course, a face that had consumed the majority of my thoughts for years.
A face I'd sadly thought I'd never see again.
Was it different? To others, maybe. But to me, it wasn't.
In fact, he looked exactly how I'd always pictured him—without the hair dye.
But why? How?
No, I must be dreaming. Of course. I've dreamt of this many times before; why would now be any different?
I saw Sylvia stand up. No, don't get my hopes up… please.
Then, we made eye contact.
His beautiful golden eyes—so drastically different from the cold black ones I had been used to.
But I loved them all the same.
The moment our eyes met, it felt like a shock ran through me. The same feeling as when we first met.
I could already tell something was different about him. Before I realized it, I was standing right in front of him.
I wanted to get closer, but I couldn't. He usually kept his distance from me, especially in public.
"What's wrong? Don't recognize—?"
Hearing his voice shattered any last bit of resistance I had. Even if he got mad at me, I wouldn't care. I just needed this. Sylvia had a similar idea, and we both took a spot on his body.
I could hear her sobs, but everything still felt unreal to me.
Until I felt his arm wrap around me.
Then I cried. I knew it was real.
I just let him soothe me as I released my emotions.
---
**Sylvia's POV**
The face of the man who entered made my heart feel like it was beating again.
The face I'd spent the night with in my dreams.
Eden.
The name had been deeply engraved in my heart for years.
I thought I'd lost him forever… and now, he's here again.
My body reacted before my brain could, and before I knew it, I was in front of him.
I wanted to cry but held back, afraid that this was just another dream I'd wake up from—only to be greeted by cruel reality.
The silver hair I'd always imagined draped beautifully down his shoulders.
His golden eyes pierced my soul and brought my heart peace.
When he began to speak, I knew it wasn't a dream. I immediately rushed into his arms and began crying, so happy I could die right now.
I didn't care about the specifics of how or why, as long as he was here.
My life was complete.
'Hehe… Eden~'
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