John stared at Laia with wide eyes, almost not believing what he was seeing. She had been taken away by the Astral Emperor, and he was sure he would not see her again until the conflict with the Astral Emperor and the Asura was finished.
Lilians story had revealed Laia's soul had the soul-mark that the Astral Emperor had planted on her, making it so that he knew her locations at all times. He would no doubt have stopped her from leaving the Astral Empire, let alone come here to him. He had no idea how she had managed to do it, but didn't really care either.
A wave of emotions flooded through him, surprising him with how strong those emotions were. Her unexpected arrival, followed by those flooding emotions, made him realize he had suppressed quite a bit of feelings for her, feelings that even he didn't really understand.