"FUCK!"
The sensation vanished.
[Eyes of the Blessed has deactivated]
"NOOOOO!" he screamed, tumbling into the vortex, unable to resist its pull. Even the Chronos Lock was powerless now.
[REJOICE, AMAEL. THE FIRST PHASE OF THE PLAN IS COMPLETE. THE JOURNEY TO FREEDOM HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN.]
Suddenly, a warm sensation enveloped him. He gasped.
"Thank God, I made it in time," a voice said.
His blurry vision cleared just enough to glimpse a figure. He couldn’t mistake what he saw.
"L-Lily?" he whispered, tears streaking down his face.
"Yes, Mael," she replied with a soft smile. For some reason, she seemed different—more mature, more... powerful. "Sleep... I will take care of the rest," she said.
And the next moment, darkness claimed him.
…
…
Amael’s eyes fluttered open, his vision swimming with blurred shapes. Slowly, the haze began to clear, and the first thing he noticed was a ceiling faintly illuminated by the soft, flickering glow of mana bulbs.
"A ceiling?" he murmured, his voice hoarse with confusion. His gaze shifted downward, searching for clarity amidst the disorientation.
"You’re awake."
The sound of a familiar voice froze him in place. His eyes snapped up, his blurry vision sharpening just enough to make out a face. A face he could hardly believe was real.
"Lily…" he breathed, disbelief etched across his features.
It was her. Truly her.
For a moment, he couldn’t comprehend it. He had sworn to himself that he’d find her one day, no matter what. Yet now, it seemed, it was she who had found him instead.
"In the flesh," she said with a triumphant smirk.
"But… h-how?" he stammered, his mind reeling with questions. He started to speak again, but her hand gently pressed against his lips, silencing him.
"I don’t really remember everything," Lily began softly, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "The last thing I recall was seeing you. You were crying, Amael… crying so much that it broke my heart. All I wanted in that moment was to hold you—just hold you tightly and never let go."
Her voice wavered as tears slipped down her cheeks, though her smile remained gentle. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a warm embrace that felt as though it could banish all his pain.
"Then, the next thing I knew… I was somewhere else. A place I’ve never been before. It was white—endlessly white, everywhere I looked. I thought I was dead." She hesitated, her expression darkening. "But I wasn’t."
Amael’s brow furrowed. "What happened?"
"It was there that I met him," she continued.
"Who?"
"I don’t know his name," she admitted, shaking her head. "He called himself ’The Weaver,’ though I never truly understood what he meant by that."
The Weaver… The name stirred something deep in Amael’s memory. His mind raced back to the Arten Raid, to the strange young man with the blindfold. Could it be the same person? The man had told him to seek him out if he ever wanted to uncover the whole truth.
Lily’s voice broke through his thoughts. "He said he would bring me back to you—but not yet. He claimed it wasn’t time."
She clenched her fists, frustration evident in her trembling voice. "I begged him to let me return. I didn’t care about anything else; I just wanted to be with you. But he refused. He said it was important… that if I came back as I was, I wouldn’t be able to protect you."
Her gaze locked with Amael’s, fierce and unwavering. "So, he offered to train me. He taught me everything he could. Time didn’t seem to exist in that place—I couldn’t tell how long I was there. But I trained relentlessly."
She paused, her voice softening. "And then, one day, he returned. He told me it was time. He said you’d be in danger, and I needed to hurry if I wanted to save you."
Lily’s words hung in the air as her story concluded. Without warning, she leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, her actions catching him completely off guard.
Amael froze, his brain scrambling to process what had just happened. Before he could react, a sharp, indignant voice shattered the moment.
"Hey! How can you do that?!"
The sudden exclamation jolted him fully awake, his senses snapping into sharp focus.
His heart sank as realization struck.
Lily’s mischievous grin said it all.
No.
Not this side of her again.
She was back to being that Lily.
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…
…
I looked to the side, and instantly, I felt a strange mana distortion surrounding us.
"A mana bubble?"
Wait.
Could it be that she created this so no one would hear us?
It was then I realized another thing.
I was in a princess carry!
Oh my fucking lord!
"Hey, don’t move too much. You haven’t fully recovered," she said, embracing me even tighter, making it impossible for me to move.
Oh, fuck.
She became even stronger.
I couldn’t move a damn muscle.
"STOP HOLDING HIM LIKE THAT! I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHO YOU ARE!"
This time, the voice was clear. The mana bubble had been removed, and I felt a force trying to yank me out of her tight hold. But she instantly moved back, and the force retreated.
’WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING? I CAN’T EVEN SEE A DAMN THING!’
I was pressed tightly against her bosom, which somehow seemed even bigger than the last time.
She was doing this intentionally!
"Lily," I tried to pull away, but she placed a hand on my lips.
Damn.
THIS IS SO EMBARRASSING! WHY THE FUCK IS SHE TREATING ME LIKE A BABY?!
"Stop screaming. You’ll wake my Mael up," she said. From her tone, I could tell she was intentionally trying to annoy someone. My mind conjured an image of who it could actually be.
Well, if it’s her, I don’t really care.
In fact, it doesn’t really matter. She knew from the beginning I was only trying to use her status to protect myself, so she shouldn’t be bothered by this... right?
"What do you mean, your Mael? And what’s with that smug smile?" the voice asked, sounding irritated.
Wait—is that Everline?
Why does she sound like a jealous girlfriend, though?
"Didn’t you say you didn’t care about him? So why are you even here?" Liliana asked, a triumphant smirk on her lips. Then, to top it off, she kissed me on the forehead.
Okay…
Sigh.
Let her have her fun. I owe her too much to make this a problem. If annoying Everline is her current goal, I’ll just let her.
"STOP DOING THAT! IF YOU TRY TO KISS HIM AGAIN, I SWEAR I WILL SEND THIS BLADE INTO YOUR HEAD!"
Eh???
I didn’t actually hear that well... right?
"Oh? But I will," Liliana said, and I felt a wet sensation on my forehead again.
"I SAID STOP!"
I decided it was time to end this before things spiraled out of hand.
"Enough, okay?!" I said, still in the embarrassing position.
"Lily," I said firmly, looking her in the eyes.
"Yeah...?" she asked.
"Let go."
Her lips curled into a pout, and for a second, I almost felt bad.
Almost.
"Fine," she huffed, reluctantly setting me down with the care of someone placing a priceless vase.
Damn it. My image.
I straightened myself and turned to Everline, who… well, was not pleased.
"So, you were awake but let her do all that? Just who is she to you?" Everline demanded, looking like someone who’d just caught their partner cheating. And not just regular cheating—cheating with their best friend.
"She’s Liliana—" I began, but she cut me off.
"I already know that. Just tell me what your relationship is." Her arms crossed as her glare intensified.
Liliana…
Can I even consider us an item? I haven’t officially proposed anything, but if I did, I’m pretty sure she’d accept. Right?
"He is my love," Liliana declared confidently, surprising even me.
Everline’s scowl deepened, her irritation practically radiating off her.
What’s her problem anyway?
Wait.
I guess this is partly my fault, isn’t it?
"Yes, Liliana is, without a doubt… my lover," I said, the word feeling foreign and awkward on my tongue. I’d never called anyone that before—or at least, not that I could remember.
"She… You… I WON’T ACCEPT THIS! YOU CAN’T JUST DECIDE YOU’RE MY BOYFRIEND AND THEN BREAK UP WITHOUT MY PERMISSION! IF WE’RE BREAKING UP, I SHOULD BE THE ONE TO DO IT!" Everline yelled, looking genuinely betrayed.
Is it just me, or is this girl crazy?
She literally left me to die at the hands of those yanderes.
"It’s not like that. You know the only reason I did that was to avoid trouble with your sister. And Lily—would you stop licking my face?!"
I turned to Liliana, who had now moved on to even stranger behavior.
Hm.
I kind of feel scared now.
Just how much did she even stay in that frozen time?