Reaching the land, they found themselves in front of a wrecked area that was swept away by the giant wave. The water moved across the place and destroyed whatever was left of it that hadn't vanished in the past few weeks.
"What happened here?" Talon asked as he looked around him.
"The explosion that just happened created a giant wave that moved straight toward the shores. I evacuated the survivors myself." Chin-Hwa replied as he stepped forward. "Is everyone still here?!"
His cry caught the attention of the survivors as they slowly started popping out of their hiding spots. Since the wave wasn't as dangerous as they assumed, no one was harmed. Especially since they were all now evolved humans, so their ability to resist a sweeping giant wave was way stronger than before.
"It's the leader!"
"The leader came back!!"
"Oh, thank god he's fine!"
Seeing Talon on the surface again, their faces lit up as they rushed toward him with happy looks on their faces.
"Is everyone ok?" Seeing how delighted they were by his return, Talon could only smile warmly as he looked around him. The care these people were showing him filled his heart with an inexplicable feeling.
In his entire life, Talon was never the target of respect and admiration of this many people so it was a completely new feeling to him. Even after weeks of being their leader, he still couldn't get accustomed to being a revered figure amongst the group.
For him, he was still the same person within. The same young man who lived his life in its entirety in mediocrity yet now had to be some kind of great figure who would lead a massive change in the world.
'I didn't even seek any of this and yet I got it nonetheless. How ironic.' Smiling wryly, he shook his head. 'No, that isn't right. I have worked hard to reach this point so I'd like to believe that if it was someone else, they might've not achieved as much as I did.'
If a lazy person was given this very same power, Talon knew that they would've never really done anything. A talent without hard work to back it up is just an empty shell with no substance in it.
"We're all fine. The wave didn't reach too far into the city."
"Good to hear that..." Talon nodded his head. "The river should be safe to cross now. But, just in case, let's leave the rest of the baits overnight and see if they would get taken the next day." He instructed.
"Yes, sir!"
Immediately, the group went back to work gathering all their belongings. Meanwhile, Talon and Hyun-Jae sat down next to each other to rest.
"That thing was really horrible to fight," Talon said.
"Yeah, it was and I'm sure it could've gone worse had we been unfortunate," Hyun-Jae replied with a tired sigh.
The two then remained silent for a while. Each one of them went into his own world, thinking about many things.
"You know..." A while later, the girl opened her mouth to speak. "I don't know what kind of miracle brought you back... But, I'm really glad that it happened. If you died... I really didn't know what I could've done. It's a weird thing to try and imagine."
Her tone sounded a little fearful for some reason and it made Talon turn his head around to look at her. He could notice the subtle changes in her expression almost immediately.
"And then, I realize that all of this is perhaps just the start. Stronger enemies are bound to appear in our way. Enemies that we might not be as fortunate against as we have been so far against most of the others. I don't like to think about such a future, but, whenever I see you lying on the ground, not moving... It always comes back."
"Did that make you feel better?" He asked.
"It did. It made me feel a whole lot better. Thank you." She smiled slightly as she nodded her head.
"I'm glad to hear that. What I taught just now is a technique my dad told me about when I was young. He told me that whenever I feel unease, stress, and dark thoughts are threatening to take over my mind, I just need to stop for a moment and let my mind wander somewhere better. It works every single time." Talon grinned as he tapped Hyun-Jae's shoulder.
"He seems like a very clever man."
"He is smart, for sure. But well, he does have his bizarre sides too. Probably from reading and writing fantasy books for a living."
"Oh, he's an author?" Hyun-Jae raised an eyebrow. "That's amazing."
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"Hahaha, I wonder about that. His books never succeeded and it did get us in some financial problems here and there. But, he worked other jobs too aside from writing to keep the family secure. It's also the reason why I have such an exotic name 'Talon'."
"... Haha, your name is pretty nice, though. It has a nice ring to it." Hyun-Jae replied.
"You think so? I've always stood out like a sore thumb because of it. But, as long as you like it, that's good."
Hyun-Jae flinched for a moment before she turned around. "Ehem, yes. I do like it."
After that, the two went silent again for a while before Hyun-Jae finally stood up and dusted her clothes. "Well, I should probably go check the progress of the students before we go back."
"Mm, I will rest for a minute or two and then I will follow you. I can move fairly easily." Talon replied.
"Ok..."
Then, as Hyun-Jae was about to move, Talon called for her.
"Hey, Hyun-Jae."
"Hm?"
"What is the thing that you thought about? You know, the thing that brings you the most happiness."
Even though Talon wasn't intending to ask at first, his curiosity made him do it.
However, Hyun-Jea surprisingly smiled as she shook her head before she put a finger on her lips. "It's a secret~"
With that, she walked away, leaving behind an even more confused Talon.
"Now I'm even more curious, dammit."
A//N: Don't forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ????