The duo left the hospital with Talon's mind still filled with thoughts about what he had just seen. Even when he tried to focus on his next steps, he still couldn't get that rift out of his mind. Ignoring the fact that it was a very unique thing that perhaps didn't exist before in history, something else captured his attention.
He didn't notice it when he saw the rift for the first time. But, now that he left, he could sense the difference. That rift was pulling him in. Not in a physical sense, but in a more spiritual sense. It was as if the moment he saw it, he felt connected to it.
Something about it called for him to get closer, to touch it, perhaps even submerged into it. The feeling was intense at first but grew and grew in his head as he left the place.
'Is this some kind of effect that thing is having on me? I have always been connected to dimensions. But, it's still really odd.' Talon frowned as he clenched his fists.
So far, Talon's power and path have been so deeply related to dimensions that he can't deny that fact anymore. He didn't know why that was the case, but, it was true and he had to accept it.
'It definitely has something to do with the Core Dimension and the way it treated me so far.'
Exhaling a tired breath, Talon looked up. The sky was dark as always. Even though the sun does appear early in the morning and a few minutes before it sets on the horizon in the evening, most of the day is just dark and gloomy. All because of the floating gate.
Naturally, that affected the entire world with how lacking the sunlight was. Most of the plants that relied on sunlight to grow either withered or evolved to adapt to the new environment. The same is true for all animals, even after the first expansion, some species defied the odds, survived the disaster, and even evolved into very strong creatures.
As for the monsters that already thrived in the darkness, they had a far easier time evolving which made the night the most dangerous time to be out in the world. Anything could attack you and kill you before you realize it.
With that, the two quickly arrived at the camp where everyone was. The first to notice their arrival was Sophie who was heading toward their direction. She seemed extremely worried and in a hurry.
"Talon!" Seeing her beloved, her face lit up as her worries washed away. She approached him quickly and jumped into his embrace.
"What happened? Are you fine? Did you get injure- Oh, no, you're bleeding!" Quickly, she started checking his body with a terrified look on her face. Her hands ran across his skin without hesitation which made Hyun-Jae frown hard.
"Where do you think you're touching?" She asked coldly, making Sophie look up.
"I'm checking him up."
"He's fine."
"No, he-"
"That injury is nothing. If you look closely, it already started healing." Hyun-Jae pointed out with a tired look on her face.
She didn't know if Sophie simply took that opportunity to touch Talon or if she genuinely didn't know that his healing speed was ridiculously high. An injury like that would take less than a day to heal if he chugs down a healing potion.
"Oh... Is that true, Talon?"
"Yeah, I'm fine as you can see. I've had way worse injuries before." He shrugged.
"More dangerous than this?! Oh my god, were you going to die?!"
"Yes." Talon and Hyun-Jae replied at the same time with a deadpan expression. "Multiple times."
'Hmm, but I will~ You're trying to take something that isn't yours.'
It was an odd situation where both parties could somehow read what the other person was thinking of. The more they looked at each other the, colder their auras grew. It was so tense that Talon felt the palpable change in temperature around him.
"What are you two doing?" He asked.
"Hmm, nothing."
Even though he knew it wasn't the case, he didn't comment any further. So far, Hyun-Jae and Sophie's relationship wasn't that good and he knew the reason why. Both clearly had some kind of love rivalry going on.
'Should I just address it? No, what can I even say? 'Don't fight for me, both of you?' I would sound like an arrogant piece of shit. Tsk, well, it doesn't seem like it's going beyond a few glares. But, if it gets out of hand, I will have to do something.' He sighed.
At the current moment, they were about to get into a brutal fight, there wasn't any time to fool around. He knew Hyun-Jae and Sophie would prioritize their mission over something like this.
With that, Talon spent the rest of the day at the camp resting and getting ready. The rest of the group explored the area a little bit more before they went back to the camp. By the time the sun set, everyone got in the vehicles again and the group started moving out of the city.
Looking back through the window, Hyun-Jae felt a myriad of emotions. This place that always brought her pain and suffering. The place that brought her trauma that chased her for years somehow carried positive feelings now.
She still didn't fully heal from what happened and perhaps she would never heal from it. But, what Talon told her still resonated in her head all the time. Those words were the reason she didn't feel a suffocating fear looking at the city behind her.
'Maybe it's time for a change.' She thought to herself as she turned around with a small smile on her face. 'I will do it. No matter what, I will overcome this... For him.' Her eyes wandered to the young man next to her.
She didn't have to do it for her own sake. As long as she had him supporting her, she was ready to face the entire world let alone the past.
With that, the cars stormed through the night, vanishing from sight in a few seconds.
***
Meanwhile, far away from there. The location is the human society in Gwangju.
A man walked hurriedly through the corridors of a massive building. His face was nervous and he was sweating profusely.
Reaching a door at the end of the corridor where two armed guards stood menacingly on both sides, he stopped at their sign. Their cold eyes, hidden behind their black glasses unspected him silently, making the man frown.
"Is this really necessary? It's me for fuck sake!" The man yelled.
"We apologize, Mr. Evan. It's standard procedure." One of the guards replied as he approached Evan and signaled for him to lift his arms up. Then, he inspected his body from head to toe before he nodded his head.
"He's good."
"He's waiting for you."
"He better be. I'm here to get some answers!" He declared angrily as he pushed the doors open and entered inside.
A//N: Don't forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ????