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"Are you really okay?"
Cedric turned around to see Erica, who had a worried expression on her face. His eyes were automatically drawn to the Alpha, and the Omega signs were reflected on her pupils. She reached out to caress his face and said,
"You've been so silent since you returned, and I'm worried. Did something happen? You know you can tell me, right?"
Cedric could just feel his fondness for her. He leaned to her touch, closed his eyes, and sighed in relief before replying:
"I'm okay, just... overwhelmed, I suppose. I'll bounce back eventually. I'll be fine."
He could tell that she wanted to ask more but forced herself not to, opting to respect his wish to not say more than this. Instead, she just hugged him, offering her presence and company. Honestly, this was more than enough for Cedric.
If she were to know the truth, she'd probably feel the same; she might even react worse than he does because what he learned was just beyond overwhelming. It was mind-blowing.
To think that the universe was truly that vast—Cedric couldn't help but think that this prison of theirs truly limited their vision.
"Do you need space to think for a bit?" Erica asked tentatively. Cedric could tell that she's choosing her world carefully because she didn't want him to misunderstand.
"Yeah, that would be nice. I still need to digest everything I learned after all. Sorry, I'll make it up to the both of you soon, I swear."
"It's okay." Erica smiled softly. "You don't have to apologize. I'll make myself busy then, but if you ever need me, don't hesitate to call me okay."
Cedric buried his face on the crook of her neck and muttered, "I love you."
"I love you too," Erica shyly replied. "Okay, enough of this mushy stuff. I'll go now."
Cedric kissed her before letting her go. As soon as she left the room, Cedric's expression turned blank. He disappeared from the room as well and appeared in the isolation room. He activated the runes inside and sat in the middle of the room to organize his thoughts.
A green token appeared on his hands, the same one that Big Han gave him.
He received a total of three green tokens and one violet gold token from the titan. The green tokens contained information, and the unique token was his pass to arrive at the 'opportunity' that Big Han referred to.
Once again, learning all of this caused turbulent waves in Cedric's heart. How truly overwhelming! In front of the Divine Council, humanity wouldn't even be considered ants; they're merely a speck of dust in the grand scheme of things.
It's somewhat disheartening, but it's the bitter truth that he had to accept. Humans can't even deal with space pirates that are plundering them, so what qualifications do they have?
On the other hand, though, this was a chance for their rise. Big Han, an ancient Titan, praised them for having potential, and for someone like him to say those words, maybe there's hope.
Additionally, being exposed to the real giants of the universe made the Demon Race seem less intimidating to him. It's funny how quickly his perspective changed because barely a month ago, he's still lamenting about the disparity between them and how small humans truly were.
Well, nothing much changed, really. Cedric just opened his eyes to the true expanse of the galaxy, that's all.
The third token contains the cosmic map, which also works as a pin for his current location.
It's the first time that he has analyzed a map this large. Instead of landmasses, he's looking at large swirls of galaxies and the sectors where they operate.
He wasn't surprised to see that, compared to the grand expanse of this realm, the universe where Prime Earth was located is at the far edges of the map. It's so unbelievably small, inauspicious, and dismal.
Cedric feels so tiny—so small, worthless, even—it's a bitter pill to swallow and wasn't good for his mental state, but it's the reality.
He could wail, complain, lament, and throw tantrums all day, and nothing would change. Compared to the sheer size of the realm, humans are just as valuable as specks of cosmic dust.
"But...the opportunity is here," Cedric muttered to himself.
His gaze and heart burned as he held the violet gold token in his hands. It felt both hot and cold to the touch. Cedric held on to it as if it were his lifeline.
"I can save us...with this."
Cedric forcefully calmed his mind. He's too excited and impatient, making him prone to making mistakes.
"No need to rush, Cedric," he told himself. "You have time. Settle down, reclaim your peace, and keep an open mind. Stay true to yourself and your goals. Stay grounded and humble."
Phew!
It took Cedric an hour and a half to calm down. When he felt that he's finally ready, he sank his perception of the violet gold token and felt a strong pull taking him somewhere.