NOVEL NEXT Chapter 814: Wrong
Rain's attempts at humor only seemed to cast a serious and threatening air around Liss. Her demeanor turned visibly stern, radiating an aura that hinted at impatience and a lack of tolerance for frivolous talk. It was clear she had little patience for wasting time on idle chatter or nonsensical remarks.
Liss had grown quite strong mentally since she kept staring at Rain while they waited for the others. Rain learned his lesson and decided to wait silently until the others arrived. In the end, Rain soon saw his old friends arriving in the area…
Branden, Esmeralda, Orcis, and Lorene, unlike Asche and Liss, had noticeably aged over the years. Their absence from the frontlines and the direct confrontations against enemies and monsters had spared them some of the effects of Transcendental Youth. However, the passage of time hadn't left them untouched.
Their once-vibrant hair now bore strands of silver and white scattered amidst their natural color, a testament to the years that had passed. Despite these visible signs of aging, their overall appearance remained strikingly similar to Rain's memories of them.
The lines etched on their faces reflected the accumulation of experiences, hinting at the weight of responsibilities and the burdens they carried throughout the years.
As Rain observed their arrival, he could sense their unease and concern hidden beneath composed expressions. Their demeanor betrayed a sense of anticipation mixed with apprehension, an understandable reaction considering the circumstances of Rain's sudden return.
Their reserved actions and the careful glances they exchanged with each other hinted at the gravity of the situation they found themselves in.
"Hahaha, you fell for it, fool!" Rain said after laughing. "Now that you have exposed yourselves, I can finally reveal my evil plans!"
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Liss raised her arms to bombard Rain with a thunderstorm, but Asche was faster and kicked his stomach… he didn't fall, but that hurt a little.
"I told you to stop with the nonsense," Asche said while glaring at him.
"It can't be helped. You guys seriousness bothers me far too much," Rain said.
"... You can't just arrive and do things as you see fit just because you don't like the mood," Asche said. "Anyway, kicking you felt surprisingly good. So, I won't hold back again if you try to do stupid things."
"... You have aged in a weird way," Rain frowned.
Despite Rain's attempts to diffuse the tension and lighten the mood with his antics and attempts at humor, the atmosphere remained heavy with worry and concern, particularly evident in Branden, Esmeralda, Orcis, and Lorene. Rain's lighthearted remarks and attempts to inject humor into the situation were met with strained smiles or fleeting glances.
Still, these efforts failed to alleviate the deep-seated apprehension that these four individuals harbored.
"Instead of staring blankly, go home if you're back in reality." Rain said. "We can talk later if you don't think that I am the real me. I can stay here for a week or two. Traveling around only ingesting nutrients is kind of depressing."
"... No, we can talk," Branden said while studying Rain. "Your aura is similar to what I remember, but I can't believe that you didn't get that much stronger… even though your aura is weird… I also confirmed that you used my seal."
"Well, I didn't have time to get that much stronger," Rain said. "I guess it is obvious that you think that someone is controlling my body. But you can't see anything weird with it, right? I am not a corpse, and I am not branded either. My body was almost completely destroyed, thanks to the dragon god."
As the tension stuck in the air, Branden took a step forward, his demeanor a mix of reserved calmness and underlying doubts. Sensing the need to ease the strained atmosphere, he decided to take a step forward
"Rain, why don't you join us for some tea?" Branden's said with the intent to create a semblance of normalcy. "It's that time of the afternoon where we gather for a moment to talk."
Rain, although typically a coffee enthusiast, refrained from voicing his preference at that moment. Instead, he nodded in agreement, understanding the underlying significance of the invitation and the need for a gesture of camaraderie.
However, before indulging in the tea and to dispel any lingering doubts, Rain made his move. He temporarily canceled his domain, allowing everyone present to sense his presence fully. It was a careful maneuver on Rain's part, a way to reassure them of his identity while also ensuring they were aware of his authenticity.
"... It is just like I remember, your aura always has been different from the others, but now…" Branden rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"... Since that time, on that battle, your aura didn't look the same as before," Esmeralda added when Branden hesitated. "The actions that you took, all the decisions made regarding that battle, you didn't have any confidence in them."
"You are completely right," Rain said and then drank the tea. "As expected, I prefer coffee or orange juice. Considering the outcome, it was obvious that I was wrong. Still, I can't think of any other solution."
"That sounds like you, always trying to make all the decisions without sharing your thoughts with others," Lorene said. "Regardless, explain to us in detail what happened to you all those years."
"I will give you brief summary of it," Rain said.
Rain explained that thanks to his healing skills, the relic he made and all his knowledge and experience, he was able to prevent his annihilation. Originally, he thought that he rebuilt his body from scratch, but he was starting to think that he was wrong in that assumption…
The reason for that was the fact that he didn't have a hard time putting to good use the things that he learned while he was in the ring… he assumed that the ring absorbed all of his remains, or could have been saved and rebuilt his body from there… that would explain why his body felt comfortable as usual, and he didn't need things like physiotherapy.