"It's been a long time." Varian said as he sat in seiza on a tatami mat, looking out into the courtyard with a small pond.
"Boy, it's been only two months." A rather deep voice man answered him. In front of him was a man seemingly in his 30s, with an almost shining bald head and a beard never seemed to grow.
"Sometimes, a second can feel like an year." Varian looked up at the two suns in the sky and said.
Of course, he wasn't referring to not seeing Gareth. It was just his life...in the past two months, he experienced too much.
Shadow Order, Abyssals, Lost Dungeon, Dreamer, Rena Planetoid...
He recalled the days when he was in Leon Training Hall. Gareth used to persuade him to go to dungeon...he refused.
But once he took that step, everything changed.
Gareth, too looked through the sliding doors. His sight however, was on his rather traditional wooden house.
There used to be a group of people in this house—brothers not born to same mother.
Then, that happened.
When he was loosing them, that one second indeed felt like an year. Perhaps longer.
Shaking his head, Gareth looked at the handsome young man in front of him and smirked. "You are becoming a philosopher or what?"
"I'd rather not. I don't want to waste my precious youth babbling with old men." Varian raised his hands and said.
Gareth was taken aback by his response. The Varian two months ago would never give this answer.
"Good!"Gareth nodded vigorously in approval, a big grin creeping on his face.
Varian had changed…
Gone was the boy in self-doubt and defeat. He didn't escape from his past anymore. He wasn't depressed anymore.
Gareth didn't know if only awakening helped him this much, but regardless, he was happy.
The Varian today defied even his wildest expectations.
It was only midsem break of first semester and yet here he was, a Level 5 Awakener.
'Incredible.' Gareth sighed inwardly.
Perhaps he was the one who best understood Varian's starting point. In just two months, this boy went from a nobody to a crucial talent.
"You look more confident." Gareth complimented.
"Thanks, but let me say this again, I'm grateful for your help." Varian said in a sincere tone.
If not for Gareth, he'd have never taken the first step.
He would've never awakened.
He would still be in the Leon Training Hall, wasting away his life into oblivion.
Sia would still be a mystery to him. A manifestation of his own depression.
He would live his whole life on his fake memories and haunted by his past.
In a sense, Gareth changed his life. And saved him.
Such kindness was hard to repay.
"Then do me a favor and never say thanks again." Gareth shifted in his seat.
Varian laughed it off.
Then, his expression slowly hardened. "You know my tutor Seth, right?"
Gareth raised an eyebrow. "I was about to bring him up, but go on."
Varian's face scrunched up as she said. "I enquired about him. The authorities said he went on a mission. I can't find any such mission. What the hell happened?"
"…A few weeks after your death news came, he entered the Demon Abyss." Gareth slowly said.
"What?!" Varian stood up, his movements causing a huge shockwave.
The shockwaves were about to hit the air and unless Varian wanted to expose his space powers, it was already too late.
The house built of seemingly normal wood was bound to be destroyed.
Snap!
Varian saw Gareth snap his fingers and in an instant, the space solidified, and with it, the shockwaves.
"This is really a normal house. It'll blow away with your shockwaves." Gareth said with a distressed expression.
The corners of Varian's mouth twitched as he asked. "You are a high awakener?"
Gareth shrugged. "Who knows?"
'So the rumors that Gareth was level 7…' Varian threw them out of his mind and sat down.
He didn't care what level Gareth was. If he wanted to, he'd tell him. If not, prying was disrespectful.
"It's my abruptness. I apologize."
"I can understand. Seth…had similar reactions after all." Gareth smiled and poured some tea. "Have some tea."
"Thank—wait, Tutor was here?" Varian held the cup but stopped abruptly, turning to Gareth.
And he also wanted to say 'Can you say the complete thing at once?' But held himself back.
"Yes and you need to train your mental state more. Don't be surprised, at least don't show it." Gareth raised a finger and said.
Varian nodded, calming himself down with his mental powers.
He asked with a less anxious, but equally concerned expression. "So, he was here and then went to Demon Abyss? What happened?"
Gareth sipped his tea and closed his eyes. Shaking his head, he said. "Seth investigated the matter to the end and found Astor Clan, Shadow Order and the Abyssals planned that assassination attempt on Sarah Albert.
You were a collateral damage. It pained him.
He took the missions to hunt the Order members, assassinated a few Astor Clan members and killed a lot of Abyssals."
Varian's eyes widened and he clenched the tea cup in his hand. Thankfully, he controlled himself or it'd break and splatter the hot liquid on his hands.
"Despite that, he knew his actions weren't of much significance. Be it the Astor Clan, Order or Demon Abyss, he couldn't uproot any of them." Gareth's expression turned melancholic.
"He was frustrated and his obsession came back.
You know his obsession right? He wants revenge for losing his family. But he isn't getting anywhere with his divine paths.
He decided he hit his limit and there was no point in waiting further.
So to make the most out of his powers, he snuck into the Demon Abyss and vowed to kill as many as he could." Gareth gnashed his teeth and said.
Varian's face paled like a sheet of paper.
Recalling the one person who was kind to him in the academy when everyone was against him, he felt overwhelming sadness.
"He visited me before he left. I tried to stop him. But he's headstrong. So I ended up giving him a space shuttle." Gareth recalled with a smile.
Varian felt a bit more relieved.
Seth must already have had a space shuttle, but since Gareth gave it specifically for the mission, it could be one of those space shuttles useful for escape.
The one with high defense and speed.
"I don't know if it's fate, but it saved his life many times. He returned a few days after Evander announced you as his disciple.
Of course, my space shuttle was decimated. But anyway, after realizing you were alive, he was ecstatic."
Varian couldn't help but ask. "So, where is he now?"
"He said he was joining the Shadow Guardians." Gareth said with an unreadable expression. "He was relieved you had Evander as his master. So he went in without a worry."
"?!" Varian thought he was hearing things.
"Are you sur—"
"Yes. So, don't worry about him. He took this path himself." Gareth slowly said.
Varian closed his eyes and sighed.
His hatred for the Order, Astor Clan and Abyssals grew.
After chatting for an hour, Varian left and returned to his home. Kyle and Maya left a message saying they had gone out.
Shaking his head, he stepped in, saying "I'm home."
And paused.
A gorgeous girl was sitting on the couch. Her golden hair flowed naturally like a waterfall, her bright blue eyes stared at him intensely.
A smile broke out on her flawless face, "Welcome home."
"Sarah?"
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