The heartwarming family hug broke apart randomly when a fourth party joined the group hug from the back.
"Ah?" Mei Mei became startled as she lifted her head to look at this newcomer. It was a toddler? She then glanced at the three human beings standing next to Tilia and the baby girl. Who the hell were these people?
"It's a long story," Liam answered her silent question. He gently kissed his sister and Shen Yue on the forehead one after the other as he parted with the two of them. "Oh, by the way, this is Luna."
"Eh? Luna???" Mei Mei's eyes widened in surprise as she stared at the defiant toddler. Looking at the little girl ready to burst into tears at any moment, she couldn't help but quickly jump to her and pinch her flawless white cheeks.
"Oh my god. You are so cute." Mei Mei laughed, forgetting herself and it was clear that this was the first time she had been happy in a long while.
However, Luna did not care about that. She simply did not want to be touched, especially in her cheeks. She wriggled uncomfortably under Mei Mei's affectionate pinches and gave Liam a look that screamed 'rescue me'.
Liam laughed and shrugged. Surely, a divine beast could handle a few pinches. He did not plan on intervening. Shen Yue leaned on Liam's chest and smiled gently.
"Yue, where are the others?" Liam stroked her head and asked.
"The others are out hunting. They should be back any time now." Shen Yue hugged him again, refusing to leave his embrace as she explained. Liam did not mind her clingy behavior one bit. He had missed her this past year.
Even though he did not spend much time with Shen Yue or his sister, he only realized last year just how much he needed them.
It did not matter that they met each other and spent time with each other so sparingly. Such was the situation they were in, but even these occasional meetings meant a lot to him.
Shen Yue nodded. "This place is a special training area designed for training the younger generations from rich families. All the beasts here are friendly and nice."
"They will not harm us unless we decide to attack them and if we stop attacking them for a few seconds, they will go back to being friendly."
"Huh?" Liam looked at Tilia with a confused expression.
Tilia gave a bitter smile. Her options were limited and this was the best that she could do.
Looking at her Liam understood the implied reasoning and nodded at her gratefully. It did not matter that these were not the best nurturing conditions, he was simply glad that everyone was fine.
"How is everyone doing?" Liam asked.
"They've been worried. We all were. Knowing you're safe and back with us will mean a lot to them. At first, we thought that you had died but Miss Tilia here assured us that you were fine."
"Hmmm?" Liam once again shot a look at the fairy. "How did you know?"
Tilia became embarrassed. "It's not what you think. I don't have some godly tracking skills or monitoring skills. I also did not put any tracker on you. It is your credit card."
"It lets us know that you are still alive and owe us the debt. Don't worry. Only the store manager has access to this information. So only I know that you are still alive."
Liam was dumbfounded. He had completely forgotten about this card.
While they were discussing, a few footsteps sounded and it looked like the rest of the group was finally back.
Rey was leading the group and he had a few fresh open wounds covering his body.
It was clear that he did not rest or laze around even though the whole training world seemed designed for lazy young masters from rich families.
Shen Yue waved her hand and as soon as she saw Rey, she remembered the blood and all the pain they had endured for the past year.
In the happiness of seeing Liam, she had completely forgotten about Alex.
"Liam…" She started, not knowing how to convey the news when unexpectedly Liam smiled and patted her. "I know. I already took care of it." The next second, he disappeared and appeared next to Rey who stood frozen in the distance.
"Liam…" His voice croaked as he saw his friend and leader standing before him, alive and well. Rey's eyes, filled with disbelief and relief, quickly turned misty.
"Rey, it's good to see you," Liam said, clapping him on the shoulder. "You've done well in my absence."
Rey, still processing the reality of Liam's return, managed a shaky smile. "I thought you were... We all thought..."
He couldn't finish his sentence, the emotions too overwhelming. In the end, he wiped his eyes and managed to get the words out. "I am glad at least you are okay."
Liam smiled. He knew why the guy was miserable. Anyone would be if they had lost all their family. "I have someone I think you would like to meet." He patted him and then pulled out Alex from the spatial artifact.
Rey stood dumbfounded as he watched his sister's body emerge out of thin air and land softly on the grassy plain they were standing on.
However, unlike how he had seen her the last time, she was no longer covered in bloody scars with her hands and feet missing. She was now alive and whole. She seemed to be sleeping peacefully, her chest heaving up and down in a calm rhythm.
Rey fell on his knees, bawling out like a child as he saw his sister, whom he believed was lost forever, lying there, alive and well. He crawled over to her and gently touched her hand as if to reassure himself that she was real.
"Alex..." he whispered, tears streaming down his face. "I am so sorry… I am so sorry I am useless. I couldn't even come for you. I am weak. I deserve to die. Not you. I deserve to die."
Alex, stirred by the familiar voice, slowly opened her eyes. The moment she saw Rey, a weak smile appeared on her lips. "Rey... you're okay… Liam is alive. Liam, where…"
Rey laughed like an idiot. "He is right here, you stupid girl. He is right here."
"I am here," Liam reassured her but Alex quickly sat up and only sighed in relief after confirming with her very own eyes.
Her gaze moved from Liam to Rey, Mei Mei, Shen Yue, and all the other members of the guild. It looked like everyone had made it. She closed her eyes, smiling, tears streaming down.
She was not alone. On seeing Liam and Alex finally return, the rest of the guild also became teary-eyed.
Thanks to Crawford, they had lost everything they had. Their friends and family were all stuck outside.
Countless times they had wanted to rush outside and fight for them but the fairy had patiently reminded them time and again that it was best to show that there was no connection between them and their family. Otherwise, it would only have the opposite effect.
The old man who had proclaimed himself as the ruler of the new world held a grudge against Liam and their guild. He was ready to go to any lengths to get revenge.
Understanding their painful reality, everyone had silently suffered while they continued to function lifelessly inside without everyone they loved. They could not even know if these people were still alive.
Without taking a break, they engaged in constant battles from dusk to dawn every single day to become stronger, faster but how could they become strong enough to face a monster like Crawford?
Despite that, no one gave up and continued to struggle without any end in sight. And today finally, they could see the light at the end of the darkness.
Even though they knew that it was shameful to place all of their burdens on one single person, they couldn't help but hope that everything would change now.
Liam stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over each member of the guild. "I know the past year has been tough on all of you," he began, his voice steady and reassuring. "I know that many of you have lost a lot."
"But it will be different now. Crawford is dead. It is time for us to reclaim our world."
"The road will not be easy but we have each other. We have faced darkness and despair, but now it's time to rise from the ashes and rebuild. We'll take back what we've lost and ensure that this does not happen ever again."
Everyone looked shocked after hearing Liam's words.
They had all thought that they were going to gear up for an intense battle against the man who had single-handedly made their lives a living hell, but the guild leader already took care of him?
As the sun set on the serene garden, the guild members of Crimson Abyss silently bowed their heads in respect and gratitude towards Liam, something that they couldn't possibly express in words.