>VWUUUUUUSSSSHHHH<


    Space warped and the group vanished to their destination, leaving Ana and Beruel behind. The two remained transfixed until they were certain the team hadpletely disappeared.


    "Huu… finally." Ana sighed with relief.


    It seemed the tension had been too much for her, and she now felt capable of enjoying the less crowded area.


    Lemi had even offered to stay with her, but Ana needed this alone time for herself. She craved it.


    "I''ll leave you here with the statue. I''ll go get my things." Beruel''s voice woke her from her meditative silence.


    "N-no, I could stille with you."


    "It''s alright. I understand why you chose to stay behind. Do what you must. I''ll be back once I''m done packing everything. If you still want a tour by then, I''ll happily oblige."


    Ana''s face disyed surprise. She never expected Beruel to be so considerate, and that emotion of shock slowly transformed into gratitude.


    "Thank you." She nodded with a soft, nearly teary smile.


    "No problem." With that, the Fairy King flew off.


    As he distanced himself from Ana, he could already hear the sobs and embarrassing cries of pain and sadness. He, who had lost all of his loyal subordinates, understood the pain she was going through—perhaps even more than most.


    The poor girl had to know the truth—that she wouldn''t see the one she loved again. He was gone. Truly dead! Beruel could sympathize with that, at least. After all, everyone who had sworn personal loyalty and devotion to him, even his most loyal subordinate, was no more.


    "A sad fate indeed. Young Midas… look what you''ve caused."


    The Fairy King knew full well that if all three of them had faced Kido, they would all be dead by now. Kuzon had actually sacrificed his life so they didn''t have to. He knew all that, and yet…


    "... Why does it still irk me?"


    Beruel couldn''t answer this question, nor could he resolve theplicated feeling he had towards Kuzon. However, one thing was for sure, though.


    ''I''m no longer their enemy…''


    He knew it would take some time to convince Jared—or rather, Lewis—and everyone else that he was done with the Nether Cult, but Beruel strangely feltpelled to do it.


    ''To think Lewis is still alive in this world, though…'' He smiled as he flew past the golden hallway and approached his storage space, hoping everything was still intact.


    ''He probably ced an undetectable tracker on me, as well as a listening device. That sly Lewis.''


    Still, the Fairy King understood his previous friend''s skepticism. They indeed had much to discuss, but he had to focus on the immediate matters first.


    ''The samples of my subordinates. I need them.''


    >WHOOOOSSSSHHH<


    Beruel quickened his pace, finding himself panicking for one major reason. With everything around him irreversibly turned into gold, he feared that the same fate had befallen his samples. In fact, he had every reason to believe so.


    ''No… please no!''


    If they had all been petrified, the deal would have been for nothing. He too would have to be prepared to part with any hope of his subordinates being revived. The very thought made his heart ache ceaselessly.


    Fortunately, his fears were for naught.


    "T-this is…?" Beruel''s eyes widened with indescribable surprise the moment he arrived at the vast storage room.


    His eyes took in everything around him, as well as the strange urrence that happened at the end of the hallway and on the ground leading to the storage area.


    "The gold… the petrification… it stopped just before it spread inside here." Beruel''s voice shook as he spoke.


    What could this mean? It was too great a coincidence for him to simply conclude that it had happened by mere chance. The gold literally stopped before it reached the storage that contained several tubes and vats of organic material.


    After watching in silence for so long, Beruel could only arrive at a single conclusion.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Young Midas… you did this, didn''t you?"


    The old fairy didn''t know how to express his thoughts in words. Hisplicated emotions and thoughts concerning Kuzon slowly began to unravel, and once the knots became untangled, the Fairy King nodded in both respect and gratitude.


    "Thank you… Kuzon. Thank you so much."


    *


    *


    *


    After sobbing and crying and sobbing, over and over again, Ana finally stopped.


    Her eyes were swollen and irritated, and a few droplets of tears still cascaded down her face, but she was done with her throes of sorrow.


    Her eyes were on the golden statue of the despicable enemy that caused Kuzon''s death. This being was responsible for taking him away from her, and yet…


    ''I can''t bring myself to stare at it with disgust.'' Kuzon''s body was within the statue, after all.


    As she thought of the statue, Ana remembered the numerous memories she had with Kuzon, whether it was when they had been at Ainrk, or even after. His smile, his jokes, his casual aura… his confidence.


    "I… I…" Ana found her voice trembling as she broke into sobs once more.


    "I should have… I s-should have told y–you how I really felt."


    Her heart pounded, and it hurt so much. The feelings she had kept bottled up for too long due to her series of disappointments… they were finally finding expression. It was toote, but the dam was too full to be contained any longer.


    "I should have told you how much I love you!"


    Her voice echoed in therge auditorium, responded to by merely echoes. She was all alone, kneeling before an inanimate statue—the very definition of loneliness.


    "I… I love you…" More sobs cracked her voice as she felt the golden ring on her finger.


    After looking at its smooth surface and caressing it for so long, Ana couldn''t deny the feelings she had for him… and the one he had for her.


    "I promise you. I promise… I''ll bring you back."


    She didn''t know how yet. She didn''t understand the concept or the method. However, Ana said this with all of her conviction and all of her heart.


    She would improve her knowledge of Aether. She would use everything at her disposal, and she would tirelessly do everything possible... everything for her grand cause.


    Her new purpose.


    "No matter what, Kuzon… I''ll bring you back!"


    *


    *


    *


    [A/N]


    I wonder if Ana will seed or not, honestly. Also...


    New book release announcement!!!


    Please look up Chuunibyou Challenge!! on Webnovel, or simply use the link below. I promise, you''ll love /book/chuunibyou-challenge!!_25760893305800205