Chapter 16: Moving Forward in the World
Walking through the regal halls of Bastion, a stunning woman with vermilion eyes and dark plate armor was shuffling through multiple pages of a folder.
Archive 7, Section 14: [Ascended Sunless possess an ability to manipulate shadows and manifest them into tangible objects. This ability also allows something akin to a semi-transformation ability despite only being ...]
Reading the recent reports, she could only sigh...
"Who could have known that the pale guy would end up being such a big shot? Forward Battle-Scout, my ass, this guy's killing titans..."
Morgan grumbled to herself as she shifted another page.
"Section 15: Other known abilities include: Flight, hyper-regeneration, sight in darkness, manifold increase in physical augmentation, excellent scouting ability, a large arsenal of unknown memories, proficiency in multiple weapon types, excellent adaptation, excellent stealth... geez, it just doesn't stop, does it?"
She stopped reading, not even a third of the way through, already closing and lowering the folder to her side since she had previously gone through it multiple times.
"This could turn into a big headache if not contained properly."
Shortly after, she reached the staircase in the central tower that led up to the highest level of the keep and made her way up with slight haste.
Her footsteps echoed on the ancient stone stairs as she ascended the central tower.
"I wonder how Sunless would go about fighting me... perhaps he really has some sort of dark aura around him like the new reports described?"
The thought of fighting someone like him made her grin with excitement. 'How interesting... I should get him to spar me in the future.'
She envisioned how she would go about defeating him, based on what she knew about his abilities, and she even lost to him in her carefully planned scenarios a couple of times.
'Ah, but what if I use all my Echoes? Hmm... that wouldn't be fair though, would it? Perhaps he has something up his sleeve that could flip the balance since he killed that Corrupted Titan somehow. But then again, he is still such an enigma to us...'
When she finally reached the entrance at the top of the tower, the sounds of metal clashing grew louder. The older guard by the exit bowed to her briefly before opening the door. "Lady Morgan. His Majesty has been expecting you."
With a small nod, Morgan walked past the guard and out to the top of the tower, which was the highest point in all of Bastion and served as the personal forge of the King.
Her crimson cape fluttered from the sudden gust of fresh wind as she stepped onto the raised platform. The rough smell of burning steel filled her nostrils, but she remained stoic to the sensation.
A sharp metallic clang rang out again, giving her ascended ears slight tinnitus...
But what made her finally narrow her eyes in slight discomfort wasn't the smell of hot steel, and neither was it the sharp noise of metal assaulting her ears...
It was the unbearable Supreme pressure of her father crashing against her and making her have to manually breathe from strain.
She lowered her head, not daring to speak until permitted...
In the Forge stood a tall man with dark hair and cold, steely eyes. He was broad-shouldered, with a lean but mighty physique. Powerful muscles rolled under his glistening skin, and his sweat was evaporating off of him. His mere presence was emanating a suffocating aura of dominance and oppression.
He put his grand hammer aside and took a still-glowing steel blade with him.
Morgan could tell that he had noticed her but didn't care to address her yet.
She watched tensely as her father dipped the glowing hot sword into the water and let it cool. The sword hissed for a while before eventually cooling down enough to have taken its final form.
Anvil lifted the formed blade once more and held it out vertically before him with ruthless judgment. Standing just behind the outstretched sword, he saw his daughter and finally spared her a glance as well...
His steely eyes narrowed before he sighed deeply in disappointment and tossed the sword off the platform. His deep voice resounded with dissatisfaction.
"Insufficient."
The blade fell onto a pile of hundreds of discarded blades on the ground below. It was just another failure in his countless attempts to chase perfection.
Morgan lowered her eyes to the ground. She wasn't sure if he meant the sword or her... perhaps it was both.
Anvil turned away, walking to his storage of steel supplies to once more repeat the process. As he took out a piece of steel, he finally addressed her, his voice devoid of affection.
"You're late. Explain yourself."
The pressure that had been pressing her down increased unbearably, forcing her to one knee as she suppressed a grimace. The vermilion princess spoke through the strain, retaining some part of her dignity.
"Father... I apologize for being this late... I had been going over the reports of the Devil of Antarctica once more just to be sure."
Anvil didn't answer for an agonizingly long moment, letting the pressure of his supremacy speak for itself. But just when Morgan was starting to break into a sweat, the pressure finally subsided just enough to be bearable once again. Then he spoke coldly...
"The Master who killed that Titan. Hmm... he could prove a useful asset in future battles."
Morgan lifted her head slightly. 'What?'
Laying the raw steel into the furnace, the King continued...
"Alright. Your main objective is still to achieve a decisive victory against your enemies in Antarctica and bring the citadel of Ariel under my command."
The raw metal turned a pinkish-red before he flipped it in the furnace, causing sparks to fly out.
"But from now on, your secondary objective will be to recruit that Master. Feel free to use any means necessary—be it coercion, bribery, marriage, or his connection to little Neph, it doesn't matter."
Morgan finally looked at her father. Her expression betrayed nothing, but inwardly, she felt a sense of bewilderment.
'Marry? Seriously... as if I don't have enough on my plate already. Now I gotta recruit that guy too...'
She cleared her throat. "So what if he doesn't want to join despite me trying various methods?"
Anvil briefly glanced at her, then stated the obvious. "Then you will make sure the witch never gets him."
The vermilion princess slowly rose from her kneeling position and lamented inwardly. 'So either I get him to join our war, kill him, or threaten him enough to stay neutral... great, just great.'
Sighing, she spoke now that the pressure of his Will was lessened.
"Understood. I will bring you victory, father."
The glowing metal was removed from the furnace and then placed on the unique anvil of the blacksmith. The king took his hammer again and struck with great precision, causing sparks to fly everywhere as the scorching metal was forged into his desired shape.
With his back now to her, Anvil spoke in his usual cold tone. "What are you waiting for? Go and bring me results. Don't disappoint me again."
"Yes, father. Goodbye."
She didn't expect him to reciprocate, and yet still felt disappointed when he didn't.
With that done, she left the Forge and made her way down the tower. She walked through Bastion's inner walls, passing by many noble figures and guards with practiced courtesy and the spitting image of a powerful princess.
Despite her practiced external calm, her analytical mind was running with a thousand thoughts.
How would she decisively defeat the Song army in Eastern Antarctica? Which saints would they be facing? How would she best approach Sunless with an invitation?
She ran each scenario through her mind, facing many approaches, obstacles, and tactics... yet she still lacked information to make a proper analysis. Morgan lamented inwardly, while she allowed herself to let out a small huff...
'Time will reveal everything... for now, I have to get my sister dearest ready for departure.'
Before she reached Nephis's quarters, she summoned one of her more than forty Echoes. A hovering being that had a comically round belly appeared before her, and at her command, it opened its giant maw unnaturally wide. Then, she placed the folder about the Devil of Antarctica in its maw and dismissed it again.
'Can't have Nephis catch me with that. She'll be suspicious enough already.'
Now she finally reached Nephis's room and knocked twice before entering it with a sharp smile.
"Greetings, sister dearest. I hope I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"
Nephis's room was neatly kept. Everything was kept minimalistic with a small variety of colors and few but meaningful decorations... in her defense, she barely spent time in Bastion, so there wasn't any need for these types of things.
Standing by her desk with her arms crossed, Nephis turned to look at Morgan and gave a taciturn nod. She was actually wearing a comfortable but practical gray garment with a vermilion cape instead of armor for once...
"Nothing was interrupted, Morgan. When will the departure proceed?" Nephis held up a piece of paper from her desk and burned it with her flames. She had previously read the contents already, so nothing was lost.
Morgan's crimson eyes narrowed subtly, wondering what had been written there... but then she sighed dramatically.
"Always so straightforward, aren't you, sister dearest? Well, you're in luck; Uncle Madoc is already waiting... oh, and what was that letter all about?"
Nephis moved to leave the room with her, having already prepared everything for their departure. She kept her expression stoic, knowing that Morgan was like a hungry predator waiting for weaknesses.
"I just don't like wasting time. Antarctica can't wait. And that wasn't a letter... I write down my thoughts and then burn them. My therapist recommended it a while ago."
Now, walking side by side, both sword sisters moved gracefully, drawing gazes from most people in the inner part of Bastion. Morgan hummed thoughtfully as she looked ahead.
"Hmm... sounds to me like you're suppressing something.
Oh well, anyway, speaking of thoughts... something—or more like someone—has been on my mind for a while now."
At Nephis's side, Morgan gave her a pointed look.
"Could you tell me what the hell happened with your ally, Sunless? At one point some months back, I was negotiating with him, but he was just a Master known for his academic merit, young ascension, and great track record... but let some months pass, and he's suddenly the hero of the world! The savior of tens of millions. The Slayer of a Corrupted Titan for spell's sake... where the fuck was he hiding all that when I met him?"
Changing Star listened—for once with actual attention—as she heard Sunny's name, followed by a list of his recent accomplishments. On her stoic face, a faint smile bloomed.
"He really is... an amazing guy. As for why... that is not for me to say. You will be able to ask him yourself soon enough, Morgan."
'And so will I... there's so much to talk about.'
"But I suppose I can tell you that he had always been part of my cohort for a reason."
"I see..."
Morgan sighed... that wasn't much info. But when Nephis told her that Sunless had always been part of her cohort for a reason, she thought about it some more and then concluded... Sunless had probably always been extraordinarily useful, but had intentionally kept it hidden for reasons unknown.
Perhaps the reason he stopped putting up the facade of a researcher / battle-scout was that he felt he was strong enough to have enough leverage over himself and his position in the world. He had seemed very reluctant to join any clan, preferring to work for the government now instead... There were lots of dots waiting to be connected about the mysterious man named Sunless.
Was he aware of the Sovereigns? If not, he might have overestimated himself in relation to the rest of the awakened world.
Then again... he was close to Changing Star. Which meant that it was very likely he had been informed of the true rulers by her.
'Just what's your plan, Sunless?'
Nephis glanced at Morgan and raised an eyebrow. The Princess of War had a predatory smirk on her face; her crimson eyes were open with sharp focus.
"If you're thinking of recruiting him, I'd quit. Sunny wouldn't join you if you gave him the world... or any clan for that matter. Even now, he's only a temporary part of the government for the duration of this Antarctica crisis."
Hearing this, Morgan dimmed a little.
"Oh really... I'm sure he'd at least want to be with you and Master Cassia, no? I mean, having him fight alongside you would be a lot better than having your cohort be so dispersed as it is now..."
Nephis shook her head at that. This time her voice was firm, as if ending the recruitment speech right there.
"We aren't dispersed at all, Morgan. In fact, my cohort is all anchored to the same citadel in the Dreamrealm. And again, you have to ask him yourself. I won't decide anything for Sunny."
"Alright then, whatever you say, sister dearest."
She was given a long look by Morgan before the Princess of War sighed and decided to let the issue go for now. She knew she'd meet the man named Sunless soon anyway, so there was a lot of info to be gathered.
The two sword sisters finally reached Madoc's office and briefly caught up with each other... or rather, Morgan and Saint Madoc did, while Nephis sometimes nodded along and said a few short sentences. She had summoned her dark, crafted armor as well by now, making the three of them match mostly.
Nobody said it, but to everyone she was still a bit of an outsider... and a suspicious one at that, considering their shared history.
"Well, Uncle Madoc, I guess there's no need to waste any more time. We've already gone over everything, so let's go."
Morgan walked to the Saint's right side and placed a hand on his shoulder. Then Nephis followed, mirroring her at the left shoulder.
"Alright, let's go then." The severe, tall Saint simply stated before pulling on his tether and bringing the three of them across worlds...
*
In an underground office at the Antarctic government army headquarters a while back...
Sitting before an overly messy desk were two laid-back figures in government-issued, elastic full-body armor.
Their arrival should have been celebrated, but instead, all they got was a grumpy look from the old but still handsome man sitting across from them.
This "old man" was none other than Wake of Ruin, the leader of the World Government. He wore an austere military uniform that had an insignia of four stars emblazoned on its sleeve.
Honestly... to Sunny, it felt more like a tense standoff or perhaps an interrogation.
"So what you're telling me is that your Echo just happened to perfectly counter the Titan that had managed to defeat the stationed Saint? I must say, that's one hell of an Echo, Sunless... ya' mind you showing me?"
Now this was tricky... Sunny didn't exactly want to reveal his Supreme Serpent like that. He knew that Saint Cor's office was well defended against espionage, and they also used a memory to seal their conversation in a bubble of sorts... still, he had to play his cards right.
He was still leaning back in his chair as he gave a calm response. "It did counter the Winter Beast well. That was the only way we could have achieved victory. And I do mind. But I'll show you something anyway..."
With a reluctant sigh, Sunny got up from his shadow chair and crossed his arms as he looked at his own five shadows. "Nightmare, come here."
Not even a second later, the dreadful steed appeared from his shadow and let out a terrific snort that made the air in his lungs vibrate. He was truly blessed to have Nightmare on his side.
"This is... an Echo of sorts. It's the equivalent of an Ascended terror."
Jet watched him summon the horse with a slightly confused expression, but she trusted that he had something in mind, so she chose to remain quiet.
Saint Cor observed it with a hint of curiosity through his stern gaze. Despite Nightmare's aura of dread, the old Saint didn't even bulge. He sighed with slight annoyance.
"Do you think I'm a fool, boy? I'm aware that this Echo is exceptional for its rank and class by its presence alone, but that's simply not enough to kill a damned Corrupted Titan. Not by a long shot."
Sunny nodded while reaching out to stroke Nightmare's mane. "I don't. And that is what I thought as well."
Then he smiled proudly and continued. "...but despite his looks, Nightmare has a special ability. It can put even the most powerful of creatures to sleep, and in their unconscious states, it can create a labyrinth of nightmares for them... trapping them in their own mind. It takes an extraordinarily persevering soul to have the mental fortitude to break out..."
He paused, glancing at the old man. "Trust me. I experienced it firsthand."
The old man nodded somberly, prompting him to continue his tell of tales.
"I had theorized back then that the Winter Beast's blizzard was not actually a passive ability as it seemed, but instead something it had to actively maintain... my reasoning was that the blizzard was always adapting to its targets. It got stronger or weaker depending on who was in the way... it also concentrated its power to a single point if necessary."
Nightmare dissolved back into the shadows as Sunny turned back and sat back down by the desk.
"That is why I had concluded back then that if Nightmare could somehow make it lose its consciousness..."
Saint Cor held out his palm and interrupted him with an impatient mutter.
"...you could get close enough to deal a lethal blow. Yeah yeah, I get it now. Real clever."
'Yeah, I am real clever, old man!'
Sunny simply smiled in amusement... of course, this wasn't the way he killed the Winter Beast at all. But with just a little change in wording and enough random truths, he could let the old man create his very own lie.
'Heh... I still got it!'
<"I must say, that is a terrifyingly smart way to use your Flaw, Sunny. Old man doesn't suspect a thing..."> Jet said in his mind as she lazily dangled with a dagger in her fingers.
Saint Cor let out a deep sigh again and leaned back into his expensive office chair. He briefly glanced at his three empty coffee mugs on the desk before rolling his eyes tiredly.
"You know... I am grateful that the government still has such talents as the two of you at its side. Though I must say, you two really don't like making things easy for me, huh? More than twenty million people saved from Falcon Scott. But what the hell do I do with these?"
Saint Cor let out an annoyed grunt and gave them both a dark look.
"There's already a lack of resources and accommodations... and now I've got to resettle, feed and clothe all these people as well... I mean, I wish there was some 'magical portal' that just leads to a 'magical land' with vast resources that can somehow accommodate them all! But we've got to be realistic here...
So I don't want to sound like an asshole, but we might need to double the outskirts in the future if this continues. And I'm aware how much that would trigger you two in particular."
Jet stopped messing with the dagger and looked at him again, the humor draining from her eyes. Since she and Cor weren't aware of the Sovereigns' opening their dreamgates in the future and allowing a large-scale exodus into the Dreamrealm, they believed that the Antarctican populace would have to squeeze in at the remaining three continents...
Sunny put on a more serious expression, but inwardly, he wasn't really that worried.
When he saw their darkened expressions, the old man coughed a little...
"Hey, it's not your guys' fault. You two saved countless people from a cold, helpless death. And now it's my responsibility to keep them alive."
He looked at them sternly. "I'm serious. Don't even start with any of that self-deprecating nonsense. You two did your job a hundred times better than I ever asked of you, and that's that."
"..."
"..."
When they remained silent, Saint Cor shook his head and got up, walking over to a storage unit.
"Now that we've discussed the past, let's talk about the future."
It scanned his bleak iris, then opened with a swish. Inside, he took out two medals and tossed them at both Jet and Sunny...
"These are two 'Order of Humanity' medals. The highest military honor one can receive, as you both know... though I suppose this is your second one now, Sunless."
'Oh, it's one of these badges... too bad I lost them all after my Third Nightmare.' Sunny's face suddenly lit up as he put his medal inside the mimic memory.
"Oh, does this mean I'll get credits for this one too?"
Cor stood there and snorted a bit at the "Devil's" excitement for monetary gain... it was a strange thing to have someone like Sunless be considered to be a Hero² of humanity. "Yes, you will."
The old man cleared his throat, returning their attention to him.
"Anyways... get up, you two; I'll assign you both to your new mission."
At the mention of a "new mission", they both reluctantly got up, muttering something about paid leave under their breath as they deliberately took their sweet time...
Seeing them take their time to get on his nerves, the old man let his Transcendent pressure flare out, making them grimace. It came naturally for Saints like him. If unsuppressed, the pressure of a Transcendent could easily knock out any mundane and bring an Awakened to their knees.
"Quiet, you rebellious brats. I know you two just came from a harrowing adventure, but those Valor bastards decided to crash way earlier than agreed upon. And you two are perfect for the job."
Saint Cor walked over to a large oval table on the other side of his office. He waved his hand lazily, triggering an electronic chain of activations. "Jarvis, project a topographical map of the current situation in Eastern Antarctica."
At his command, out of the table came a hologram of the current situation in this part of Antarctica... there were many small symbols and red spots that probably represented Nightmare Creatures and gates.
To an outsider, it probably looked like a clustered mess with countless little colored dots that struggled over the twenty-seven bastions of humanity, but Sunny quickly deciphered the meaning of the symbols and made an assessment of humanity's situation.
The result made him grimace a little...
'Was it even this bad when I saw it back then?'
Saint Cor tapped on some of the dots, making live broadcast windows pop up... The old man watched the situations and did some swiping and dragging...
Eventually, he realized that they were still with him.
"Oh, right. The Valor emissaries will arrive in a few hours, so go and prepare yourselves however you like. There's a new communicator and some other useful things in both your rooms... otherwise, I'd say we're done here for now."
Jet didn't waste any time as she quickly turned around as soon as she heard him say "done."
"Finally! Peace at last."
Sunny and Wake of Ruin both watched her walk out with perplexed looks... if any other government soldier had left so unprofessionally from the leader of the World Government, they'd have been disciplined very quickly.
Saint Cor then turned to Sunny, raising an eyebrow.
"What are you waiting for, kid? I've got a continent to manage."
Sunny didn't exactly want to bother him. Instead, he had long thought of something that would be both beneficial to him and the government.
"Saint Cor... before I go, I've wanted to let you know that I'm working on another report of my findings at the moment. And I think this one could change the world of the Awakened in a major way."
The old man's interest wasn't entirely piqued, so he merely raised an eyebrow. The description "world-changing" was so oversaturated by journalists these days that he wasn't expecting much.
"I guess you haven't forgotten your academic past, Sunless. So what? Go and publish it for all I care. Go get your credits."
The old man didn't yet realize the weight of Sunny's work, and Sunny couldn't blame him. Looking at the old man with a serious expression, he continued...
"Along my journey of ascension, I've discovered how the natives of the Dreamrealm managed to climb the ranks without the help of the Nightmare Spell.
I'm currently writing a detailed guide named 'The Natural Path to Godhood' that goes into depth on how to naturally ascend to each of the ranks. It explains natural Awakening, Ascension, Transcendence... and even Supremacy."
As he got to the last part, his face darkened a little.
"And I don't have to explain to you how a certain few figures would want my head on a silver platter if I ever released that info to the public..."
The old Saint listened carefully, taking in the info one by one... as Sunny went on about his increasingly earth-shattering findings, Saint Cor slowly grew more and more serious. He sighed and looked Sunny up and down, as if reevaluating him... 'So this Ascended that came out of nowhere has the keys to Supremacy? I don't know why, but I actually believe him. Fate is such a strange thing...'
"So you know more than most about this wicked world... I guess you're right. They'd probably execute you in a week if you had the balls to release that."
Sunny smiled diplomatically, knowing that he had him hooked now.
"That's where you and the government come in, Saint Cor. Once I finish my report, I will hand it to you and let the government release it anonymously!" '...while also collecting credits and getting away with it scot-free!'
Cor seemed to think about it for a moment and then shrugged.
"Hmm... that could work, I guess. But if that were to be done, we would cut out the part about supremacy. The government is already in such a fragile neutrality... I don't need to give them their thirteenth reason now as well."
Cor looked at Sunny and saw him nod in silent agreement.
"Good. Then go finish your report, and bring it to me once you're done. The government will, of course, reward you according to the value you provided. So think of something you want until then."
Seeing the Saint's agreement, Sunny looked at Cor and grinned with greed while reaching out his hand.
"Actually... send the fully uncensored part to Clan Night as well. And let them know who it came from. It's just a return of friendship on my part. Do that, and we've got a deal."
The old man frowned at Sunny's increasing demands... giving the knowledge of natural supremacy to Clan Night was like handing the instructions of creating a hydrogen bomb to a contending nation... If Clan Night were to make use of that, the world would be split between 3 Supremes instead. 'This could... destroy our world's fragile balance. But at the same time, it could save countless lives by preventing them from entering their First Nightmares.'
In the end, Saint Cor just shook his head tiredly.
"Alright, then I will make sure Clan Night will also reward you accordingly. This agreement is confidential, so don't let anything slip out if you value your life."
Finally, Saint Cor came to a decision and took Sunny's hand in a firm grip. Thus sealing the deal.
What Cor didn't expect as he looked into the short, young man's eyes was that he suddenly felt a cold sense of instinctual dread wash over him, along with a chill, making his hair stand on end. Outwardly, he managed to keep his composure somewhat, but inwardly, it felt like he was cornered...
'S-strong..!'
His eyes slowly drifted down to the source of this anomaly until he saw their joined hands... he slowly pulled back with practiced composure and then saw it in the palm of the young Master's hand. As soon as he let go, the feeling was gone.
'It's... a Serpent's tail? How strange...'
"That's great! Then I suppose we're done for now. I will take my off time now... until later, Venerable Saint Cor."
With that, Sunny dissolved into the shadows, leaving him standing by his oval table alone.
Saint Cor rubbed his glabella and sighed tiredly...
'This kid is so much more than he shows of himself. What kind of a trick was that, to make even a Saint like me feel like death whispered in his ear?'
Then he scoffed, returning to swipe around at the hologram of the map.
'Death? I'm not that old yet.'
He watched the situation of the entire army unfold and then smiled faintly...
'When I first saw him, I felt it in my spirit immediately. Sunless is a walking anomaly to the world... a prodigy of his own kind. Someone like him will pull out the roots of the world and create something new... it seems whatever he does wasn't meant to happen, yet it did. What a strange feeling he gave me, heh.'
For a moment, he took his bleak eyes off of the projection and looked at the ceiling with an absent-minded smile...
'He reminds me of you, Broken-Sword...'
*
As Sunny entered his new room, he let out a deep breath before dropping himself onto his new bed.
'It's not as good as my bed from the cathedral... but it will have to do. I haven't had a good rest in weeks!'
Then again, he only had some hours before having to greet the Valor emissaries. From his past regression, he knew Saint Cor had planned for them to be the government envoys to the Clans again. Which he welcomed, since he would finally be able to see a certain someone again... someone who remembered him.
Back before his time-travel, he had been with Nephis almost 24/7. Either as her shadow or in person... so now that he hadn't seen her in such a relatively long time, he felt his longing burn like a flame yearning to see her again. He was even a bit nervous she'd notice, considering her Aspect and everything...
"Huff... I gotta calm down. This is supposed to be my break!"
He finally looked to his side, where on his bed lay a brand-new communicator. This one was even better made than his old one.
He held it up to his face and turned it on, making it boot up with a government symbol on the screen. Then it scanned his irises and finger biometrics before completing the boot-up process with the message "Welcome back, Sunless!"
'Huh... was it always this fancy?'
He watched his empty screen for a moment, wondering how he could waste his time efficiently... he remembered how he used to read Webnovels and Manhwas with his mother's broken communicator back in the day and felt a bit of fond nostalgia...
Only for his communicator to suddenly vibrate once, then twice, and then again and again without pause, throwing him out of his thoughts with bewilderment...
"The fuck..?"
All at once, hundreds of messages and missed calls flooded in, making even his high-end device lag a little...
"Ah... I guess I've been missed, huh?"
Slowly, a warm smile bloomed on his face as he lazily lay back into the cushion and held his communicator above his face.
He had some messages to read and respond to. And he'd gladly do that.