Nathan watched everything unfold with a sorrowful gaze. Without hesitation, he reached out and took Adam's hand standing beside him. "My condolences," he said softly.
Adam simply stared at Nathan's face, silent for a moment, before spontaneously brushing off the grip. "If you already know all this, you don't need to say 'I like you' to me. It only adds to my burden!" His voice rose. "I've lost my friends, my wife, my king… and you show your abnormality to someone so noble?"
Hestia let out a long sigh, her eyes narrowing at Adam. "You…" she murmured, holding back her frustration.
Nathan only gave a thin smile, though tears ran down his cheeks. "I'm sorry," he whispered.
Adam secretly realized he might have overreacted. 'I think I shouted at this kid too much,' he thought.
Nathan turned to Goddess Hestia. "I will return to Earth."
Hestia nodded.
Adam immediately raised his hand high. "Me too."
Hestia smiled faintly. "Hmph…"
"Adam, I'm glad I could meet you in this dimension. I won't forget you," Nathan said, waving his hand.
Adam turned his face away, pretending not to care.
Nathan stepped into a magic circle engraved with a blooming lotus. He gave a final bow to Goddess Hestia. Adam walked to another circle, his head held high with pride. "Finally. I can return to my kingdom."
Goddess Hestia clasped her hands before her chest, as if praying. "Your Light, God of the Sky, allow Adam and Nathan to return to their respective worlds…" From her palms, white light exploded, forming pillars that pierced the sky endlessly, enveloping the two men.
"Synchronization of souls… begin!" she cried.
Suddenly, a massive white flash struck the magical currents, twisting them.
"Goddess… what is this?! Aaaa! It hurts!" Nathan screamed.
But Adam was in far worse chaos. "AAAA MY SOUL!!! IT HURTS!!! WHAT IS THIS?! HELP!!!" he roared, thrashing like mad. His voice echoed, shattering the silence of the divine realm. Nathan endured the pain, but his chest tightened watching Adam like that. Adam remained standing, yet uncontrollable convulsions wracked his body.
"This is impossible! Why is soul synchronization like this?!" Hestia panicked. She touched the pillar, but the blast of energy threw her far back. "N-no." She staggered to her feet, shaken. "This should have only returned you to your bodies—ADAM!!!" she yelled, watching the wizard's body begin to fade unnaturally, as if being forcibly torn away.
Suddenly, a pair of gentle hands grabbed Adam's. Nathan held him tightly, almost supporting his entire body to prevent destruction. "You will not die! You will not leave!" Nathan's voice broke, full of desperation.
Chaos raged. Magical winds swirled wildly, blinding white light everywhere, yet amidst it all, Nathan's embrace felt strangely warm, as if shielding Adam from the abyss. Adam's breath came in short gasps, but his fingers felt Nathan's steady heartbeat against his back.
Hestia glanced toward Adam's world and was shocked. Three days had passed since Logia the dragon attacked. In Elberia's palace, the emperor was performing a hero summoning ritual.
"Stop, Your Majesty!" Hestia cried, panicking, but her voice didn't reach the human dimension.
She glanced elsewhere. The clouds parted, revealing Nathan lying on a hospital bed on Earth, a doctor pressing a defibrillator to his chest. The electric shock caused Nathan's body to tremble violently, coinciding with the flashes within the magic pillar.
"How can this be?!" Hestia covered her mouth, shocked. Soul synchronization reached its peak.
BLLLAAAARRRR!!!
A tremendous explosion of energy hurled Goddess Hestia far backward, shattering the celestial realm. The entire dimension was swallowed by darkness instantly.
UCLA West Valley Medical Center, Los Angeles, USA — August 25, 2024, 03:00 AM
The hospital corridor was silent, only occasionally disturbed by the footsteps of nurses and the soft hum of IV machines. Julian still sat in the waiting room, his body bruised and battered. Some bandages on his arm and temple had yellowed slightly, a sign of dried blood. His hands clutched a rosary, fingers moving slowly along the beads. His head remained bowed, lips murmuring prayers.
His heart was restless, tight, and filled with fear. Every second felt like a long torment. The shadow of Nathan, lying weak with cables and tubes, haunted his thoughts. "Please, don't take him…" he whispered softly, as if God were sitting before him.
Inside the ICU, tension filled the air. Nathan's heart monitor showed a weakening waveform. The beeping slowed, making doctors and nurses exchange worried glances. One doctor quickly grabbed the defibrillator. "Prepare! 200 volts!" he shouted.
The flash from the shock device reflected on the medical staff's faces. They pressed Nathan's chest repeatedly, but the monitor only moved slightly. On the next attempt, unexpectedly, Nathan suddenly sat up with a loud scream, "IT HURTS!!!"
His voice echoed through the ICU and the corridor. Julian, still outside, immediately straightened up, shocked. The rosary nearly slipped from his hands. His gaze locked on the white door. "Nathan…"
Doctors and nurses froze for a moment, unable to believe what they had just seen. Nathan's previously weak heartbeat surged dramatically. He gasped for air, eyes wide, scanning the room. Some doctors still stared in disbelief. Another quickly administered anesthetic through his IV.
Gradually, Nathan's breathing stabilized. His eyes closed, his face calmed, and he fell asleep. One doctor checked the latest scan results, a look of amazed wonder on his face. "This… is impossible! His internal organ injuries are healed, and his heartbeat is back to normal," he said, staring at the monitor.
Nurses exchanged glances, none daring to guess what had just happened. Outside, Julian could only close his eyes again, clutching his rosary, unaware that his prayers had just been answered in a way far beyond logic.
Elberia Kingdom, England, April 16, 1470 AD
In the palace basement, the Emperor stood surrounded by ten royal wizards performing a hero summoning. Spells echoed in the air, spreading a dense magical aura.
Several wizards began to collapse one by one. Blood flowed from their eyes, while the summoning magic emitted a terrifying aura. Oswald, Erneld, and Marigold, observing, felt their hair stand on end. Through the palace front door, dark energy seeped in through the cracks, flowing into the basement.
Marigold's face turned pale. "This terrifying power, Adam developed it. I'm not sure anyone could defeat the Dark God, Ash."
Oswald replied softly, "Let's trust Adam's words. Surely one day, we can defeat him with the hero we summon to this era."
Now only four royal wizards remained standing. Their bodies trembled, struggling not to collapse.
Suddenly, a massive energy burst threw the Emperor and the four wizards. Oswald, Erneld, and Marigold quickly formed a magical shield. In the night sky, a large white pentagram glowed brightly. Some survivors of the Logia dragon massacre watched the phenomenon in horror.
The Emperor rose, staggering. Oswald, whose legs were still intact, supported him. "Sir, are you alright? We should stop this," Oswald said.
The Emperor glared sharply. "Are you insane? My people could die! Don't you see the dragon outside? Frozen by Adam? That ice seal won't hold forever. When it breaks, we will all perish!" he said loudly.
Oswald fell silent.
Suddenly, the ground shook violently. Part of the floor collapsed into the basement depths. Oswald chanted a spell, spreading his hands. "Fiduntei'ar!" A protective barrier formed, keeping the room intact.
The tremor ceased, but the dark purple aura thickened, seeping into cracks at the center of the pentagram. Moments later, the pentagram in the sky disintegrated like dust.
The hard ground suddenly became soft. From its surface, a human hand pierced out. Oswald immediately shielded the Emperor. "Your Majesty, retreat!!" he shouted.
As everyone froze in fear, the hand gripped the earth for support. Slowly, someone emerged from within the ground. His body was naked, covered in sand, dust, and soil. His hair was disheveled.
Marigold screamed, "Adam?!"
Everyone was stunned. Adam, whom they knew had died and was buried in a separate location three days ago, now stood before them. Adam looked at them with a confused expression. "You…" he said softly.
Oswald only stared in astonishment. The purple aura filling the basement gradually dissipated. Marigold and Erneld, seated in wheelchairs, bowed their heads and wept uncontrollably.
At the peak of the Celestial Realm, Goddess Hestia slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze immediately fell upon the sacred foundations holding her world, starting to collapse, one by one, like shards of glass detaching from their frame. The once dazzling realm of eternal light now dimmed, large cracks crept through the air, and the entire divine dimension shook uncontrollably.
"This dimension won't last long," she murmured softly, clenching her fists at her sides.
Suddenly, a thundering voice split the sky. Deep, heavy, authoritative, yet laced with uncontrollable anger. "Hestia! You've made a grave mistake! You dared use soul synchronization with my seal! I never approved them to live again!"
Hestia straightened her body, eyes flashing defiantly. "Why?! Why can't we give them a second chance?" she cried, her voice trembling between anger and despair.
The voice echoed again, now like lightning striking her ears.
"Their existence is the source of dimensional chaos. And you, have only worsened everything!"
Hestia's chest tightened, as if those words were pressing down on her. She fell silent, unable to reply. Soon, the voice returned, cold but resolute. "Your dimension is destroyed, and as a result… you will lose your home."
Hestia quickly looked up, her eyes blazing. "What, old man?! This is my home, and you must rebuild it!"
The voice exploded into a booming laugh that echoed across the heavens. "You are just a little goddess. I could wipe you out now. But this is interesting. I shall send you to the mortal world."
Hestia narrowed her eyes. "To… the world?"
"Yes. To Elberia. To help, what's his name… Nathan?" A pause, then a mocking tone followed. "Ha, that homosexual youth. You like him, don't you?"
Goddess Hestia stomped her foot, her face red with rage. "Once more you insult that poor boy, old man, I'll knock your teeth out!"
The booming laughter resounded again. "I give you two years. Then you will return to your Celestial Realm, and your home will be renovated with the help of God Barbas."
Hestia snorted sharply. "That damn god? That work will take forever!"
The Sky God's tone hardened, annoyed at the sharp-tongued goddess. "Enough, Hestia."
Suddenly, from the glittering black sky, a giant golden glowing hand appeared. Hestia looked up, pupils wide. "OLDDD MAAAN!!!" she screamed, shrieking in fury.
BLAARR!!!
The hand struck her with tremendous force, hurling her through layers of light, plummeting from the heavens toward the mortal world.
Mid-fall, the Sky God's voice was faintly audible in her ears. "Your power will remain, but, the fortune of a god will vanish from you. You will help Nathan master magic, to defeat the Dark God, Ash."
Hestia fell faster, the light of the Celestial Realm fading, as the horizon of the mortal world approached.
To be continued…