"W-what... you're alive?!" Callum asked, his voice full of shock and disbelief. Callum leaned forward, his own arms unsure of what to do. Milo watched with a soft smile, then he leaned in and hugged Callum.
"Let me have this for just a bit, Callum." Milo breathed out, his chest slightly heaving. After a few moments, Milo calmed down and stepped back. "You certainly grew." He commented.
"You wanna talk about change?! Milo, look at you... I mean what the hell, you're Awakened now!" Callum looked behind him. "I'll let you in, just give me a second." Callum stepped back and turned into his house, closing the door behind him.
Milo looked around the yard... it was so familiar yet so different. All the green, all the blue, all the brown. It felt so contrastive to the red and orange and black of the Forgotten Shore. Eventually, the door opened once again, Callum nodded Milo in.
"Sorry if its a bit of a mess." Callum noted, the first thing Milo saw was the cozy living room. A beige theme with linen couches and a coffee table at the center. The house itself had an aroma of wood and something else Milo couldn't quite put his hands on.
Callum took a seat on a two cushioned couch, Milo took a seat on the opposing single person couch.
"... Where do we even start?" Callum asked Milo, and Milo shrugged.
"I was just about to ask the same thing." Milo replied, then he leaned back. "A lot happened to me, for one, I... how do I explain this? I had gotten an Aspect Ability that made me null to negative emotions. Like the moment I felt them they just sort of disappeared."
Callum nodded, and so Milo continued. "I'm going to be honest, as much as I hated it, I don't think I would've survived without it. No negative emotions means none at all, no hesitation, no anxiety, no fear. Just pure drive. I was able to learn faster, and make more friends y'know. Then one thing led to another and I had a second soul core shoved into my soul."
Callum's jaw dropped. "You... what?!"
Milo lips curved into a grin. "I know right, with that, I got a Divine Aspect based around technology. It hurt like hell too, but in turn I got this really cool arm."
Milo pulled up his sweater sleeve to show his prosthetic to Callum, who's eyes widened in awe.
"That is sick... how does it work?"
Milo shrugged. "Hell if I know. The prosthetic was apart of my original Aspect, then it just stayed when I got the new one. It can be summoned and unsummoned and change to my whims... within reason at least." Milo let the prosthetic shift, showing the mechanics and small wires within. After a bit of showing off, Milo reverted the prosthetic back to its original state.
"I'm sure you've heard the news of how people are waking up all over the world, right? People from the Forgotten Shore, that's where I was."
Callum nodded. "I've heard of it. Only Awakened Nightmare Creatures and even worse... you're one sturdy guy you know that?"
Milo chuckled. "Geez I guess I found out after I had my guts nearly spill out my stomach. Only the gods know how I'm still alive... how has school been, do people even remember me?"
Callum nodded. "It's been different. Right after you had practically sacrificed yourself, everyone would ask me and that guy saved a myriad of questions. One of the girls asked if you were single." Callum added callously.
"Really?" Milo asked curiously, and Callum shook his head with a smile.
"Nah, I'm lying to your ass!" Callum added with a laugh. Milo glared at Callum for a moment, then eventually his glare devolved into a smile as well.
"You're lucky I'm an Awakened, Callum, government employed, I just can't go around beating on wimpy civilians."
Callum continued to laugh, after calming down, his face became more serious. "Really though, a lot of people miss you there. I'm surprised by how many people still talk about you, even if its in short passing."
Milo seemed to let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "That's all well then."
"I've also been visiting your family's grave. Just wanted to make sure they didn't get lonely while you were away... I run into your relatives on occasion. They make sure there's new flowers at the graves every two weeks. They were worried about you."
Milo looked at Callum. "...Thanks."
Callum shook his head. "It was the least I can do. I'm sorry, Milo."
Milo shrugged. "It is what it is, I can't do anything to change what happened to them, and I've had time to come to terms with it."
***
After a bit more idle chatter, Milo figured he was beginning to overstay. So he said his goodbyes and left. He returned home in a bit of a sour mood.
Milo took another quick tour of the house... his parents room and Lucy's room were left practically untouched.
'I said I was going to renovate it, but...' Milo looked at the Dreamscape pod his sister had owned. 'I think I'll just renovate my room for now.' Milo moved downstairs to the living room, stale and untouched for nearly a year.
Milo sat down on the worn couch. "Seventeen and owning a house. You made it Milo." Milo remarked to himself.
It was impressive really, by any other metric it should be something he should feel accomplished for, and yet here it just felt hollow.
'...One, two, three.' Milo counted down as he tried to stand up from the couch, but ultimately his body refused to budge.
"What am I doing?" Milo murmured, with a sigh, he attempted to muster the will to stand up. Only for him to still remain sitting. "You still have people here for you, you just saw one for gods sake. Get off your ass." Milo muttered spitefully, and yet he still didn't get up.
This inaction... it brought back memories. Memories that had been long forgotten, memories of his First Nightmare. That horrid loop of death, at some point, he had just wanted to die. For the Nightmare to end once and for all.
Had he really not changed since then? No... in fact he had gotten worse. Wanting to die then was excusable, that inaction was excusable. Death was terrifying, and this blight was nothing.
'Meanwhile this... this is just pathetic.'
He had to keep pushing forward, but was it such a bad thing for him to just do nothing? Could he take or a day or two to really think hard about the fact that his family was dead? Could he not look at their pictures for just a day?
'That much should be acceptable, right?'
"I'm sorry I lied to you, Callum. Guess I'm not over it after all."
Milo put his hand over his eyes. A gentle sunlight poured over his body from the white curtains.
"...Heh. I'm really being toyed with right now, aren't I? What? You expect me to believe this is some divine sign to get up?" Milo spit out, but his tone had no real bite. A tear fell from his eyes, then another. His chest hitched slightly. Finally, he stood up.
"I need to make some calls." Milo murmured as he interfaced with his communicator. He wiped his eyes clean, sitting around wasn't going to help him feel any better. He should distract himself at the very least with medial tasks.
That much would be acceptable, right?