Hajin stared at the girl for a second, taking in the familiar cyan hair, the bright yellow eyes, and the endless field of flowers stretching out around them.
The ring world looked exactly the same as he remembered it, peaceful and quiet, with the gentle breeze carrying the sweet scent of petals through the air.
"I didn't expect to see you so soon," she said, her voice carrying that same melodious tone he remembered from before.
She kept her hands resting lightly on his shoulders, the steady flow of her warm mana still seeping into his core. "And why is your condition so bad this time? Your mana is practically hollowed out."
He opened his mouth to explain, the words about summoning a second soul and the heavy mana drain starting to form, but then he stopped mid-sentence.
Something about the way she was looking at him felt off. Not her expression, which was genuinely concerned, but the fact that she was asking him at all.
