Chapter 78: Don’t Leave Me Alone
My consciousness was like a flickering bubble, rising and falling in an ocean of nothingness. At one moment, the bubble burst. Shaya felt as if he was submerged in warm water, with gentle currents flowing around him, nourishing his entire body.
The next moment, Shaya opened his eyes. The air was filled with the pungent scent of potions. He found himself in a large bathtub. The tub was filled with a verdant green liquid, infusing the entire bathroom with a rich life force. On the floor not far from the tub lay many scrolls inscribed with magical runes. However, at this moment, those valuable spell scrolls were all torn open. The runes etched on them had also dimmed, losing their original magic and spirituality, becoming ordinary text.
Shaya was familiar with these items. Healing alchemy potions and scrolls were among the most expensive items of their tier within the transcendent category, as they could save lives in critical moments. To be safe, Shaya had always kept a stock of healing items since acquiring his “Spatial Pocket.” Previously, during a “Historical Echo,” he had used them all up in one go to keep Sylvia alive.
“So extravagant…”
“I could have recovered in just a few days by resting, but this must have cost thousands again.”
Shaya also spotted a pale purple potion bottle. It was a special potion capable of directly restoring mental energy and even healing soul injuries to a certain extent, costing several times more than ordinary potions. He tentatively moved his limbs and discovered that his condition was better than he had imagined. The profound weakness that seemed to originate from the depths of his soul and permeate his entire body had vanished. The side effects of the perfect mastery “Blood Burn” typically lasted for a full day.
Had he been unconscious for more than a day? Shaya looked up, intending to check the time on a clock, when he felt a tickle on his arm and heard faint breathing. The blonde maiden was sitting on a small stool beside the bathtub, her hands resting on her knees. Her light golden hair cascaped over the edge of the tub, with a few strands falling near Shaya’s hand. Aerora’s fair cute face was serene and beautiful, her beautiful eyes closed as she slept peacefully.
As if sensing Shaya’s movement, Aerora’s long eyelashes fluttered slightly. The next moment, she opened her eyes, revealing her pair of beautiful blue eyes. The two people looked at each other in silence. Finally, Shaya was the first to break the gaze, looking away and speaking first.
“Good morning, Little Ai…”
“Oh, no, maybe it’s good evening?”
Shaya pushed himself up, supporting himself on the edge of the marble bathtub, amidst the swishing sound of water. He of course knew he would be naked after getting out of the tub, but Shaya felt no embarrassment. After all, she was the woman he had raised since childhood and would eventually claim. Moreover, having lived together for so long, they had long since seen everything there was to see. Besides, it was probably Little Ai who had brought him to the bathtub earlier.
Watching Shaya rise in the cascade of water, the blonde maiden turned her head expressionlessly, handing him a towel and clean clothes.
“Thanks.”
Shaya took the towel, dried himself of the lingering potion, and then changed into the clothes Aerora had given him. While dressing, he asked, “By the way, Little Ai, how long was I unconscious this time?”
“Three days and three nights.”
Aerora’s voice was as clear and cold as ever, but it seemed as if she were suppressing something.
“As soon as I returned home, I couldn’t find you anywhere. I couldn’t even sense your aura. I searched for a long time before finding you in the locked bathroom. At that time, you were covered in ashes and dust, your magic power was almost depleted, and your mental energy was barely detectable… Shaya, where did you go? Were you injured?”
Shaya put on his clean clothes and used a towel to dry his damp hair, momentarily at a loss for words. He knew that Aerora was a girl of few words and decisive action. Generally, she preferred to see herself as Shaya’s sword, going wherever he pointed without much thought or questioning. However, if this girl got stubborn, even ten Pureblood Dragons wouldn’t be able to change her mind. And Shaya was precisely the type of person who was worst at handling this kind of stubbornness. Throughout history, “thoughtless” has always been the nemesis of “unhappy.”
“Although I’d like to say, ‘just a minor fatal injury,’ the atmosphere doesn’t seem suitable for making jokes.”
Shaya hesitated for a moment before speaking again. “I wasn’t injured, I just used some overdraft skills. You can think of it like a potent supplement; my body was indeed drained, but it should be fine after a few days of rest.”
“Don’t you see I’m full of energy again?”
Aerora listened silently, her beautiful blue eyes fixed on Shaya’s face. Having been with Shaya and influenced by him for so many years, the jokes and slang that ordinary people from the Western Continent found difficult to understand were not a problem for Aerora. She even occasionally used them herself. Shaya patted the folds on his new clothes. “As for where I went…”
“You probably wouldn’t believe me if I said I went to another spacetime hundreds of years ago, would you?”
The blonde maiden nodded faintly. “I believe you.”
“Alright… I almost forgot. It’s you,” Shaya said, patting his forehead helplessly. With Aerora’s personality, even if Shaya told her the world was ending tomorrow, she would probably just nod calmly and then start packing their survival gear.
Shaya stood up, smoothed his collar, and reached out to touch Aerora’s head. Unlike Sylvia’s slightly curly long hair, Aerora’s blonde hair was very soft and smooth. Despite the different styles, both felt equally good to the touch.
“What I mean is, I’m perfectly fine.”
“See, I’m awake now, aren’t I?”
“I haven’t eaten for three days and three nights; my stomach is practically growling.”
“Let’s go, let’s have a big meal together.”
Shaya reluctantly moved his hand away from Aerora’s hair, beckoned, and turned to leave the bathroom. However, he then felt his clothes being grabbed.
“Don’t…”
The maiden’s usually clear and cold voice was now laced with an unconcealable tremor.
“Don’t… leave me alone.”
