A few minutes earlier, Eliza Lane had been in conversation with Laurene Hayes, a clone of the Desert Emperor Lloris Austin, and a few high-ranking Tarse officials who were aware that their Emperor was planning something involving specific points across the nation in collaboration with the new generation Heroes.

It was during this discussion that a magic circle suddenly appeared beneath Eliza's feet, and just as everyone turned toward her upon sensing its power, it released a pillar of light that engulfed her completely, causing her to vanish in an instant.

Eliza was transported through space to a distant location, and though she had been cautious at first when she reappeared, the familiar sight before her quickly turned that wariness into shock.

'This…Kreah?'

She knew Kreah.

It was the one city Eliza doubted she could ever forget because of what had happened there nine months ago.

But why had she suddenly been teleported there, and for what reason?

Her question was answered almost immediately when she felt a severed magical contract within her detect the presence of its other half, and the connection between them was instantly restored.

Eliza had no active magical contracts with anyone, especially not one that would alert her to another person's location or vital status.

Or rather, she currently didn't have any contracts of that nature.

The only one she'd ever had was severed nine months ago, here in Kreah.

'!'

The moment that thought crossed Eliza's mind, her head snapped toward the city centre, and a memory surfaced—an encounter from months ago with an unknown man who had told her that she'd be instantly teleported to Kreah once a certain condition was fulfilled.

Eliza didn't even realise when she started running.

Her magic power enhanced her physical abilities, and before she knew it, she was already racing through Kreah at supersonic speed.

The closer she got, the stronger she felt it.

That familiar presence she had longed to sense for months.

That familiar face she had been yearning to see all this time.

She didn't slow down when she finally saw him. She leapt straight at him, wrapping her arms around him in the most desperate embrace she had ever given anyone, not caring that they crashed to the ground and rolled across the sand.

Tears of joy quietly streamed from her eyes as she felt those familiar arms return her embrace, and sniffling, she managed to whisper the first two words that came to mind.

"…welcome… back."

A gentle kiss brushed her forehead, and then she heard the voice she'd wanted to hear for so long.

"Yeah… I'm back."

It wasn't through some magic projection or a video recorded before she was even born.

It was the real Evan's voice.

Her joy and relief were beyond words, and the same went for Evan.

The emotions they both felt were so overwhelming that they'd looped back to calm.

Only after holding Eliza did Evan finally feel like he'd come home.

And it was then that it finally occurred to him to question how Eliza had shown up right after his return.

"…how did you teleport here?"

When he asked the question, Eliza, still holding him, quietly murmured a reply.

"Someone used strange magic."

"Huh?!"

Evan couldn't help exclaiming in shock, but before he could ask more, Eliza continued.

"He said he was a friend from your time in the past."

She paused to take a deep breath before continuing.

"He used magic so I'd be automatically teleported here the moment you returned."

Evan was confused. A friend from his time in the past? He hadn't made many of those, but that didn't make it any easier to figure out who it could be.

"Did he tell you his name?"

Eliza silently shook her head, then after a brief moment, she murmured, "He had silver hair… and odd-coloured eyes."

Hearing those distinctive traits, Evan exhaled and shook his head as he realised who it must have been.

"So it was that skydiving lunatic..."

"…lunatic?"

Eliza looked up in confusion, and Evan just shook his head as he ran a hand through her hair, telling her not to worry about it.

But the moment he said that, his eyes went wide as a sudden thought struck him.

"Wait! You saw his face?!"

"Huh? Yes…?"

"It wasn't blurred by any mosaic or something?"

"…no," Eliza replied, clearly puzzled by Evan's questions, though Evan was too lost in thought to notice her confusion.

'She saw Arthur's face? But wasn't he hiding it? Or was he only hiding it from me because I'd get sent back in time?'

The new information clashed with what Evan had concluded after his trip to the past, leaving him uncertain about a few things.

"…Evan? Is something wrong?"

Eliza's voice, however, quickly scattered those thoughts from his mind.

"Nope. Don't worry. It's nothing."

He could think about all that later. What mattered now was that he was with Eliza—the real one.

Their moment together, however, was rudely interrupted by the guards stationed around Kreah's ruins, drawn by the waves of magic power that had come from Evan's return and Eliza's teleportation.

As the voices and presences of the Tarse soldiers grew closer, Evan sighed, pushing himself up and settling Eliza astride on his lap.

"My desire to see other living beings besides you is at rock bottom right now…"

He muttered this while glancing at the approaching lights, then, meeting Eliza's eyes, he asked,

"Let's take a little trip, shall we?"

"A trip?"

"Mhmm. For now, let's head to the Cloud Piercing Isle."

That was where the Tower of Trials Artemisia had created was located, and Eliza knew this.

There was just one problem.

"The entry portal is in our house in Gerfast."

She was referring to the portal in the basement of the Oak Avenue Manor in the GWE's capital, thousands of kilometres from their current location.

At her words, Evan smiled, rising to his feet and lifting her in a princess carry.

"Don't worry, my dear. We don't need to go all the way back to Gerfast."

"Huh?"

Evan unfurled his dragon wings and, with a single flap, shot up several hundred metres into the sky, eliciting a surprised yelp from Eliza as she clung to him to avoid falling.

She shot him a glare, and Evan just chuckled at her reaction, saying,

"News flash, Liz. Your man over here has gotten a lot faster than the last time you saw him."

Not even giving Eliza a chance to process his words, Evan beat his wings and shot off into the distance, taking her on one hell of a thrill ride across the night skies of Aidos.

He mixed teleportations using Blink and Space Warp with high-speed dashes and sharp curves through the air until they reached their destination island, after which Eliza scolded him for turning the sky into his personal racetrack with her on board.

Evan just laughed the whole way, brushing off her words with that familiar grin that never failed to soften her glare, though she tried to hold onto her indignation a little longer.

Eventually, Evan raised his hands in surrender, teleporting behind her and sliding his arms around her waist, leaning forward until his chin rested on her shoulder.

Eliza felt her irritation melt almost instantly as she sensed his breath on her neck, and without another word, Evan warped them to the Tower of Trials' residential wing, into one of the rooms they used during their long stays there.

He pulled her onto one of the beds and sank down with her, letting her lie against his chest.

There was no sensual intent in the way he held her, just a wordless need for closeness.

The silence stretched comfortably between them, broken only by the soft murmur of a few quiet words, unimportant phrases that simply filled the spaces where their thoughts met.

Eventually, Eliza's breathing slowed as exhaustion finally caught up to her.

The adrenaline from the flight, the relief of reunion, and the warmth of his hold blended into a heavy calm that pulled her toward sleep.

Evan didn't move, even when her body went slack against his, and he silently tightened his hold slightly, closing his eyes and soon drifting into the world of dreams.