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nAfter finishing his business with Ethia, Kai left the academy and walked through the streets toward a particularly calm park in the northern side of the city where he agreed to meet with Eva. Since he didn’t want to risk being followed by the suspecting Ethia, he decided not to go back home.

nA few minutes later, he reached his destination as he sat down on a random seat and waited. Eva was supposed to reach their agreed meeting spot a few minutes after he sits down. Well enough, a few minutes later, a person wearing a big hoodie walked toward Kai.

nThe boy stared at the figure for a moment before he stood up and approached the stranger. When they were close enough, the stranger suddenly rushed toward him and jumped into his embrace without saying a word.

nKai also wrapped his arms around the thin body of the stranger. He felt the strength used in the hug and the subtle shaking of the girl in his arms so he gently caressed her back as he whispered into her ear. “I’m fine. You don’t have to worry.”

nHowever, Eva didn’t stop shaking immediately as she buried her face into his neck. “Thank you… Thank you for staying alive.” She replied.

nKai raised an eyebrow at her reply before he sighed. How scared was Eva for her to not even scold him or get angry because he did something reckless? Kai knew that it was far more serious than he expected.

nEva had seriously contemplated whether Kai had faced something horrible or not.

n“You did well, Eva. You did very well.” So, with that in mind, Kai smiled as he patted her covered head.

nAt that moment, he heard a small whimper and a sniffle. Eva had teared up at that moment. “Thank you… *Sniffle*… I was ready to go anywhere just to find you. I didn’t care what the consequences were. It didn’t matter at all.” Tears rolled down her face.

n“I know. I trust that you will always find me. But, you did great. I’m sorry for putting you through this.” He replied.

n“You don’t have to apologize.”

nThe two stood like that for a long time before Eva finally calmed down and Kai pulled away to take a closer look at her face. Although he was seeing her every day through facetime, seeing her in reality, this close was completely different and more impactful.

nEva also stared closely at his face as if she forgot how he looked and was trying to engrave his image in her head.

n“Should we sit down?” Kai broke the silence between them with a question.

n“Mmm, we should.”

nSo, the two sat down next to each other, their hands still interlocked as they stared at the calm greenery around them. Since it was evening, there weren’t many people around them.

n“This feels similar to the time we got separated.” Eva said with a small smile of nostalgia. Although almost two months had passed since Kai left her, it felt like it was yesterday for some reason.

n“Yeah… How have you been?” He asked.

n“Oh, I’m fine. Ignoring the fact that I intensely missed you, I was able to continue with my life normally. It’s weird to live alone again after staying with someone for a long time.” Eva laughed awkwardly.

nHowever, Kai knew that Eva was hiding her loneliness from him. So, he moved his hand toward her face and held her cheek. “I know how hard it was. It’s fine, you don’t have to hide it from me.” He said.

nEva was quite taken aback for a second before she nodded her head. “I guess I’m bad at hiding things?” She asked.

n“You aren’t. I just know you more than anyone else.”

n“Tsk, cheater.” Eva murmured with a sulking expression.

n“Blame the one who made me learn so much about her.”

n“Hehe, that’s the wrong answer to give a lady, Mister.”

n“Is that so?”

n“In this situation, you should appease me because I’m sulking.” Eva joked around as she tapped his shoulder.

nThe two continued to joke around and talk about different topics for a while. Catching up on their lives was already something they did everyday, but they still wanted to listen to each other speak, not because what they’re saying is of great importance but because it was simply entertaining to hear each other speak about anything.

nBoth of them had secretly agreed on that without saying a single word. After a while of talking, all the sadness had vanished from the air around Eva and she was laughing jovially as if she had nothing on her mind. Seeing her happy, Kai could only relax.

nAfter all the tension he had to go through the past few days, finding time to simply talk about random things was a blessing for him.

n“Hah, and then I had to actually refuse that offer from the company since I’m retired. They were ready to offer double the price but I still refused. I had enough of that.” Eva laughed as she talked.

n“Maybe you should’ve accepted it if you had free time?”

n“No, I don’t really think that would’ve helped me cope with you leaving. It would’ve simply added another layer of stress and responsibilities that I didn’t want to experience. I do like modeling, it’s just not as enjoyable as being with you, that’s all.”

n“… I see.”

n“Hehe, did I make your heart skip a beat?” Eva asked teasingly.

n“You did.” Kai replied honestly.

n“…”

nEva blinked in surprise as she stared at Kai before the latter turned toward her and replied. “I got you.” As he pulled his tongue out.

n“You… Tsk, I lost again!” Eva clicked her tongue in defeat.

n“So, what happened with Ethia exactly?” After all the fun banter, Kai finally decided to move to a more serious topic since the sun was already setting and it was getting dark.

nEva’s playful expression returned to neutral as she recounted what happened exactly with all the details. She didn’t leave anything behind as she gave Kai all the information. When she finished, Kai was already in deep thought.

n“Unaware of the consequences of this plan? That’s unexpected.”

nOf all the things that Kai expected, this wasn’t one of them at all. He never even entertained the thought that Ethia wasn’t aware of what her plan is gonna lead to. Yet, somehow, it seemed like that was exactly the case.

n“I also didn’t believe it at first. But her tone, her demeanor, her expressions, they were all very genuine. I’m sure she wasn’t acting.” Eva nodded her head.

n“How can she be an Ophanim if she was this naive? Strength isn’t the only thing that could bring her that high.”

nFrom what Kai knew, an Ophanim was akin to a legend even in Divinity. They were figures akin to gods along with the Seraphims and god himself who Kai knew his identity.

nThere was simply no way that they simply chose Ethia based on strength. Unless, Ethia herself had something else other than strength she can present to Divinity.

n‘Something way more important than cunningness. What could it be?’ Kai thought to himself.

nThe mystery behind Ethia was only deepening with no apparent light at the end of the tunnel for the questions.

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