n

n

nConsume it. Said the voice

nAs he heard this, John looked at the stone in his hand, before calmly replying to the voice in his head

nI refuse. Said John as he placed the Crystal into the dimenisonal ring

n…

nwhere's Zestari?

n…

nThere was no reply. John tried asking again, but the voice was gone.

nSeeing as how there was no point in persisting, John put the stone into the dimensional ring, before doing what had been on his mind since he regained his memories

n

"Thank you! I'm sorry... Master...

" Said John as he bowed

nEveryone was surprised. John had been looking gloomy which should have been natural but they never expected him to be this energetic after everything that had happened.

nSeeing this, Master Sylvia stretched out her hand towards John.

nAs john saw the shadow of her hand approaching his head, he was expecting some sort of smack or punishment for all the trouble he caused

nBecause of him, Master Sylvia nearly died. Not only that, but while he was possessed he hurt her. She had to fight to get him back, Just like everyone else. He felt both guilt and gratitude inside of his young immature heart.

nBut despite all of this, Contrary to his expectations, Master Sylvia placed her hand on his head before moving it around it as she said

n

"I'm glad that you're fine and Thank you too...

"

nWhat...?

nSuddenly, one by one, water droplets began to slide down the face of the boy who had remained bowed without moving.

nAs they started to land on the floor, he tried to understand why, Just why wasn't she mad after everything that he had done?

n

"Aren't you mad?

" Asked John as he raised his teary face and began to wipe it

nThe steam had no effect whatsoever on his tears, despite him wanting it to. He also didn't want them to see him cry.

n

"Why would I be mad?

" She asked as she continued to pat his head

nEveryone quietly watched as the two interacted with each other

n

"Because I... Because of me... You nearly...

"

n

"John.

"

nMaster's tone suddenly changed from a light one to a cold on as she moved her hand away from his head

n

"Yes...?

" John asked nervously

n

"Whatever happened to me was due to my carelessness. Rather than that, just be glad we're all fine.

"

nUpon hearing those words, the tears which John desperately tried to hold back could no longer wait.

nHe moved his hand away from his face and showed Master Sylvia a bright smile on his teary face as he nodded and said

n

"Yeah... Thank you... Master.

"

nSeeing this, Master simply gave a soft smile back

n***

nWhy am I feeling relieved... Even if I'm the only one that knows, there was still a person amongst us who didn't end up fine... Damn it...

nAs they stood in front of the giant gate, John clenched his fist before muttering

n

"She'll be fine... I know she will... She knows everything, after all...

"

nWhile John worried about such things, Serena who was next to him, suddenly asked

n

"Azure, what happened to the other party wearing cloaks?

"

nWith his hair now back to the normal blue, Azure replied

n

"They were a bit troublesome to deal with, but they're gone.

"

n

"Eh? You dealt with them?

"

n

"Yeah, If they're prepared to take a life then they should be prepared to lose theirs.

" Said Ayda

nSo there was something fishy going on, but what...

nAs if having read John's mind, before he could even say anything, Ariel asked the question

n

"What was their aim?

"

n

"We're not sure, they refused to answer our questions, more importantly, you should probably start heading inside.

" Said Azure as he pointed at the gate

nSeeing this, the party turned to it as John asked

n

"Aren't you guys coming?

"

n��We'll go after. You four were the ones who have completed this dungeon, so according to the guild rules, all the treasures belong to you. We'll leave the dungeon before it collapses, and besides, we still have to go help that lady's party get out.

" Said Azure

n

"Are you sure you'll be able to make it in time?

" John asked

n

"Of course.

" Azure replied with a smile

nJohn was a little nervous and thought that Azure might be hiding something which is why he didn't want to go, but left it to just him being oversensitive again.

n

"Hm... Is there anything bad that we should expect after going through the gates?

" Serena asked as she stared at Azure

nAnd there goes me being oversensitive

n

"Not that I know of, there's a treasure room on the other side, along with the dungeon's core. But the moment you pass through the gate, the dungeon's core will stop functioning and the dungeon will collapse. If you want, you could even sell the cor-

"

n

"That's not what I meant, most normal people would be dying to go through the gates if it contained treasure, are you sure your party doesn't want anything?

" Serena asked

n

"I'd be lying if I said we didn't, but we have our pride as adventurer's. Taking someone else's reward is unnecessary, and we've conquered a dungeon recently so we're doing quite well on funds. The only thing to look forward to would be...

"

nAzure was interrupted by Ayda who said

n

"The rare magical items and the Sacred Treasure.

"

nShe seemed very excited as she mentioned it, but quickly shook her head and recomposed herself when she noticed everyone staring at her.

n

"I-I See... Sorry, I was quick to assume things.

" Said Serena

n

"It's fine, I'd do the same if I were in your shoes.

" Said Azure

nJohn felt a great sense of respect for Azure after everything, he planned to get him something as thanks for everything that he had done for them.

n

"Then, we'll be heading off, Hopefully we get to meet each other soon.

" Said John as he waved at them

n

"Hopefully not...

" Muttered Ayda

n

"Yeah, next time try not to lose control.

" Said Kayla with a smile

nThe brown haired boy nodded and Azure said

n

"Yeah, next time let's spar. In was nice meeting you, John.

"

nJohn nodded as he said

n

"It was nice meeting you too, Azure.

"

nBefore turning to the gate and walking through it.

nSerena, Ariel and Master Sylvia all followed behind.

n