“JEEEERRRYYYYYY!!!”

The passionate shriek of a crying brunette echoed across the room, forcing everyone within the meeting hall to turn in the direction of the sound’s origin.

Standing right in front of the room’s exit

/entrance was Ciara Epilson, her long brown hair now scattered all over her face. Her bushy hair made her look unkempt, and adding to this bizarre appearance was her tear-filled face, with some mucus dripping from her nose.

Her body trembled fervently as her eyes were fixed in the direction of only one person, and his eyes were now slowly capturing her.

“C-Ciara…?” Jerry’s lips parted as he looked past the shivering girl’s unkempt appearance and saw the deep fear, sadness, regret, joy, relief, etc., locked in her eyes.

The moment his eyes fully took her in, burning sensations began to sting his cheeks, and red hues slowly appeared.

He tried to control himself, but Jerry found tears dripping from his eyes as he looked at this mess of a girl.

“J-Jerry…” Ciara whispered, her tone trembling with every syllable uttered.

Everyone else in the room was frozen in either shock or curiousity, wondering what would happen next.

*****

‘I… I will tell him now! I will tell Jerry how I feel!’ Ciara’s thoughts echoed in fierce determination, her blurry sight regaining sharpness as she dried off her tears and prepared her heart for what would happen next.

Her friends. Her doppelganger. Her experiences. All of them had prepared her for this very moment, when she would finally be able to confess to the man she loved.

Yes, he looked different from how she remembered him to be. Jerry seemed to have grown even taller, more handsome, more muscular, and he even had nicely trimmed beards on his face.

He seemed much older than the last time she saw him. About ten years, one month, and five days older… if she was to be specific.

But none of these mattered to her in the slightest.

He was still Jerry, and after being separated for so long, Ciara could not hold it in any longer.

She wanted to let her heart out.𝞸𝑣𝓛xt.𝗰𝓞𝔪

“Jerry, I—”

~WHOOOSH!~

Before she could conclude her words, Ciara felt a sharp blur approach her, like the swift flow of the wind. In an instant, the blur encompassed her with its warmth, drawing her closer in an embrace.

The blur was Jerry, and in the blink of an eye, he had appeared in front of her, his arms wrapped around her as he pushed himself closer to her.

‘Ahh…’ Ciara’s eyes widend as her face turned pink in response to what had just happened.

She could smell his scent. She could ehar his heatbeat. She could feel him.

… After so long, she could finally feel him!

“I thought I’d never see you again!” Jerry’s voice suddenly erupted, the emotion in his tone bleeding into Ciara’s ears.

She could feel him tremble. She could hear his heart racing with every word he leaked out. She could feel his heavy breath envelope her.

“J-Jerry…?”

“I’ve missed you, Ciara! I… I’ve missed you so much!”

Ciara was instantly paralyzed.

Hearing the words of the man she loved and missed so much… filling her ears with so much emotion and desire…

Ciara felt like she was sinking in the depths of her emotions.

“I…” She nearly choked on her words as she felt Jerry sink deeper into her, tightning his grip on her, as if he never wanted to let her slip out.

… Never wanted to let her go.

Ciara could feel it from the depths of her heart—boundless joy that wanted to burst out a millionfold. The smile on her face overcame every ounce of worry and fear, and she felt Jerry’s warmth completely shroud her.

She felt protected, safe within his strong, large arms.

“I’ve missed you too, Jerry.” She finally mumble and melted into his embrace.

She didn’t want to think about anything more or less.

Ciara simply wanted to live in this moment. Because right here and now, she could finally feel what she had longed for all along.

She was finally home.

******

Everyone had just finished recoiling from the shock of seeing Ciara suddenly charge in and go through all her drama with Jerry within seconds, and now they were more than merely curious… they were desperate.

What in the world was going on right now?

Why were the ones they desperately sought after now in front of them as if nothing had happened? Also, where were the rest of those who had vanished?

As soon as the latter became a valid thought, a presence manifested within the room, almost as if it had been there all along.

“Hello, everyone.” The newcomer’s voice, calm and strong, echoed across through the room, instantly bringing all focus to him.

His perfectly toned body and tall frame were the first to catch the attention of everyone present, followed by his auburn hair and the scar on his face.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” He spoke again, and everyone remained silent for the same reason.

This young man… he had a very powerful presence about him.

Not only did he appear to be an immense barrier that oozed dominating power, but he was also unrecognizable from his past bulky self.

“E-Edward?” The one who responded to his greetings first was Lemi, the Half Elf.

Her eyes were gleaming with so many emotions, but if they could be crystalized into one definition, it would be that of a ‘pleasant surprise’.

Her purple and blue eyes radiated sheer marvel at Edward’s current form—a much more compressed form of the extremely muscular state he had in the past.

Personally, she preferred the bulky frame, but this form intruiged her. Not only had his muscles gotten even stronger and more denser than before, but the amount of energy she was sensing from him felt unreal.

Her curiosity and interesting consumed her, almost to the point that she began to drool at the sight of Edward smiling in her direction.

“I-it has been a while…”

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A

/N

Thanks for reading!

I know the story has been progressing slowly, but I really want to establish the first act of this entire thing.

Cheers!