Donovan sipped on his cup of cappuccino. He was reading the book he borrowed from the library. On the table next to his cup was a brown-fur cat with a little bit of black.
Meanwhile, the barista, Eva White, was busy on her phone. She was seated on a chair behind the counter. From time to time, she'd steal glances at the man who was reading while drinking coffee.
Hehe, I'm glad I decided to work here in Umbrellas… The Visitors are all so gosh darn handsome… I don't think I'll ever go back to Earth. Eva smiled as she opened her social media app, about to make a post. She typed on her phone: A handsome, majestic man sitting alone on a table, drinking coffee while reading and petting a cat.
Then, she sneakily took a photo of Donovan, and posted it.
In an apartment building right next to the park.
A beautiful, black-haired woman with blue eyes was sitting on her sofa, scrolling on her phone. She was none other than Sylvia Swan. She wore a simple, white turtleneck sweater.
Suddenly, her eyes slightly widened as her thumb paused. She saw a post of a majestic, ethereal looking man who was seated alone on a chair, drinking coffee while reading and petting a cat. The sunlight shining through the window complemented the image, as well as the man. The cat also complemented the entire image. The photo was so perfect, in fact, that it looked like it was a painting made by those classical painters of old times. It looked like something one would find in an art gallery.
Sylvia squinted her eyes, bringing her phone closer to her face. She recognized the background, in fact, she knew exactly where the photo was taken. But then, she suddenly came to a realization on who the man was.
"Donovan…?"
***
Donovan's cup of cappuccino was almost empty. He spent a good twenty minutes reading. He was deeply invested in the book he was reading. His left hand occasionally pet the cat on the table.
A while ago, while reading, he stumbled upon a particularly intriguing part of the novel. It spoke of a prophecy. The lines were as follows:
When Destruction nears its awakening, and its children wreak havoc,
A soul from dust shall awaken in the vessel of the flame.
He who is not, yet is, shall walk the mirrored path.
Through the journey, he shall engrave every step into his soul for eternity.
In the past, he shall witness.
The stars shall bleed, while the swarm rides on winds unbound.
A city adrift shall echo with the silence of old gods, while mortal hearts cry thunder.
In sleep, he shall remember.
The children of Destruction shall blot out the stars, and when the Harbinger awakens,
The Mirrored Soul shall grasp the echo of souls, not through blade, but through breakage.
In light, he shall change.
In memory, he shall fade.
In eternity, he shall wander.
Donovan was quite satisfied with the book he borrowed from the library.
Hm, I wonder what the prophecy means… As Donovan finished his cup of coffee, he was about to take out his wallet to pay for the cup when suddenly, he heard someone enter the café.
Looking over his shoulder, his faint smile slightly dropped upon seeing who it was.
The person who suddenly entered approached the counter. Then, the barista, Eva, smiled and greeted, "Welcome, Miss Sylvia. The usual?"
Sylvia nodded. Meanwhile, Donovan was frozen in his seat. He forgot to take out his wallet and was just pretending to read.
Suddenly, Sylvia approached Donovan's table, taking a seat across from him. She wore a white blouse with a Mandarin collar and structured tailoring, and light brown pants with a tailored fit.
Overall, she looked stunning as always. Like a diamond on the surface of snow.
Donovan cleared his throat, put down the book, and said, "Hello, Miss Sylvia. Did you need something?"
Sylvia's blue eyes landed on the cat, empty cup, and the book on the table. She then said, "I'm going to go on a high difficulty mission later. I could use a Mage."
She's still doing overtime…? Lady, just relax! Donovan shook his head. "No, thank you."
"A shame." After that, Sylvia's cup of black coffee and sandwich arrived in front of her. She took a sip.
After giving Sylvia her order, Eva suddenly said, "We have a discount for couples~"
Donovan immediately cleared his throat and said, "We're not a couple, Miss Eva."
"I see." Eva inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, and walked away.
Donovan looked at Sylvia again. "What's your true purpose for coming here?"
She didn't beat around the bush and directly said, "The higher-ups are still serious about making your brother return. Tell me if he changes his mind."
Well, aren't they stubborn… Donovan nodded. "I will."
He checked the time. It was currently 9:30 a.m. He then said to her, "I have to go now. Good luck on your mission."
Sylvia nodded. Then, she said, "I'll pay for your coffee."
Uh… why?
"Why?" he asked.
"To return the favor," answered Sylvia.
Favor…?
Donovan tried to recall if he did something for Sylvia from the original Donovan's memories. In the end, he failed to remember anything.
Donovan decided not to think too much of it. He then nodded.
He pet the cat one last time, the cat letting out a soft meow as Donovan grabbed the book and exited the café.
The barista, Eva White, watched as the handsome Donovan left. With a dreamy smile, she asked Sylvia, "Why is every Visitor so handsome?"
As Sylvia took a sip of her black coffee, she said with a serious expression, "You should stop posting photos of people on social media without their knowing. It's rude."
Eva's smile froze on her face.
66-Litus-55, the planet where Benedict and Lillian had their wedding.
"Oh, come on! Let it go, will you? You're acting like a child," said Rosalind as she carried a box of cake towards Jacob's spacecraft. Beside her was Jacob in a brown leather jacket. The spacecraft was on a cliff.
"...I need to find out who exactly punched me, Rosalind," said Jacob. He was carrying a box of cake as well.
Rosalind shook her head, letting out an exasperated sigh.
Behind them, in the distance, was Benedict and Lillian. Benedict said in a voice loud enough so they can hear, "Safe travels, you two. Jacob, you better protect her properly."
Rosalind and her bodyguard entered the spacecraft. She waved her right arm to the two as the spaceship began floating up. "Go and make a child already! I want to be an auntie!" she shouted.
Jacob made a brief wave of his right hand to the couple before turning around and entering deeper into the spacecraft. The entrance slowly closed, and the thrusters made the grass dance wildly.
The ship flew up and away into the distance. The two stopped waving their arms, and Lillian turned to Benedict, revealing a smile filled with desire. "We're finally alone, dear…"
"Indeed." Benedict carried her playfully with his hands on her waist, spinning her around as they both laughed softly and lovingly.
***
As Rosalind put the box of cake down on a small metal table, she asked her bodyguard, "Why aren't we warp jumping?"
Jacob was pressing some buttons on the control panel. "We're out of warp jump fuel. We'll have to go back to the planet Plor."
"Oh, come on, I've had enough of that place." Rosalind complained.
She continued, "Why didn't we refuel back in Umbrellas!?"
Jacob's eyes slightly widened. "I… forgot…"
An urge. Rosalind suppressed the urge to facepalm and smack him in the head.
9:01 p.m., Donovan's apartment.
Donovan was laying down on the bed. With a sigh, he muttered to himself, "Tomorrow's the big day… I'll finally be fighting Annihiliths…" He turned off the lights and closed his eyes.
After fifteen minutes, Donovan was unable to sleep as he sat up and got out of bed.
No good, I can't sleep at all… Why am I so nervous?! I've fought Annihiliths already! Well, that was through the memories of the original Donovan, but still…
He decided to train some of his punches on the self-repairing metal dummy. Behind the dummy was the burned, black wall which he burned with a lightning strike yesterday.
I really need to get something to cover that up…