Everything was pitch black.
Xu Qiong's eyes opened blearily, a faint light gradually illuminating his vision.
Wait, is this still Amphoreus?
Where the heck has he been sent this time?
Didn't he just beat the Iron Tomb to death? He shouldn't be dead yet, right?
Amidst a wave of dizziness, several indistinct voices drifted in and out around his ears.
"He's awake?"
"Wait, I think His Lordship is awake."
"Quick, quick, quick! Gray is awake!"
Xu Qiong's breathing evened out until the moment he could fully open his eyes. The hazy scene resolved into a familiar ceiling.
And...
Cipher's pair of sapphire-blue, gem-like eyes, blinking at him.
Immediately, Xu Qiong looked around. A gentle, iridescent glow enveloped him from his right side, as if he were being healed.
This feeling... it's Hyacine.
As for around the bed, a circle of people had gathered. In view were Castorice, Hathur, Tribbie... or rather, she should be called Tiresias now, and Teacher Anaxagoras.
He stood with his arms crossed, looking over with a peculiar expression.
Once Xu Qiong realized his body could move, he quickly pushed himself up with his hands and sat up in bed.
Then, before he could even steady himself with a shake of his head, he saw a purple figure anxiously lunge forward.
But as if realizing something, she had just started to reach out when she pulled her hand back, afraid of hurting Xu Qiong.
"Your Lordship, you're awake?"
"How's your body? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
Xu Qiong stared at the purple-haired girl before him. Confirming he really didn't seem to have any major issues, he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
Then he took the purple-haired girl's hand and pulled her a bit closer.
"Your Lordship..."
"I don't feel anything wrong with my body. See for yourself."
Xu Qiong casually waved his arms, flexibly demonstrating for her.
Seeing that Xu Qiong could move and really did seem fine, the worried expression on Castorice's face finally eased considerably.
But then, realizing she was in physical contact with Xu Qiong, her first instinct was to pull her hand back.
After all, the power she possessed could not touch the living; the power of death would devour all life. So, no matter how worried she was about Xu Qiong's condition, she had to try to keep her distance.
However, what surprised her this time was that the twisted purple patterns did not spread onto Xu Qiong from their contact.
Xu Qiong seemed to understand.
So it seemed. He really must have led the team to defeat the Iron Tomb earlier, which is why he didn't suffer from touching Castorice.
Thinking this, Xu Qiong nodded with satisfaction: "After destroying the Iron Tomb, it seems the negative effects attached to the Demigod Authority have all disappeared."
Hearing these words, Castorice looked ahead blankly. Her previously struggling arm tentatively moved forward a bit more.
Finding that there were indeed no problems, she suddenly jerked her head up.
She saw that Xu Qiong had already opened his arms toward her, his eyes giving her a slight hint.
Castorice seemed to understand something. The expression on her face still held some Hesitation and bewilderment, but her body trembled uncontrollably, looking utterly incredulous.
"It's alright now." Xu Qiong showed his hands again. "Look, no signs of erosion at all."
"Come on, the hug I promised you."
The next second.
That purple figure pounced, tightly embracing Xu Qiong.
Warmth.
The scent of the living.
A long-lost sensation.
"Your Lordship..."
Although he couldn't see Castorice's face, from her slightly trembling body, Xu Qiong could feel a softness. He imagined she must be happy right now.
He held Castorice warmly like that for a long time.
Xu Qiong peered over her shoulder, his gaze sweeping over the other Chrysos Heirs.
Most of them were present, and they'd all undergone significant changes.
His gaze lingered on the red-haired girl. Calling her a 'girl' might feel a bit off, but in appearance, she looked about the same.
"Teacher Tiresias, I suppose I can call you that now?"
"But your condition..."
Being called out by Xu Qiong, Tiresias's expression remained fairly calm.
She smoothed the hair at her temple: "This? Ever since I awoke, I found the prophecy has completely lost its effect."
"Of course, if Gray feels it's awkward, you can still call me Tribbie, Ti An, or Teacher Ti Ning."
After speaking, the corner of her mouth lifted into a warm, knowing smile.
Hearing the mature 'Teacher Tribbie' call him by his nickname made Xu Qiong feel a bit awkward, but her recovery was a good thing.
He then added a compliment: "It's fine. You look beautiful like this, complete!"
"Huh?"
Tiresias's expression froze.
She hadn't expected Xu Qiong to be so smooth-talking?
Immediately, Xu Qiong's gaze fell upon Hathur, who was walking over holding a wine glass.
She sat by the bed and handed over the glass filled with water: "You're finally awake, Gray Fish. You've been asleep for almost three days."
"Here, I prepared some water for you."
Hathur's voice was calm and clear, deep like the ocean.
Xu Qiong, having just woken up, was indeed thirsty. But just as he prepared to sit up and take the glass, he found Hathur had already brought it to his lips.
"Gulp~ Gulp~"
"Don't move for now. Let me feed you, just in case there are any problems with your body."
Helpless, Xu Qiong was pinned on the bed, forced to accept being held by Castorice on one side and being fed by Hathur on the other.
Beside them, Hyacine was performing a Sky Miracle, making Xu Qiong feel a wave of warmth all over.
Standing opposite the bed, Anaxa, who had been watching since Xu Qiong woke up, looked up with an 'Oh my god' expression, then couldn't help but press his hand to his forehead.
"Damn it, this is unbearable. I shouldn't have come in."
With that, he turned helplessly and walked out without looking back.
At the same time, a sudden commotion sounded in Xu Qiong's ear, and then he saw a pink figure fly out.
"Hey, hey, hey~!"
"partner, what are you doing? You just woke up and you're already teasing the Chrysos Heirs?"
A pair of long fairy ears, starry twinkling eyes, cute blush, a big pink Tail—she stood with her hands on her hips, looking displeased at Xu Qiong.
"partner, can you hear me? Hey, hey, hey, one, two, three?"
Hearing the noise, Hathur moved the glass away from Xu Qiong's mouth.
Realizing she might have held on for too long, Castorice's cheeks flushed slightly as she quickly got up. After straightening her clothes, she stood to the side with the posture of a maid, as if nothing had happened.
Xu Qiong came back to his senses: "Huh? Hesitation? Cyrene?"
"You changed back again? Did the power of memory run out during the previous process?"
Xu Qiong was still somewhat worried, but clearly, his worry was unnecessary.
Hesitation suddenly straightened up: "Hehe, I'm perfectly fine. It seems I can freely control getting bigger and smaller now."
"Don't believe me? Watch."
As soon as she finished speaking, in the blink of Xu Qiong's eye, a pink-haired girl appeared vivaciously before him.
Not tall, petite figure, a ceremonial robe tied with ribbons, half-open sandals, and a pair of diamond-shaped eyes.
"How about it, partner? Now I've turned into a lovely beauty."
"Should I say 'like our first meeting' or 'long time no see'?"
"I wonder if you missed me in your dreams earlier? ♪"