Beyond The System
Chapter 117: Soundly

Immediately, a pair of arms wrapped around me, not exactly the one I had hoped to hug first, but I returned the embrace without hesitation.

"Where have you been, man?" Elric asked, squeezing me hard. He had gotten stronger.

I looked past him, my eyes locking onto Thea. She stood frozen, unable to move, as if she couldn't believe I was real.

Gently, I pulled Elric away, patting his shoulders. "I'll explain... just let me, um, you know."

He followed my gaze, then stepped aside with a quiet, "Yeah."

I moved toward my stunned girlfriend. "I'm back, Thea," I said, taking a step closer only to stop when she spoke.

"What happened to your arm?"

"I—"

She cut me off before I could answer. "I tried," she said, voice trembling. "I tried to find you."

"Thea, it’s—"

"You weren’t there, but I kept looking. I'm sorry." Her voice broke, and I saw her body start to shake.

"I thought..." She glanced again at my arm, her face crumpling. "I'm so sorry. I should’ve looked harder, we—"

I didn’t let her finish. I pulled her into a hug, holding her close. "Don’t worry," I whispered.

"I’m sorry," she repeated, sinking toward the floor. I followed, kneeling with her, holding her tighter as my own voice cracked. "You don’t have anything to be sorry about."

"The cave was gone. We searched for days but..."

I pressed my forehead to hers. "It’s not anyone’s fault."

Elric's hand landed on my shoulder. "You scared the hell out of us, man," he said, his voice shaking slightly.

Lyra knelt beside us, placing a comforting hand on Thea's back and meeting my eyes. "We really thought... I thought you were gone," she said quietly. "It was hard. For everyone."

Sia fidgeted awkwardly nearby, mumbling, "We didn’t even get to say goodbye."

Thea cried openly now, tears streaking down her cheeks as she pressed herself tighter against me. The others said nothing more. They just stayed close, their silent presence a shield around us.

Minutes passed in the embrace, quiet and heavy, even the adults and the spirit hounds remaining respectfully in the other room.

For once, it wasn’t me who broke the silence. With absolutely no tact, Sia blurted, "You did used to say you were dating a freak... It's more true than ever."

Thea pushed her head harder into my shoulder, her body shaking and I shot Sia a fake glare, I couldn't help but smirk through it. What an awkward way to try to break the tension.

For a moment, I thought Thea was sobbing harder, but then I heard it: a choked, watery laugh. "Are you a plant now?" she giggled out through her tears.

I let out a shaky breath, half a laugh myself. "Maybe."

We shifted slightly apart, just enough for me to see her eyes clearly, the same storm-like energy dancing inside them.

I leaned in, pressing close to her. "I'm back, Lightning Princess."

"Welcome back, plant-boy," she whispered.

"Ah!" Lyra squealed, a sudden flurry of footsteps sounding from the dining area as the others rushed in.

The group stiffened, seeing the spirit hounds up close. Sure, the dogs could look a little menacing, but after the monsters I'd faced recently, their wagging tails and eager eyes were nothing short of adorable.

"Don't worry," Miss Star called from behind. "They're friendly."

The hounds moved through the room, sniffing each newcomer in turn. One of them, my little shadow, the I possessed, squeezed between Thea and me, lazily flopping into our laps without a care in the world.

Thea and I shifted to sit side by side, hands clasped tightly together, the familiar pup stretched out contentedly across both of us.

Marcus entered behind Miss Star, his eyes scanning the room until they locked onto a familiar shock of fiery hair.

Then, just for a moment, he glanced at me, a silent plea written all over his face.

"I'm feeling tired," I said, and it wasn't a lie. Relief had hit me all at once, the crushing weight I hadn't even realized I'd been carrying finally falling away.

Exhaustion surged up like a tide, overwhelming even the benefits of my cultivation, and that was saying something after my latest purification. "Maybe we could head upstairs?"

"Everyone should get some rest," Miss Star agreed. Then, turning to one person, she added, "Sia, I need to talk to you privately for a moment."

It was obvious Sia had no idea who the man standing beside her mother, staring at her with such intensity was, but she didn't make anything awkward. She simply nodded, seeming to sense nothing unusual.

No one protested.

I scooped up the dog, holding him under his front legs with my plant-like arm. He dangled there without resistance.

Lazy little guy. Maybe they cultivated just by napping... or maybe they were just lazy.

Lyra and Elric exchanged glances with Sia and her mother. Receiving a polite nod from Miss Star, they headed upstairs ahead of Thea and me.

In front of a door, the one Elric, Thea, and I had shared what felt like a lifetime ago, Elric turned back to me.

"Tomorrow," he said, "let's talk. I'm sure we both have a lot to share."

Lyra smiled warmly, and the two of them disappeared into a neighboring room.

The dog... If the system wasn’t going to name him, I would. Lazy boy? No, too fitting. Little too mean.

Thea opened the door to our room, and we walked in together.

The first thing that hit me was the smell, clean and fresh, then the spotless, welcoming sight of the room itself.

And then there was me, and... so coarse. Let's go with Bristle. Yeah. His name's Bristle.

We were filthy, and judging by the smell I got, probably unbearable to others.

Lying down in the bed like this would ruin it, badly.

"I'll get clean," I said, reluctantly letting go of Thea's hand and starting for the door only for her to grab it back, her grip fierce.

"No. Just... stay, please," she said, her voice tight with panic.

I froze, feeling the rawness behind her words. I understood. This all still felt unreal, fragile, like if I moved wrong it might shatter at any moment.

"I’ll be fast, Thea," I promised. I met her eyes, seeing the glistening tears forming there. It crushed me and warmed me at the same time.

I was back. I was really back. "I won't leave. I swear."

I leaned forward and kissed her, just a brief touch, but it was everything I'd needed for months.

Pulling away reluctantly, I held up Bristle, who barely twitched in my grasp. "But I need to get clean," I said, "and him too."

Thea still looked reluctant, but her grip softened. "I’ll be here," she said quietly.

She let me go and I opened the door, glancing back once. "I’ll be back in a moment."

I made my way to the bathing area, finding a bench and collapsing onto it. I didn’t want to take long, but oh man. When the hot water hit me, heaven itself would’ve paled in comparison.

Bristle tried to escape, but I caught him with a firm arm and pulled him into the wash with me. I grabbed soap and shampoo, lathering myself thoroughly, scrubbing down to the bone. I didn’t go any easier on my lazy little companion either.

'That boy is special,' Wyrem said, interrupting my bliss and nearly making me jump out of my skin as I scrubbed. Bristle already getting softer.

Luna chimed in almost immediately. 'The one who felt the most like you... Elric. He was using something special. Force was avoiding him, like he was a repellent.'

'Maybe he enhanced Sensory Veil, or created a new technique altogether,' I explained, scrubbing a stubborn spot. 'He’s got a lot of talent, especially in control.'

I really needed a brush. Still, between the soap and water, Bristle and I were more or less clean. I rinsed us both off as the mental conversation continued.

'I didn’t mention it earlier,' Luna added, 'but the energy is moving more normally here than where you arrived from.'

Miss Star had said this place was safe. But Luna's words caused a new thought crept in: Could the State monitor World Force directly?

The idea was... unnerving.

'Let me know immediately if you notice anything strange again,' I said. 'And how’s your training going?'

'No problem. And good,' Luna replied. 'Once I’m done, I’ll start purifying as much as possible.'

Then Wyrem, ever charming, decided to chime in: 'Can you plant me in the boy?'

I froze. 'You want me to put a man-killing, energy-devouring parasite into my best friend?' I asked, appalled.

'With Luna too,' Wyrem deadpanned, as if that made it better. 'She’ll have to come.'

'No.'

'No?' he echoed, confused.

'NO,' I said again, with emphasis.

'But... there’s something about him,' Wyrem insisted, his tone disturbingly hungry. 'So pure.'

'I like Peter,' Luna protested quickly. 'Besides, I want to make my own body and move around!'

I felt something that might have been a groan ripple through the Wyrem. 'Fine,' He relented. 'But when you start building your body, I’m coming too, and I expect a majestic form. Wings included.'

A grass dragon? I thought, half amused, half horrified.

Grabbing a drying cloth, I wiped myself down thoroughly, then turned to Bristle, who practically melted into the towel. He gave a few soft, whiny protests when I stopped, clearly he'd decided bath time wasn’t so bad after all once a rough cloth was involved.

Feeling fresher and better than I had in months, I headed back toward Thea’s room, Bristle trotting lazily at my heels.

The room was almost pitch black inside as I pushed the door open.

"Peter?" I heard Thea call as I nudged the door open, letting Bristle scamper in ahead of me.

"Yeah, it's me," I said, closing the door softly behind me. I moved toward the bed, placing my hand on the mattress first. It was soft and comforting.

I lay down with a long sigh, the exhaustion hitting harder now.

Sooo soft.

Bristle took that exact moment to hop onto the bed, landing squarely on my chest and knocking some of the air out of me.

I grunted, nudging him down to the foot of the bed, where he sprawled out like he was claiming the territory as his own.

Turning toward Thea, I asked quietly, "You okay?"

She shifted closer, sliding her pillow against mine until I could feel her breath warm against my skin. "You smell better," she said, voice lighter but still fragile.

I chuckled. "It’d be hard not to after that bath... but you didn’t answer."

Gently, I slipped my arm around her waist, drawing us closer together.

She reached out, running her fingers along my right side. When her touch brushed over Luna’s small form, I felt the faintest shiver.

'Tickles,' Luna whispered in my mind.

Thea's hand moved upward, tracing the bark and root-like patterns that marked my arm. "Like touching a tree," she murmured.

"Thea, I'm fine," I said, more firmly. "Nothing's wrong. It was just... a bad accident. You couldn’t have done anything."

She didn’t respond right away, and the longer the silence stretched, the more worried I became. Still, I forced myself to ease off, not wanting to pressure her.

"It’s not your fault," I said softly.

I paused, then asked, "Do you want to know what happened?"

She nodded.

I lifted my wrist a little awkwardly toward her face which was too close for such an action, but at this point, neither of us cared. "You see the little blue grass?" I asked.

She leaned in, inspecting it curiously.

"That’s Luna," I said. "One of the Vampire Grasses... or Blood Root, she called herself once."

"She said?" Thea echoed, confused.

"Thinking plant," I said, smiling a little. "Long story."

She moved past the thought quickly. "She did that to you?"

"Saved me, and gave me a new arm," I corrected, laughing quietly as I lowered my hand again. "I think... if you could hear her, you'd get along."

Thea hesitated, then asked, "What do you mean, saved you?"

Her voice was softer now, tinged with guilt. She shifted back slightly, creating a little more space between us.

I didn't answer directly. Instead, I pushed gently, "Your turn. How are you?"

I tugged her closer again, but left a little distance this time, giving her room if she needed it.

"I—I..." She met my eyes, and something fragile flickered there then vanished.

"I feel okay," she said, voice barely above a whisper. "Now." She pulled my head forward, resting it just below her shoulder.

"You must be tired," she murmured, the tremble in her tone betraying the tears she was holding back.

"Yeah," I agreed, no strength left to argue. I closed my eyes.

Truth was... I was terrified.

I knew this was real, but a small, gnawing fear still lingered. What if I woke up?

What if this was just another illusion, another cruel trick, and I opened my eyes only to find myself back in the forest, or in the trial grounds?

But then I felt her breath, her hands, the warmth of her body curled around mine.

It didn’t matter.

This was real enough. This was where I was. Where I wanted to be.

For the first time in what must have been over two months, I drifted into peaceful sleep, whole, and utterly at home, wrapped in the arms of the girl I loved.