Perfect Avatar
Chapter 184: I Missed You

Chapter 184: I Missed You

Bathed in the ethereal glow of the moonlit ocean, she stood bare, her green hair illuminated by the boundless stars above, her reptilian gaze locked onto the young boy.

"Hm? What’s going on? Have you forgotten how to greet an old friend? Let me help you..."

Her arms stretched wide, a radiant smile illuminating her face.

"Greetings, my little toy."

As Dora stood upright, his eyes glistened with a radiant spark, and his mouth fell open. With a hand trembling, he slowly extended it towards the girl, his breath entangled in a web of anticipation. In response, the young girl’s smile stretched even wider, and her laughter echoed through the surroundings.

"We’ve waited too long now, come."

The ripples of the water spread from the girl to the boy. It wasn’t an illusion, it wasn’t a dream, she was real, in front of him.

"... Mid...gard."

Dora advanced towards her. The girl before him responded with a simple nod.

"Yes, it’s me. I’m here."

One step, then another step, the distance between them narrowed.

"Midgard... Midgard..." he whispered, his vision was blurry but the girl’s figure was as clear as crystal.

"I’m here, Dora. I’ve always been here."

One last step and the girl was right in front of him, like a dream about to disappear.

His right hand tried to reach for her, but his left hand grabbed it. He knelt down, trembling. In his mind, these images replayed.

The blood in his hands, the people he’s killed through a body he’s lost control of, and the voice in his head that urged him to keep moving toward the next victim.

He held his hand tightly to his chest, his mind racing, when a sudden warmth enveloped him. He opened his eyes and found himself in her arms.

"I’m here, it’s not a dream and it won’t be a nightmare. I was there from the beginning, I watched your every step. When you were alone, I was there, when you felt betrayed, I never turned my back on you. All the crimes they attributed to you, I made them mine."

She held him by the shoulders, observing every detail of his face.

"Greed, Dora, the one from the Rift, I want every part of you. Your crimes, your failures, your wrongs, but also your light, your kindness, because I am the Player who represents the Avatar of Greed. Whatever you be in this world, I will always be there for you and I will never reject you. You are the most precious treasure I have in this world."

With utmost tenderness, she delicately pressed her lips against his forehead.

"I know what you’ve been through, I know how you feel, but now I need you to be strong one last time. We’re safe here, but outside..."

"Midgard."

In a fleeting moment, Midgard froze, the boy’s countenance transforming into a novel expression, reflecting in her eyes. A small crystal fell onto his knee, then another. Tears streamed down his flawless face, resembling two intersecting paths.

"Midgard... Midgard... " His voice intensified, his left hand finally letting go of his right hand and the two reached the girl into a deep embrace.

Her body was soft, maybe a little cold, but real. It was the same warmth he remembered from her.

"...Mid...gard..." His voice grew uncontrollable.

All the images of his time with her resurfaced. He was never alone.

When he was mocked by the students, she was happy to have found him.

"...Mi... dgard..."

When he behaved like a monster, she defended him, protected him, ready to sacrifice everything just for him.

In the twilight of his life, when he was a monster, there she was, fighting her kind, betraying her people for him, and at the very end, she offered her life.

Many people had suffered, many of his loved ones had died because of him, but he had never needed many people, only one person was that close to him.

- I’m sorry.

Midgard enveloped him in her loving embrace, her head gently nestled against his shoulder.

"I know. I always knew, even when you didn’t speak, even when you weren’t yourself, and I never held it against you."

- I made you suffer so much.

"You taught me to enjoy life, you made me dream of a life with you. The only pain I endured was saying goodbye to you."

- I killed so many people, I killed Elizabeth, I killed you.

"Dora, open your eyes."

As the boy slowly opened his eyes, he couldn’t help but hold his breath in awe. Bright stars surrounded them, stretching out into the infinite space, radiating their warmth. Dora was completely captivated by the breathtaking sight before them, a never-ending celestial wonder.

"Dora, look. Look at them the way you look at me. If you can’t listen to your heart, listen to your eyes, listen to your skin, listen to my words. No one, Dora, no one is suffering here. No one is angry, no one is sad, everyone is happy. Do you know why?"

she gently grasped his cheeks, bringing their faces close together. In the glow of the surrounding lights, their faces mirrored the light around them.

"Because you are the paradise of this world. You are the brightest star among them, and I am not just saying that because you are important to me. Everything in this world revolves around you, every soul, every object exists for you. We owe you our life, and we will never pay you enough for what you have done for us... You cannot understand to what extent, and you will surely continue to blame yourself, but it is up to how wonderful you are."

She wiped the tears from his face and they both looked into each other’s eyes.

"Dora, do you still feel responsible for what happened to me? So don’t look away, keep your eyes on me. This moment is a miracle, all the pain in the world has converged into a single light. It’s is an opportunity from heaven, a chance to correct our mistakes... and I’m not going to let it pass this time."

With a deep breath, she offered him a heartfelt smile.

"Dora, I love you. Not as a Player with her toy, not as a comrade in crime, but as a woman would love a man. All the time I spent with you, all your personalities, your jokes, your nicknames, I cherished them all. I have existed for an eternity, but I have never lived. It was you who gave me the desire to live. I stopped wishing to see your peak, what I want to see is you, only you. I want to see you every day, I want to spend a new life with you, laze somewhere, taste new things with you. Even in death, I wish to be where you will be... Remember when you said you wanted to use your greed for your loved one? In that case, my greed will be to keep you close to me, forever."

Moving closer, she narrowed the distance between them, softly caressing his lips with hers. In that timeless instant, seconds merged with hours, and the vast expanse of time and space ceased to exist as if they were floating in an eternal abyss.

Dora felt his mind finally settle. His heart calmed, and his vision became clear. It was not a fleeting moment, but it was a reality. There was probably a lot to think about, but at that moment, at the sight of this girl who had been erased from his memory, who sacrificed her life for him, and who was now here, he thought he should stop thinking.

- This is what it feels like to be loved, this is what true love is.

He kissed her back, both remaining in a firm embrace, as if in fear of being separated again. This world was pretty perfect, they had gotten what they wanted most, and if they tried to think about anything else they might lose it again.

"Could we just... stay like this a little longer?"

"... We sacrificed everything for the world so... maybe we could stay a little longer? That will be our sin."

Wrapped in the safety of their tight embrace, their fingertips pressing into each other’s flesh, their noses filled with the intoxicating aroma of one another. It wasn’t a dream, it was a delicious reality, and if it was a dream they would take every bit of it.

- I missed you.

At the same time outside, the cyclone stopped. The debris floating a few meters above the ground fell. Much of the city center has been transformed into a vast desolate wasteland with no buildings.

No life could be found, simply imagining that anything could be alive would be a presumptuous statement, and yet, right in the middle, at the very center of the crater, a single being was kneeling.

Immersed in tranquility, a humanoid being enveloped in a captivating hue of purple remained motionless. Its body possessed a diamond-like quality, radiating an otherworldly brilliance.

Slowly, a hairline crack began to form, meandering through every inch of its form. A powerful wave of energy surged forth, causing the surface to disintegrate into tiny particles. And amidst this breathtaking transformation, a magnificent butterfly gracefully emerged from its chrysalis.

The boy placed his hands on the ground, breathing heavily. His eyes caught sight of his hands and slowly, he raised his body.

Long dark gray hair, yellow irises and beauty rivaling the cutest girls, a new Dora has come into the world.

|Main Quest: The True Self

|Find every part of ◼◼◼dora

|◼◼◼dora parts: 1/7