For an unknown amount of time, Evelyn and Gistella knelt in the shallow water.

Just earlier, the pounding sound of battle—screams of pain, battle cries, and the sound of mortal bodies being broken and splattered assaulted their ears from all sides. Now, in this vast expanse decorated by nothing other than an endless shallow water, there was only a deafening silence.

It was so silent that they could hear their own heartbeats inside their chests.

So silent that they could hear the noises in their minds clearly.

Every single gore and pain that happened in the battle was played on repeat inside their minds.

Never once in their lives did they feel the suffocating feeling of helplessness as strongly as in that moment.

Against beings from the higher planes, they couldn’t do anything.

Everything was a lie. From the very start of the battle, their forces have no chance of winning. It might look like they have a chance, but they never did. The Lunirich Gods were playing with them. Showing them how futile it was to go against a God.

And it worked.

Inside this unknown realm, Evelyn clasped her head with her hands and broke down.

Gistella coughed up blood and endured the pain; the residual energy from the battle was persistent.

Her regeneration and attempt to flush it out were almost futile against it.

None of them exchanged a word.

It was total silence as the two brooded in the grim moment, scarred by the brutal and tedious battle.

Both only lifted their gazes when a brilliant portal of blinding light appeared not too far away.

And across that portal was the person they wanted and needed to see the most.

Rex stared at the two and immediately saw the change in them. He could clearly see it from how their gazes changed from the last time he saw them. Unlike back then, there were evident and deep scars behind their eyes.

One that he never wanted to see them have.

He stepped into the realm once he was ready, and Gistella immediately rushed towards him.

“Gistella, I’m rea—”

Before he can even apologize for coming far too late, she already wrapped her arms around his waist— and buried her face into his chest. Gistella cried profusely, wetting Rex’s clothes. And with each passing second, her grip on him tightened.

Rex looked down at her in surprise and then realized that her entire body was shaking.

Perhaps being in the Spirit Realm changed him a bit, but right now, he was inclined to say nothing.

Instead, he held Gistella close, channeling his strength into her. Giving a semblance of stability for her.

He raised his gaze and locked onto his Greater Luna.

Evelyn stood stiffly two steps away from him, looking nothing like her usual strong self. She pinched her other hand until her palm turned white, avoided his eyes, and bit her lower lip—as if holding back emotions that were threatening to spill out.

“Evelyn…” Rex called, but his voice came out weaker than he intended.

“I… I can’t,” She paused, almost like saying those words took a lot out of her. Her eyes turned glassy, forcing her to quickly look down to her toes—and pinched her hand harder. “I can’t do anything. Many people died because of me, and I can’t do anything to help them.

“I brought them all to their deaths.”

As soon as those words came out, tears spilled out in crystalline droplets onto the shallow water below.

She broke down and cried uncontrollably.

Rex has never seen her cry this hard, and the sight broke his heart.

He leaned forward and brought her into his embrace, allowing the two of them to let out their emotions in his embrace. Even though he knew the situation was bad in the Mortal Realm, he wasn’t expecting it to reach this extent.

“It’s okay,” Rex held them tighter. “I’m here now. I’m here. Both of you are safe.”

For almost five minutes straight, the two of them cried like babies.

Rex couldn’t even move from his spot—as their arms held onto him tightly, like letting go would mean their deaths. Every time he felt their hands re-clutch his clothes, every time he heard them wail directly against his ears, there was a chilling coldness that spread across his heart.

And the coldness spread across his entire body, numbing every part of him.

Evelyn and Gistella couldn’t feel it.

But Rex could feel it as clear as day, a soft part of him crumbled and was replaced by something harder.

Once the two regained a sliver of their composure, Rex pulled away and looked at them.

“What happened?”

Gistella and Evelyn confessed to him what they were doing while he was away.

From how they gathered the empire’s forces, ask support from all the other subservient kingdoms, made their way into the Scarlet Banes Kingdom, and all the way until the sky cracked open. Considering that this all happened in mere days, Rex was quite pleasantly surprised by how much they had done.

Despite the pressure from Prince Alaric, taking down the Scarlet Banes Kingdom forcefully is still hard.

And it was harder to pacify the rebelling forces.

Evelyn and the others managed to do exactly that—pacify Princess Selene.

It was supposed to be a huge success, but everything crumbled when the Lunirich Gods intervened.

“They knew everything,” Evelyn wiped a tear from her cheek. It was hard for her to recall the moment, and Rex completely understood. Being in the presence of a God has that kind of effect on people. “I watched them drag Adhara. I listened to them planning to ravage Calidora and kill the child inside her. And I did nothing…

“Even though I knew that would hurt you, I can’t do anything!” She cried again in shame.

Gistella also looked down, angry that they were so helpless at the moment.

“Both of you did well,” Rex stroked their hair to calm them down. “Considering the situation, both of you did the right thing, and I’m glad that you did. Don’t blame yourself for the things that weren’t even your fault to begin with.”

Evelyn and Gistella looked up—they saw restrained anger on Rex’s face.

One that should have exploded already, but didn’t. His control over his anger has gotten significantly better.

Going to the Spirit Realm changed him.

“If anything, we ought to blame those Lunirich Gods who started this,” Rex added—with a brutal smile. “And we will make them pay, mark my word.”

For a second, Evelyn and Gistella were smitten by the look.

This is what was missing ever since he was gone. The unflinching confidence. The maniacal belief that even Gods would need to suffer if they ever touched the Silverstar Pack and everyone around it. It was the iron-clad will that never waned, no matter what happened.

In the past, they thought this trait of Rex was a defect that was a magnet for trouble.

But now they realized, it was a trait born from survival instinct.

Even when they kept to themselves, trouble would always come for them. And this fiery willpower was the key that would help them go through anything that stood in their way. Both of them now understand that, in a way, this reckless but powerful fire was the reason that drew them to Rex.

The fire of the alpha predator.

For the next half an hour, Rex dedicated some time to calming them down.

He missed them terribly, and they also needed his presence right now more than anything—so, he lay down with them and watched the starry night sky. Though the realm was blank, the sky remained as it should be.

Twinkling stars, falling meteors, and the gentle moonlight were all there for them to share.

“How long has it been for you?” Evelyn whispered, staring up into his eyes.

She noticed a tenderness that was rarely there behind Rex’s eyes, and she forgot about the time dilation.

It must’ve been longer for Rex.

“Why do you ask?” Rex narrowed his eyes at a specific star and inhaled deeply.

“Just that…” Her words trailed as she drew a circle on Rex’s chest with her finger. “You’ve changed. Kinder, I think.”

“No, not kinder,” Gistella intervened, shaking her head. “More understanding.”

“It’s been years for me,” Rex mumbled lightly, recalling the years he spent staring up at the sky—or at the wall, wondering what the others were doing back in the Mortal Realm. “It’s supposed to only be a bit over a month, but I needed to get stronger quickly in there, and stumbled into a tower with the power of time.”

Both of them sucked in a cold breath and looked up at Rex.

In their minds, it had been months for him, which was already bad enough.

But years? That’s beyond their expectations.

Only then did Evelyn and Gistella realize how selfish they had been.

Back when Rex called them to the Spirit Realm to help him fight the Archangel of Knives, all of them had hurriedly returned, as their focus was solely directed on taking down the Scarlet Banes Kingdom. Neither of them, including Adhara, realized that the expression on Rex’s face as they left was not what they expected.

It wasn’t curiosity about what they were doing in the Mortal Realm. It was longing instead.

And they selfishly returned without talking to him or even asking how he had been.

They should’ve stayed longer.

Heck, a simple kiss on the cheek would’ve been better than what they did.

“I know what the two of you are thinking,” Rex chuckled. “It’s fine. I can handle it.”

“You can handle it—but that doesn’t mean it was fine for us to be that insensitive,” Evelyn slapped his chest, angry that he was fine with what they did. “I had always thought you were too insensitive, and here I am the one being insensitive.”

“I’m sorry,” Gistella looked up at him with a pout. “You can yell at me.”

Before Rex could answer, Evelyn suddenly sat up.

She looked around and then frowned at a sudden realization.

“Where is Adhara?” She asked, turning to look at Rex. “I thought she was here with us.”

Gistella also sat up, only now realizing that Adhara wasn’t with them.

Both of them wallowed too much about what happened to them earlier that they failed to realize that Adhara wasn’t with them. And since she wasn’t here in this blank realm, it can only mean one thing that made their blood run cold.

“She’s not here,” Rex also sat up and sighed. “I can only teleport away two of you.”

“What…?” Evelyn’s eyes widened, and then she focused again, brows dipping into a frown. “Then you should’ve left me behind! Adhara is the Female Alpha, and they won’t spare her when it matters. I, on the other hand, am the Luna. I’m much more useful alive than dead!”

“No, the threat of dying is too great.” Gistella clenched her hands. “It should have been me who stayed. I didn’t do much during the battle. Adhara led the charge.” She turned to Evelyn. “You organized the forces. I’m the useless one. If anyone has to die, it should’ve been me.”

“What are you talking about?” Evelyn snapped. “It’s not your role to stay behind. It’s mi—”

“That’s enough,” Rex cuts her sentence short with a stern voice. “It’s already done. No use talking about it now,” He stood up and looked down at them. “Besides, I already got confirmation from Adhara. She agreed to be the one who stayed. She’s the only one who can survive and buy the longest time.

“Besides, she’s not helpless. Devo and Amanir were there with her. And I still have a way to help her in case she’s in big trouble.” His words are an assurance.

Even though Adhara staying behind still troubles them, his words made them feel easier at least.

“Wait, buy the longest time? Do you have a way to get back to the Mortal Realm?”

“Of course. That’s what I’m working on. But now, I need help from the two of you.”