Watching Malin and Maya wake up almost at the sa ti, Faye finally let go of the anxiety that she had been holding on to. She glanced at Lillim beside her, stretched out her hand to poke the little lamb’s forehead and said, "I told you not to cry, aren’t Malin and Maya awake now?"
Sniffling and snorting, Lillim then shot Faye a look, "The one who’s been daydreaming since just now has no right to say that to ."
Faye was silent for a mont before she finally gave up on using her future status in this family to suppress this little rebel—just as she had said, after hearing the news, Faye had not been able to free herself from fear—unlike Lillim, she knew the dangers involved. The awakening ritual was extrely risky; according to the lucky few who had managed to complete it, they said it was like a dream, but it felt more like being trapped in the narrow gap between two worlds. They had to confront a target from another world, defeat it, and only then could they bring back the goal from this world.
If they failed, both would die.
Their souls would not be able to return, and their soulless husks would eventually truly die.
"I’m back," said Malin, sitting up with a smile directed at the two girls.
Faye smiled, then cried and hugged him.
"What’s wrong?" Malin seed curious, and Faye leaned her head closer to his ear, whispering words only they could hear, while pinching his waist lightly, "I almost thought I was going to be the widow of the Gaiate family."
"The mont I hear you say that, I feel so relieved. To spare others the pain of dostic violence, I took Maya and ca back from that damned world." After speaking, Malin added, "Is it you who taught Maya to pinch the waist?"
"How do you know?" Faye wondered.
Malin rolled his eyes—of course it was the touch.
.........
Malin collapsed onto the sickbed, it was the third day after the ritual had ended. The Divine Master and his old ntor had said that such an awakening ritual would place a great burden on the subject’s soul, so Malin needed to recover for a week.
Therefore, Malin didn’t attend his second-year classes. Instead, he lay in the sickbed at the Benevolent Church, facing a mountainous crowd of Apprentices every day—so of them had received benefits from Malin, so had made up their minds to seek Malin’s help the next ti, and others had heard that their boss had fallen ill and ca to check on him. After all, the awakening ritual had such a notorious reputation. Although Malin had been ordered not to speak of what happened in the dream, one couldn’t ignore the ritual’s terrifying death rate of eighty percent. Any tough guy who could wake up from it was worth the apprentices coming over to see with their own eyes.
It wasn’t so they could get familiar in the eyes of the tough guy, but at least when they saw the tough dude, they could rember who he was, instead of foolishly throwing down the gauntlet and smiling a goodbye forever.
"Bro, I’ve got another big business proposition for you." This afternoon, Logan burst in saying this.
Seeing him dressed in the tailcoat suit freshly customized from Faye’s new ready-to-wear store, his forehead hair slicked back with pomade, giving him a pretty boy look, Malin couldn’t help but rib him—you talk just like Dachi.
"What big deal?"
"Heard you ca back alive from the awakening ritual, the upperclassn want your help too. I’ve got a few options here, once you get out of this damned place, we can get to work. If you put in the effort, making ten thousand in a week isn’t a fairy tale," Logan said energetically, and then curiously looked at Malin who was collapsed on the bed, "Malin, what’s wrong?"
"Don’t you want to know what ended up happening to you in that world?" Despite the gag order, Malin still wanted to tease the boy. In this world, Logan was lucky; when they went to the fort that day, they brought Malin along, allowing them to eventually escape. No one was captured or brainwashed by Chaos, so Malin didn’t worry about this kid shooting him in the back. But he still wanted to know if the kid really wanted to know his ending.
Thinking for a mont, Logan finally shook his head, "I think it’s better for not to know about this. After all, Maya was dragged into that fissure as your sister—if even she went in, I’m afraid you didn’t end up well either. If even you tough folks collapsed, then the streetlights of Carterburg are probably the finish line for a nobody like ."
Having said that, Logan burst out laughing, seemingly very pleased with his sense of humor.
Malin laughed along, and when he was done, he clapped his hands, "Okay, once this week is over, I’ll take you to make so big money."
"Right, we’ll go make big money, you’ve got the skills, you eat at, I’ve got the ans, I drink soup," Logan said with a laugh before preparing to leave, "Oh, by the way, I told Miriam today that I’m going to buy a ring."
"Getting engaged?"
"In another two years, but a ring as her birthday gift is essential." Logan, while looking at Malin, backed out of the room with a dance-like motion. He paused at the door to address Malin, "Malin, just to be clear, I’ve heard Maya’s birthday is coming up, so I’m going to that store today to get a catalogue for you. You ask her what she wants, then tell , and I’ll go buy it for you."
"Thanks." Malin watched Logan close the door, and yet, he couldn’t bring himself to tell him that the ring jewelry store was a joint venture with Haus’s Miss Bubu, and the little faerie senior now had two World Tree Saplings groveling at her feet, living oh so joyfully. The jewelry designs Malin helped her draw were extrely popular with the little faeries. Dozens of them had tead up to open the ’Beautiful Life’ jewelry store with Malin; they were in charge of crafting the jewelry and enchanting the inscriptions, while Malin was responsible for providing the designs. As soone who had spent years working at his old friend’s gold shop, drawing jewelry designs was a piece of cake for Malin.
With that thought, Malin pulled out a small bell used to contact the faeries and gave it a shake.
Suddenly, a tiny portal appeared in front of Malin, and Bubu Haus hopped out from it, accompanied by her own two groveling World Tree Saplings. Seeing their master, they at least flew over and perched on Malin’s shoulder, giving their master so face.
"Is there sothing you need, Malin we’re really busy everyone is working hard do you know that you’re wasting life if it’s important speak up if not I’ve got to go."
"My friend Logan will be coming to the store this afternoon, give him a discount," Malin said with a smile.
"You’re wasting our lives Malin do you know that even though you and I are both Silver Folk we can’t be so recklessly un...dis...ciplined...wow, new designs, they’re fantastic, I knew you were a genius, dear, give a kiss." Bubu finally paused in her machine-gun-pace speech to talk like a human when she saw the brand-new jewelry design sketches Malin pulled from under his pillow.
She kissed Malin, then quickly dove back through the portal.
Malin humd, and the two Saplings, wanting to follow her through the door, obediently transford back into branches and twisted around Malin’s forearm, becoming a bracelet.
How embarrassing for the World Tree. Do you like the faeries that much?
Malin sighed, then turned to look at the door—soone had knocked on it.
"Co in, it’s Lillim, right?"
"It’s !"
The lamb almost... no, she barged right in the room, happily holding Malin’s lunch: "Sister Faye made it for you, it’s really great food."
Malin was silent as the little lamb opened the lunchbox, pulling out Sydney stewed vegetables (prepared with local greens, fruit stalks, and the distinctiveness of being vegetarian), the Mapo Tofu he taught her (also distinctly vegetarian, and without chili), then ca the second layer, which presented a large container filled with a fruit platter made of various cut fruits to Malin’s eyes.
And then there was the third layer, Thainan rice with vegetarian bean sauce as the side.
Malin collapsed onto the bed, feeling sowhat listless.
As a boy who took no joy in a al without at, Malin’s thoughts drifted to Jessica—the first day, the she-wolf had prepared three whole layers of at, fattening Malin to the brim. But then, because the doctor responsible for his care had ntioned that a patient shouldn’t eat greasy food, Faye took over the cooking duties voluntarily.
And naturally, Malin began facing this hellish existence.
I want to eat at.
Malin could hear a whisper near his ear.
It was his stomach weeping.
Ventriloquized by his mouth.
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