Restart Again: Volume 2 by Adam Scott (best adventure books to read .TXT) 📗

holding up her hand, “take a breath. Relax. Enjoy the moment before it’s gone.” She smiled and tilted her head to the side. “Not everything is a mystery that has to be solved.”

“But it’s…” I trailed off, struggling to find the words. Failing in my search, I motioned to the two of them. “It’s you. If you’re actually here with me, I need to know...” Somewhere in the distance, a dim amber light began to pulse in a distinctly cardioid rhythm.

Alda took a step forward. “We’re always here with you, sir. Even when you’re awake.”

“That’s right,” Amaya added, moving up as well. “We always will be. But there’s somebody who needs you out there.” She motioned backwards with a tip of her head towards the amber light, which grew in intensity as we spoke.

I stared at it unmoving, suddenly unsure of every decision I had ever made. Blinking away the mist in my eyes, I looked at Amaya and Alda with trepidation. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Yes, you do,” Amaya answered, stepping forward to wrap me in a soft embrace. The soft golden fuzz on the back of her long ears brushed by the side of my face, bringing back hundreds of memories of our years together. “I’m so proud of the person you’ve become, Elden,” she whispered into my ear.

There was a great feeling of relief at the base of my neck, as if a muscle had finally relaxed after years of constant strain, and I started to cry. My eyes fell to my newly scarred right hand, and I shook my head in shame. “No. You shouldn’t—”

Alda’s small hands grasped mine, covering the jagged black marks. “You did your best to help, even when you were certain it meant you’d get sent away. You’re a good person, no matter what you think.”

I buried my face in Amaya’s hair in a poor attempt to hide my tears. “I love you. Both of you.”

There was a loud squeak as Alda’s hands disappeared from mine, and I looked up to find her staring at her feet with bright red cheeks. A moment later, she dove forward and embraced both of us. Amaya and I both laughed, and I pressed my forehead against hers, attempting to hold the moment in my mind with every fiber of my being. Whether it was real or not didn’t matter; I knew it was most likely the only chance I would ever have to be together with both of them at once, and I planned to never forget the feeling.

As with all things, the moment eventually ended. From behind us, the amber light had grown bright enough to dispel the darkness around us, and I heard Lia’s voice coming from somewhere inside. “Please, come back. Please come back, Elden.”

“I think that’s your cue,” Amaya said, wiping a tear from my cheek. “Time to put on your brave face, love. The hero always has to look brave.”

“Right,” I chuckled, breaking away from the group to attempt to compose myself. After clearing my throat and taking a few deep breaths I managed to gain a tenuous level of control over my emotions, and I looked determinedly between Alda and Amaya. “Time to go.”

They both nodded and smiled, separating enough for me to walk between them towards the overflowing amber light ahead. As I moved further into its depths, the welcoming sensation of Lia’s aura surrounded me and eagerly pulled me forward. A loving warmth suffused through me, and I began to feel brief flashes of my true body: cold stone against the back of my neck, Lia’s hands clasping desperately onto my own, and the ache of every overused muscle.

I glanced back over my shoulder for one final look at my lost family and found them standing hand in hand. Alda stood up on her tiptoes and gave me a small wave goodbye, which I returned with a grin. My eyes moved up and locked with Amaya’s, and we shared a long, silent stare.

“Forever,” I said, far too quietly to be heard.

“Forever,” her lips said in return.

With renewed resolve, I turned back to the now overwhelming light and took another step. “I’m coming back, Lia,” I whispered to the energy as it completely engulfed me. “I’ve got a promise to keep.”

***

16. DAWN

The unceremonious return of all of my bodily senses was a shock to my system, and I opened my eyes with a panicked gasp. My sudden breath startled Lia, who had apparently fallen asleep on my chest; she blinked at me a few times in confusion, then dove back onto my chest with joy as the scene before her finally registered. Her weight squished me into the stone floor and caused an involuntary groan to escape my lips, but the pain brought a smile to my face. I guess I really am alive.

She looped her arms beneath mine and held herself up on her forearms in a generous attempt to alleviate my discomfort. “I don’t understand,” she said, her face hovering a few inches above mine. “Are you...are you really back?” Her eyes began to well up with tears, even as the smile remained radiant on her face.

“Yeah,” I said with a strained nod, “I think I am.”

Lia let out a sharp laugh, as if she still couldn’t believe it even as I spoke to her. “How?”

“I was wrong.” It was the first time the statement had felt relieving to say. “I was wrong about the Dominion, about the Strategist, about why we’re even here...I was wrong about everything.” Smiling, I reached up and held the side of her face. “Plus, I couldn’t leave before we had a chance to go on all of our adventures, right?”

A tear fell down onto my cheek as she nodded her head. “That’s right.” She lowered herself down from her elbows and gave me a quick kiss, then nuzzled her head into my neck. “I didn’t want to believe you were gone. There was this...I’m not sure what