Saga of Atlantis

Chapter 158: Emily [5]

[First Person POV: Emily]

He is strange.

That’s all that comes to my mind when I think about the boy named Eden Morton.

A boy—No, calling him a boy doesn’t feel right. The aura he has around him, the way he talks, and the way he behaves around me... He behaves like a... Father?

I don’t understand why, but I feel like he behaves like that with me. Like he is looking out for me. Even though I haven’t known him for a long while, he feels too familiar to me. Familiar like someone from my childhood.

"Emily?" Aeloria’s voice brought me out of my own thoughts.

"Yes?" I asked, looking at her as I shifted my torso on the chair for a better view.

"Aren’t you staring at him too much?" She asked, glancing at Eden.

I followed her gaze, looking at my bed where Eden was sleeping with his eyes closed... like a sleeping beauty waiting for a prince to wake him up.

Wait... Not a prince.

"Hello? Stop staring at him." Aeloria’s voice brought me back to her.

"No, I am just concerned about him," I replied, looking back at Eden.

"You don’t have to worry about it. I have gone through the same process when I awakened my spirit core," Aeloria assured me, but her words also piqued my interest.

"What is actually happening to him? He just fell unconscious all of a sudden," I asked, feeling concerned about him.

"His astral body is in the spirit realm," she replied, shrugging. "He needs to understand what spirit energy is, and that’s the best place to understand it."

"Astral body? Can he feel pain in that form?"

"Yeah, both his physical body and Astral body are connected. His real body will feel the same as what his Astral body is feeling in the spirit realm."

"So, in the spirit realm? Did you see something?" I asked, wondering what it looked like.

"Well, I did see different spirit races, and believe me, they were a pain in the ass to deal with. They attack the first thing they see," she replied, making an annoyed expression.

"And the goddess?" I asked, knowing there is also a goddess in that place. "Did you see her?"

"Do you think it’s that easy to see a goddess?" Aeloria scoffed in reply. "No one has ever seen the goddess because no one is worthy enough."

"Is that so?" I nodded at her words, feeling it’s believable. Why would a goddess even meet every mortal who comes into her domain?

"Hey, Emily." Aeloria called me again as I looked at her.

"Do you like him?" She asked, looking into my eyes.

"H-huh?" A startled voice left my mouth as my heart beat quickened.

My breath become shallow at her words, wasn’t it too much to ask this all of a sudden?

"I don’t think so," I whispered softly, unsure myself if I like him or not.

"What about Aron?" She asked again, looking at me curiously.

"No," This time my voice came out firm, without any uncertainty. "I don’t even know him properly, why would I even like him?"

"That so? By the way, if you ever come to like Eden, make sure to tell me. I will do my best to help both of you become a couple," she said with a bright smile.

But... I felt strange... Her smile felt like that of a snake eyeing its delicious prey.

"Wait, we look like that!?" She asked, and I nodded my head in response.

Even though sometimes they look like siblings as well.

"No... I used to like him... but not now," she replied with a slight smile as she remembered something.

"Used to?" I asked, frowning.

"Well, he saved my life once... And the child heart of mine couldn’t resist from liking him," she replied with a light chuckle. "But things have changed now. I am not the child I was back then... I am a completely different person. But even so, the first crush is always memorable."

I nodded slightly as I heard her words.

Yeah...

Forgetting your ’First Crush’ is always hard because even now... I couldn’t.

Even though his existence is closely intervene with worst experience of my life... I still never tried to forget about him.

And I think I never could forget about him... His faceless mask, his white hair, and his heavenly voice that smoothed my heart whenever I cried in front of him.

I remember it all, even though I was a child when I met him.

"Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you look?" Aeloria asked, glancing at Eden. "Make sure you don’t fall in love with some scoundrel."

"Why do I feel like you are just clearing your way?" I asked, my voice sharp even though I didn’t mean it to be. Having a proper conversation is the thing I am worst at.

"I was just advising you," she replied, shrugging as she moved towards the door. "I need some fresh air. Take care of him."

Saying so, she closed the door, leaving me and Eden alone in the room.

I placed my chair close to the bed to get a better look at him.

"This feeling again," I mumbled as I sat beside him.

The feeling of peace that I am experiencing from him... I felt it before, from that person.

And now that I think about it, both Eden and that person, they both are eerily similar to each other.

Even both of them behave the same way towards me... Like a father.

"Argh... Why am I even thinking of my classmate as my father?" I grumbled as I lightly slapped my face before shifting my attention back to Eden.

Again, while sleeping, he looks like he is waiting for someone to wake him up.

’Will he wake up if I kiss—.’

I quickly shook my head, dismissing my impulsive thoughts that were threatening to lead me to do something I might regret later.

But then again.... it’s Eden, the person who, in their very first meeting, boldly questioned my mother about her intimate history with that person.

"..."

Yeah... I will definitely regret it later.

"Sigh..."

Letting out a sigh, I placed my hand under my chin and studied him intently.

I realized that this might be my only chance to observe him in such a vulnerable state.

But then, I noticed something out of the ordinary.

Slowly, I leaned back in my chair, my gaze fixated below his abdomen, where something seemed to be straining against his pants.

"Gulp."

Unknowingly, I swallowed hard as my eyes remained fixed on that area.

My curiosity got the better of me, and I extended my hand hesitantly, lightly touching it before quickly retracting my hand.

’It’s hot,’ I thought, feeling the heat emanating from it even through his pants.

Despite my efforts to resist, my mind kept wandering back to that spot.

Presenting something like this in front of a young woman and expecting her to maintain her composure was simply too much to ask for.

’He is asleep, and all I’m doing is for study purposes,’ I tried to reason with myself.

Yet, once again, my curiosity won as I extended my hand and gently touched it once more.

"Huh?" My hand froze in place as Eden suddenly woke up, causing me to quickly retract it but he still noticed it.

He too froze, his gaze locking onto mine.

"Eden..." I stammered, smiling awkwardly in at this easy too misunderstood situation.

"This isn’t what it looks like. You’re like a father figure to me."

"....."

"....."

That....might not have been the best choice of words.

"I can explain, Eden. I wasn’t trying to touch it. I was just... fixing your pants back into place," I blurted out, desperately trying to clarify.

"..."

"..."

No... that might have only made things worse.