Bloodbound Codex: I Grow Stronger in Secret

A moment later, both Atlas and Melina stepped through the portal.

The moment they did, they found themselves in a completely different scenario from the barren world they had just left. A vast forest stretched in every direction, with trees covering the land as far as they could see, while four people stood slightly farther ahead.

Atlas’s expression immediately softened when he saw the single person he had been thinking about seeing the moment he returned. However, as he carefully examined Seraphiel’s expression, his smile disappeared.

Her right hand was covering her mouth while tears continued falling from her eyes, and the sight immediately made Atlas frown. He didn’t waste even a moment wondering what had happened and instantly appeared in front of her before asking in a calm voice, ”What happened?”

Before he could receive an answer, Seraphiel stepped forward. Her hands moved naturally but quickly as she wrapped both arms around him and hugged him tightly, her fingers clutching the back of his clothes as though she was afraid he might disappear again. Her head remained against his chest as she muttered through her tears, ”Y-You were gone for four whole days, A-Atlas.”

Atlas’s eyes widened when he heard her words.

”What?!”

He immediately looked at her in disbelief before turning his head toward the surroundings. ”I am sure I only spent some minutes there, not even an entire hour. What are you saying about four days passing?” His gaze shifted toward Solaris standing nearby before moving toward Seraphiel’s mother and father, all three of whom were looking at him with frowns after hearing his answer.

None of them understood what Atlas was saying.

Just as everyone remained confused by the situation, Melina, who had been watching them with a slightly tilted head, finally spoke. ”Sir Atlas, I think it is because of time dilation. Your minutes in that barren world were equivalent to four days in this world.”

The moment she spoke, everyone’s attention immediately shifted toward her. Only now did they realize that another person had returned with Atlas, and Solaris’s expression changed instantly.

Solaris disappeared from her position.

She reappeared directly behind Melina while swinging a spear entirely made of Light toward her back. ”Who are you?”

Solaris could clearly feel the difference in power between herself and the strange woman standing in front of her, but that difference didn’t matter to her at this moment. Melina had appeared without warning beside Atlas, and Solaris had no idea who she was or what she wanted.

Melina didn’t even blink.

She simply raised a single finger and stopped the incoming spear completely.

Solaris’s eyes widened when her attack was halted so easily. Before she could react, Melina spoke again, ”I came here under Sir Atlas’s orders. As I cannot harm anyone around him, I will spare you, Angel.”

Solaris immediately frowned.

She couldn’t understand a single word Melina had said. The language sounded completely different from anything she had heard before, and judging from Melina’s expression, she didn’t seem to realize that Solaris couldn’t understand her either.

Atlas, however, had already understood what was happening.

He slowly pulled Seraphiel away from his chest while gently wiping the tears from her face with his fingers. ”I see what has happened, don’t worry, I had actually only been gone for some minutes, not four days. And as you can see, I am completely fine.”

Seraphiel’s sniffing gradually slowed, but instead of letting go of him, she simply hugged him tightly again. Atlas looked down at her as she continued clinging to him without showing any intention of leaving. He shook his head slightly before wrapping his arms around her in return.

’The four days must have been extremely painful for her.’

He could already imagine what those four days must have felt like from her perspective. The first day might have felt like a small spark of anguish, when she began wondering whether something had gone wrong because the Ruins of Eclipse were supposed to contain only S-rank Monsters, which were nothing compared to Atlas’s strength.

By the second day, that uncertainty could have turned into genuine concern. She might have begun considering whether she should enter the portal herself, only for Solaris to stop her from doing so. The fact that Atlas had still not returned would have made the situation increasingly difficult for her to accept, especially when there was no clear explanation for his absence.

The third day might have been when her fear finally became overwhelming. She could have attempted to enter the portal even after Solaris stopped her, only to be repelled by the portal itself because she didn’t meet whatever condition was required to pass through it.

By then, her anguish would have already reached a level similar to the unbearable pain she had experienced when she once saw the future where Atlas died.

And the fourth day might have been when she finally began losing almost all hope.

’I need to comfort her as much as I can...’ Atlas’s heart ached at the thought of what she had experienced while he had been completely unaware of the passage of time. He tightened his embrace slightly, allowing her to remain close to him for as long as she needed.

’Time dilation... A strange term to encounter in a situation like this, but a very serious matter when it comes to different worlds.’

The two remained like that for nearly a minute before Seraphiel finally pulled herself away slightly. Atlas looked at her while keeping his expression calm, although there was still concern in his eyes. ”Seraphiel, look above...I am here now, so do not cry anymore, alright?”

He gently lifted her chin while looking directly into her eyes, tears were still falling from them, but Seraphiel nodded quietly before wiping them away. Only after making sure she had calmed down slightly did Atlas finally turn toward the commotion happening behind him.

Solaris was still standing in front of Melina, her expression filled with suspicion, while Melina remained completely calm despite having been attacked moments earlier.

Atlas’s eyes glowed.

He immediately altered the Logic of Language around Melina so that everyone present could understand what she was saying, ”I said I am here under Sir Atlas’s orders!” Melina shouted for what was apparently the final time after nearly a minute of Solaris attempting to question her.

Solaris finally stopped moving her spear when the meaning of Melina’s words suddenly became clear. She looked toward Atlas, who simply exhaled before speaking.

”I need to explain what happened, it seems.” Solaris nodded and slowly relaxed her hand.

The spear made entirely of Light disappeared from her grasp as the tension around them finally began to settle.

- - -

[A/N: Tomorrow comes another two extra Chapters for the super gift! Meaning a total of five Chapters again! Throw golden tickets!!

Thank you again for the spacecraft BoqorNasir!!]