There had been countless messages surrounding Forgelet over the past hour, people asking questions, checking on her, and expressing their concern. However, Adrian focused on understanding the situation first before reacting emotionally.

He knew the matter was severe for Annabelle to be so worried for someone whom she usually regards as a casual acquaintance.

He asked the system to filter out everyone else’s messages and display only Forgelet’s, allowing him to quickly trace back to the very first one she had sent.

He scrolled down a couple of times before he finally reached her first message of today.

[Sorry, Adrian. But I won’t be able to help for the time being. You see, my workshop is in shambles, ahaha.]

It seemed to be a response to his earlier request for small drones that could inspect the wastelands.

He knew if someone could help him create something that would not endanger anyone’s life and also, inspect the areas where the Acolytes are residing then it was Forgelet. But then...

Adrian frowned.

Her workshop...but how?

[No, I’m not joking. My workshop is completely destroyed, and many workers lost their lives. I survived thanks to a dear person, who evacuated most of us before it was too late and protected me from the disaster.]

His brows rose in shock.

What exactly had happened?

Evilyn worked within one of the most heavily secured facilities in her world. After all, she was not only the developer but also a protector of those people.

For her workshop to be destroyed to this extent...

[I can’t be certain, but I believe Nytharos is responsible.]

And then came the most shocking revelation of all.

The Fallen God, Nytharos.

[Ah, yes. I’m fine, but I may need a few days to regroup with my people and truly understand what we should do from here.]

So she had been separated from her people.

That alone sounded terrifying.

At times like this, a person naturally wanted to be surrounded by familiar faces, by people they trusted.

Adrian continued reading through the messages, but most of them consisted of Evilyn reassuring everyone in the server that she was safe and would recover soon.

Letting out a long sigh, Adrian asked inwardly, ’System...can I go meet her?’

He wanted to be there for her right now.

Evilyn was a dear friend, someone who had supported him during some of the hardest moments of his life.

This wasn’t the first time her life had fallen into crisis, but this time...

She sounded lost.

Defeated.

And that worried him deeply.

His gaze shifted toward the other two women nearby, only to find Annabelle explaining the situation to Ariana.

They would definitely worry about him going there under such dangerous circumstances.

But even so...

He couldn’t bring himself to leave Evilyn alone at a time like this.

[Host, the system can transport you to the desired world. However, Host Evilyn is currently near an active volcano that recently erupted. The poisonous gases in the area may harm the host.]

Adrian let out a quiet sigh.

Why was the system worried about him...but not her?

Shaking his head lightly, he spoke, "Then..."

....

Evilyn sat beside a small hill, her knees drawn close to her chest and her eyes hollow.

She stared blankly into the distance, though her mind was anything but empty.

It was drowning in thoughts.

Heavy, suffocating thoughts.

Michael...her fiancé.

He had sacrificed himself to protect her.

He endured the agonizing burn of those black flames just so she could escape alive.

And the last thing she remembered was his smile.

His final smile, even while facing death itself.

He truly loved her, didn’t he?

And she...

She had spent most of her time consumed by work.

She never truly responded to his feelings, and though they were engaged, it had felt like nothing more than a title.

While she devoted herself endlessly to her research, Michael had always remained by her side like a shield.

And even in her darkest moment, he had stood there protecting her...

...even if it meant sacrificing his own life.

"Sniff...what’s the point of crying now..." She wiped her eyes, her lips quivering as her shoulders trembled faintly.

Everything was destroyed just because she wasn’t cautious enough.

Days ago she got the warning that some people were planning to ruin the only place that ensured everyone’s safety.

She was asked to prepare countermeasures. However, she was so sure about her creations already prepared and ready to counter any danger that she didn’t think of any special arrangement.

And the cost was...everything she has dearly nurtured and desired to protect.

Just then, a notification appeared before her.

[The host <Avirin> invites you to his world.]

[Accept: Y/N]

Evilyn stared at it in confusion.

Opening the group chat, she quickly read the message he had sent.

[Don’t even think about rejecting it. I’m waiting for you.]

Her eyes grew even more moist as she replied,

"It’s okay, Avirin. I’m fine...really. I just need some time to calm down."

His response came almost instantly.

[I don’t want to hear any excuses. Either you come here right now, or I’ll come to you myself.]

Evilyn looked up at her surroundings.

The entire area was filled with thick volcanic smog. The poisonous gases alone would be enough to harm him.

After a brief pause, she responded softly, "Why are you so insistent on seeing me? I’m really fine."

[Evilyn...]

His reply came a moment later, and somehow, she could feel the hurt behind those words.

[...aren’t we friends? Why are you acting so distant with me? Haven’t I relied on you whenever things went wrong in my life? Then why can’t you rely on me too?]

A soft sniffle escaped her lips.

In her current state, even the smallest act of kindness was enough to make her emotional.

And in the end...

She accepted the invitation.

[Initializing transfer...]

°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading. If you have been enjoying the story so far, please drop a comment.