Sero watched Moss and Lime bounce all over his bed, growling and chirping as they kept him company. They were both exhausted from the battle, and he knew they deserved a good rest. He glanced over at Amaya as she walked away, feeling a mixture of emotions within him. He was relieved that she seemed to understand, but he couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret. He wished things could have gone differently, that he could have found the words to express himself better.

"Oh, well," he sighed to himself. "At least I said it."

He closed his eyes, letting the exhaustion of the day wash over him. The bed beneath him was soft, and the room was dimly lit by the moonlight streaming in through the window. The familiar scent of lavender filled the air, and he could hear the distant sounds of the city beyond the tower's walls. It was a peaceful, almost serene moment, but Sero couldn't help but feel restless.

"Champion?"

Sero's eyes shot open hearing Aphiel's voice within his thoughts.

"Hey."

"What in the world happened? I tried to contact you, but it seemed like something was preventing me from doing so." The goddess seemed relieved.

"It's a long story," Sero replied, rubbing his forehead. "But I'm ok now. At least physically."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that," Aphiel said, sounding sincere. "So, what happened after that massive rift opened?"

Sero began to explain the events that had transpired, starting with the battle against Malice and ending with his confrontation with Amaya. As he spoke, he could feel a weight lifting from his chest, as if telling the goddess his version of events somehow made them less burdensome. He paused, considering whether to mention his feelings for Amaya, but decided against it. It was something personal, and he didn't want to share it with anyone else.

"And that's about it," he finished, feeling drained. "It's been a long day."

"I can imagine," Aphiel replied, her tone gentle. "And I'm sorry I could not be there to help you."

"Not your fault; something was blocking our line of communication," Sero shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant. He sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed, and watched Moss and Lime continue to wrestle playfully. "I'm more concerned about the fact that such a powerful creature was able to be summoned over here. I thought it was a one-way street, where they had to force themselves here, not the other way around."

"Well, that is indeed a worrying development," Aphiel mused.

Sero nodded in agreement. "I'm going to need some time to process everything that happened today, and figure out what it all means. But for now, I think I'm going to get some rest. Thanks for listening, Aphiel."

"Of course, champion," the goddess replied softly, almost as if she sensed Sero’s emotional turmoil. "I will be here if you need me. Sleep well." Her voice faded, and Sero felt the weight of her presence slip away. With a sigh, he crawled back under the covers and closed his eyes. The dragon pups curled up beside him, their warmth and presence providing a comforting buffer against the lingering worries and questions that threatened to keep him awake.

Unbeknownst to everyone around him, Sero had been consumed by the fact that he had nearly died earlier. The thought of Malice being able to kill him, of her strength and power, had left a lasting impression on him. He had been pushed to his limits during the Ascendants Tournament, but fighting the Succubus goddess was a completely different experience.

Even though he had brushed it off and joked about it with the others, Sero didn't admit to them how terrified he was when he was lying on the ground bleeding out. He thought about how his life flashed before his eyes, about all the things he had yet to do and the people he had yet to meet. It was a surreal moment, one that he never wanted to experience again. That was one of the main reasons why he decided to come out and confess to Amaya.

At the thought of her, Sero's heart ached. He knew he had been reckless in confessing his feelings to her so bluntly, but after barely surviving Malice, he couldn't help but feel like he had nothing left to lose. He wished he could take back what he'd said, but at the same time, he knew that it was the truth, at least for the time being.

Heaving a heavy sigh, Sero forced his Rationality to activate, clearing his mind of all thoughts as he tried to sleep. It was no use; the image of Malice's wicked grin and the phantom pain of her claws haunted him even as he lay awake. He sat up again, the dragon pups sensing his distress and curling closer. He absently scratched behind their ears, their purring filling the air as they tried to comfort him.

He didn't know how much time had passed before he finally drifted off to sleep, his mind too tired to keep fighting against the exhaustion any longer.

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The next morning, Sero awoke, feeling much better now that his body had more or less completely recovered. Moss and Lime stretched and yawned, their little bellies exposed as they woke up. Sero couldn't help but smile as he watched them. Despite everything that had happened, he was glad to have them in his life. They were like little guardian angels, watching over him.

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The dragon pups chirped softly, nudging Sero with their noses. "Good morning, champion," Aphiel chuckled as she materialized beside the bed. "I trust you slept well?"

"Yeah, I-"

Sero froze for a moment, staring at the physical manifestation of Aphiel in the association infirmary.

"I'm sorry, am I still dreaming?"

"No, you are not dreaming," Aphiel said with a grin. "I'm not actually here in your realm, but the magic I have learned from Hecate and Isis allows me to project a vision of me that only you can see."

"So, you've been learning stuff like that?" Sero murmured, staring at the goddess with wonder. "If you never told me about this, I'd have thought I developed schizophrenia."

"Anyway," Aphiel ignored his comment. "After having our communication blocked by some unknown force yesterday, I inquired with the other goddesses about other forms that are not so easily blocked. That is how I came to learn this projection magic."

Sero nodded, still a bit dazed. "So, what's the point of all this? I'm guessing you don't just want to show off your new trick."

"Indeed," the goddess nodded, a serious look entering her emerald eyes. "Using projection magic is different from divine communication, so even if the latter is blocked, there may be a chance that the former will not. As an added bonus, this method does not require me to... see through your eyes in order to contact you."

Sero blinked, then chuckled nervously. "Uh, right. Well, that's a relief."

Moss and Lime sniffed around Aphiel curiously, purring as they rubbed against the goddess's legs.

"Wait, I thought only I could see you," Sero watched his dragon pups interact with Aphiel.

"That is correct, but creatures deeply attuned to spiritual energy and mana can sense me still," Aphiel explained with a smile. "You and the dragon pups are the only ones who can see me this clearly, though." She nuzzled Moss and Lime, who were now rubbing against her, purring contentedly.

Sero watched the interaction with a mixture of amusement and longing. He wished he could be as carefree and unburdened as his dragon pups. They didn't have to worry about the weight of the world on their shoulders or the constant threat of danger lurking around every corner. They could just enjoy the simple pleasures of life, like playing with Aphiel and curling up for a nap.

"All right, champion," Aphiel stood up and bowed her head. "The council is convening to discuss the events revolving around the intrusion of the Catastrophe candidate, so I will have to take my leave for a while."

She looked down at the dragon pups, her expression softening. "I trust you two will take good care of your master while I am gone?" They tilted their heads in unison, regarding Aphiel with their emerald eyes. After a moment, they chirped in affirmation, their tiny claws scrabbling at the goddess's robes. Aphiel laughed, scratching them behind their ears before finally stepping back. "All right then, I will leave you both to it. Farewell for now, champion. Do not hesitate to reach out to me, even if I am unavailable."

With a final wave, the goddess disappeared in a swirl of mist, leaving Sero and his dragon pups alone once more. The silence that fell over the infirmary was almost deafening after the presence of Aphiel. The two dragon pups looked up at Sero, their emerald eyes filled with concern. He smiled reassuringly and scratched them behind their ears, murmuring softly. "It's all right, guys. We'll be fine."

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Later in the afternoon, Kit came by to check up on Sero in the association infirmary. He was sitting cross-legged on the bed, gently scratching Moss and Lime behind their ears as they napped on a pillow next to him. "Hey, Sero," she said softly, stepping inside. "How you feeling?"

"Much better," Sero replied, stretching on the bed as the dragon pups awoke and chirped over to Kit. "If it wasn't for your healing magic, I think I'd need more time to recover."

"Wouldn't have worked without Amaya's help," Kit smiled knowingly as she cooed at the dragon pups. "She was worried sick about you, you know."

"I can imagine," Sero sighed as he leaned back in his bed. "So, what's the plan for today?"

Kit glanced at him curiously as she scooped up Moss into her arms, causing Lime to bark with jealousy. "Gregor didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Sero pulled out his phone from his Shadow Shift, immediately seeing his screen flooded with notifications and texts. "If he texted it to me, I definitely didn't see it with my phone blowing up."

"You need to set a filter on it or something," Kit sighed as she set Moss down and picked up Lime. "Anyway, the rest of them are meeting us here and then heading over to one of the conference rooms. We're going to be discussing plans with the top five guilds in the nation."

"The top five?" Sero perked up, sitting up in the bed. "That's huge. Are you sure we should be sharing this with them?"

"Of course we should," Kit scoffed. "We're the ones who found the Catastrophe candidate, remember? They need us just as much as we need them, and it's better that more people know about it, especially if they're strong." She paused, glancing at him. "Are you nervous or something?"

"No, just curious," Sero licked his lips, a hungry look in his eyes. "So, there'll be a lot of strong skills- people at the meeting?"

"Ah, now I get it," Kit smiled to herself. "Yes, my little bookworm, powerful delegates from each guild will be there, but I wouldn't count on copying any skills during the conference."

Sero nodded, slightly disappointed. "I see. So what kind of information are we planning to share with them?"

"Pretty much everything you've told Gregor, but it'll be quite hard to convince them of that," Kit admitted as Moss jumped into her arms and began to fight with Lime. "To you, it's only been a little more than a month since you've adjusted to the new world, but to us, we've had an entire year to settle into what we thought we knew."

"I understand," Sero said, frowning. "It took me a while to get used to my situation, too." He paused, thinking for a moment. "So what kind of preparations have they made for the Catastrophes? Do we know anything about that?"

"Well, this is all recent news to them, so the nation's government, mercenary branches, Ascendants Association, and all major guilds are scrambling to organize countermeasures. It's why Gregor called for a meeting with the top five guilds to discuss how we should proceed."

"Damn, so this meeting will probably take a while, huh?" Sero made a face. "I mean, it's important that everyone's taking it seriously, but I don't want to spend the whole day sitting around and talking about it."

The Paradox giggled, setting the dragon pups down. "I know you're not enthusiastic about it, but now that you're an S-rank as well as the center of everything, you don't really have a choice."

"Hey, I'm not that important," Sero protested, but his face betrayed him as it flushed slightly. "And I'm not that strong either. You and the others are the ones who should be talking to them."

Kit shook her head as she looked at him fondly. "Sero, you're much stronger than you think you are. It's not just about having a high combat rating. You've got a sharp mind, proven by how you were able to win the tournament against two S-ranks."

Sero opened his mouth, then closed it, regret flickering in his eyes. "Maybe I should've quit after beating Zioth," he grumbled unhappily.