Chapter 50 - 51- What did you encounter inside?

Chapter 50: Chapter 51- What did you encounter inside? A smile bloomed on Eva’s face, ’’Really, you could have said it earlier.’’ Eva’s eyes were sparkling as she rubbed the ring gently as if apologizing for her earlier forcefulness. ’’Enter.’’ And her surroundings shifted. Seeing the large field spread across and the vibrant trees of various fruits, she laughed, jumping in circles; her suffering from the test seemed to wash away by the field before her. She sniffed the fresh air, falling against the grassy ground, and rolled happily, ’’I can eat whatever I want. Hahaha...’’ After her joy passed, she left the space. She wanted to share the joyful news with Ethan and Julian, and then she would think about which dungeon beast to capture and rear as food. The voice began explaining the beast egg’s origin, purpose, and importance to the competitor. ’’The beast egg would be given to you. You’re tasked with great responsibility to blah, blah blah....’’ Eva tried to listen, but her attention kept drifting to her space, making it hard to focus on the voice. She only heard the first few words and the rest were blank, but nodded calmly with a serious expression. The voice felt smug, noting that the competitor had changed. She now listened calmly, a clear sign that the test had its effect. ’’Pass through this door, it’s an exit. My work here is done.’’ At its words, a door appeared, and as the room crumpled, Eva happily picked up the egg. Planning to cook it when she got back as if hearing her thoughts, the egg trembled slightly, but she didn’t notice and slipped it into her space, running towards the door as the room shattered into the darkness behind her. When Eva appeared, the pillar behind her crumpled to dust. The sound alerted Stone and the rest. Seeing It was Eva, Stone jumped up and rushed towards her. ’’Girl, you’re safe. You had us all worried.’’ Stone words held relief and concern. He knew if something had happened to her, his nephew and godson would break their relationship with him. Eva hummed at his words, her eyes scanning for the figures she wanted to see. Noticing her gaze. "They touched the pillars and disappeared as well.’’ He paused when he saw her eyes widen. ’’You didn’t encounter them?’’ Eva shook her head, her expression turning serious when at the thought of them going through that gruesome test, ’did they have enough healing potion,’ turning to Stone, ’’How many days had they been in there?’’ Eva asked, her tone serious. Stone was baffled. ’’Days? It’s only been thirty minutes. They left immediately after you disappeared.’’ Stone’s tone sounded very confident. Though the time wasn’t working or without the aid of an hourglass he was surely always conscious of time while doing experiments. ’’Huh? Thirty minutes!’’ Eva’s eyes bulged by his unbelievable words. It can’t be, her gaze was filled with doubt and Stone felt his knowledge was being questioned. ’’I conduct experiments and am very time-conscious; a single mistake could ruin everything.’’ At Stone’s explanation and his confident gaze, Eva forced herself to believe, even though she held doubt in her mind. You can’t tell her all those days she suffered were merely thirty minutes. ’’Which pillar?’’ Eva suppressed her doubt and asked, Stone pointed at two pillars beside her crumpled one. Eva’s gaze settled on the two pillars, and she sat in front of them. Hoping they get back safe. Stone was dying to ask what she experienced in the pillar, but he held himself and sat, waiting for the boys to get back. The space users glanced at Eva and remained silent. Inside the pillars, Julian and Ethan were facing their doppelganger, which was proving extremely difficult; they were covered in wounds. Ethan had a wide cut on his hands, his bones were visible, and blood pooled on the ground. With a calm expression, he froze his wound and continued the fight. His ice couldn’t work on it, and his shape-shifting was restricted. He could only trade wounds, to injure it, drinking down healing potions when the wound was fatal. Julian’s time power was restricted; he could only fight with his sword, his stomach had a deep gash. Blood soaked his clothes, and he drank a healing potion to continue his fight. Their fight was a time-consuming and gruesome one; both were so close to death, and they were able to defeat their opponent. They received their rings and were sent to the floating room. "You’ve been rewarded a dead space ring, except your beast egg no living thing can enter. The Beast egg is your beast companion...." Ethan listened to the voice description and words concerning the egg, though he was impatient, he asked the needed questions. Julian was receiving the same information; he wore the ring, and some of his blood was taken to bond with the ring. He picked up his egg and slipped it into the space, before leaving the crumpling room. Immediately they appeared they saw a figure flying towards them, ’’Woo, hoo... I missed you both.’’ Her hands circled their neck, drawing them close as she brawled out all her pent-up emotions. The cold weariness between their brows softened as they felt her warmth and saw her take the initiative to hug them. In return, they hugged her closer. Eva’s hands pressed on the wounds and winced in pain. Eva paused, now noticing their bleeding form; without wasting time, she channelled her energy into them, healing them instantly. She wasn’t aware how effortlessly she healed them. Her powers upgraded as well. Ethan’s gaze was focused on her serious expression as she healed them, his eyes tracing her body for any injuries. "Eva, dear. I missed you too." Julian rolled his shoulder, loosening his tensed muscles before carrying her into his hands. He hugged her tightly, biting her on her nape in punishment. A relieved sigh at seeing her alive flooded in, and his hanging heart settled. Eva didn’t struggle but wrapped her arms around him. Even if he was annoying that she wanted to punch his face at times—she missed him a lot. After giving Julian his chance for a reunion, Ethan took Eva from Julian’s embrace. Julian stretched out his hands in unwillingness but sighed in disappointment, noticing Ethan’s possessive grip around her and knowing he wasn’t letting her go anytime soon. He said nothing, but this grip around her was tight, and he was unwilling to let her feet touch the ground. He breathed in her scent and his turbulent emotions eased. "Boys! I missed you so much." Stone’s words brought them back to reality; Julian moved away from the old man’s embrace, his eyes flashing with disgust. Stone hugged the air, not angry but clearly impatient. His curiosity had been eating at him after waiting for so long. "What did you encounter inside? Was it another world? Why did it crumble when you left? Did you see the key?" He bombarded them with questions. His expression serious as he brought out his mini note. "We’ll explain after we leave here," Ethan spoke over Eva’s shoulders. The egg was very important and Stone needed to report this. Stone’s body itched feeling uncomfortable at Ethan holding back his answers. Julian saw Stone’s wilted form, he smirked and followed suit. Stone followed them back to the entrance in a daze. Eva tried to get down, but Ethan tightened his hold around her. "I can walk." She poked his cheeks, her voice in a whisper. "I know." Ethan’s reply was short, still showing no signs of letting her down. Eva sighed and relaxed into his hold.