"Mm...I'm gonna be super clingy for the foreseeable future, hope that's okay," Grinned Aria, her head on my shoulder as she snuggled up to me.

"Definitely not complaining about that, it's more than okay. By the way, aren't you sleepy? It's almost morning," I remarked, as she nommed on my earlobe.

About a couple of hours had passed since I got back home, and I was currently cuddling with Aria under the covers.

I feel so happy...after those long months without seeing her, it now feels like I don't have a worry in the world.

This unbridled sense of giddy joy...seeing her again, holding her, I missed it more than I ever realized.

I did miss her like crazy, of course, but since I was so focused on my goal of getting back to Earth, I don't think I fully realized just how much I missed her, how much I longed to see her again.

And that might actually be a good thing...otherwise, I probably would've gotten impatient and tried to rush things, which could have ended really badly if I screwed up.

But now that I'm back, all that time I spent in the Monster world feels like a blip, almost as if I never left. I only just got back, and it's already starting to feel like a distant memory.

"Huh, you're right...the sun's going to start rising soon. But it's fine, I'm not sleepy at all. Since I didn't get a letter from you last night, I got super worried and restless, I was so anxious that I couldn't sleep.

That's why I was in your room, being here helped ease my nerves a tiny bit. And now that you're back with me, I want to stay like this for as long as possible, I don't want to go to sleep," She remarked, as she gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"Alright, then let's stay like this until we eventually pass out," I smiled, as I bumped the tip of my nose against hers.

"Sounds good. Mm, I'm so glad you're back, Kai...speaking of which, how did you get back? Did everything go according to plan?"

"Actually...no, not at all. So, remember how I told you about the forest being enchanted?"

"Mhm, yeah, you said that it had an Enchantment that helped people hide, right?" She recalled with a nod.

"Yeah. The Demon Lord must have figured that out, because he deployed a bunch of Monsters with fire-based abilities to burn the forest down.

Naturally, I had no choice but to get out and run, and I ended up fighting the First Seat of the Demon Lord's Generals.

He had a Demonic Art that could nullify Magic, so I couldn't use my power boosts or any Skills. Even the Apostles disappeared when he activated it," I remarked with a slight grimace.

"Yeah, I saw a new name in Appraisal, with a Demonic Art called Nullification Zone, I'm guessing that was him," She mused in response.

"Mhm, that's the one. It was tough, but I managed to gain the upper hand...and then he summoned a few thousand Critical Level Monsters. I fought as hard as I could, but I must have blacked out at some point, because the next thing I knew, I was waking up with shackles around my wrists, hanging from a ceiling with an exposed Mana Current below me."

"Wait, what?!" She blurted out in alarm.

"Hey, relax...as you can see, I survived," I grinned as I patted her head.

"I know, but...that doesn't change the fact that you were in a seriously dangerous position," She frowned, as she let out a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, definitely got lucky surviving that. I met the Demon Lord, by the way. Turns out, he wanted me alive because he has a Demonic Art that lets him steal an ability from a target.

Fortunately, the Sinner System blocked him from stealing one of mine, that frustrated him and he went out to get some air or something.

But the First Seat General was wary of me, and decided to try and kill me. He activated his Nullification Zone to keep my Magic blocked and then severed the chains, and I ended up falling into the Mana Curr-..."

"What?! How-...obviously, I'm super glad you survived, but isn't that supposed to be, like, instant death? Are you okay, Kai? Did you suffer any lasting damage?" She frowned, as she sat up and pulled the covers off, scanning my body with a concerned look on her face.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," I assured her, sitting up and patting her head, before continuing, "I did think I was going to die, and I definitely would have under normal circumstances, but I was saved. This part's pretty wild, so buckle up."

I then proceeded to tell her about my meeting and conversation with Samsara, everything she told me and, of course, how I met my mother again.

I also mentioned the new application of Drain and Devour I'd gotten from Samsara, and how she gave me the ability to summon Ai in a physical form of her own.

"After that, she gave me a temporary boost to my luck to help me escape with a higher chance of success, and then-..."

"W-Wait, slow down...that's a lot to take in, I need a moment to process all that. Wow...you met a literal Goddess, the one responsible for your powers and you ending up reincarnated in this era.

And it all happened because of your mother...she sounds awesome. Even after dying, she prioritized your well-being over herself," She remarked in awe.

"Yeah...she's amazing. I wish I could've had the chance to introduce you to her. Still, I'm glad I got to see her again, even if it was the last time. This turned out to be an amazing day...I got to speak to my mom one more time, I finally got out of the world of Monsters, and last but certainly not least, I'm back by your side," I smiled, as I pressed my forehead against hers and gently caressed her cheek...

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