Friends Can Make A Difference

A tear involuntarily dropped from his cheek.

Amelia wanted to stop those people from going. But Schwann stopped her before she could. She gave a questioning glance at him. He just nodded reassuringly. Amelia couldn't understand that logic. Letting them go would mean that there will be two people who know about their location. That would be a real threat to them. She couldn't let that happen. But Schwann was...

Amelia was sure thst she had seen one of them before. Her superb memory utterly failed her this time. She couldn't recollect where she had seen him. Was it... She cancelled that thought without any further thinking. That was something she wanted to forget.

On the other side Hogman was drowning in a sea of remorse. He felt bad for himself, his friends and everyone he had abandoned in his strive to get out of his memories. Watching his friends dissappear into the mist, he felt that his soul was being torn apart. They were the only ones that he had any contact with after losing his friend. The day that changed his whole life. The incident that lifted the weak, vulnerable Hogman to the most powerful mage in the world. He who was despised by the world, was then on his way to become stronger. So much stronger than anybody else.

But, now... After seeing Aster and his amazing powers, Hogman feels that he was nothing. He always a nobody in this world who got instant fame due a really bad day. The unforgettable yet wanting to forget, unfortunate yet fortunate, remorseful day in life.

Amelia looked at Schwann whose face was very calm. His straight beautiful hair seemed to glow in the moonlight. Amelia was, for a moment, caught in a trance. Schwann sensed someone staring at him. He just looked at Amelia for a second. Their eyes met. Quickly Amelia turned her face away, flushing in embarrassment. Schwann just smiled seeing her embarrassed face.

At first he had wanted to make Hogman's friends stay. But then seeing their sincerity, he couldn't make himself believe that they would cause any harm. That was why he stopped Amelia when she wanted to stop them from leaving. Schwann always believed that friends could make a difference. But in Hogman's case, he thought friends could make a huge difference.

Hogman turned to walk back to the cave. There, Sienna had witnessed the whole scene. She dropped a tear when Hogman's friends returned to where they came from. She didn't know why, but still found it very touching.

Eren and Aster sat up in bewilderment when they saw her crying. They didn't know was happening outside. They didn't know what Sienna had seen. They just sat there looking at the weeping Sienna. Aster couldn't bear her crying. They actually thought that she was crying for nothing. Only she knew why her tears overflowed the boundaries of her hazel brown eyes. She quickly returned from that emotional outburst.

She straightened her back and regained her composure. She then explained to them what had happened outside.

Everyone in the cave including Tania was lost in thought. That's when Hogman and the others arrived.