Blake, Mary, Alice, and Aria listened intently as Ashton told them the reason behind his disappearance.
As it turns out, Ashton was connected to a higher being, which explains his rather absurd sense of responsibility. This higher being was the one who taught Ashton everything that he knows, and it was also the one who helped him and humanity immensely during those years.
Ashton told them how this entity saved him from certain death when he faced the Celestial God. He also revealed the stipulations behind his Karmic Debt and how he needed to repay it to live and return to his proper time.
Then, the story went to the part where Ashton woke up and found himself in the world of Fey.
He told them about his new identity, the things he saw, heard, did, and so on. He also told them his astounding discovery that he was sent back in the past. Which meant that everything he did there affected their present.