Edited by: ASaltedFish
Sponsored by: Yaaslin and Key! Thank you for completing the Ko-fi goal. :D I hope you enjoy this chapter hohoho.
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In Ellery's past life, when Orin could not contact him or Darya, he decided that he would work hard to afford the trip back to the Imperial Star.
For small planets on the border, tickets to the Imperial Star are generally extremely expensive. On Niavi, they cost about five times the price of a locally purchased terminal, so Orin had to save for years just to be able to go back. This was because the cost of the ticket not only covered his room and food but also the extra distance the commercial spacecraft would cover in its many stops along the way.
By the time Orin had saved up enough money, he had already found out that Ellery and his wife had died.
Darya, who didn't contact Ellery in their past life, felt bad for reaching out because he was obsessed with Leonard. She didn't want to become his weakness and be targeted since he was also fighting against Darian. In the end, she didn't reach out to him.
She regretted that, though, especially after Ellery died at the hands of Darian. She couldn't stand to lose another person from her family. She also couldn't wait any longer for Orin, who never came back. She took her life two months after Ellery died.
So when Orin came back and found out what happened to his family, he decided to take revenge. He made sure to kill both Leonard and Darian, who killed Ellery and then took his life so that he could be with his family.
That was all in the past.
Darya reached out this time around because Ellery was strong and influential enough to ask someone to search for Orin, as she had always thought he was still alive.
This time, Orin was able to contact Ellery because he kept his appointment bookings open.
In this life, the Aster family would be able to reunite and live happily ever after.
*****
Just as Aster guessed, the moment Darya got the news about Orin, she rushed over, wanting to see his message.
She was panting and out of breath, but she still came to the house with an overnight bag. "Ellery, did he really message you? Is he really okay?"
Since Aster was at the forefront, he answered Darya. "Yes, would you like to read the message he sent? You can also save his contact information."
"Of course, thank you very much!"
Aster showed Darya his terminal because he couldn't send the booking details to her. There was a privacy wall on the program.
Darya read every word of the message five times before she finally stopped reading it. She was crying but seemed relieved. Darya saved his number and contacted him so he could also have her contact information.
While Orin was using a temporary number, he could still save new contacts, make calls, and message people.
Aster had already asked Orin when they should video call, and they agreed to call once Darya added his contact information.
"It's no problem at all. Orin should be calling us very soon."
Then Darya's terminal rang.
Darya quickly picked it up and saw Orin for the first time in two years. He had a red crew cut and amber eyes, similar to his red fox quantum beast. Orin looked similar to how he was before he went missing, but his skin was tanner, and he had some scars on his face. Overall, he looked healthy.
"Darya…" Orin was speechless after seeing his wife for the first time in two years. She looked so skinny. His heart ached, thinking that she hadn't eaten well since he disappeared.
Darya was already crying; she couldn't even say anything because she had missed him so much.
As for Ellery, he stealthily switched places with Aster so he could talk with his brother. "Brother, how have you been? Where are you living right now?"
Orin looked at Ellery and then back at Darya, who couldn't stop crying. "I'm living on MPE02, or what the locals like to call 'Niavi'. It's a remote planet, but the people of the small city I'm in have been really nice and helpful. Without them, I would have died ages ago."
"It's good you landed in a safe place. Send me your coordinates. After my graduation next week, I will come and pick you up with the First Fleet."
It was finally time to graduate, but he had to be there to give a speech on stage. At first, he wanted to avoid it, but the Imperial Academy begged him because he was the first SS-ranked guide in centuries. Plus, he was number one in his year and department. He couldn't shirk those responsibilities.
"Okay, I sent you my coordinates." Orin couldn't believe so much time had passed. "Ah, I want to see your graduation, but even if I left today, I wouldn't be able to attend…"
"I will send you a link." It was unfortunate, but at least there was a way for Orin to watch his graduation. They could celebrate when he came back.
"Okay, then I will wait for you both to pick me up." Orin knew that Ellery had a connection with the First Fleet, so he didn't question anything. Plus, he was once a member of their scout team. He also wondered if his old teammates were still there.
Darya finally stopped crying and wiped her tears. "Ellery, if you don't mind, may I talk with Orin alone for a bit? I will message you when we are finished."
Ellery knew that the two of them had a lot to talk about, so he nodded his head. "That's fine. Edros and Akimitsu are on their way, so I will greet them at the door. Take your time, Darya. I'm sure you and Orin have a lot to talk about."
"Thank you, Ellery," Darya and Orin both said at the same time.
Ellery walked out of the room and slowly made his way to the entryway.
'Aster, you were right. My brother would have made his way back to us even if it took a few more years… Even so, I still feel sad that I didn't stay alive long enough to see him again…'
[And it's okay to feel sad about it. You went through so much in your past life, and most of it was out of your control. It's good you have a second chance now.]
'That's true… I don't know how I got this second chance, but I am grateful for it. I even got to meet you in the process. I will come to terms with my feelings in time.'
[I will be here for you if you need me. I am not the best at comforting people, though…]
'To me, you are perfect. Just having you here has helped me so much.'
Aster felt a little shy, but he didn't want to leave Ellery hanging without saying anything. [Thank you, Ellery. I appreciate you and happy to have met you. Every day, you make me a better person…]
If Aster was here in person, he would have walked away with a red face and ears.
Ellery almost laughed but had a sad smile. 'You are so cute I want to pinch your cheeks.' He really wished he could.
Aster was cute, different from him. Still, even if they were two very different people, Aster was right. They made each other better people, and that's rare for friendships.
Ellery sat on the sofa in the living room, closest to the front door. He was on his terminal messaging Akimitsu and Edros. They were asking how he was feeling, if he needed anything, and when he wanted to pick up his brother.
He felt it was cute that they were messaging him even though they were on the way.
When Akimitsu texted that they were there, one of the housekeeper robots opened the door to let them in.
Akimitsu and Edros looked like they rushed over as soon as they got his message. They were still in their uniforms, and they had slight bags under their eyes; they clearly hadn't been sleeping well.
They still rushed over to see him.
Ellery tried his hardest to stay strong, but seeing them, he couldn't help but tear up a little.
He wanted to be strong for Aster and for Darya, but at the same time, he wanted someone to hug him, tell him it would be okay, and let him cry. If Aster was here, he was sure Aster would let him cry on his shoulder, but he wasn't physically there.
"Akimitsu, Edros…" Ellery rushed over to the front door before they could even take off their shoes.
He hugged Akimitsu first. He had nothing against Edros; he just felt more romantically attracted to Akimitsu.
Akimitsu stopped trying to take off his shoes and gave him a bear hug. He didn't question Ellery and just hugged him until he was ready to talk.
Ellery pressed his head up against Akimitsu's chest and found that his heart was beating steadily. The hug was warm and helped him to feel more grounded.
After a while, Ellery slowly let go. "Thank you for letting me hug you, Akimitsu." Then he turned to Edros. "Aster said hello, and if you want, he can bring Lune out so you and Casir can hug him."
Edros, who stood awkwardly off to the side, felt happy that Aster was thinking of him. "That's perfect." He greeted as though Aster was physically there. "Hi, Aster. I hope you are well."
"Aster said thank you for asking, and he is doing well. He also said that you look tired and should get some more rest when you go back." It was Aster's usual blunt way of talking, but everyone could see that he meant well.
"I will." Edros felt like he was on cloud nine. He even forgot that he was standing in the doorway waiting for Ellery and Akimitsu to finish their hug.
The trio made their way to the living room, settling down on the sofas. One of the housekeeping robots came by to get their drink and snack orders.
After all of their drinks and snacks were on the table, Ellery let Lune and Sol out to play with Casir and Dusky.
Lune was a little shy, but with encouragement from Ellery and Aster, he made his way to Edros and sat next to his lap. He didn't know if he was allowed to sit on his lap.
Quantum beasts had similar personalities to those of their sentinel or guide, so he acted similarly to how Aster would act if he were physically there.
Edros almost didn't want to move in fear of scaring Lune away. He gently picked Lune up and put him on his lap. He lightly patted Lune on the back and then scratched his chin.
Lune let Edros pet and scratch him, leaning more into his hand. Casir also wanted to be included, trying to fit on Edros' lap as well.
Ellery smiled and then turned to Akimitsu, who was holding Sol. Dusky was with Ellery, sitting on his lap.
Once they found the Beast God, Aster would be able to join them, and it would be perfect.