Edited by: Kuro
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When Grey woke up, he saw that the room he was in had a lot of items added. On these shelves, there were items that he had saved from the world he went into with Azul. From all of their rings from their marriages to their favorite swords, armors, and even their mechas that helped them often.
He even got the card that summoned the UniOrb Deity that was given to him by the Gods of the 13th world. It was their way of saying thanks for the help. It was a one-time-use card, but it still looked beautiful.
He was also on a bigger bed, which was different from the full-sized bed he was on before he fell asleep. This time, it was a king-sized bed, so he could only assume that Azul changed the bed while he was sleeping…
Grey also saw two doors. One had a closet sign and the other had a bathroom sign on it.
How long was he sleeping? Honestly, he felt amazing. He didn't feel that heavy weight on his shoulders. He was genuinely happy.
Grey got up and stretched. It really felt like he was lying for centuries with how his bones were creaking from his movements. Even so, he did his best to get his soul body moving and began looking around.
When he felt he could walk, he walked to the bathroom and found two sets of everything. There were two sinks. One of them looked used so he knew it was Azul's. The other was clean without even a speck of dust on it. Everything was also in packages for when he was ready to use them.
Grey opened everything and then cleaned himself up.
Everything seemed too real… Was he in another world and no one told him? Was everything a dream?
He walked to the closest in a daze and found it was a large walk-in closet. The left side of the closet had clothes that were too big for him, so he knew they were all of Azul's clothes. On the right side were clothes that he liked. There wasn't a lot of color, but the clothes were stylish and fit him perfectly.
Grey put on a dark purple sweater, black pants, and white shoes. When he felt like he was presentable, he walked out of the closet and saw Azul standing next to the bed.
Azul was wearing black slacks and a white button-down shirt and he was wearing a brown belt and dress shoes. It was a very business casual look but without a tie.
"Good morning, Azul. How long have I been sleeping for?" Grey was nonchalant about it because he felt like he only slept for a few years or something like that.
Azul brought him into a hug and didn't say much. He was just happy that Grey was finally awake.
"Azul?" Grey hugged him back but was a little worried that Azul wasn't saying anything.
"Grey, you slept for almost ten thousand years. Well, that's just according to the time in the Command Center."
Grey was shocked. T-ten thousand?! He slept for that long?! "I'm sorry for sleeping for so long."
He can't believe that he left Azul for so long. It was no wonder Azul wouldn't let him go. He couldn't imagine just waiting for him like this.
Grey let Azul hug him for as long as he wanted. It didn't make a difference to him seeing as how they didn't have any pressing matters to attend to.
After a while, Azul finally loosened his grip but he still held Grey in his arms. "I knew that you needed a lot of rest, especially after the new God System, System 225, told me about everything that you went through in the Villain System, but I still… I still guarded you, hoping that you would wake up soon. I really wanted you to wake up soon."
"Thank you for protecting me while I was resting. I honestly didn't know how long I was sleeping. I had no dreams and I couldn't hear anything as I slept… Well, can't even call it sleep at this point. It was more like a coma…"
"It's no problem. You know I will always be there to protect you."
The two hugged again and couldn't help but shed some tears. Grey felt so bad for leaving Azul for so long and Azul was just so happy that Grey was back that tears came out.
Instead of leaving the room, Azul and Grey spent a lot of time in the room. Grey wanted to know how the Command Center, System 225, and Arisa were doing. Of course, he could see them and ask, but he wanted to get an outside perspective first before asking.
"Oh, there's also someone who wants to meet you. You know them very well and they have also been waiting for you to wake up."
"Someone who wants to meet me…? Is it who I think it is?" He was thinking of Kyle, the first friend he made on this journey and the one who stuck by his side until the very end. Even if his name changed in different worlds, he was still Grey's best friend.
"Yes, your best friend and guardian angel. He remembers all of his memories and he became a permanent Host. He's been waiting for you to wake up and he visits you as long as he's not completing missions. Oh, he goes by the name Kyle since that's the name he had when you first met him."
"Kyle… I'm so glad he's okay. I was hoping that he would be able to come visit us but who knew he would become a Host."
"Yes, he said it was the best way to continue to stay by your side. Would you like to meet him now?"
"Of course! Let's go together."
Grey and Azul left his room while holding hands. Grey stopped as soon as the door closed behind him. Everything was much different from what he was used to.
Instead of the lone, giant room that made up the Command Center, he felt like he was looking at an entire city. The room he just left was in an apartment complex that had a direct view of the center of the city, where the Command Center was. He was on the 20th floor, the highest floor aside from the rooftop where there was a pool.
He could tell that the center was still the Command Center because the UniOrb was still there and the other Systems were sitting at desks in cubicles around the UniOrb.
Just like before, it was separated into sections, but there was no roof. Even so, the Systems didn't mind this. Before, the Systems were there all the time, now, there were a lot of seats that were empty because both Systems and Hosts had a bit of free time after each world.
There were also more Systems because these cubicles didn't have any monitors but they had monitors on the door to let people know who was inside and using it. As long as Systems kept to their sections, it didn't matter what cubicles they used.
Though there were a lot of Systems and Hosts, the cubicles in the center were never filled to the point where a System had to wait.
There were also other apartment complexes at the same height as the one he and Azul lived in. To the door on his right, he found it was Kyle's room. On his left, it was System 225's room, aka the new God System.
Arisa and System 505 were a few floors below them though.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you, Arisa became System 1000, the start of a new generation of Systems, but as close friends, we can still call her Arisa."
"Thank you for letting me know… A lot of things have changed since I've been asleep. It seems I have plenty of time to explore."
"Of course! And I will be here with you."
The two stood in front of Kyle's door and gave a knock.
"Is that you, Azul?"
"It's me, and Grey. He's finally woke up and he wants to see you."
"Really?! Give me a second!"
On the other side of the door, Kyle was making a lot of noise. It sounded like he was moving things out of the way, tripping over stuff, and trying to make his way to the front door.
After a couple of minutes of loud noises, Kyle finally opened the door. He was sweating a bit, but he was fully dressed in comfortable home attire. Behind him, was a spotless room.
He didn't say much, he just jumped Grey into a massive hug and began to cry. He missed Grey so much he didn't know what to say.
Grey hugged him back, comforting him without saying much. Just like Azul, he too, waited thousands of years for him to wake up. The least he should do was to let him cry until he could not cry anymore.
After a while, Kyle finally let him go. He apologized for his unsightly appearance and for hugging Grey for too long. Both Grey and Azul didn't mind it and patted him on the shoulder.
Azul didn't mind it as he knew that Kyle was Grey's platonic soulmate and best friend. He also became good friends with Kyle during the time that Grey was sleeping. If he had to say so, he also saw Kyle as a best friend.
Kyle wiped his tears away and saw all his snot on Grey's shoulder. He sheepishly took out a napkin and tried to wipe it off.
"Sorry, I had to do some cleaning up. After my last world, there was a lot of stuff in my System Space and I was trying to organize it until you two came knocking on my door."
"Come inside. Grey, there's a lot that I want to talk with you about!"
Kyle excitedly grabbed Grey and Azul's hand and led them inside. It had a similar layout to Grey and Azul's room, but this place had a couch too. None of these rooms had a kitchen as food was not relevant to them. Still, there were plenty of restaurants to choose from in this city-like paradise.
Afterward, Kyle began to explain how he became a Host.
"From what I know, after you all saved the Command Center from the Villain System and its not-to-be-named creator, System 225, well, God System, contacted my soul, helped me remember all my memories, and asked if I wanted to become a Host, just like you. Of course, I said yes because it meant I could always stay by your side and help you!"
Kyle was a little emotional as he explained. He always wore his emotions on his sleeves, so that also meant, he cried easily. He wiped his tears and gave a smile.
"I found out that you were in a comatose state after your soul got severely damaged by that bastard. Coupled with the fact that you had a lot of unresolved traumas from your time in the Villain System, it was no surprise that your soul closed itself off and began a long, but necessary healing process. During that time, I began working hard to become a top-tier Host, just like you! Now, I can complete S-ranked worlds. I mostly get called out for worlds that are in dire need of assistance. When I'm not jumping from world to world, I stay here, protecting you with Azul who has become the right-hand man to the God System."
Grey was so moved. Even after all of this, he still had people who loved him and cared for his well-being. He was grateful to have Azul, System 225, Kyle, Arisa, and even System 505.
"Thank you, Kyle, for protecting me this whole time. Truly, I'm grateful for you and Azul who have been by my side this whole time."
Kyle began to cry again and Grey got up to bring him into a hug.
The two cried their hearts out, happy to see each other again.