Free Web NovelChapter 786: Returning to the Present
"Brother Nolan..." Chloe called in a hoarse voice. Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes once more.
"Don’t cry anymore. Let’s go," Leinara said.
Chloe nodded slowly, but her gaze kept drifting back, hoping that figure would reappear. Unfortunately, he never did.
...
Evalyn opened her eyes and found herself in familiar surroundings.
"The treasure room?" she muttered.
"You’re finally back. I was starting to worry I’d be the only one who returned."
A teasing voice came from behind her.
Startled, Evalyn turned around and saw Nolan standing there with his arms crossed.
A faint smile played on his lips, as if he found her delayed return amusing.
"You..." Evalyn opened her mouth to ask something but stopped herself.
In the end, she asked a different question.
"How long have you been back?"
"Just now." Nolan stepped closer and brushed the dust from her hair. "About a minute ago. But I was the only one here. You and Eira hadn’t returned yet. For a moment, I thought I was the only one who made it back, but fortunately, that wasn’t the case."
If Evalyn and Eira truly hadn’t returned, there would have been nothing Nolan could do. After all, time travel was beyond even his abilities.
Fortunately, his fears never came to pass, and he couldn’t help but feel relieved.
Evalyn felt embarrassed by his touch, but she didn’t resist and simply let him do as he pleased.
"So that’s what happened," she murmured, nodding slightly. Then her eyes widened. "Oh, right!"
She quickly looked around. "Where’s Eira? Hasn’t she come back yet?"
"Not yet. But she should be back soon," Nolan replied casually.
As soon as Nolan said that, a beam of light appeared nearby. The light gradually took the shape of a beautiful white-haired girl. freewёbnoνel.com
She had chubby cheeks, round eyes, and an irresistible cuteness that could melt anyone’s heart.
What drew the most attention, however, was her outfit. She wore a dress woven from beautiful silver-blue silk.
A purple crown rested atop her head, making her look even more elegant.
The moment she saw Nolan, Eira’s eyes lit up.
"Master!"
She immediately leaped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Uwaah! I missed you so much, Master! You’re so mean for not coming to find me!" she complained tearfully.
Nolan returned the hug and gently patted her back.
"I’m sorry. I was busy dealing with various problems over there, so I didn’t have time to look for you."
Eira’s sobs gradually subsided, though they hadn’t completely stopped. She loosened her embrace and looked up at Nolan.
"It’s okay. I was fine too. Uncle Purple Dragon was very kind to me."
Nolan and Evalyn were both startled and exchanged glances.
"Uncle Purple Dragon?" Nolan repeated. "Did you meet another dragon there?"
Come to think of it, he really had no idea what had happened to the girl.
His attention had been completely focused on Evalyn, the creation of the magic circle connecting the two worlds, and Chloe.
It wasn’t that he didn’t care about Eira. He was simply certain that she was safe. Besides, he had left a mark on her body.
If anything dangerous happened to her, Nolan would know immediately.
"Umm! I met Uncle Purple Dragon in the place I was teleported to!"
At the mention of the dragon, Eira’s eyes lit up, as if she had been waiting for that question all along.
Nolan wanted to ask more, but they needed to leave the treasure room immediately and meet Luke.
The man was probably looking for them right now.
"Save the story for tonight. I want to hear all about it," he said softly.
Then he turned to Evalyn.
"Let’s go meet Uncle Luke."
Evalyn nodded, and the three of them left the treasure room together.
***
Nolan, Evalyn, and Eira walked down the corridor. Strangely, the hallway was completely deserted.
There wasn’t a single person in sight.
Even the servants were nowhere to be seen.
"That’s strange. Why is it so quiet?" Evalyn asked in confusion.
"Maybe because it’s already nighttime?" Nolan guessed. freeweɓnovel.cøm
Evalyn: "..."
That answer actually made perfect sense.
Until now, they hadn’t seen any windows. The treasure room and its surrounding corridors had been deliberately sealed off from the outside world to prevent anyone from spying on them.
Finally, they arrived at the living room. When they looked out the window, they discovered that it was still daytime.
"It’s still daytime. We traveled to the past during the day too, didn’t we?" Evalyn said, furrowing her brow.
Nolan and Eira fell silent. They were confused by this as well.
Nolan, in particular, had no idea how time flowed between the present and the past. If he remembered correctly, they had spent nearly a month in the past.
Based on his calculations, time seemed to flow much more slowly in the present.
Perhaps they had only been gone for a day or two.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed from ahead.
They turned and saw Luke, the head of the Lionheart family.
"Father!" Evalyn exclaimed in surprise.
"Oh! Evalyn and Nolan!" Luke’s eyes lit up. He walked toward them and stopped in front of them. "Where have you been? I asked the servants and guards to look for you, but they couldn’t find you anywhere. Were you out walking around town?"
Evalyn shook her head.
"No, I—"
Before she could finish, Nolan tapped her shoulder, stopping her.
He stepped forward and looked at Luke calmly.
"Uncle, how long have you been looking for us?"
Luke seemed puzzled by the question. However, he didn’t think much of it and replied, "About an hour ago. Why do you ask?"
"An hour?" Nolan and Evalyn’s eyes widened in surprise.
The two exchanged confused glances.
However, Nolan quickly composed himself and replied, "It’s okay, Uncle. I was just curious."
Luke didn’t suspect anything and quickly changed the subject.
"Oh, right. I was looking for you because there’s something important we need to discuss. It’s related to the upcoming ten-year competition. Come with me."
Evalyn was still stunned by Luke’s explanation.
’Only an hour? So we’ve been gone for just one hour this whole time?’ she muttered in disbelief.
Nolan took her hand, causing Evalyn to snap out of her daze.
"Nolan..." she whispered, looking at him in confusion.
Ignoring her gaze, Nolan said, "Let’s go, Uncle."
Luke glanced at their joined hands and smiled knowingly.
"Let’s go."
And so, Nolan, Evalyn, and Eira followed Luke to his office.
...
Falling Star Academy...
Sharon sat cross-legged on the ground, her eyes closed and her breathing calm.
A few moments later, the wind around her began to stir. Several magic circles appeared above her head and started spinning.
At the same time, the sky overhead gradually changed.
The strange scene immediately drew the attention of the students passing nearby.
"Huh? What’s going on?" one of them asked in alarm. "Is the academy being attacked?"
"Nah, relax," another student replied. "Senior Sharon is just practicing her magic. Don’t bother her. Let’s go."
"Oh, so that’s what it is."
The others nodded and quickly left.
A few minutes later, the phenomenon finally faded away.
Sharon opened her eyes, a bright smile appearing on her face.
"I did it! I’ve finally mastered three-element magic!"
