189 Really Hard Indeed (1/2)

When Arima and Night reappeared on Mars, Layla and Karma gasped. Their new appearance was something much more than what they could have prepared for. They knew that there would be some changes. After all, it's nothing new. People undergoing ma.s.sive breakthroughs will always end up different physically. And the result is always unknown for most.

Jin squinted his eyes to observe Arima before laughing. He looked down at his body and managed to gather enough strength to stand up. Although he was far past a hundred years old, he was still one of the enhanced soldiers which brought Aurorae to life.

He breathed in and walked toward Arima ”Glad to have you back” He spoke as he extended his hand.

Arima snickered and took his hand and hugged his brother in arms ”It's now that you say that?” He tapped on Jin's back and said as he brought him back to his wheelchair.

”What? Did you want me to say this while you were still an eighty-meters-tall dragon?” Jin retorted as he sat down again.

”That's indeed a weird disposition” Arima smiled.

”Who is that?” Jin pointed at Night with his chin. The latter was slowly backing away from Karma. She was looking at him with glinting eyes and dangerously approaching. Night seemed to have taken Jin's question as an opportunity and teleported right next to Arima.

”I'm Night Bahamut. Arima's partner. Pleased to meet you” He presented himself and bowed slightly.

Jin observed him from head to toe ”You look like Arima in the old days” He remarked and Night tilted his head ”Before, Arima definitely wasn't as composed as he is now. He was a lot more hot-blooded in his prime age. I feel the same thing with you right now” Jin told and Layla looked back at Night with a pensive expression.

”Well, you're a lot colder than before though” Jin followed as he looked back at Arima. The latter's eyes widened and Jin smiled ”But you're also a lot warmer. I seriously wonder what happened to you. You talked about a time s.h.i.+ft, how old are you right now? I can't even tell anymore”

Arima smiled wryly. After all this time, he forgot that he went back from an old man to a twenty-year-old when he was transmigrated by Azes. Of course, Jin wouldn't get his age by his appearance ”Do you want the bulls.h.i.+t version of the answer or the absurd one?”

”Which one is true?”

”Both” Arima responded.

”I'll go with the absurd one then” Jin made his choice.

”Quant.i.tatively, I'm 5.6 billion years old” When Arima declared that, Jin fell silent and all the soldiers listening blanked. Some of them even had an expression saying 'Is he crazy?'. Some even went as far as saying it out loud. Jin appeared calm on the surface but he was holding his words back.

”Arima, are you actually messing with me? Five billion is already more than the age of the Earth” But he responded with something a lot nicer than what he had in mind.

”That's only quant.i.tatively” Arima shrugged ”The amount of memory I have and my knowledge only amount to around half a billion”

”…That's still more than twice the age of the human race… in this world at least” Jin muttered as he rubbed his temples ”What's the bulls.h.i.+t answer by the way?”

”Older than you” Arima jested and Jin laughed.

”That's indeed some bull you're saying there” Jin laughed full heartedly for a moment then stared at Arima with a grave expression ”Let's be serious now. I only want to ask one thing since the beginning; can you make me young again?”

The only answer Jin got was a laugh.

********************************************

”It didn't really change much since then, huh?” Arima commented as he walked on the streets of the capital which had been named after his organization.

”Well, a few years is not really enough to change something” Jin responded as his wheelchair was being pushed by his personal attendant, who was also his maid and nurse at the same time ”In the first place, you were the one who banned the distribution or manufacture of any Eion device for the citizens”

Arima shrugged ”It's only normal. We couldn't have kept the peace otherwise. But we should be able to give it back to the world in a few decades”

”Yeah; I remember that was on your little message” Jin snickered ”Haze and I laughed when we saw what you had written on that letter. But it was also scary as h.e.l.l, you know? It felt like you had predicted everything that was going to happen”

”I just mused about how people would react and act. There was nothing scary with that” Jin sighed when he heard that.

”You don't even know how terrifying it was”

Meanwhile, Night, Layla, and Karma were following the two, not even daring to intrude in this conversation. Instead, Night and Karma were listening to Layla's story through telepathy. She was telling them briefly what Arima had done in his life.

”{I see. I understand better now}” Night was relieved of his curiosity and Karma nodded.

”{Yeah. So Arima conquered an entire planet while he was still a normal human…}”

Layla smiled wryly ”{Normal may be a little inaccurate}”

”{You're right}” Karma and Night affirmed simultaneously.

”Now that we're talking about him, what about Haze? Is he still alive?” Arima asked Jin after waving his hand at the old people who had recognized him on the streets.

”No” Jin solemnly said and Arima nodded.

”I see… What about Moria and the rest of the squad?”