After the Synergy was successfully, Sarah fainted.
When she regained consciousness, she felt a familiar warmth from a pair of familiar arms hugging her waist.
"Huh!" Sarah gasped and opened her eyes with worry.
Varian's smiling face appeared in her vision.
Sarah's eyes turned teary and she felt that something stuck in her throat. Even breathing became hard. But she still managed to utter. "I-Is it you?"
Varian smirked. "The one and only, Yours Truly."
Sarah's world brightened. Her breath returned to normal, her throat didn't feel stuffy and the tears in her eyes receeded.
Varian scraped the tip of her nose playfully and said. "Want to say something to me?"
Sarah nodded and suddenly bit Varian's arm that was wrapped around her waist.
"Ouch! Ouch! Yo!" Varian called out, out of surprise than pain. "Take it easy, lady."
At some point, Enigma also woke up. She noticed that Varian wasn't hugging her but was keeping her in a sitting posture with his telekinetic power.
She looked at Sarah biting Varian's arm and her lips curled up. Without hesitation, she bite down Varian's shoulder.
"What the fuck?" Varian yelped in surprise as the second player joined this biting game. "I was expecting some tears, a hug and a couple of kisses, not a bite. Certainly, now two."
"Kisses? In your dreams! You said you had a plan. Plan my foot!" Sarah glared at Varian with teary eyes and continued biting his arm.
"I didn't lie though," Varian shrugged, suppressing the complicated emotions in his heart and displaying a carefree smile, "You just acted before the plan could be implimented. Not that I'm complaining...in fact, I'm glad you did what you did."
He didn't want to reveal the price he was about to pay for his revival. He didn't want to sadden them any further. And they might really kick up a fus--
"Flattering won't get you anywhere," Enigma said with contempt. "Nor will mindlessly risking the life I nearly died to save. Thank you for valuing my sacrifice so much that you threw it away."
Saying so, Enigma bit down more.
Due to the slight repulsion that still existed, Varian's skin started to crack. Since the area of contact was only teeth, the damage was minimal. And thanks to the plantae power quickly healing his skin, no blood was spilled or it'd have really looked like Enigma was biting Varian to the point of bleeding him.
Still, her words caused Varian to shiver slightly. Enigma did risk her life to save him. And he just want back to save her and literally died after that.
"Anyway," Varian coughed and decided to skip the topic. "Can you two stop biting? There is a time and occassion for everything. Even for biting, there is an appropriate time and place."
Confused by his words, Sarah loosened the grip and looked at him. "Appropriate time and place for biting? When and Where?"
Varian's lips curled up and he said in a cheeky but assured tone. "You can bite the pillow on the bed or the bedsheet when you want to hold back..."
"VARIAN!" Sarah's skin turned pink as she imagined the exact scene. Shaking her head, she clenched her fists and glared at him with grieviance. Then, she bit him again, even harder this time.
"Tsk, tsk, okay, you're practicing for the future." Varian clicked his tongue and looked at Enigma who wasn't even properly biting him now. Even though she maintained an indifferent expression, the tip of her ears was red.
"Ahem, Enigma, don't learn from Sarah. She's a bad girl." Varian said with a righteous expression as if it wasn't him who made the dirty joke.
Enigma wanted to punch that smug face while Sarah wanted to beat him up. If it's the usual Sarah, she'd have remained silent and taken the teasing with a blush.
But now--
"Bad girl?" Sarah left Varian's arm and bit his ear. Her hot breath brushed his ears and her soft tongue touched his skin. "Am I a bad girl?"
"Fuck!" Varian's breath stopped for a moment before a heat rose from his abdomen.
As Sarah was sitting on Varian's lap, she could clearly feel the hardness poking at her. The blonde blushed like a ripe tomato. But she still rolled her eyes at Varian. "Horny man. You just came back from life and you want to create new life?"
Whether intentional or unintentional, her lips were still close to his ears and her hot breath poured over his ears like an aphrodiasic.
"I..." Varian raised his arms to Sarah's chest and stopped right before touching the peaks.
"Fuck! You win this round!" He lowered his arms and grabbed her waist. He pulled her off his lap and stood up. Then he silently walked out of the cave under the confused gazes of Sarah and Enigma.
Sarah buried her head in her knees and seemed like she wanted to avoid all social contact for a century.
On the other hand, Enigma looked at Sarah with a weird gaze. The look in her eyes seemed to say, 'Were you always this naughty?'
Feeling that intense stare, Sarah buried her head further.
Outside the cave, Varian directly teleported to a snow mountain nearby and jumped into the snow.
Thanks to his body powers, Varian's blood was far more powerful than any normal person. Infused with Chi, it's a potent liquid that is brimming with energy. Even drinking a single drop could help recharge a level 1 body awakener.
Now, Varian's blood was boiling. And as a result, the snow around him started to melt. Even the water started to boil and vaporized.
"Fuck!" Witnessing this spectacle, Varian opened his mouth in shock.
'Excuse me, is this normal?' Varian knew awakeners were a wild bunch in this regard but this was too much.
"...Why is she being so naughty?" Varian sighed.
He had a guess.
Even though he came close to dying many times, he didn't. But this time, he really died. If this place wasn't some miraculous zone enabling rebirth, he'd be a goner.
His revival and revival of memories were a miracle.
Sarah didn't really know if he'd return. She had to live assuming he's gone forever and would never return.
After going through all the pain and heartbreak, she was aware of the harsh impermenance of life.
What's today might not be tomorrow. The smiling, loving words said today might really the last she'd hear.
If so, if life was really so unpredictable, then she should cherish every moment she has.
Speak your heart out. Leave no regrets. Do everything you want to do.
"Sarah..." Varian leaned against the snow and looked at the sky.
She wanted to go to the next step in their relationship. Intimacy. Because she was afraid she'd lose him anytime. She wanted to hug him close and feel secure that he wouldn't leave her.
Varian too wanted to take the next step. But this wasn't the place and time.
"Only a bit longer..."
Varian was confident of reaching peak level 9 before long. Once he did that, he could mop the floor with the Abyssal Kings and Queens and end the century-old war.
Then, at the highest stage of humanity, he'd marry the girls he loved and give them the best marriage.
