The first thing she saw was an unfamiliar ceiling. In the next instant, her awareness spread.
The last thing she remembered was throwing herself onto Damien as he was sucked into a strange black hole. Thinking back, that was a terrible decision.
The wounds she incurred on the trip through that terrifying blackness weren't simple. She passed out after a mere few moments of resisting with her own strength, but she had no idea how she survived after that.
Her body was filled with hidden injuries until today. Her extreme skill in concealment was the only reason the medics didn't realize her situation.
Now that she was healed, she could finally awaken and understand her surroundings. However, the lack of people around her was concerning.
'What is this place?' She wondered. The outside world was filled with strange people from races she'd never seen before. Compared to Damien, she didn't have much knowledge at all,
Still, now that she was alone, she couldn't help but bury her head in her hands as she remembered her previous actions. She didn't doubt that Damien didn't recognize her. Facing him at this time would be far too embarrassing for her to withstand.
But as if her thoughts summoned the devil, Damien's figure soon appeared at the door to her room. He knocked politely, waiting for her cue to enter.
She let out a small sound of affirmation and he came in. The first thing he saw when he entered the room were her eyes, mystically purple just like his own.
"Nice to meet you." He said awkwardly, "my name is Damien."
He really didn't know how to treat this woman. He didn't know her yet she risked her life for him. He couldn't just act cold, could he?
Seeing him shifting uncomfortably, the woman covered her mount and let out a slight giggle. Right, it'd been a very long time, but he was still the man she knew.
"You don't remember me?" She teased, gaining a little confidence.
"Should I?" He returned the question.
"Mm," she replied, "we used to be…very close."
Her words were followed by a suggestive wink, making Damien feel uncomfortable. Who the hell was this woman?!
In any other scenario, he'd have already stopped paying her any mind. However, he couldn't help but feel like there was a mysterious connection between him and this woman.
Noticing that he was truly clueless about her identity, the woman's expression slightly dimmed. It was clear how disappointed she was.
But in the next moment, her eyes lit up.
"Ah!" She exclaimed. She jumped up off the bed and pounced at Damien. When she reached his vicinity, a murky black fog of mana left her body.
"You…what are you doing?!" Damien couldn't even split his attention to realize that this woman was naked at the moment. He could clearly feel her mana pulling on something deeply connected to him.
Specifically, his shadow!
Damien's eyes turned cold. It had been a long time since he last saw Zara. Ever since she ate the Death Seed, she'd been slumbering in his shadow.
He'd felt her aura from his shadow this entire time, but over the years, he slowly stopped checking on her. He had too many other problems to worry about.
Now, facing someone who could pull at his shadow, he was suddenly reminded of her. Was this woman trying to drag Zara out of his shadow?
But he soon realized that his guess was wrong. What this woman pulled out was not his wolf companion, but a mana construct with the exact same appearance as her!
Damien could clearly feel that the wolf coming out of his shadow was a being of pure energy. And once it finally emerged, it transformed into wisps of smoke and submerged into the woman's body!
"Any clues?" She asked smilingly. Damien could only stare at her in shock.
When that energy clone was removed from his shadow, Damien received a rush of info. He remembered memories he had no recollection of ever making.
These memories were all related to Zara's existence in one way or another. Watching them, it was clear to him that someone manipulated his memory to make him forget about her.
And when he connected that to the beautiful woman in front of him…
"Tang Lingzi…" he muttered under his breath. Only a Demigod could pull something so ridiculous.
Now, he could finally place the familiarity he felt from this woman. It was the same feeling he got from Tang Lingzi's disciple!
And Tang Lingzi's disciple, the beautiful woman standing before him now…was actually Zara the entire time!
His mind broke when he realized it.
"You…how…when…?" He stuttered. He couldn't make out any words.
Zara smiled brightly. This was the exact reaction she wanted to see. This was the grand reveal of her human form!
She immediately jumped at Damien. Her legs circled around his waist and her arms around her neck, embracing him strongly.
"Damien! I missed you!" She was already grown enough to speak more eloquently, but facing Damien, she couldn't force herself to do so.
It'd been too long since they separated. In truth, Tang Lingzi found her long before Damien's visit to her floating island.
When Tang Lingzi first took Zara away, Damien hadn't even entered the Primordial Undying Realm.
The Myriad Illusion Veil was set by a weakened Demigod, so how could a Demigod at the peak of her strength be blocked by it?
Tian Lingzi sensed Zara's aura in the time after she ate the Death Seed, the same time Damien and Ruyue fought to protect her from the beast horde.
Tang Lingzi gave Zara a promise. A promise to make her strong enough to stand by Damien's side if she chose to be her disciple. To Zara, this was the most important thing in the world.
From the moment they met to the moment they parted, she hadn't been of much help to him. Only in the dungeon were they able to fight together. After that, due to the lack of quality and quantity of beasts, Zara couldn't evolve fast enough to match Damien's growth speed.
Under Tang Lingzi's tutelage, this all changed. She even overtook Damien for a period of time, achieving her human form when he was just at the boundary to 4th class.
Now, after years of waiting and grueling training, she finally stood before him again. Now, she finally had the strength to be helpful.
She made a promise when she was young and immature, that when she achieved her human form, she'd fight alongside him without fear.
And that's what she planned to do.
That's why she unhesitatingly jumped onto Damien when he entered that dangerous black hole.
While Zara was celebrating, Damien was overwhelmed by confusion. It wasn't his fault, though. His memories had been tampered with by a Demigod.
While the intentions were good, it still made him shiver a bit. But he knew and trusted Tang Lingzi. Besides, she raised Zara into a powerful 4th class being. She was an ally without a doubt.
In the end, Damien wryly smiled and hugged her back.
"It's good to have you back." He said. Zara was the first person he ever trusted. She was half the reason why he didn't completely lose his mind in the First Dungeon. The feelings from back then hadn't faded even now.
"Let's talk. I want to know about what happened to you over the past few years. Oh, but first, put some clothes on."
Like this, Damien and Zara reunited for the first time in many years. Their conversation continued for an entire day, and by the time they exited her room, it was already time for the Storm Heavens Mystic Realm to begin.
