It had been so long.
So very long.
Until I could once again hold this comforting warmth in my arms.
The body heat of the childhood friend who had once felt so familiar now seemed strangely foreign. Her pale complexion and faint breathing felt even more so.
We had only just met again.
There was so much I wanted to say. That there had been so many misunderstandings between us, that there were things I had done wrong as well, and that despite all of it, I still wanted to protect her—those commonplace confessions of feeling.
But right now, there was no time.
Her shallow breathing hinted that Celine did not have much life left in her. For the body of one of the ‘Seven Deadly Sins’ to have reached its limit, it was easy to imagine just how much power she had poured out to burn away the ‘Hero’s Blood.’
So I desperately searched through my memories. I could not simply leave my childhood friend like this and let her die.
Deep within my subconscious remained the memories of a man who had gathered all manner…