Milo was walking down a grey hallway, taking small bites out of a rather juicy pear. He had to admit, not having the Engaged mode of his armor on was making him feel uneasy. The amount of technology in the Awakened Academy was very comforting however, he practically had eyes and ears everywhere.
He tapped into the camera that was within the room he would interview in. Currently, Eva was being interviewed, and he had to contain a smile as he watched the expressions of the poor government worker change from pity to shock.
He then saw through his own two eyes as the man who was interviewing her left the room, quickly reaching for his communicator and making a call.
Milo was already watching the feed of another security camera of the higher ranking government worker. A middle aged dark skinned woman who looked rather fierce. She was dressed in a black pencil skirk and white blouse.
Milo then suddenly winced as the camera glitched slightly. The rather unfortunate thing about his aspect ability was that he had to fulfill one of two conditions in order for Divine Interface to work on technology. He either had to subjugate it to his soul, or he had to be within close physical proximity.
The former as he discovered, had certain limitations, and costed him soul shards. The latter was his best bet, but unfortunately, he preferred to stay close to where Eva was. Not only because he needed answers, but also because if anything happened, he could use her as a shield.
Yes, that was it. He simply hadn't shaken off constantly being in danger on the Forgotten Shore. That was why his heart was beating so fast, why he was plagued with insecurity right now. It was why he was scared to face Eva, because she had left him to die… that must be the truth
Milo suddenly was not in the mood to be here anymore. With a scoff, he incinerated the pear in his hand, and walked away.
***
The interview went well, at least by Milo's standards. He hadn't exactly had a harrowing time in the Forgotten Shore like Sunny, Seishan, or Nephis. It still couldn't be called pleasant by any means.
Now it was time for the dreaded conversation with Eva. Milo walked out into the lobby, and there she was, beautiful as always, and even more so after awakening. Her jet black hair had grown all the way to her lower back. Her skin was flawless, it looked like she had applied extensive makeup. A statue brought to life.
Somewhere far off in another building's break room, a microwave suddenly started beeping with no food in it.
'The camera feed didn't do her justice'
Milo had an expressionless face. He took a seat at the side of Eva.
"So… what happened, why did you leave?"
Eva stared at Milo for a moment, then she looked around. She especially stared at the people there
Milo suddenly grew on edge, his prosthetic began to whirr, ready to change into a weapon at any moment.
"Not here" Her voice was slightly shaky
"What?"
"Follow me" Eva stood up, and took Milo's hand, leading him out of the interview building. Milo was wary, his eyes didn't betray that fact.
Eva stopped in a desolate and abandoned spot. Milo watched her eyes, contemplation was clear in her expression.
"Okay… okay. Look, what I'm telling you is true, so please don't freak out"
"Please just spit it out already"
Eva let out a deep breath
"First off, I'm not from this world. I don't mean I'm from the Dream Realm or the Lunar colonies. I mean that this entire universe is not my own. I used to be… well I'm from a peaceful period. At least as peaceful as humanity can be at times"
She paused to gather her breath and she continued
"Secondly, I don't have any parents, I made up that lie. The reason I knew a lot of things I shouldn't have is because in my worl- no universe, in my universe, this entire universe is a story. Funny thing is you uh, how do I say this?"
Eva scratched the back of her head, her voice full of uncertainty.
"You weren't in the story. The protagonist's were Sunny, Nephis, Cassie, Effie, Kai. You get the point, you weren't mentioned in the story once. Soooo, since you're here, and I'm here, the entire story is changing, and I-"
Milo cut her off with a finger in front of her face
"I kind of knew most of that already, at the very least I knew transmigrators were a thing. I discovered it in that cave. I don't care about your backgrund, who you were, or who you want to be. That doesn't matter to me, and I'll be at your side"
Milo's voice was soft, than his fists clenched, and his tone changed into one of spite
"However, if you don't have a good reason for leaving me in that cave, I won't hesitate to get my revenge right here and right now. So skip the theatrics and tell me what happened. I can hear whatever else you want to say later"
Eva froze for a moment, she gave a half hearted nod
"Right, when that sphere entered you, you suddenly started screaming and convulsing on the ground. I held you for hours, but the wound never closed up. I could… I could see your heart begin to slow" Eva's voice was uneven, tears welling in her eyes
"I saw it stop, and after that I gave up" Eva let the tears flow from her eyes. "That memory of yours, the sheathed blade? It turned into sparks right before my very eyes"
Milo suddenly felt terrible, not only for making Eva recount the experience, but also imagining how terrible it must've been to gain your lover back, only for said lover to attack you.
"Ah… I" Milo paused, contemplating his next words "…I'm sorry Eva, I'm so sorry"
Eva didn't respond with words, she practically dove into Milo's arms and hugged him tightly, with a fervor and strength that Milo did not know was possible.
Milo's back began to pop, and his prosthetic began to crack as well. Milo felt as Eva began to slightly shake in his arms. Her love was crushing, quite literally, and Milo felt suffocated, also quite literally.
"Eva y-your going to see me dead again and it'll be your fault"
Eva suddenly let go, a slight blush on her face.
"You have nothing to be sorry for, well except for breaking my back. I can't wait to tell your parents"
Eva sat up, that same teasing grin on her face, this was right, this was perfect. To Milo, this was everything.
"This is unfair, you don't even have parents"
The two began to walk, chatting away like nothing had happened. Milo however had one thought in his mind
'You gave me your biggest virtue, I swear I'll pay it back a thousandfold'