The silence lingered far longer than it should have. Delilah's eyes were fixed on him, wide with something that looked closer to fear than relief.
Before Gideon could prepare himself for whatever that expression meant, Freya turned around.
She saw him. For a brief second she froze, as if her mind refused to process what stood in front of her. Then she ran.
She crashed into him and wrapped her arms around him so tightly that he nearly lost his balance. Her grip was desperate, almost painful, as if she feared he would disappear if she loosened it.
"Oh my God! You are still alive?!" she screamed, her voice breaking.
"F-Freya…" He struggled to breathe under the force of her embrace.
When she finally pulled back slightly, her hands moved everywhere, touching his face, his shoulders, his chest.
His robe was half dissolved and his shirt was torn from the acid, and now her own body was smeared with the same blue blood and residue, but she did not care at all.
