Ezra covered his hand over his mouth. Tears slowly gathering in his eyes. But he forced them back.
Yes, he had brought Ben here, yes, he had dragged him into all of this without any warnings and yes, Ben could decide to leave if he wanted to.
But what choice did he have? The Oracle had told him about the prophecy. And when he finally reached Ben, he knew immediately he was the one. He didn't want things to be like this either but something had to be done as quickly as possible.
Ping!
The Sesh-Medw pinged. Ezra looked down at the screen. Ben was apologising?
< System, I'm sorry >
< I know I don't really understand what all of this means to you >
< But I'm sorry for backing out this early >
Ezra's chest tightened. 'I should be apologising Ben, not you' he thought as he watched the screen.
< I get it now >
< My presence here has caused chaos>
< People have died because of me >
< So it's best if I just... >
Ezra's hands trembled with fury. 'Just what did the king say to him?'
He'd always known King Ailwin was dangerous. But manipulative? This he never saw coming. Perhaps he had underestimated what the King was actually capable of.
This was a whole new level of evil. Ezra exhaled slowly, clenching his jaw. He didn't respond just yet. He wished he could see Ben physically....and maybe give him a hug to make him feel.less guilty. But that wasn't possible. For now, all he could do was watch.
***
Still in the study, Ben sat in the chair by the fire, hands on his head, staring blankly.
He'd really believed it, hadn't he? That his life was about to begin. That things would finally change for the better.
But sadly, it was all ending before it even began.
'Life is so cruel, man,' he thought bitterly.
Ping!
Ben looked up.
< Ben, I understand >
Before Ben could say anything, the world suddenly lurched like how it did before he arrived at Eryndor.
Ben gasped as his body was yanked backward violently, like someone had grabbed him by the neck and pulled really hard. It wasn't painful but the sensation felt as if it was.
The study blurred and the fire vanished slowly as darkness swallowed him whole.
Thud!
He landed on his bed. Ben blinked as he felt his heart pounding. He sat up slowly, looking around. His room was as messy as he left it.
The posters on the wall, the pile of clothes in the corner, everything was exactly as he'd left it. He glanced at the window. The sky outside was bright. It was just past noon.
He sighed deeply. 'I'm... back aren't I?
Ben exhaled shakily and collapsed onto his bed, staring at the ceiling.
'What a day.'
What a freaking nightmare. He'd witnessed creatures of all kinds, an almost death tournament. In just one day, he'd fought off two mighty creatures that tried to kill him. And then, a king who was secretly human in a strange world of monsters.
If he told anyone honestly about how his day went, they'd think he was insane. They'd probably send him to a psychiatrist.
He almost laughed and threw himself back on the bed. Then, he heard a sound.
Buzz!
Ben frowned. At first, he thought it was the system. But then he realized; it was his phone.
Buzz!
The sound came again. He groaned and rolled over, patting the bed around him.
Where the hell did he put his phone?
He'd come home drunk last night and threw himself on the bed. It could've landed anywhere.
Buzz!
"Alright, alright, I'm looking." He threw himself and started searching for it.
Few minutes later, he found it wedged between the mattress and the wall.
Ben pulled it out and stared at the screen. His eyes widened.
'47 unread messages.'
"What the..."
He unlocked the phone. The first message was from his boss. It read:
"Ben, this is your boss. I'm going to be straight with you. We need you to come back immediately. For five years now, our company had no losses or failed investment, and firing you over one mistake was unreasonable. I sincerely apologize. Please call me as soon as you get this."
Ben's mouth fell open. There was more. He scrolled down. Another message.
"Hi, baby. Are you free to talk?"
It was from Ciara. His ex-girlfriend.
Ben blinked. 'She's calling me....Baby?'
He kept scrolling.
"Bro, that bet was fire. How did you call that? You're a genius man. Call me."
It was from Charlie, one of his friends.
'The bet?' Ben's heart started racing.
Ping!
(Account balance: +$5,000)
Ping!
(Account balance: +$7,000)
Ping!
(Account balance: +$3,500)
Ben's hands started shaking. More messages flooded in. From friends he hadn't heard from in months. Apologies, congratulations, invitations and even gifts.
And more money kept rushing into his bank account. His balance kept climbing.
$10,000,
$15,000,
$22,000,
Ben shot upright, his phone clutched in both hands.
"System!" he shouted, his voice cracking. "System!"
He was shaking. His whole body trembled as he stared at the screen.
Ping!
The grey system screen appeared in front of him.
< Ben, I kept my end of the bargain >
Ben's breath hitched.
< You didn't technically win the contest >
Ben let out a shaky laugh. "Yeah. Right."
< But you did emerge as a victor >
< Even if... what happened, happened >
Ben's throat tightened.
< So as gratitude, you get a tenfold reward instead of a hundredfold >
Tears burned at the corners of Ben's eyes.
< Live a good life, Ben >
< You deserve it >
The screen flickered and then it disappeared.
"Wait! I.... System!"
No answer.
"System!" He called again.
Nothing. It was gone. Probably gone for good. Ben felt a slight bit of sadness as he sat there on his bed, phone in his lap, hands shaking.
He stared at the ceiling and for the first time in a long time, He smiled.
Then he realised, " didn't even say goodbye to the king." He cursed.
King Ailwin had been nothing but kind and generous. He showed him the gardens, the palace and gave Ben the experience of a lifetime.
He knew the king'll understand. He wanted Ben to leave anyway even though was was for his own good. He'll thank him one day when he got the opportunity.
Ben nodded his head and looked back at his phone. Messages kept flooding in. His life was finally going to turn around.
He smiled again. But deep down, something still felt... unfinished.