37 Chapter 37 The one she had been waiting for

"What!", Althea was given a fright. 

"You…", in the end, Althea couldn't even utter a word. The information was too much for her brain to process.

Ethaan calmly looked at Althea who was looking at him as if wanting to pierce a hole in him with her gaze. "I am sorry, I am late", said Ethaan. There was a hint of grief and regret in his tone. 

Althea had more or less figured out who Ethaan was. "I never thought you.. that you would come to find..find me," said Althea. She couldn't help stammering. 

The person in front of her is the one whom she had waited her entire life in the past. After she was reborn, she didn't have much hope in meeting this person, but at this moment, he is sitting right in front of her. it's not surprising that she would react this way.

Althea had so many questions inside her head right now like, why didn't he came to find her in the past? how did he know of her rebirth? How did he find him? There are countless questions. 

In the end, Althea was forced to calm herself down and asked, "then…the other flame dragon…." 

Before she could finish speaking, Ethaan pulled her closed to him. Althea could feel his hot breath on her face. Ethaan smirked and raised his hand to remove his mask. Before Althea could react, he placed his palm on the back of Althea's head and then he pressed his forehead on Althea's.

Althea was taken aback by Ethaan's sudden action but when Ethaan placed his forehead on hers, she was completely frozen on the spot. Ethaan was showing her the other flame dragon. Inside the sea of Ethaan's consciousness, Althea saw a majestic flame dragon coiled up looking like a beast in hibernation. Suspended in a space it looked like a ruler of all creatures in the void. There was a huge gap between her flame dragon and Ethaan's. Besides, her flame dragon was encircled around spirit seed while Ethan's flame dragon was in his sea of consciousness. 

Their foreheads separated and Althea slowly opened her eyes. Landing her gaze on the magnified face of Ethaan, Althea couldn't help but stopped breathing. Even though she had already guessed that under the mask, the man had an exceptional appearance, it still makes her breath stop. The man in front of her had flawless snow-white skin, a sharp nose, and pitch-black eyes like a dark abyss. Althea had come across many handsome men in her past life who had tried pursuing her but no one could rival the man in front of her in terms of appearance. If one were to describe his beauty in one word, it would be 'ethereal'.

Ethaan let go of Althea's head while the other was still in a daze. He put on his mask again and said with a chuckle, "seen enough!"

Slightly embarrassed Althea faked a cough darting her eyes here and there. "How did you find me? and how do you know of my rebirth", Althea finally asked.

"For one month, I kept looking for you. After investigating, I got a clue about the dragon token and you and how you perish inside the dark mist forest along with the dragon token", said Ethaan as remorse flicked through his eyes. It was evident that he was regretting not being able to be there for Althea inside the dark mist forest. 

"When I heard of the incident, I doubted as to how the dragon token exploded. As the host of the other dragon token, I knew very well about it. The dragon token cannot be exploded or damaged so I concluded that when you tried destroying the token, you accidentally made a soul contract with the flame dragon making the flame dragon leave the token and binding it with your soul. You could have survived if you didn't choose to self-explode your spirit seed but it was too late for the flame dragon to stop the explosion when the contract binding finished. So, the flame dragon protected your soul from scattering and thus your rebirth", explained Ethaan.

Althea had guessed that her rebirth was something to do with the flame dragon but as to how it happened, she had no idea about it but now after listening to Ethaan, she understood clearly.

Ethaan continued, "spirit seed and soul are connected, so you were born with a damaged spirit seed. Those who chose to self-explode their spirit seed would have their soul scattered and won't be able to enter the cycle of reincarnation but because the flame dragon interfered, you were able to reborn but the price you have to pay was the damaged spirit seed. So, the flame dragon used its energy to slowly heal your spirit seed. Your spirit seed could have healed completely a few months ago but due to the beast incident, the flame dragon had to come out from your spirit seed to protect you after sensing that its host was in danger. After the flame dragon came out, you regained your memories, and because the flame dragon was forced to come out your spirit seed which was about to heal completely got delayed. And that day the energy fluctuations caused by the flame dragon alerted those from the central regions"

Ethaan continued to explain, "After I learn about your death in dark mist forest I didn't know what to do or where to look for you if you are reborn. But after I heard about the appearance of peerless treasure in the southern region and the dragon shadow which was said to have seen hovering over the southern region, I had a feeling that it was related to you. So I came to the southern region looking for you and when I was in Maple town my Flame dragon reacted after sensing yours. I am sure you might have noticed it too"

Althea nodded her head, she remembered how her spirit seed started healing at a great speed a month ago. She didn't know the reason back then but now she does.

"At that time I was cultivating and my flame dragon was encircled around my spirit seed but then it abruptly started giving out its energy and started to circle my spirit seed excitedly. At that time I didn't know about your situation, but now I realized that my flame dragon had sensed that the other dragon was weak so it started giving its energy. They could sense each other if it's not very far away. I was afraid that it might alarm you and cut off the connection between the two flame dragons. After entering the cities of the Southern region, I let my man investigate if there had been a major incident in the cities recently. After coming to Twin lake city, I heard of the beast incident inside the Baro clan and it happened the same day the dragon shadow was seen hovering over the southern region so I let my man do a background check on you. After that, I concluded that the former sovereign of the Hall of Mage Althea Rion is now the Daughter of City Lord of Alfing city, Althea Luvan. I wanted to go to Alfing city but then heard that you are already in the Baro clan and that you went to the Hollow mountain range to train so I followed you there. I didn't know your exact location but when you summoned your flame dragon out, I immediately sensed your location and found you leading to me saving you the moment I arrived"

Ethaan patiently and slowly finished explaining everything to Althea without hiding anything from her.

Althea quietly listened to Ethaan from start to finish. She didn't know that Ethaan had been working so hard to find her. She felt quite warm in her heart knowing that he still kept the promise to find her and was ready to acknowledge her.

Althea didn't know whether she should say Thank you or sorry to him.

Thank you for saving me, for finding me, for not forgetting me! or should she say Sorry. Sorry that he had to go through many things trying to find her!

In the end, Althea only said, " It's had been hard on you"

Ethaan smiled and replied, "It was nothing. After all, it was my duty to find you"

After that, he lightly waved his hand and an azure blue necklace appeared on his hand.

Althea noticed the necklace on Ethaan's hand and her pupils constricted. She recognized the necklace.