ENERGI: THE PRIMORDIAL CONDUIT[OP MC, APOCALYPSE, SURVIVAL, AND LITRPG]

AN: Sorry guys! Legendary is blue. I have already corrected it in the previous chap.

*****

It was a common saying that one wouldn't know the value of something until it was gone.

Kael didn't know how he would react if any member of his group were to die. As long as he could remember, he had always been alone. Aside from his family, he had no friends and no peers to lean on. Even now, Kael enjoyed the comfort of being by himself. The peace of being his only friend, was one he was already used to, and would always welcome.

It had been a while since they had joined the principal's group, yet since the first day he went out to check on the survivors, he hadn't mingled with anyone else aside from his team and the old man.

Once upon a time, Alice's silent yet constant stare would unsettle him. Her judging eyes whenever he went out of character irritated him.

Yet only Kael knew the sense of loss he had felt these past few days. The thought of never seeing her again tore his heart apart so much that he spent most of his time doing something, anything, to keep his mind from dwelling on her.

But here she was before him.

Those two beautiful amethyst gems gazed at him with a hint of worry, and another emotion that looked remarkably like quiet relief.

Alice was much the same, and the only thing that was different was that she had grown taller. If before she had been 1.7 meters, now she was pushing 1.9. Her shoulder-length dark hair had grown longer, woven into a single braid that draped over her left shoulder and rested against her bountiful chest. Despite still being in her combat suit, Alice's charm seemed to have reached another level.

Yet, Kael didn't care about her beauty. No, he was simply glad to see a friend alive.

"Alice..." he choked out in a whisper, and ignoring the hand stretched before him, Kael quickly rose to his feet, closed the distance between them, and pulled her into a hug.

His eyes grew slightly wet, yet the look of relief on his face was all that needed to be said about how his heart felt.

A hand suddenly pushed gently against his chest, and only then did Kael regain a bit of his clarity, realizing what he had just done.

"Ah... I am sorry. I lost myself there for..."

He pulled back, trying to explain himself, only for the hand that had pushed him to coil smoothly around his neck.

Kael found himself hugging her once more, with her soft, warm arms wrapped around his neck. He didn't even realize when his hands moved to her waist before holding her gently, almost as if they were always meant to be there.

- HISS!

'It's this feeling again. Why does it feel so peaceful holding her like this?'

His hand tightened slightly around her slender waist, and the two remained in that position for a long time.

No words were shared.

But none were needed.

"Will you guys get a room already! You disappeared for two days, and the first thing you do after coming back is hold another girl. What a miserable sister I am."

Kael ignored his sister and Sophia as they walked into the room. He refused to let anything or anyone ruin this moment. Even now, Jinx was licking his ear, trying to irritate him as much as she could, unlike Seris, who was gazing at Alice with a curious light in her eyes.

'No one will ruin this...'

Alas, it seemed Alice was mindful of the others' presence as she pulled out of the hug. Kael had no choice but to begrudgingly let go.

He sent his sister a scowl and couldn't help but wish she had remained her new self. It wouldn't have been so bad.

"Will you stop it?!"

He suddenly slapped at the air on his right, prompting the others to look at him with weird and questioning expressions.

Jinx slipped away from his attack as she laughed and returned to annoying him. Kael could only sigh before shifting his eyes back to Alice.

He shelved the knowledge that he had been out for two days for the moment and couldn't help but study his former classmate beside him.

Alice at the moment could only be described as looking valiant. She had a katana strapped to her left side, a sheathed rapier on her right, and two short swords crossed on her back in an X.

Kael couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the sight, but when his eyes finally fell upon the text above the young girl, they couldn't help but widen like saucers.

[LV. 31]

The text was a bright blue!