It was February, the 26th year after the opening of the Dark Portal. Spring Festival.
Azeroth was adorned with festive decorations everywhere, from cities to towns, where merchants selling fireworks and firecrackers could be found. People of all races wore festive red clothes, visited each other's homes, and paid New Year's greetings to relatives and friends.
Azeroth originally did not celebrate Spring Festival. Since Aiden came to Azeroth, every New Year he would, in a private capacity, pay New Year's greetings to his close friends and the Heroes under his command, and have craftsmen make fireworks and firecrackers to set off, increasing the festive atmosphere.
Originally, this was just a small-scale, very private celebration, but after the people of the Valoran Federation heard about this custom from Aiden's hometown, this festival quickly spread. Today, Spring Festival has become one of the grandest festivals in Azeroth.
This year's Spring Festival was even grander than in the past. Because people had not yet recovered from the brutal war that had just ended five months prior, the celebration became the best way for them to mourn the deceased and express gratitude to the sacrificed Heroes and people. Especially to Lord Aiden—the image of him battling the Evil God in the sky and finally sacrificing himself with the Evil God to protect the Mortals is forever deeply etched in the heart of every survivor.
Without him, without the sacrifice of countless Heroes and warriors, these humble Mortals would have long become offerings in the Evil God's belly.
To remember his immortal achievements and sacrifice, statues of him can be seen being carved by stonemasons and workers everywhere in Azeroth, and everyone in Azeroth is singing his epic.
That war had a profound impact, and everyone felt the huge impact of the Old Gods' frenzied attack on their lives.
Last October, King Terenas, who was seriously ill, officially abdicated, and Prince Arthas Menethil was officially crowned King in the presence of heads of state from various countries.
Since the discovery of Pandaria, under the irrigation of the Golden Lotus in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, the wasteland in the Eastern Kingdoms, which was polluted by Fel after the Burning Legion's rampage, has gradually recovered its vitality. The Lordaeron Kingdom, Gilneas, Stromgarde Kingdom, and Stormwind Kingdom have all moved back to their old territories, and the suffering people have begun to rebuild their homes.
In addition to Arthas, Prince Galen Trollbane was also officially crowned in Stormgarde. His father, the old King, the legendary warrior Lord Thoras Trollbane, died in the great battle in the Twisting Nether. This is the most honorable way for a warrior to die.
Liam Greymane, the leader of the Ashen Verdict and Prince of Gilneas, also made a heroic sacrifice in that war. His sister, Queen Tess, was so grief-stricken she couldn't control herself, and the explorer Ezreal, who had always avoided Tess, could only comfort her wholeheartedly. Their two hearts drew closer in their mutual solace, and now they have become a couple.
The Dwarves also suffered heavy casualties in that great battle. King Magni Bronzebeard of Ironforge and his brother Muradin Bronzebeard died one after another, and King Falstad Hammerstorm of the Wildhammer dwarves also perished. Brian Bronzebeard, the adventurer among the Bronzebeard brothers, had no interest in the throne of Ironforge and went directly to Shirethe for exploration after the war.
For a time, the Dwarf race lacked a true King.
Queen Moira Bronzebeard of the Dark Iron Dwarves, and also the daughter of Magni Bronzebeard, inherited the throne of Ironforge under such circumstances. And during this difficult period, the Three Hammers Council, composed of the Bronzebeard, Dark Iron, and Hammerstorm dwarf tribes, played a greater role than ever before. The Dwarves, who had been divided for over two hundred years, are now gradually merging and unifying.
The Night Elves suffered even greater losses than the Dwarves—Archdruid Malfurion Stormrage died, Demon Hunter Illidan Stormrage died, Shandris Feathermoon died, Broll Bearmantle died, Watcher Maiev Shadowsong died... Except for High Priestess Tyrande and Commander Jarod Shadowsong, almost all of the Night Elves' Heroes and the ancient demigods of Mount Hyjal perished in that brutal final battle. The Stormrage brothers even sacrificed themselves one after another to protect Tyrande.
The ancient Night Elf race fell into an unprecedented state of weakness, and even the return of the Highborne was of no help. However, they have joined the Alliance, so at least they don't have to worry about external threats.
Every race in Azeroth paid a huge price for the final victory.
After the war, Warchief Thrall of the Orc handed over the black plate armor and the position of Warchief to Garrosh Hellscream. He believed that this Mag'har Orc, having undergone severe trials, especially after being bewildered by N'Zoth's illusion, would surely know what he should and shouldn't do.
After he himself stepped down from his heavy responsibilities, he joined the Earthen Ring as an ordinary Shaman, dedicating himself to restoring the ecological environment of the entire world affected by the war, including but not limited to Azeroth, Draenor, and Sirethe.
It is worth mentioning that he and Aggra have married, and amidst everyone's blessings, they have become an enviable couple.
They are not the only couple who got together after the war.
Arthas and Jaina also entered the marriage hall in November last year. Old King Terenas passed away with a smile ten days after their wedding.
Now Jaina is three months pregnant. To commemorate the two people who had the greatest influence on his life—Uther and Aiden—Arthas has been discussing with Jaina what name to give their unborn child: should it be called "Uther Menethil" or "Aiden Menethil"?
Ultimately, they decided to have at least two children, so they wouldn't favor one over the other.
Another pair of lovers, Prince Kael'thas and Anna, also held a grand wedding.
King Anasterian died in the war, and Kael'thas naturally took over the throne, becoming King of Quel'Thalas.
He set a precedent for the royal family and other races to intermarry. Even in other countries, it was unheard of for someone to marry a person of a different race as their lifelong partner. This undoubtedly required great courage and determination.
There was also a couple, one Human and one High Elf, who finally achieved a positive outcome.
The Mage Rhonin and the Ranger Vereesa, a lively couple for over ten years, finally set their wedding date for the Spring Festival.
In fact, their original wedding date had been postponed repeatedly. The two had actually decided to get married before the Cataclysm, but then one event followed another, and they both had their own things to be busy with. After the great battle in the Twisting Nether, Vereesa's brother-in-law Turalyon died, and her elder sister Aurelia was plunged into immense grief. If she hadn't had two children to raise, she might even have committed suicide for love.
With such things happening in the family, Vereesa had to try hard to comfort her sister and postpone the wedding date, which is why it was delayed until today.
--
Vereesa turned around on the spot and asked, "Look, does this dress look good?"
She was wearing a bright red cheongsam, which perfectly showcased her flawless and slender figure.
"Beautiful, absolutely beautiful!" Sylvanas's eyes held admiration, and a hint of undetectable envy. Today, she was Vereesa's bridesmaid, but the melancholy in her heart was known to no one.
Among the Windrunner sisters, the eldest sister already had two children; her eldest son Arator was about to become an adult, and her daughter Siv was nine years old. Now the youngest sister was also going to marry the man she had loved for over ten years. Only she was still alone.
Not many people knew that Sylvanas, who was strong-willed and proud, actually also wished to be loved and hoped to find a shoulder to lean on.
Seeing the beautiful bride in her red attire, Sylvanas couldn't help but recall something Lord Aiden had said to her a few years ago: "Your three sisters will all marry Humans; this is your Destiny."
Sylvanas didn't quite believe it before, but now that both her sisters' partners were Humans, she no longer dared to doubt.
Moreover, she understood her own people very well; at least so far, there were no men among the High Elves whom she admired.
But who was that destined other half of hers?
When and where would he appear?
When the wedding began and the best man appeared, Sylvanas's heart skipped a beat when she saw the handsome and charming Human man standing beside Rhonin.
--
"Uncle Khadgar!" Little niece Siv broke free from her mother's hand and quickly ran towards the best man, jumping into his arms.
"Oh, look at our little princess, you've grown taller again, Siv!" Khadgar lifted the little loli up, making Siv incredibly happy.
He had protected Aurelia and her son for a period when he was in Shirethe, and finally sacrificed himself to cover their retreat. Siv was very close to him, especially after he became younger, she liked to stick to him even more.
After Turalyon died, Khadgar visited frequently, helping the little girl gradually overcome the shadow of losing her father.
Khadgar led Siv to the groom Rhonin, looked him over, and teased, "That outfit really matches the color of your hair and beard, Rhonin."
Rhonin's eyebrows shot up, and he laughed, scolding, "You're making fun of me!"
He had a naturally fiery temper and a head of red hair and a red beard that matched his personality well. After putting on the red festive clothes, he looked full of vigor and prosperity.
"It's a compliment, really!" Khadgar said seriously, then he couldn't help but laugh himself, "I'm not late, am I?"
"Nor are you early," Rhonin said expressionlessly.
"Haha, don't mind these details, you know I've been a bit busy lately," Khadgar spread his hands.
In the great battle in the Twisting Nether, the Mage legion of Dalaran suffered very heavy losses. The members of the Sky Council were either dead or injured, and Archmage Antonidas, who survived the ordeal, announced his resignation as Speaker after the war. Khadgar became his successor.
The current members of the Sky Council are: Khadgar, Rhonin, Jaina, Kael'thas, Ryze, and Karthus, totaling six people.
Khadgar is the Speaker, Jaina and Rhonin are the representatives of Violet City, and Kael'thas is the representative of the High Elves. Due to Aiden's sacrifice, the Sky Council decided to add two seats belonging to the Valoran Federation, and Ryze and Karthus were selected.
Antonidas, after his retirement, was not idle. This world lost a great Guardian, but more Guardians who were willing to dedicate and sacrifice themselves emerged. Under the leadership of the Dragon Aspects and the League of Legends organization, a secret organization called the "Guardian Alliance," composed of extraordinaries, demigods, and gods, was established.
The purpose of the Guardian Alliance is to secretly protect this world and eliminate all potential and existing threats.
Mortals will not hear or see the contributions they make to this world, but they are still willing to silently protect this world.
Although Antonidas is powerful, he is just an ordinary member in this organization. This is because every member of this organization is widely renowned:
Medivh, Garona, and Med'an, the family of three, are all members, as are Prophet Velen, Naru leader Xidar, Shirethe High Priest Saint Zakari, the surviving Red Dragon Queen Alexstrasza and Black Dragon Queen Onyxia among the five Dragon Aspects, Consortium Prince Haramad, the former Orc Warchief and strongest Shaman Thrall, the Star Forger Bard of the Valoran Federation, Dragon King Alexstraza, Fallen Angel Queen Morgana, Death Singer and Lich King Karthus, Crystal Maiden Anivia, Void Terror Kog'Maw, Void Eye Vel'Koz...
All members of the Guardian Alliance are extraordinarily powerful, and even under the leadership of Elune, the Pantheon, and the Burning Legion, powerhouses from worlds beyond Azeroth, Draenor, and Shirethe are also vying to join.
Perhaps in one or two hundred years, perhaps in several thousand years, but following this trend, one day, this Alliance, brought together by Aiden's influence, will become the largest Guardian force in the entire universe.
Every Guardian remembers the words Aiden spoke after the great battle with N'Zoth: In ten thousand years, the Old Gods will return.
At that time, this world will have to be protected by themselves!
--
This wedding held in Stratholme was very lively. Rhonin and Vereesa, the cross-racial couple, wore Chinese-style red wedding attire and completed this unique wedding, a fusion of multiple civilizations, to the sound of the wedding march played live by the Valoran Symphony Orchestra and the blessings of the crowd.
"The ceremony is complete!" Archmage Antonidas, as the master of ceremonies, announced loudly, "Rhonin, you may now kiss the bride!"
The red-haired Human groom and the silver-haired beautiful Elf bride kissed deeply amidst the cheers.
The bridesmaid Sylvanas rubbed her slightly red eyes touchedly and whispered, "How enviable!"
"A perfect match of talent and beauty, they are truly a perfect couple!" The best man Khadgar clicked his tongue in admiration.
Rhonin wasn't exactly handsome; his face was a bit long, his nose a bit large, his brow bone a bit high, and his eyes too sharp. His features combined were far from handsome, and certainly not gentle.
Yet the beauty of the Windrunner sisters was exceptional even among the High Elf race, where handsome men and beautiful women were commonplace. The silver-haired Vereesa had a slender figure and extremely delicate features, like a beauty stepped out of a painting. The union of the two couldn't help but bring to mind Beauty and the Beast...
However, Khadgar was right. Although Rhonin was average-looking, his abilities were outstanding. He was also one of the six members of the Sky Council, possessing immense power. The phrase "talented man and beautiful woman" was certainly applicable.
What's more, they were in love, weren't they?
Sylvanas clearly heard the teasing in Khadgar's words. She glanced at the groom, Rhonin, who was smiling brightly, and sighed inwardly: So ugly!
She turned back to look at Khadgar. For some reason, the profile of this Human Mage looked very charming, his eyes were full of spirit, and his voice was magnetic. As she watched, she felt her heart start to beat a little faster.
Sylvanas had heard of the legend of this Human Mage. More than twenty years ago, he paid a heavy price to stop Sargeras's plot, who had possessed Medivh—his youth. From then on, Khadgar, who was only seventeen at the time, looked like an old man of seventy or eighty, a state that lasted for over twenty years.
He aged before he could enjoy his youth, which was undoubtedly the most severe punishment for Humans, whose lives were already short.
"Is there a flower on my face?" Khadgar couldn't help but touch his face. He met Sylvanas's gaze, and the proud Elf woman suddenly turned her head away. He saw that her ears were red.
Arator, the eldest son of Turalyon and Aurelia, suddenly popped out from the side, winked, and said, "Uncle Khadgar, spring is here!"
These suggestive words immediately made Sylvanas's eyebrows shoot up. She pinched her nephew's cheek, annoyed and embarrassed, "Arator, it seems your archery training needs to be stepped up!"
Arator's incredibly handsome face immediately crumpled. He protested, "Aunt, I'm a Paladin! Not a Ranger!"
"Who says a Paladin doesn't need to learn archery? The way you are, if you encounter an excellent Ranger on the battlefield, you'll be shot full of holes before you even get near them!"
Khadgar watched from the side and suddenly felt that Sylvanas had a unique beauty when she was being willful.
—
In the great war in the Twisting Nether, many people lost their closest kin.
Three of the five Dragon Aspects died. Red Dragon Queen Alexstrasza lost not only her sister but also her consort, Cleostrasz, and her Dragon Aspects' power—now all Dragons have lost the divine power granted by the Titans, even the Titans who bestowed this power.
Alexstrasza is now a Mortal, no longer the Life-Binder.
The loss of family, lover, and power had already hit her hard, but she lost more than that; she also lost her ability to reproduce—after exhausting their divine power, all Dragons could no longer reproduce. Because Dragons originally evolved and mutated from beast-like Proto-Dragons due to Titan divine power, they lost the ability to reproduce under the cruel influence of natural law after losing their divine power.
If the Guardian Alliance had not been formed, the remaining Dragons of the Dragon Council had even considered completely withdrawing from the world. Because from then on, their race would only grow old and die. After the last batch of Dragon eggs hatched, no more young Dragons would be born...
For any life form, procreation is the most important thing. And the Dragons, who made great sacrifices for the world, lost this sacred right.
Rhonin and Vereesa had once rescued Alexstrasza from enslavement by the Dragonmaw Clan Orcs, so they were her great benefactors. Therefore, Alexstrasza personally attended their wedding this time. However, everyone could see that she was not in high spirits, and those who knew what had happened didn't know what words to use to comfort this respected Queen.
In fact, many people had already offered comfort, but words alone could not truly free Alexstrasza from her pain.
She maintained a faint smile on her face, but her heart was not happy at all.
Representing the Valoran Federation at the wedding was "the Lady of Luminosity," Lux. She and Rhonin were also friends of many years; she was the official ambassador stationed in Dalaran when the Valoran Federation and Dalaran allied.
In the last war, her brave and fearless brother, Garen, was completely overwhelmed by the army of the Old Gods when he led the charge.
It took nearly half a year for her to gradually emerge from the shadow and regain her smile.
Now Lux is no longer the ambassador to Dalaran. Given the current relationship between the Valoran Federation and Dalaran, an embassy is not needed to represent it. She is now responsible for supervising the construction of the "Aiden Arena"—which is a Summoner's Rift arena map named after Aiden.
This arena is located in the mountains between Seradane and Caer Darrow in the northern Hinterlands, near the thousand-meter-tall Dream Tree in Seradane.
When Aiden and Kayle first left the Emerald Dream and came to the Real World, and left here by Gryphon, he had wished to build a Summoner's Rift here to resolve conflicts between different factions according to the rules of League of Legends. This would preserve the spirit of competition while minimizing the losses from conflict.
He was busy for many years and never had time to fulfill this wish before leaving this world. Now that the war is over, the survivors are helping him realize this wish.
The area from the northern Hillsbrad Foothills to Caer Darrow is now the territory of the Valoran Federation, and the Aiden Arena currently under construction is also within this territory.
Most of the top designers and architects in all of Azeroth are involved in the construction of this arena. They are not only building a large arena but also related marketplaces and numerous facilities around this themed arena, such as the largest statue of Aiden in Azeroth, and statues of many Heroes who bravely sacrificed themselves in the fight against the Old Gods under his leadership.
This is a massive project that will take more than ten years to complete. However, the preliminary phase, mainly the arena, is expected to be ready for use before August this year. The leaders have even discussed holding a grand celebration for the first anniversary of the war victory in the completed arena.
Of course, today's theme is a wedding. Life must go on, and only by forgetting pain can one enjoy happiness. After the wedding ceremony was completed, the guests were immersed in the lively atmosphere of this grand wedding.
Alexstrasza ate a little fruit; the abundant delicacies on the table held no attraction for her. She poured herself a glass of strong alcohol and drank it slowly by herself. After a while, the bride and groom came over to toast. She raised her glass, offered some blessings, and then took a sip of the strong alcohol.
The fine wine flowed down her throat into her stomach, and the initial chill instantly turned into waves of warmth. But for her, burdened by worries, this wine could only warm her stomach, not her heart. The more she drank, the colder she felt.
However, she suddenly felt a surge of warmth in her abdomen. At first, she thought it was her imagination, but then the warmth spread throughout her body, and Alexstrasza cried out in surprise.
Onyxia, who was sitting at the same table, also looked surprised and exclaimed in disbelief, "Did you feel it too?"
"Yes, yes!" Tears streamed down Alexstrasza's face, not from sadness, but from immense surprise—she felt her fertility restored!
If she were the only one feeling this, it might have been an illusion from the alcohol, but Onyxia felt it too.
This was not an illusion!
Subsequently, Khadgar and Lux also received magical messages separately, and both exclaimed in surprise.
Khadgar said, "I just received news from Dalaran—just now, the turbulent Ley Line energy completely ceased!"
The Ley Line was established by the Titans back then. After the complete collapse of the system settings, the Ley Line also became chaotic. In recent months, the Arcane energy in the Ley Line had been constantly surging, forming elemental tides, which were extremely unfriendly to the Mages of this world. Fortunately, the Guardians in the Guardian Alliance led the Mages to travel around, always managing to predict and control the locations where the magical tides would erupt, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable.
And just now, the monitors discovered that the turbulence of the Ley Line energy had actually subsided!
Lux also said with a joyful expression, "I received a message from the War College—our connection with the Eternal Kingdom has been restored!"
Since Kayle's death in the Twisting Nether war, the transmission beacon between the Eternal Kingdom and the Valoran Continent had failed, and some Angels who survived the great war were stranded in Azeroth, unable to return to their homeland. The Angels thought they could never go back, but now the Angels have re-felt the presence of the Eternal Kingdom.
All the messages were combined, and people looked at each other, a surprising yet unbelievable piece of information being passed between them:
"Lord Aiden—only he could do such a thing!"
Even in its prime, the Pantheon could not interfere with matters related to the League of Legends universe. Restoring the fertility of Dragons and stabilizing the Ley Line turbulence are things the Titans could indeed do before, but restoring the transmission between the Eternal Kingdom and the Valoran Continent is something only Aiden or Kayle could do.
So there is only one answer—Aiden is back!
—
Aiden did indeed return.
A few days later, he was "born" in Northshire Abbey in the Stormwind Kingdom—the Human player's starting zone in World of Warcraft, holding a transparent crystal in his hand and smiling bitterly.
"If I had known this was the classic storyline, why didn't I choose Valoran as my birthplace?"
He sighed.
He always remembered the instructions of Zilean, the Chronomancer, who told him to enter the classic storyline after completing the free scenario. Only by achieving salvation in the classic storyline could people truly be freed. But Zilean was, after all, a character limited to the Imaginary Game World, and his advice could only be a reference.
Aiden had changed this world too much. Especially the impact of simplifying the Titan Platform on the World of Warcraft's own system, which caused the originally complete system to completely collapse. The "Timeline" system, which was the time axis management system established during game development, naturally also collapsed.
After that, within the entire World of Warcraft universe, only one Timeline remained—the Timeline Aiden was on.
So when he returned, the classic storyline he entered was actually five months after he had left the original world.
For the past five months, he had been undertaking that great and sacred task—saving the universe.
After simultaneously gaining the highest authority over the Real World and the mirror world, the universe revealed its most authentic appearance to him—it was already riddled with holes. The so-called cosmic instinct, or the "will of the universe," was merely a manifestation of this vast collective body's self-correction.
Through exploring and understanding it, Aiden confirmed that his previous method was effective: to repair the universe's wounds without letting it choose self-destruction, one needed to artificially use Imaginary energy to stitch these wounds together, making the worlds on both sides of the "mirror" complete and unified.
He had a lot of work to do, including compiling a complete World of Warcraft universe in the Real World that was consistent with the one in the mirror world, and perfectly merging the Imaginary Earth and the Real Earth.
This was undoubtedly a very vast and arduous project. Aiden worked on it for over five months and finally couldn't bear it anymore. He detached himself from the platform system and granted the highest authority to Titan Aiden, letting him complete this great endeavor on his behalf—after all, Titan Aiden was an intelligent robot, and entrusting this work to him was absolutely foolproof.
He retrieved the data of the Heroes who sacrificed themselves in the Twisting Nether war from the platform system, made it into a crystal like the previous valoran heart, and returned to the World of Warcraft.
Aiden felt that doing such things was much more interesting than the tedious task of remodeling the universe.
Starting over, his strength was almost back to that of an ordinary person. And the Heroic Spirit Crystal in his hand not only stored Heroes from League of Legends like Kayle, Garen, Quinn, Maokai, and Galio, but also fallen heroes from Azeroth like Malfurion, Cenarius, Illidan, Grom, and Uther. Even Zilean, whom Aiden had never seen in person, was among the Heroic Spirits waiting to be resurrected.
Looking at the names of these fallen Heroic Spirits one by one, Aiden suddenly felt a headache coming on.
Before, summoning Heroes using the Valoran Heart required him to change history to obtain the energy from the distorted timeline, which was essentially imaginary energy. But now that Azeroth no longer had a timeline management system, there was naturally no such thing as changing history.
This Heroic Spirit Crystal needed to absorb the energy from killing Old Gods to resurrect the Heroic Spirits.
The problem was, after the great war in the Twisting Nether, the Old Gods were now hardly a threat, and there weren't many to be found in the entire universe. Where could he gather enough energy to resurrect so many Heroic Spirits?
He walked out of Northshire Abbey with a worried look, thinking about how he could resurrect all the Heroic Spirits in the crystal.
That was truly a daunting task!
However—he had already completed an even more daunting task once before, so what was this one?
Thinking this way, he immediately became much more optimistic.
"I wonder if people still remember me?" He had just stepped over the wall of Northshire Abbey when he saw a group of craftsmen in front, busy sculpting, a scene full of vibrant activity.
Aiden rubbed his eyes and found that the person on the sculpture seemed to be him—because the Hero on the sculpture was holding up a Lightning staff and thrusting the Dark Reaver in his right hand fiercely forward.
Two children were running around the statue, one shouting menacingly, "Howl, despair, go mad! Mortals, Twilight Judgment has descended, your pathetic destiny ends here, Time's End has arrived!"
The other smaller child held a wooden stick and a wooden sword in his hand. He dodged while shouting, "I am also a Mortal! Mortals who created you can also destroy you!"
The wooden sword stabbed forward, and the child who was acting like the evil god N'Zoth screamed and fell to the ground. The one playing Aiden shouted majestically, "Die, evil god!"
The other children immediately cheered loudly.
The fallen child got up and complained, "Next time it's my turn to play Lord Aiden, and you play the evil god! Mahan!"
"Hehe, you're born to play the big villain, Tom."
"No, no, that's not fair! We agreed! I want to be a great Hero too, a savior!"
"Haha, well, you'll have to work hard for that, Tom."
"Hmph, when I grow up, I'm going to the Valoran Federation to follow in Lord Aiden's footsteps. Just you watch, one day you'll hear my legendary story from the mouths of bards, Mahan!"
"Haha, aren't you going back to milk the cows?"
"None of your business!"
Aiden watched this scene, his heart suddenly felt warm, and he became much more optimistic about the future.
Just as he looked up, a High Elf radiating a faint light suddenly appeared before him.
The female Elf spoke, "Have you returned to fulfill your promise?"
"Ah, long time no see, Moon Goddess!" Aiden said with a smile.
Elune asked, "When can I see the outside world?"
"It shouldn't be too far off—after I finish what I'm doing!"
"How long?"
"A hundred years should be enough!"
"A hundred years?"
"alright, well, I don't know exactly how long it will take, but I have to do it. Are you here to pick me up? Thank you so much!"
"You're thinking too much. I just came to ask when I can see the outside world."
Elune clearly didn't get the answer she wanted, so she left immediately.
The craftsmen not far away were still sculpting Aiden's statue, completely unaware that a true god had just descended, and even less aware that the legendary figure they were sculpting was standing so close to them.
Aiden slowly exhaled and embarked on a new journey.
——
September 19, 2025.
Roland was half-asleep when the phone by her pillow suddenly rang. She burrowed deeper into the quilt, but the phone's ringing relentlessly entered her ears.
She reached out a hand from under the quilt and fumbled around, grabbed the phone, pulled it under the quilt, and answered without even opening her eyes, saying weakly, "Hello, baby, what's wrong now—"
There was only one person who would call her in the middle of the night to harass her, and she couldn't not answer.
A sobbing sound came from the receiver, and Roland's sleepiness immediately vanished. She pushed the quilt away, revealing her head, and the cold air sobered her up considerably.
Her best friend Alex's voice came intermittently from the other end, " I dreamed of Aiden again..."
"Oh, you silly girl, he's been missing for over half a year, how can you still not forget him? He's not incredibly handsome, and his family background is just ordinary. Honestly, what's past is past, you have to look forward, right? You're in such good shape, are you worried you won't find a better man than Aiden? Listen to me, pull yourself together, and tomorrow I'll introduce you to a handsome guy who's several times better than Aiden!"
"No, I only want Aiden...Woohoo" Sad sobs came from the receiver.
Roland replied exasperatedly, "Alright, alright, just hang yourself on that crooked tree! If that guy really doesn't come back, are you going to be a widow for him? You're not even married, aren't you silly!"
After accompanying her for a while, Roland finally managed to calm her best friend down.
After hanging up the phone, she couldn't sleep anymore. She checked the time on her phone, and it was already 3:30 AM!
Roland vigorously messed up her hair and shouted in frustration, "Dead girl, dead girl, dead girl! So stubborn, so stubborn, so stubborn! I'm going to explode!"
Alex was her best friend. Before, Alex had a boyfriend named Aiden. They had a great relationship and were even talking about marriage. But in January of this year, this guy Aiden mysteriously disappeared. He didn't answer calls, didn't log into QQ, and didn't reply to WeChat messages, texts, or emails. When Alex went to his place, she found the room empty. Aiden's former workplace also said he had been absent without leave for several days.
Everyone lost track of him.
It was then that Alex panicked and called the police. The police intervened and retrieved surveillance footage from before the disappearance, which showed that Aiden had entered the complex on the day he disappeared and never left.
Kidnapping? Murder? Or did he leave on his own?
No one knew the answer.
But Aiden had completely disappeared, as if he had vanished into thin air, with no further news.
Alex thought her boyfriend must have met with an accident. When the police stopped dedicating manpower to the investigation, she quit her job and went to great lengths to search and inquire, and also comforted Aiden's parents. Only in front of Roland did she show her vulnerable side.
In the first two months, Roland often received calls from Alex in the middle of the night, just like tonight. She would answer and cry, saying she had dreamed of Aiden.
Now eight months had passed, and this was the first time this month.
Although the frequency was much lower than before, Roland knew very well that Aiden still held an irreplaceable position in Alex's heart.
"Oh, I say, Aiden, if you're still alive, hurry up and come back! Can you really bear to see our Alex so sad because of you? What an asshole, a big asshole!" Roland fell asleep in a daze while ranting about Aiden.
——
In the morning, Alex got off the subway and walked quickly towards the company. She wore light makeup, but her expression was still a bit haggard, and she looked preoccupied.
She walked with her head down, oblivious to the sounds around her.
"That man is so handsome! Is he proposing?"
"How romantic, I wonder which girl he's waiting for?"
"This person has such a strong aura, he must be a leader."
"That girl is so lucky!"
"Look, look, he's walking over!"
Alex, who had been walking with her head down, suddenly looked up as if sensing something, and saw a prominent figure in the crowd. That figure was so familiar, the one she thought of day and night, missed constantly, and dreamed about.
Now he actually appeared before her eyes, walking towards her step by step, his gaze so gentle that her nose stung, and tears immediately welled up and overflowed.
"Is, is that you?"
Aiden walked faster and faster, passing through the crowd, standing in front of Alex, his heart full of emotion, and said moved, "It's me, Alex, I'm back!"
"Wu—" Alex threw herself into Aiden's arms, leaning on his shoulder, letting her tears flow freely.
"You're back, you're back! Quickly tell me, this isn't a hallucination, is it real?"
"It's really not, if you don't believe me, feel it!"
Alex pinched the soft flesh on Aiden's waist hard with her right hand and heard him gasp in pain. She couldn't help but burst into tears and laughter. She wiped her eyes and asked with red eyes, "Where did you go for these eight months and fourteen days? I was so worried about you!"
"I know, it's all my fault." The moment Aiden returned to this timeline, he knew about Alex's life over the past eight months. Recalling it, his nose couldn't help but sting, and he whispered, "I traveled through time and space and saved everyone in another world, including those on Earth. After being a savior, I came back to find you."
Alex couldn't help but pinch Aiden hard again, glaring at him, "Speak like a normal person!"
"Ow, ow! I'll tell you, I'll tell you!" Aiden immediately begged for mercy, then put on a very solemn expression, "I was in a car accident and lost my memory. The hit-and-run driver escaped. I was rescued by a wandering old man with a white beard, but I had lost my memory. Later, after many twists and turns, I finally remembered my identity and you—so I came back!"
"Then you must have suffered a lot, right? Woohoo, it's alright, Aiden, we'll never be separated again from now on!" Alex felt very distressed, thinking that her suffering over the past eight months was nothing compared to her boyfriend's. She even imagined Aiden's hardships during these eight months, so she turned around to comfort him.
Aiden was speechless.
The truth wasn't believed, but a fabricated soap opera plot was deeply believed.
However, there was still a long time, and he would make Alex believe the truth.
Before that, he had something else to do.
He picked up the bouquet of roses in his hand, knelt on one knee, held the open ring box in the other hand, and looked at Alex affectionately:
"Alex, marry me!"
Alex covered her mouth, tears filling her eyes again.
The people around the square immediately applauded and shouted in unison, "Marry him, marry him, marry him!"
"So touching!"
"He's so handsome, this man!"
"Wow, look at that diamond ring—is that real? The diamond is so big! So beautiful!"
"This girl is so lucky!"
"If such a handsome guy proposed to me with such a diamond, I'd be willing to die the next second!"
Alex accepted the bouquet amidst people's envy and nodded vigorously.
Aiden placed the ring on Alex's ring finger. Seeing the beautiful diamond ring on her finger and the incredibly gentle Aiden before her, Alex immediately felt surrounded by immense happiness. She hugged Aiden, kissed him actively, and quickly became intoxicated in the dizziness of happiness.
After a while, Alex finally recovered and then exclaimed in surprise, "Oh no, oh no, I'm going to be late! I'm going to be late!"
Aiden pulled her back and whispered in her ear, "Don't go, I'll support you!"
"Till death do us part?"
"Till death do us part!"