Chapter 164: Reconnecting

Tyler texted the girls’ group chat for the first time in a while. He decided this was the time to start acting "normal again."

"I’m going to hang out with Adam and catch up. I think we need to do a better job of staying in touch with reality. What do you ladies think? I love you!"

They had become so accustomed to just using their system messaging interface, and he didn’t want them to lose touch with reality. They were already fighting in an apocalypse, knew a goddess was hiding in the forest of unknowns outside of their school, and frequently traveled to a different realm, and he was beyond Eidolon. They weren’t having their joint nights anymore, nor were they having guys’ nights and girls’ nights.

’Balance. I need to have balance,’ he reminded himself while waiting for a response.

"Sounds good! We’ll invite some of the ladies over. Swing home whenever. Love you!" — us

"Alright, dude. So how have you been? How are you and CeCe doing? What’s been going on in your life... Ever since my wedding and this tournament, I feel like I’ve been an absentee friend." Tyler sighed and gave Adam a smile. "I missed you, bro."

Adam was happy to have his best friend back and immediately dove into all the great details. He and CeCe were doing really well and sleeping together on a regular basis. They took turns sneaking over to each other’s dorms to stay the night because, most of the time, Zain was still at Katy’s, which was now Sophie-less.

He was bummed that Adam couldn’t achieve rank S despite training and trying so hard. His grades had improved to "exceeds expectations" in every course, but with the Rasks, aside from Nyxara, who was in her second year, it was nearly impossible for him or really any other student to get into the top 5 for "top tier" grades. Tyler, Kass, Sophie, and Amanda made four people, so that left exactly one spot open for other students, and there were thousands.

"Just keep trying your best. What’s your dueling rank now?" Tyler asked curiously.

"325. I’m slowly climbing, but not many people are bothering to take matches now that the tournament is over, and it’s not like you’re challenging Nyxara for the top spot. She’s not even challenging people anymore. Most of the third years who were great duelers signed up to help the military anyway. It isn’t really even fun anymore," he explained with disappointment.

"I didn’t realize how much school has actually been impacted by this. I’ve been in my own little world with my familiars and my wives. It feels like I’ve lost touch with a lot of reality. I’m surprised they haven’t canceled school yet," Tyler admitted. "I’m sorry, man. There’s just been so much to do..."

"Don’t apologize. You’ve always been the ’I’m going to take the world on by myself’ type." Adam smirked. "Even when we snuck out to the forest that first time, you were the weakest of us, but we still agreed to it and followed your lead just because you are good with people. Your communication skills are excellent, and that’s why you’re everywhere right now."

"What do you mean by ’I’m everywhere right now’? I know I did the Tommy V interview, but what else do you mean?" Tyler asked.

"News, streams, blogs, pretty much any social media. Everyone wants to know more about you and knows how powerful you and your wives are. An immortal human who can transform into a phoenix is the prince of my race. There are crazy aliens you basically threw down a one-on-one challenge to. People either love you or hate you, but mostly, it’s love you. There are some people who think you’re an egotistical douchebag, but hey, let them think what they want. You know in your heart what’s right." Adam smiled.

Tyler didn’t disagree with some of the criticism people had against him, but it slightly irked him. He had just admitted he needed to find a better balance and he wasn’t doing a good job of being a best friend, but deep down, he was being selfless for humanity. He had just risked his life on a private reconnaissance mission with Adam for the sake of Vexarra and kept the footage for himself and the dean so they couldn’t be hacked and infiltrated. Nothing sat well with him right now. He needed his staff at level 10, and he needed to be a better friend. It was an impossible balance, and he knew it.

"Well, I honestly don’t know what to do, bro. If I get my staff to level 10 and Bahamut and Asura give me the blessing of their summon, it helps Vexarra. Doing so also puts a huge target on my wives, you, the vampires, the school... the Eidolon realm. Meanwhile, Tiamat is nearby, and we don’t know what she’s going to do. I genuinely am a little lost," Tyler admitted calmly.

"Just keep using that big brain of yours. I’m guessing if you didn’t bring your wives and you sent me away, it’s because you unleashed your entire arsenal of familiars, and that isn’t a good place to be in as an ally. Maybe you should talk to Ash about it?" Adam suggested.

"Won’t they just be watching and listening?" Tyler thought disappointedly.

"They sure will, but unlike my parents, I’m not a god. I can act on my own will as long as it’s within the guidelines of our original contractual agreement."

Tyler had an epiphany. Not once had he ever questioned or even thought to look at the original contract Ash was given when he was reborn into this world.

"You’re a genius, bro. I owe you one. Let’s head back to my apartment and join in on the get-together. Let’s catch up like this soon, alright?" Tyler said while standing up.

"For sure, bro," he said and laughed as he hugged him, and they teleported outside of Tyler’s apartment.

"Okay, okay. It’s getting a little easier." Adam exhaled. "Still not the most comfortable feeling in the world, though."

"I remember the first time Nyxara took us. I felt like I was going to throw up. Now it’s second nature. You’ll get there." Tyler laughed while patting him on the back.

They walked in and were pleasantly surprised to see how many people were at Tyler’s place.

Zain and Katy were holding hands, Alex had a new girlfriend Tyler didn’t recognize, Sophie’s friends were there, and some of Kass’ demon friends Tyler didn’t know well were there. There were probably around 50 people in his apartment, and it was exactly the distraction he needed. He wanted to speak with Ash alone, and this was the perfect time.

As he was mingling and saying his hellos to everyone, he noticed Amanda was sitting and talking with Zack, and she looked sad. He was glad Zack was doing his best to comfort her, but Tyler could see Zack’s kind expressions.

"He’s doing a really great job of listening to her and letting her vent. I guess he grew up as an orphan, and they’ve built a friendship over it. She lost her parents, who finally acknowledged her, but it was almost too late—that’s the gist of what I’ve overheard. I’m sorry, Tyler. I try not to listen, but sometimes the vampiric art is just too much," Nyxara said quietly as she hugged him from behind.

"You don’t have anything to be sorry for, beautiful. I think it’s amazing what you, Kass, and Sophie have done for her. I’m glad she has friends she can talk to about it. Being sad is part of life. It just sucks. I feel like nothing we do is enough for her right now," Tyler admitted.

As much as he wanted to talk to Ash, this conversation was important to him.

"You were right about us needing to find a better balance. We’re celebrities now. I’m not even kidding. Everything we do is going to be under a microscope. It’s really, really great that Emie wants to do a one-on-one with Amanda, but I’m not so sure it’s a good idea, Tyler."

"Weren’t we already that, though?" Tyler said quietly while turning to kiss her forehead.

"Yes, but this is different. We’re being watched by the enemy and all of Vexarra. I’m just glad we have you-know-what to hide the footage. Have you talked to Tommy?" Nyx said with a cute smile.

"No, but if I do, I’ll let him know I’ll pay for the new equipment we owe him. Why don’t you think Amanda should do her interview, though? Isn’t it good for the world to see how beautiful, sincere, and open she is, even if it’s vulnerable?" Tyler asked, returning her kind smile.

"Yes and no. Emie’s a great streamer, but she’s young. What if she asks Amanda a question and she breaks down, and Emie doesn’t know how to handle it?" Nyx asked.