Chapter 163: Back To The Mortal Realm.

『"Nobody remembers the jar fondly."』

Kumi wagged all nine tails as Ethan and Sophia appeared back in the Orchard, teleported from the giant peach tree. Sophia carried two of the glowing fruits while Ethan held the third.

"Congratulations," he said with a smile. "You passed."

Sophia held up her peach triumphantly. "Barely."

"I’ll admit," Kumi said, "I wasn’t entirely convinced you’d make it."

"Your confidence is inspiring," Sophia deadpanned.

The fox laughed. "Well," he said, glancing toward the distant branches where the Sphinx had resumed its silent vigil, "it’s probably time for you two to head home."

Ethan looked to the sky and nodded. "Yeah."

Kumi’s expression softened. "I do hope you come back someday."

One of his tails reached beside him and picked up an elegant crystal bottle that had been resting in the grass. The glass sparkled with swirling golden liquid that glowed from within.

"The Lady asked me to give you this before you left."

Sophia accepted it carefully and held it up to the light. "...What’s in it?"

"Ambrosia."

She immediately narrowed her eyes. "This doesn’t come with any divine side effects, does it?"

Kumi blinked. "On the contrary." He chuckled. "It’s meant to help."

"Help with what?"

Kumi’s nine tails swayed lazily. "You’ll know when the time comes."

Sophia raised an eyebrow.

Kumi simply smiled. "It never hurts to have something that lifts an Awakener’s spirits." One of its tails flicked lazily. "The gods always seem to have a good time with it."

Sophia uncorked it just enough to sniff. A sweet, intoxicating fragrance wafted out. "Nice..."

Ethan tilted his head toward the spot he meant to draw the circle, a silent signal to Sophia that it was time to go. Then he looked back at Kumi. "Thank you, Kumi."

The fox bowed. "The pleasure was mine."

Ethan crouched and retrieved the Transportation Chalk from his pocket. Carefully, he drew a circle across the grass while picturing the Medic Bay as clearly as he could.

"Sophia..."

Sophia sighed dramatically. "Yeah, yeah. I’m coming."

As the pale blue lines slowly began glowing, Sophia corked the bottle and tucked it safely beneath her arm. "Guess this is goodbye."

"For now," Kumi corrected.

Ethan and Sophia exchanged one last glance with the fox before stepping into the circle.

"Take care of yourselves," Kumi called.

The circle lines flared to life, and the world around them vanished in a flash.

Colors spiraled around them as the familiar tunnel stretched infinitely before suddenly collapsing into a single point of light and spitting them out.

The next instant, Ethan and Sophia stumbled back into the Medic Bay.

Director Hale looked up immediately.

"Are we too late?" Ethan asked.

"You don’t have much time," the Director answered. "Did you get the peaches?"

Ethan produced one and Sophia silently held out the other two.

Relief briefly crossed Hale’s face. "You’ve done well."

He accepted the fruit before pulling a small folding knife from his pocket.

Rather than cutting large slices, he carefully shaved off three tiny pieces, each no larger than a fingernail.

Ethan frowned. "I thought we’d feed it to them."

"So did I," Sophia admitted.

Hale shook his head and walked over to Raj first. It was better to show them than to explain.

Gently pulling open one eyelid, he pressed the peach against the corner of Raj’s eye. Golden juice seeped from the fruit and flowed across the pupil, triggering an immediate reaction.

Smoke hissed from Raj’s eye as though something inside him had been burned away, and he cried out.

At the same time, pink mist escaped from his mouth, ears, and nose before evaporating into the air.

"It works," Hale said calmly.

Ethan hurried to Amara’s bedside while Sophia moved toward Hiro. Following Hale’s example, they squeezed a few drops into each eye.

Amara arched against the bed.

Hiro let out a sharp gasp.

The same pink mist poured from both of them before slowly fading into nothingness.

Silence settled across the room.

Then...

Raj’s fingers twitched, Hiro inhaled sharply, and Amara’s eyelids fluttered open.

Ethan slowly exhaled as the tension finally began to leave his body.

Amara blinked several times. She was lying in a bed. As her vision cleared, she realized she was in the Medic Bay. The first face that came into focus was Ethan’s.

"...Ethan?"

He smiled with unmistakable relief and gently kissed her forehead. "You’re okay."

She frowned as she pressed a hand against her temple. "The last thing I remember..." she whispered. "...I was coming to meet you about the jar..."

Her voice slowly trailed off. "Oh..." She looked away. "...Why do I suddenly feel so... mortified?"

She tried desperately to remember. Instead of memories, she found fragments. Faces. Snippets of conversation. Overwhelming emotions. And a feeling so intense it made her cheeks burn.

"What... happened?"

On the next bed, Hiro slowly sat up. He looked around the room before absentmindedly touching his lips.

"...Did I..." His eyes swept through the room before dropping. "...Kiss someone?"

Sophia’s cheeks instantly turned bright red. She walked over and punched him in the shoulder once, then backed away.

"I’m going to... put this somewhere." She held up the crystal bottle. "Maybe we save the Ambrosia here for an actual celebration."

Before anyone could question her further, she hurried out of the room.

Hiro rubbed his arm. "...What was that about?"

Raj scratched his head, still groggy. "...Did she say Ambrosia?" He looked between Ethan and Amara. "...Mind filling us in on what the hell happened?"

Amara slowly sat upright. "...Yeah." She looked directly at Ethan. "And... the jar? What happened?"

Director Hale answered before Ethan could. "The Perfume has been contained, and the jar has been restored."

Amara glanced sideways and noticed Hiro absentmindedly brush a thumb across his lips before quickly forcing his attention back to the Director.

"And this time..." the Director continued, eyes settled squarely on Raj. "...it has been placed somewhere with considerably better security."

Raj gave an awkward, sheepish laugh.

"...Yeah..."

"...Sorry about that."

The Director closed his knife and slipped it back into his pocket. "I’ll leave the rest to you."

"Director," Ethan called before he could leave. He held up the transportation chalk.

Hale nodded. "Keep it." Then he quietly walked out of the Medic Bay.

The room immediately fell silent, and everyone’s eyes slowly turned toward Ethan.

He sighed, folding his arms. "...Alright." He looked at each of them. "So..." He took a seat next to Amara on the bed. "We had to find these peaches..."