Chapter 129 :I will definitely recognise you
One hour had finally passed after Ank gained his consciousness, the girls slowly stepped away from Ank, even though their bodies clearly resisted the idea of leaving him, because all of them had countless questions in their minds that they wanted to ask him immediately.
Questions about what had happened to him ,about how he became so powerful, about his origin, and everything about him.
Yet none of them spoke a single word, as if they had silently agreed that his rest was more important than their curiosity, and so they held back their thoughts and chose to wait.
Seraphina and Celestia understood this better than anyone, because they could tell that even though Ank was awake, his mind was still not fully clear, as if it was still drifting somewhere between consciousness and exhaustion, and forcing him to answer anything in that state would only make things worse, so they remained silent, watching him carefully.
But Maya and Freya were different.
They did not leave.
Not even for a moment.
They stayed close to him, almost glued to his presence, as if the idea of being even a step away from him was something they could not accept, because they had waited too long for this moment, waited through fear, uncertainty, and countless sleepless nights, and now that he was finally awake, they were not willing to let him out of their sight again.
Seraphina tried to separate them , her voice calm but firm as she attempted to convince them to give Ank some space.
But both Maya and Freya refused immediately without even considering her words.
"I would not leave Ank even for one second," Maya said with a soft but stubborn smile, her tone leaving no room for argument.
Freya did not speak, but she nodded quietly, she was supporting Maya words.
In the end, Seraphina had no choice but to give up, because she understood that forcing them would only create unnecessary conflict, and right now, that was the last thing they needed.
Celestia also wanted to stay, her gaze lingering on Ank for a moment longer than necessary, but after noticing the way Maya and Freya looked at her, she silently stepped back, choosing not to push the situation further.
Ank, however, was not bothered by any of this.
Because his mind was occupied with something else entirely.
Something far more important to him.
He slowly lay back on the bed again, his body relaxing as Freya and Maya followed his movement without hesitation, positioning themselves on either side of him, Freya on the left holding his left hand gently, while Maya took the right side, her fingers wrapping around his right hand as if claiming her place.
Neither of them spoke.
Neither of them moved.
They simply watched his face.
As if just seeing him breathe was enough.
Ank felt slightly awkward under their gaze, but he did not say anything, because his attention was already drifting away, his thoughts focusing on something else entirely.
Time passed quietly, and after some time, both Maya and Freya eventually fell asleep, their exhaustion finally catching up to them.
They had barely rested, sleeping only for one or two hours at a time while constantly watching over him, afraid that something might happen if they let their guard down.
Ank looked at their sleeping faces and smiled faintly, because even though he did not fully understand their feelings, he could still see the sincerity in their actions.
Then his gaze shifted.
"Now… let's check the system," he thought.
Because that was what he had been waiting for.
A panel appeared in front of him.
But it was not what he expected.
Instead of information, it showed a reverse countdown.
24 hours.
Ank frowned slightly.
"System," he called.
No response.
He tried again.
His tone was more serious this time.
Still nothing.
Frustration began to build inside him as he called again, expecting at least some reaction, but once again there was silence, and that silence made him uneasy.
Then.
His eyes noticed something.
Small words.
Barely visible.
Written on the panel.
"The system is going to update."
"It takes 24 hours more to update."
Ank stared at the message for a moment, then slowly let out a breath, because there was nothing he could do about it now.
So he lay back down again.
And began to think.
About her.
The girl.
The one who kept appearing in his mind.
"I still cannot remember you…" he thought quietly.
"But watch me…"
"I will definitely recognise you."
His memories were incomplete.
Broken.
But certain moments remained.
During his unconscious state, he had seen her.
Running.
Away from him.
He had tried everything he could do to stop her but failed.
He remembered that she was the same girl he had met before.
Before he became unconscious after surviving the twenty four hour challenge of the Stone Plant King.
But now.
Her face was gone.
Completely forgotten.
Even their conversation of that time had disappeared from his memory.
And yet there was a feeling that remained.
A strong urge.
A desire to see her face again.
To remember.
To understand what he had seen.
At the very end, just before he regained consciousness, he had finally caught her.
But even then her face was still blurry.
Unclear.
Unreachable.
And yet.
Her voice remained.
"If you forget… I will hate you."
Those words echoed in his mind even now.
Clear.
Sharp.
Unforgettable.
And so Ank made a silent promise to himself.
"I will remember you."
"No matter what."
Because he needed to know.
Who she was.
Why she mattered.
What their connection was.
And why his heart reacted like this whenever he thought about her.
Time passed.
Two hours went by.
No one disturbed him.
The room remained silent.
And Ank continued to lie there, lost in his thoughts.
Until the door suddenly opened.
Celestia entered.
Without hesitation.
Without pause.
She walked straight toward him.
And hugged him.
Ank was slightly surprised by her sudden action, his body stiffening for a moment because he had not expected this, and he opened his mouth to say something, to ask what was wrong, but before he could speak, Celestia stopped him.
"Ank… I was scared," she said, her voice trembling slightly as if she was holding back something deeper.
"I did not know what was happening to me…"
Her grip tightened.
"I had so many memories appearing in my mind"
She paused.
Then continued softly.
"With you and me