Chapter 1145: Race Against... Time?

"A-ahem, as I was saying... the dangers involved with Legris being present in the Hive goes beyond our preparedness for him."

The awkward atmosphere was yet to vanish despite Serah already dissipating her energy pressure. Eyes still appeared a bit uneasy, and minds were a little rattled, but the meeting had to go on, so Jane continued her speech.

"The dangers of being exposed to such a mass of Nether is one thing. But, after expending a lot of time and effort, it would be disadvantageous for us to confront Legris afterwards."

The most advantageous situation would be for them to seek out Legris on their own terms, when they were ready and able to take him on.

Once Jane broke down the other risks involved, even the hot-headed Gerard began to see reason behind her words and also the stupidity of his own words.

"The best we can do is—"

~VWWUUUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMM!!!~

Once again, the room was filled with something—a distorted pressure that circulated the area.

This energy pressure was different from the earlier one.

It wasn't as heavy, but it was dense... rich and full of immense power.

It felt like space itself was bending in response to it.

"W-what is this...?" Jane stopped speaking instantly as her eyes widened in shock.

"You can sense it too? This is...?!" Beruel's eyes bulged.

He recognized the energy he was sensing all too well. It was emanating from two individuals he had fought.

"It's getting closer." Serah murmured in a whisper.

"I... know this feeling." Lemi murmured underneath her breath.

How could she forget the energy signature that had once gone within her very core?

"It's him...?" Aurora whispered in disbelief.

No, that couldn't be. Something wasn't right.

It seemed that not everyone in the room could feel this strange pressure, or the racing energy that approached them at instant speed.

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Only those as powerful as Serah, Aurora, and Gerard, or those who had connections to the source, like Jane and Lemi.

Then there were those who belonged to the last category: those who were the lovers of the source of interest.

"N-no way..." Ana whispered underneath her breath as her lips trembled.

Even Maria, who had yet to utter a word or display any emotion since the start of the meeting found her face morphing to display shock.

"J... Jare—?"

Before any of the people in the room could conclude their words, a sudden flash appeared at the center of the table, like a bolt of lightning from the heavens.

~WHOOOOSSSHHH!~

A wave of white energy dissipated around the source, and the air vibrated all across the room as if paying homage to the presence that had just surfaced.

Layers of energy decorated his body as he slowly rose from his crouching position, his yellow blond hair swaying as he opened his eyes. His white teeth were open for display as he grinned, and his long robe flowed behind him as he seemed to take in the armosphere in a split second.

"Hehehe..." A slight chuckle escaped his lips as the entire room fell into a standstill.

"I did it..." As he was still whispering words to himself, a second flash of light appeared, once again, sending a wave of energy crashing into the rooom.

This time, the energy was like a surge of golden lightning, and within it was a young man who appeared regal in appearance and looks. His moderately long golden hair, coupled with his golden eyes could easily steal the attention of any.

However, unlike the first one who entered the room, he wasn't smiling at all.

Instead, he was slightly frowning as he shut his eyes, ready for what he was about to hear from the blond boy beside him.

"I won the race, Kuzon! I told you I was faster!" The one who spoke so optimistically was Jared Leonard, and he was reveling in his victory much to the dissatisfaction of his friend.

"Tch. It was barely by a second, Jared. No big deal..."

Even though Kuzon said that, he was internally freaking out by the prospect of what had just happened.

'Jared... has gotten even stronger!'

It was an unpleasant shock, and one that had soiled the mood he had been in just moments earlier.

"Pfft! I'm faster than you are, Kuzon. Deal with it."

"Yeah, yeah."

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Both young men stood upright, their gazes flashing at each other like little kids who had just finished a childish dare or bet.

Perhaps they were too caught up in the moment to notice what they had just done.

... How they had officially ended a very important meeting.

******

[Moments Earlier]

The world that lay before us was just as I remembered.

As we stepped out of the Safehouse, the instant air of nostalgia greeted my senses. I was initially overwhelmed by the feeling of being home—truly home—but I had to control myself at this very important moment.

First things first, I had to confirm something.

"Haa..."

Using Spellcraft to swiftly adress my gnawing fear, I spread my senses to the world. Thankfully, I wasn't disappointed.

"They're here. They're all here!" I beamed, my lips instantly widening as I looked around to observe the faces of my comrades.

We were all gushing with excitement.

"I can sense her... them... all of them!" Kuzon's grin seemed to be the widest.

At least, until I saw Ciara.

"Hehe... hehehe... heeee..." The girl was literally drooling as her eyes brightened up like the afternoon sun.

It was scary on so many levels.

"It feels good to be back." Aloe spoke casually, and her mature demeanor seemed to be the right amount of calmness I needed after seeing Ciara's crazed expression for one second.

"Indeed. I wonder how Ana and Le—" Edward stopped short of his words as he glanced in my direction.

The moment he noticed my smile, he decided not to say any more.

That was a wise choice.

'Let's not get into any complicated stuff now. Let's just enjoy the moment.' I maintained my smile.

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However, it wasn't long before I simply couldn't control myself any longer.

I wanted to see them—my parents, my friends, my family, and... her.

"Hey, Jared." Kuzon's voice suddenly interrupted my thoughts, causing me to glance in his direction.

He had a broad smile on his face, filled with what I could only call mishievous excitement.

"Interested in a little contest?" His voice was inviting, and I could almost tell what he wanted to say.

"What contest?" I returned his smile with mine, feeling an electrocuting vibe course through my entire body.

"A race. Let's see who gets 'there' first."

By 'there', he meant the location where Ana, Maria, and a lot of our friends seemed to be gathered. It was probably a meeting of some kind, or maybe they were simply partying.

How could I tell?

"You boys are really immature." Aloe sighed, shaking her head.

"Hehe... hahahaha... I'm off!"

Ciara's voice was the only thing we noticed because the next thing we knew, she had sped off to see her darling, Jerry.

What a weirdo... not that I couldn't understand the feeling.

It was taking every ounce of self control to remain calm despite my ravaging impulses telling me to run wild.

"So, what do you say, Jared?" Kuzon once again interrupted my thoughts, his brows raised as his lips curled into a confident grin.

"You want in?"

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[A/N]

Welp... we all know how this ends.

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But maybe there's a reason Kuzon lost and Jared lost.

Let's see...