After the bandits vanished into the forest, I turned to Bob.
He was wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, then pulled me into a hug.
"Nice to have you back, dude," he muttered, voice slightly choked.
"Yeah," I said, the only word I could manage. There were too many emotions tangled inside me. Relief. Shock. The weight of survival. And somehow… power.
He finally pulled back from the hug, his face lighting up like a curious puppy.
"You were so cool, bro! How did you use the same skill as me? Are you awakened now? Did something happen when you died? Come on, spill! You totally died, right? What happened in your death? Did you see someone or not?"
He fired off questions like a machine gun, eyes wide and sparkling with a weird mix of awe and nosiness.
I chuckled. As much as I wanted to tell him everything, there was something more important right now.
"I'll explain later," I said, patting his shoulder. "Let's heal them first."
I pointed toward the others.
