That voice flowed through his whole body like a clear spring, finally releasing him from the tension that had gripped him.
Those golden eyes, and that familiar feeling from days gone by.
They also made him feel that all his efforts had finally paid off. At last, he had done something right again.
Yes.
She was back.
Every little moment, from when he had joined Dark Night City until now, drifted before Lynn's eyes as she returned. He even felt the urge to break down and cry in front of her. But in the end, he did not, because he had grown up. During the time the Matriarch had been away, he had experienced far too many things that could transform a person overnight.
"Are you all right?"
"I'm... all right."
There were few words between them. Like old friends separated for far too long, they had so much to say, yet when the words reached their lips, neither knew what to say.
Simply looking into those golden eyes still brought the same reassurance as before.
And at this very moment, they were so close.
Finally.
He made the boldest decision of his life. In the past, he would never have dared, because this was his Matriarch, the first Origin he had met in Dark Night City who could stand alongside his Titan Big Brother, and the sister and family member closest to his heart.
But at this moment, as he gazed at that breathtaking face so close to his own, at those exquisite red lips with their faint breaths...
So close.
As though moved by some inexplicable impulse, he finally leaned in and kissed her softly.
His mind went blank the moment he kissed her. He did not even know whether she would agree or resist, but he did