Inside the teleportation passage, Mirror teased Zero. "Zero, it's been ages since you last saw Princess Emerana, hasn't it?"
Zero thought for a moment.
"It certainly has been for me, but only a little over ten years have passed for the princess..."
Zero had last seen Emerana before heading to Geed's universe to take part in the Frontier War. He had spent a long time fighting Belial in Geed's universe, but fortunately, time flowed differently across the multiverse. Only a little over ten years had passed in the universe where Esmeralda was located.
"Princess Emerana? Is she the princess from your memories, Zero?" Shinji recalled the beautiful princess he had seen in his dreams.
"That's right, Shinji. The princess and I are close comrades and partners," Zero said.
"We've fought together several times."
Remembering what Zero and the princess had been through in Zero's memories, Shinji began to wonder.
"Does the princess have feelings for Zero...?"
Although the princess had indeed been fond of Zero back then, it was just as Zero himself had said.
"I'm twenty thousand years too early for that sort of thing." He had never been particularly interested in such matters to begin with (adopting children aside).
For him, fighting for peace in the universe was what mattered most right now. Everything else could wait another twenty thousand years.
Guren reminisced. "The princess really is an absolute beauty. Back then, little Zero..."
Mirror was displeased by that. "That's enough, Guren. Even jokes should have their limits."
They emerged from the teleportation passage, and Zero pointed at the planet before them.
"Shinji, we're here."
"This is Esmeralda Planet."
Shinji gazed at the planet before him, which looked much like Earth. The entire planet gave off a faint emerald glow, and a ring encircled it.
"It's beautiful..."
Just