"As I said already, I wanted to find you since you went missing and bring you back. But now, I think it's a little more complicated than that," Uralic said, his demeanor turning serious.
I could sense the shift in his tone, and it made me uneasy. "What do you mean?" I asked cautiously.
"I can see that you don't want to come back," he stated bluntly, his piercing red eyes studying me. "And now that Aaron has also gone back to find you, it wouldn't be right to bring you back while leaving him behind."
I clenched my fists. He had really read my mind, i don't know about what I have told him before but know i have opportunity to save my loved ones, i would leave like coward.
Uralic sighed, his expression unreadable. "Only your portal ring has the power to travel between the past and present. That means you are the only one who can bring Aaron back."
"But I will still give you this choice," Uralic said, his gaze unwavering. "If you want, you can stay in Ashlyn with Ashley and pray that Aaron comes back on his own."
"No, I don't want to," I replied firmly, my grip tightening. "Fate has given me this unexpected chance to save my loved ones. I don't want to lose this chance."
He sighed as if he had already predicted my answer. "I really hoped you would come with me," he murmured. "The meteoroid will strike the satellite in less than three months, and you are more aware than anyone of the ruins it will bring."
I swallowed hard. The weight of his words pressed down on me.
"I wish I could help you out," he continued, regret flashing in his red eyes. "But we are all bound by universal law, and we cannot interfere with other planets' affairs."
"But don't worry, I will try my best to help you out," Uralic assured me. "You are always welcome in Ashlyn."
That was somewhat comforting, but his next words made me pause.
"However, the energy it takes for your portal ring to transfer you between worlds is very high. Unlike us, who have magical blood that can instantly recharge it, you have to wait for 40 days before it can transport you again. So, if you want to come to Ashlyn to meet me, remember—you can only travel once every 40 days."
I stared at the ring on my finger, its intricate engravings glowing faintly. This meant I couldn't freely move between worlds whenever I wanted. If I went back to Earth now, I'd be stuck there for over a month before I could return.
"I see," I murmured, absorbing the weight of this limitation.
"I—I…" I hesitated before speaking. "I want to ask… can I take my loved ones here? If that's possible, then it would solve my whole dilemma."
I knew it was a selfish wish, but doesn't everyone become selfish when it comes to their own kin?
Uralic's expression softened, but his answer was firm. "No, Evelyn. That's not how it works."
My heart sank.
"Our planet accepted you because you became the savior of our whole team. It was already a huge sacrifice for Ashlyn to break one of its core rules for you. But we don't allow outsiders—especially after what happened when humans tried to capture us. The people of Ashlyn don't trust them. I hope you understand."
I clenched my fists. I did understand, but that didn't make it any easier to accept.
"I understand. Now, can I go back? Ashley might be searching for us."
"I highly doubt it," Uralic said, his tone amused. "This is Ashley's home, Evelyn. She is more familiar with this place than anything else, so don't worry."
His words made me feel a little relieved. "She might be playing with her friends."
"Friends?" I asked, curiosity sparking in me. What kind of friends would Ashley have in this world?
"Yeah, she has… I think two or three. One is an owl shifter, and the other two are rabbit shifter twins."
My eyes widened. "There are other shifters too?"
"Of course," Uralic said with a smirk. "Name any animal, and you'll find a shifter of them here on Ashlyn."
"Now that we're done with all the unnecessary parts of our conversation, let's talk about something serious," he said, making me want to slap him so hard.
Here I was, barely holding myself together after everything I'd just heard—about time travel, lost memories, and a whole other planet—and he had the audacity to call it "unnecessary"?
But his words piqued my curiosity. If all that was considered unimportant to him, then what exactly did he think was serious?
"And what are these serious things we need to talk about?" I asked, crossing my arms.
"Of course, to teach you again how to use your ring," he said, emphasizing the word again like he had done this before.
I frowned. "And what exactly do I need to learn?"
Uralic smirked. "Well, since you seem to have forgotten everything, let's start with the basics. Your ring isn't just for travel—it's also a key, a shield, and a communicator. But, most importantly, it only responds to your command."
I looked down at the ring on my finger, its surface shimmering faintly under the light. "A shield? A communicator? What do you mean?"
"Well, open it first. To activate, just say the stupid password—Mimi Nu."
I sighed, feeling ridiculous as I muttered, "Mimi Nu."
The ring shimmered, and suddenly, a translucent display popped up in front of me. My eyes widened in surprise.
"You really need to teach Ashley to give better names," I muttered.
Uralic burst into laughter. "Oh, trust me, I've tried. But she enjoys making up names that throw people off."
I rolled my eyes while he gestured for me to pay attention. "Here," he said, guiding me through the interface. "This is the communicator—it works like what you call mobile phones in your world, except it doesn't rely on those primitive satellites. You can contact anyone across the universe, provided you have their frequency saved. It operates on magnetic energy, allowing transmissions to travel fifty times faster than the speed of light."
I gaped at him. "Faster than light? That's impossible! Light is the fastest—"
Uralic let out a long, exaggerated sigh. "Here we go again with the same questions." He gave me an exasperated look before smirking. "Humans are quite ignorant. You believe only what you see, but there are countless things your so-called 'third-world planet' has yet to discover."
His words silenced me. I hated to admit it, but he was probably right.