Chapter 91: The Lost Boy

"You're going to stay?" Alicia asked, skeptically and clearly shocked. "A-Are you sure about that?"

"Y-Yeah, isn't that a bit of a rash decision?" Camille supported, worried as well. "You should think more about it, you know."

"I should think about it until I change my mind to what you want me to do? Is that it?"

"N-No, that's not what I meant."

"You've all seen my memories unfolding right your very eyes," Haru said. "I have no dreams to return to. I have no brother or family to return to. And I don't have a sentimental death in the original world to return to. It's not just having nothing to return to that became the reason why I didn't want to return. It's because I had something that was taken away from me and I could never return to the world that took it all away. That's why I'm going to stay."

That wasn't all.

Haru's trailed off explanation stopped at the most important point. He remembered who he saw in that crane machine's glass.

The only one he has right now was the devil and no one else.

What more was there to stop him from staying?

"Do what you want," Mr. Wang was still drinking. "That's how it should be. Doing what we want because we understand that it's what our hearts will chase even if we don't do it."

Alicia and Camille couldn't help but get convinced.

Alicia glanced at the little boy, Ali, "How about you, Ali?" She asked. "Why'd you want to stay? Is it… because of Haru?"

Ali didn't speak back or even looked ahead, but he nodded slowly to the question.

"We haven't seen your memories," Camille said. "Are you sure you're alright here?"

"We don't have to look into his memories," Haru glanced at the child. "I'm sure it will be more of a shock to him if we peek at life."

The feast and the conversations went on, spending all the seven days they were stalling there.

They had fun, silently, each to their own.

They couldn't explicitly say it, but they individually had the best time of their lives in those last seven days they were together.

First, riddled with the mysteries of the world they were transported to, fear and anxiety of being somewhere foreign, then slowly warming up to the comfort of the worlds.

And soon, the time came when they had to take separate ways from each other.

The portal soon opened up and the way to the original world welcomed them, as if they were just casually going back home.

Alicia, Camille, and Mr. Wang just waved goodbye to those who chose to remain, Ali and Haru.

When the three of them got out, the portal was closed, as if the Light World knew and heard their conversations among the foods and feasts they had.