Everyone became busy doing their own thing, preparing for what could happen, while Shawn was still inside the adventurers' guild. There was a profound silence prevailing inside the room, except for the ticking of the wall clock.
Sitting on the counter, Shawn knew that staying calm in emergency situations was the first thing to do because panic wouldn't allow him to think of a better solution to the problem.
Shawn only had half an hour to plan how to defeat the demon lord, and his time was decreasing with every second and every breath he took. He could hear the heavy footsteps of a huge chaos taking its path towards them.
"Brother, aren't you going outside?" Ash asked, glimpsing through the door from outside. He noticed that Shawn seemed to be planning something, so he walked towards him. "They are waiting for you."
"I guess I really have to fight that dragon by myself." Shawn stood up immediately. He was about to go out when he remembered something was lost. "My sword, where is it?"
"I haven't seen any swords with you, brother," Ash told him. "You might have lost it."
Shawn remembered the last time he had the holy sword with him. He used it to pierce the demon lord's chest. If the demon lord had transformed into a dragon, perhaps the sword was stuck somewhere.
If he could only use telekinesis, perhaps Shawn could take that sword back, but even though he was a hero, his power was still limited. So, he just decided to utilize what he had rather than looking for something he didn't.
"Whatever," Shawn said to himself as another strange idea came to his mind. If he couldn't use the holy sword against the demonic dragon, then perhaps he could use his communication skills to summon all the creatures he had encountered.
"What are you planning to do now, brother?" Ash asked curiously, observing Shawn.
"Can you stay silent for a while, Ash?" Shawn replied. "I have something really important to do, and I want you to watch and learn."
Ash nodded in reply and watched Shawn sit down on the floor in an Indian-style position as if he were about to perform yoga.
Shawn took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Then he focused on communicating with every creature he had met before, including King Orc the Great and Cyrene. He wanted to ask for their help in defeating the demonic dragon and its companions.
"Come forth, my friends!" Shawn chanted a spell, and different creatures from land to air, such as dragons, orcs, goblins, and even slimes, started marching towards the diamond kingdom.
"My son-in-law!" King Orc happily exclaimed through telepathy. "I'm glad you remembered us. What can I do for you?"
Shawn remembered what King Orc told him—that he could ask for his help anytime he needed it, and the time had come when he needed his assistance.
"Everyone, please listen," Shawn started, using his communication skills, then everyone remained silent. "I know I can't do this alone, so I want you to help me defeat the demonic dragon."
It was the third time Ash saw Shawn's ear grow longer than normal, so he wondered if he had an elvish origin. Ash was curious about what Shawn was doing, so he asked him about it.
As he opened his eyes, Shawn replied, "I have my own way of defeating the demonic dragon, Ash. I hope you'll support me." A weird smile appeared on his face as if he were plotting something crazy.
"Of course, brother. I will make that dragon suffer for what it did to my parents," Ash said, thinking about taking revenge for his parents' deaths. "I could never forgive him."
Shawn was surprised by Ash's wording, as if he had been influenced by his battle-maniac personality, but Shawn knew it was normal for Ash to be like that due to his past.
"So, when do you like to face the dragon, brother?" Ash asked eagerly. He really wanted to show Shawn the results of his training.
"Hey! What are you both planning there?" Ava interrupted as she walked towards Shawn, who slowly stood up. She had been waiting for them outside.
"It's a secret." Shawn smiled like this was a joke. Perhaps because he wasn't there during the tragedy that has caused trauma for many people, he could still smile. Or maybe because he could finally avenge Ava's suffering.
"You're really a weird stranger, Shawn," Ava replied. "But please stop involving my brother with your absurdism, okay?"
"Okay." Shawn nodded in reply, knowing that no matter what happened, Ava would never change; she was still that overprotective woman he knew from the start.
Boris and his companions, on the other hand, had just arrived at the Diamond Kingdom. As they landed in front of the gate, they were immediately surrounded and attacked by the adventurers as well as those creatures who were summoned by Shawn.
Fire, water, earth, and wind magics combined together to take down the demonic dragon. It caused a huge explosion that made a large hole in the dragon. Demons and monsters were clashing against each other's.
The adventurers were surprised why so many creatures were helping them, but instead of questioning what happened, they just focused on taking down all the demons as well as the demonic dragon.
Everyone did their best to prevent the demons from entering the kingdom. They used any means they could, such as magic, swords, etc. Having been accompanied by their friends, they found hope, which gave them strength to fight.
The sky eventually went back to normal. Everyone was confused about what happened. Without knowing it, the boy they considered a stranger saved them for the second time.
Outside the adventurer's guild, a smile of relief appeared on Shawn's face, seeing that his plan seemed to have worked out. He was grateful that he had this unique ability that he could use in times of emergency.
"Did you do this, Shawn?" Ava asked curiously, demanding a thorough explanation, looking at Shawn and seeing a weird smile on his face. "Can you explain it to us?"
Shawn didn't reply. The smile on his face became even wider, showing that he was the mastermind of their victory. He heard from King Orc that they had already cleared all the demons in the kingdom so they could freely live a normal and peaceful life once again.
Shawn thanked everyone for helping him fight the demons, especially his summoned creatures, whom he considered his familiars. He felt like his family was growing and he was no longer alone for their upcoming fights.
After the battle, everyone went back to their normal lives, while the adventurers were having a feast again, celebrating their victories, and getting Shawn a drink as well.
The adventurers didn't let Shawn go unless he could defeat them in booze. So he had no choice but to give them a chance. He drank as much as he could until he fell asleep.
Ava was furious to see Shawn get drunk. She scolded everyone as if she were drunk herself. She promised herself not to carry him again, but she still did. She brought him back to their home.
When Shawn woke up the next day, he was surprised that he was already in his old bed. Ava, Ash, and the old man were no longer with him. He wondered if it was all just a dream, but something proved to him it wasn't.
The ring that came from King Orc was still on his finger, telling him that everything wasn't just a long dream. He didn't really want to live his boring life on Earth again. He wondered if he could ever come back to that magical world.
Shawn stood up and took his smartphone from his lap. He noticed that the date was three days before the accident happened. It seemed like he was sent back through time. Another strange idea came to his mind.
"Will I be able to see Ava once again if I get hit by an ambulance?" He asked himself, planning something ridiculous as he walked out of his room and continued to the kitchen.
His parents greeted him like nothing had happened. Shawn smiled at them. He was thinking about how much he had grown since the day he was reincarnated into another world. He couldn't really forget what happened.
"Look at that smile on his face. I think our son is in love, darling," Shiela Marie Pendragon said. It seemed like Shawn's physical appearance was mostly inherited from his mother.
"No, I'm not, mom!" Shawn shouted, denying all those feelings he felt for Ava, though in truth he really wanted to see her again.
"You should get ready for your class instead. It's already 6:30, Shawn, but you haven't taken a shower yet. Do you still plan to go to school for today?" Lyon Pendragon asked.
Looking at his parents, Shawn couldn't help but suddenly spread his arms around them as if he hadn't seen them for years and really missed them. His parents were surprised, but they gave him a tight embrace anyway.
Shawn remembered that he still had class, so he let them go. He was still a student at Jefferson High School. Perhaps it would be good timing to confess his feelings for his crush.
Shawn learned from his experience that he should be brave, do what makes him happy as long as he isn't hurting others, push himself, and challenge his fear because no one else is going to do it for him. Life was short, and death was unpredictable.
After having his breakfast, Shawn hurriedly took a shower, wore his uniform, school ID, and black backpack, combed his hair, and looked at his own reflection on the mirror, which he felt like he hadn't done for so long.
The reflection he saw in the mirror was of a more mature man, not just an ordinary boy. So much had happened, and those memories were engraved on his facial expression.
Eventually, Shawn had a ride in his father's fancy car for the first time in his life. It was already eight o'clock in the morning when he arrived at school, a little bit late for his usual routine.
The moment he entered the campus, Shawn met Ana Belle, his classmate, the most beautiful girl in their classroom, and his crush since day one. She had beautiful, golden eyes, long, curly black hair, a pointed nose, and a Coca-Cola body.
Shawn didn't know how to approach her, but he knew he had to be brave to not let this opportunity pass by without confessing his feelings. So he fixed his composure and walked behind her towards their classroom.
"Good morning, Ana," Shawn said with a smile on his face. It was actually the first time he talked with her, so he wanted to make a cool impression.
Ana was quite surprised that someone called her name. She looked back and saw that it was her classmate. "Good morning too, Shawn. I thought I'm the only one who's late."
"Yeah, I forgot to set my alarm last night, so I ended up getting late." Shawn scratched his nape. "By the way, do you have plans for later? I just want to ask if you'd like to hang out."
"You mean hang out with you?" Ana clarified. "Well, I'm free later, unless we'll have assignments to do, but we can still hang out while studying."
"Okay, see you later then!" Shawn entered their classroom and continued to his chair, glad that his teacher hadn't seen him sneaking in, or else he would have his punishment.
Ana, on the other hand, couldn't focus on their teacher's discussion. She kept thinking about Shawn's invitation, excited to hang out with him later since she also had feelings for him.