For the first time since I was reborn here I now had a dream of Earth. Otherwise I would have dreamless nights or nightmares of past events but now was a rare occasion.

I sit next to my boyfriend, clinging to his arm in the subway train. I can smell the perfume mixed with his sweat, as my head leans against his shoulder. I am half asleep and he caresses my cheek before playing with his smartphone.

So sweet.

As the train moves, I feel how my eyes get hit alternately with bright lights and darkness. It only amplifies my feeling of tiredness.

We will be together forever, right?

I squeeze his hand and let out a cute noise, as I fall asleep in the moving subway train.

Let’s never let go...

But then I wake up when the light outside the window become blindingly white. Outside the window I then see the capital city as the train move out of the tower hangar.

No! Come back!

I wake up finding myself squeezing the hand of Izumi which was next to my face. My body is full of sweat and I felt a drained. The longing was present.

”I still miss him...”

Without thinking I softly say that. Izumi looked at me with mixed feelings.

”Miss who?”

He then asked me and looked worried.

”My boyfriend...”

Izumi still looked a bit confused but then he connected the pieces together. He got a similar background like me.

”Oh, you had a boyfriend before you got here...”

The girls then looked worried about me.

”Did you have a bad dream, Lotus?”

”You look sad...”

”...”

They tried to comfort me the best they could. I then released Izumis hand and sat up. Then I yawned and stretched my body at the same time.

”I guess... I am just reminiscing of simpler times...”

I answered the girls, and had a short pause. Then I continued.

”When I only had to worry about getting good grades at school... Find a job. Then find a guy, and make a family with.”

They saw how I got dazed as I talked about family. Then they picked me up and hugged me.

”B- But we are your family!”

Nyaya was quite cheery as she told me that. Then she patted my head. She is correct, they are my family now. I got nobody else in this chaotic world.

”How about we get going? We have plenty of time to be sentimental later.”

Izumi looked like he wanted to join our moment, but he had his quest in mind. We really should get going though. So much time has been spent in this cursed tower already. I am very keen to have time to wind down.

”Okay...”

We answered him and quickly packed up. Once everyone was ready, I made sure to strap everyone in and then I cast Elemental Shield which faced the back and bottom of our improvised glider vehicle.

Meanwhile prepared Seris delayed fireballs which would explode after a certain time passed. Our plan was now in motion and we finally could escape.

”H- Here goes nothing!”

I shouted seconds before the fireballs detonated. I was already strapped in at the second pilot seat beside Izumi.

”3...

2...

1...”

I heard Seris count down.

With a loud sound the fireballs detonate. While the glider did not take any damage, we got flung out with great speed out from the tower hangar. Nyaya and Seris made very girlishy startled noises because of the sudden acceleration.

As we soared out Izumi tried to get hang of the controls. Thankfully it looks like the ailerons and tail fin still works. He aimed for us to get close to the capital city as possible. During our glide we noticed a massive encampment not too far away from the tower. Was that the bandits base, I wondered?

After half an hour in the air, we are about halfway to the capital city. Right now our altitude had lowered to half of what it was before. Compared to the tower we would now be at the 45th floor. Still pretty high up, but it looks like we would have to evade the hill in front of us if we want to make the most out of the glider.

”Watch out for that hill!”

I cried out in panic at Izumi.

”What does it look like I’m doing!?”

He gabbed back at me.

The glider grazed the side of the hill which made unsettling scraping noises on the glider. It lost a little momentum but we was still airborne. Once we were past the hill we finally saw the highway going toward the capital city. If we crashlanded there, it would just take us eight hours of trekking to get back. It would take another five minutes of gliding to get there though.

Suddenly a creaking sound was heard from the side which had grazed the hill. I quickly looked over there and saw how cracks started to form. Damn pile of junk! Hold it together for just five minutes!

I tried to delay the inevitable by casting cantrip spells like Mending. But it looks like it is just a stopgap measure. At best it just keeps cracks from reforming for 30 seconds.

”Hey Seris, mind giving me a hand over here? Cast Mending at the cracks!”

Seris got startled by yelling, but she quickly helped me with the task.

As we got closer to the landing zone at the highway, both Seris and me started to get dizzy from all spellcasting. It was then that Nyaya and Nino took over. Nino used her brute strength to keep the vessel together, meanwhile Nyaya cleverly used ropes to bind it together. She quickly tied the ropes together between the two windows which the crack had formed.

The moment our glider impacted onto the highway, the front of the cockpit became rubble. Shortly afterwards the wings collapsed due to sheer stress from the impact. The now exposed body then continued to glide across the highway for at least one hundred meters before coming to an halt.

At our crashlanding site the air was full of dust. We all coughed as we tried to regain composure again.

”Are *cough* everyone okay?”

Izumi asked everyone. Status report, please.

”I- I’m here”

”Uhhh....”

”I’m okay.”

”Could be better...”

Everyone who responded seemed to be in a fine condition. Exception for Nyaya who seemed to feel sick. Our bodies are not built for crashing after all.

As we got out of our now ex-glider it seems like it caused quite the commotion. Travellers who had been walking along the highway looked in marvel at who had come out of it. One heroic looking guy, with four exceptionally beautiful women is not something you see every day.

”What is that thing?”

”Look at those babes he got!”

”Man, look at how they ruined the highway...”

”Did they really come from the sky in that thing?”

The small crowd of people tried to make sense out of what had played out in front of them. It is also not every day you see people fall from the sky and survive. We ignored the curious onlookers though and instead started to walk home. I obviously got tired of walking and starting levitating. Evolving into a proper Lich must had been the best life choice so far. Sucks that I had to break the heart of my family though...

The moment I levitated above ground the people started to think I was a ghost, what nonsense.

About eight hours later we finally arrived back home in the capital city. Oh how I miss a proper bed!