Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1316 - 1315 - What Comes Before

"...mes? Are you napping? James?! Oi! Skinny lad!" Lind snapped his eyes open and looked around as a voice that sounded familiar echoed in his ears. His mind was a bit jumbled but he remembered a Talent sphere merging with him before he woke up.

He thought the spirit might have taken him somewhere to recover but instead he froze as his vision finally came into focus.

The dark beige fabric pinned with various communication links and reference documents slowly came back to him. The crappy little black box that had been the bane of his existence most days was just barely quiet compared to the banshee wail it was capable of at random times.

The monitor was currently on a screen saver with a scenic view of islands he would never visit but was just a taunt to any office drone as that was what he was.

Lind slowly looked around and noticed the framed picture of a woman he felt a jolt to recognize. Tears formed as the smiling woman with sandy colored hair tied back as the Christmas green and red sweater stood out from the snow covered yard she stood in front of.

He had taken that photo the last time he was home!

Home! He remembered his home!

He remembered everything!

"...p ignoring me!" He whipped up and looked down on the next poor soul in the hell of cubicles that made up the office and saw an array of various anime mechs arranged like an army around their master.

The currently irate large man was staring at him in confusion.

"James, why are you not answering me? We have to get this project done and you were napping?!" Lind felt more tears.

"G–George? Is it really you?" The dark ash eyes looked concerned at him. He stood up quickly and pushed back his standard issue computer chair that no one found comfortable to come to him.

A warm hand was put against his forehead and Lind realized he was shorter than he was used to. George looked overweight but the truth was he was just large.

He was actually very nimble and well muscled but he ate like garbage so many assumed he was obese.

"No fever but you look pale. Sit down." The mother hen actions only made Lind tear up more. George was such a good friend and often would bring a thermos for a sick coworker or bring treats for the office to cheer up the team.

Honestly, he should have been promoted ages ago as the productivity hung on his actions at times.

Lind looked around and noticed the date. It was a year before he died! Was it real? Was it just a memory? He tried to think but George distracted him.

"Ok, you are not so good but we both know the heartless bastards won't let you leave. Focus on what we can get done and we will make it in time for the new movie!" Lind rolled his eyes.

Of course, despite supporting the staff, George himself was not so productive. The only time he was when there was an anime, sale, or other hobby related deadline to attend to.

Still, it brought a smile to his face.

"No problem." Lind turned back to his desk and quickly unlocked his terminal. George patted his back and went back to his own desk.

The words flowed and Lind recognized the project but was surprised to realize he did not recall when it got done originally! Why?

"Wait, this was done around August or September but it was suddenly wrapped up early. I remember getting a raise due to our work but why don't I remember the part in between?" There was a gap but he was unsure of why.

He then focused and found the project laughably easy. Compared to Laws or concocting an elixir, it was child's play.

His fingers flew across the keyboard at a speed no human should be able to. His eyes narrowed but he noticed his body was his old one. The scar on his left hand was there and the fingernails that had seen far better days were apparent too.

His off white shirt, they could never stay white after 1 wash, had the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and his god awful khaki pants were just barely comfortable. Why did business casual always have to be so unacceptable to the senses?

Women had it far better than men in that area in his opinion. He was jealous of their options!

A smile cracked his face as the buffer in the machine could not keep up with him. While it was catching up, he used a browser to check on a few things and he noticed something else. George was single.

That was not the case when he died.

George had been dating Cynthia, the Goddess of the Minions, as he called her for a little under a year before he died.

When had they started dating though? Wasn't it right around the time he was now?

George admired her but he never thought of himself as dating material. He would be friendly and helpful without being awkward. Hell, he even nursed her through that spirits cursed New Year's party that her boyfriend cheated on her with one of the temps.

The temp did not know who he was and when she found out he was cheating, somehow that information got to her mysteriously, she publicly outed his desire to be babied in bed!

Lind smiled at the evil smile George had that day.

It was a little over 2 years ago now and Cynthia had dated a man and a woman but not seriously in either one.

His eyes narrowed as his new perspective made him want to smack George upside the head. Cynthia had been hinting at him she was interested but he treated it as her being friendly.

"Not on my watch." Lind smirked as the buffer caught up but he had finished the project. He had been in charge of calculations and projections. It was the heart of the next steps the team was waiting for.

He reviewed it in less than 5 seconds and sent it on to the next step. He then stood up and looked for his prey.

While his dark eyes were now human again, any looking at him would feel odd. They would feel like a predator was among them!

Lind found his body was not as mortal as it looked. It was not his true body, but it was not weak at all. He found that sensation odd.

He wondered if he was really doing things in the past but either way, he wanted to act. He was back for however long and he would not waste a second of it!

Cynthia worked a floor up from them but he knew where she would be near lunch time.

Sure enough, she was gathering 3 cups of coffee and making George's with the unGodly amounts of creamer and sugar the man wanted. It might as well be pure sugar!

Still, his body was not yet diagnosed with its deficiencies either, now that he recalled.

George was lucky in a way. His body had massively high caloric needs and his sweet tooth kept him relatively healthy. Many diabetics would sell their souls for his issue!

"Oh, Jimmy, you are early?" Her pale amber eyes had looked to his left but the flicker of disappointment was not missed by him. She was looking for George. Her svelte suit hugged her body perfectly without violating the dress code.

Her shoulder length strawberry blonde hair was neatly done up in a single bun, a style George happened to call S-Tier one day.

Honestly, how had they both missed such obvious signs? Lind felt his old self was not any better than George.

"Cyndi, thank you so much but we need to talk before George gets here. He should be panicking about now about how much work I gave him." Lind smiled. They were only supposed to complete it to a certain step with the data today but he had finished it all.

George would now have a lot of work to cram in before leaving for the movie. He would do it but he would swear up a storm the whole time.

She smiled at his joke and they found one of the pathetic break tables. They were never level. Was there some universal Law that required office break tables to not be balanced? Any job he had that issue persisted!

"So, you got a lot of the projections done?" Cynthia was also working on the project but on the marketing side. She was where the raw data had come from and they had to refine it and spit it back out to make a plan for the coming client.

Lind nodded.

"It should all be ready by next week. I am not worried about that, but I am worried you need to be blunt with George." He calmly sipped his coffee and felt joy had not felt in thousands of years.

The best tea in the universe could not match the rush of the coffee his friend made.

She froze and looked like a deer in headlights as he just smiled at her.

"Wha–" He held up his hand and began to tick of his fingers.

"You weren't sure at first so tried to date but always felt unsatisfied and distrustful after what happened. George got you to laugh and have fun without asking for more. You have been making coffee the last few months and coming down here for lunch. Your hairstyle changed after he made 1 comment. And do I need to mention the fact you suddenly asked me where to watch all the anime he watches?" His smile was like a vicious predator as he looked at her.

He had been so naive in those days. He really should have known.

She was beet red but he only smiled warmly before continuing.

"George thinks of you as a good friend and a Goddess but he also knows you were hurt. He will never turn you away but he also will hold back without a clear declaration. He is not the best at picking up on interest in him." She whipped up her face at him in surprise as he giggled.

"Just trust me. Tell him how you feel, accept he will become nervous as Hell, but don't let him leave. He will try to run because he is afraid of screwing up his next words. He will, but it is because a dream came true." Lind was blunt. Life was too short and he would not let his friends waste it.

He then finished his coffee and left her there. George was coming, he could hear the heavy footsteps. Lind left the breakroom and looked back with a smile.

He wished his friend's luck and then became serious as he wanted to do one more thing but his vision went black once more and the world fell away.