Patting Seele's head, this time Dark Seele didn't pop out to stop him, so he took the opportunity to get his fill of headpats. If Kiana was sunny and energetic cute, then Seele was frail and innocent cute. Youth is wasted on the young who mistake sexiness for treasure.
But he hadn't been patting for long before Seele woke up.
She opened her sea-like eyes, which were filled with the groggy confusion of someone who had just woken up. Who am I, where am I, what am I supposed to do?
"You're awake~"
"Mmm... Huh?!!!"
Seele rubbed her eyes, mumbled a reply to Ryn, and then, realizing the situation, scrambled to sit up.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Seele didn't mean to..."
Seele didn't know why she was lying on top of Brother Ryn, but this must have been troublesome for him. She hurriedly apologized to Ryn, so anxious that tears welled up in her eyes.
"Seele, you don't need to apologize. You didn't do anything wrong!"
"But Seele was lying on top of Brother Ryn the whole time, that must have been uncomfortable for you, right?"
Ryn smiled. He had thought it was something serious.
"Not at all~ Seele is so soft. Cuddling with Seele felt very comfortable."
"Huh?!" Seele's face turned beet red. Could Ryn be the kind of pervert Sister Bronya warned her about... But he also saved her. She was so conflicted...
"Alright, how's your body feeling now? This is the body the Sea created for you. Now, it's not just your eyes that are like the sea~ You're truly the daughter of the Sea now!"
After hopping and twirling a few times, Seele squinted her eyes and said to Ryn with a happy smile:
"Mmm... I don't feel any discomfort. It feels just like my original body. During the reconstruction, I felt like a tadpole. I saw the Sea, and I saw the Tree. Thank you, Brother Ryn."
"It's good that you're okay. I didn't really do much, it was mainly the Sea. If you want to thank someone, you should thank It."
"Mhm." Seele nodded and then gazed into the distance. There was nothing there, but Seele knew the Tree and the Sea were there. "Thank you. Seele will always remember your help!"
Afterward, Ryn and Seele chatted for a while, confirmed some information, and prepared to return to the real world. But just as Ryn was about to lead Seele back, the Sea stopped them.
"You can go, but Seele cannot. She needs more time before she can return to the prime world."
"Why? Is there still something wrong with Seele's body?" Ryn looked at Seele, but Seele shook her head. She didn't feel anything wrong.
"Ryn, you are an anomaly. Without you, I would have arranged for the fragmented Seele to drift endlessly through the Bubble Universes, gradually bestowing my blessings upon her until she was finally restored and her body reconstructed. But now, that process is no longer necessary.
However, there is still the issue of time. Seele still has a mission she has yet to complete. She carries a Stigmata Terminal. This was developed by the people of your world's Previous Era, based on the Stigmata Terminal of a Seele who would travel through Bubble Universes and cross timelines to reach their era in the near future.
This involves some deeper concepts of time, and explaining it further is pointless. You just need to understand that I need to send Seele to a specific point in time in the Previous Era to present the Stigmata Terminal to them, providing them with a blueprint to complete the Stigmata System, thus ensuring the smooth progression of the timeline."
The Sea told Ryn and Seele many things, but while they understood, they also didn't quite seem to understand.
"Did you get any of that?" Ryn was a bit confused. Where did that Stigmata Terminal come from then... The future giving it to the past? Or the past developing it for the future?
Seele shook her head, also full of doubt. "Seele doesn't really understand... but it seems like I have to go to the Previous Era, and be an experimental subject... for them to study?"
Ryn felt the hand holding his tremble slightly. Seele was scared. The words "being studied" would make anyone uncomfortable.
"Don't be afraid, Seele, I'll be with you." Ryn patted her head to comfort her, then asked the Sea.
"Will she be in danger! I want to go with her!"
"Not now. Your appearance has already disrupted the process, but time has already been set. After experiencing the events of the Previous Era, Seele can return to the prime world.
But before that, Seele still needs to travel to some Bubble Universes. She must witness the destruction and rebirth of numerous Bubble Universes to understand the true meaning of the Authority she carries."
"Authority... Will Seele be a Herrscher too?" Ryn looked at Seele, and Seele looked back at him.
"A Herrscher... will I be one too? Will Seele also become a bad person who destroys the world?" White Seele murmured. Seele's impression of Herrschers came from what Mama Cocolia had told her: they were all heinous villains who destroyed worlds.
Seeing Seele's distress, Ryn took her hand and placed it on his chest, saying, "It's okay, Seele. I'm a Herrscher too. There's nothing to be afraid of in becoming one. See, I still have body temperature and a heartbeat just like a normal person, and I get powerful abilities. Don't you want to protect Bronya? A Herrscher's power can definitely do that."
"Don't you go swindling my child. Her purpose is different from yours. Seele will become my spokesperson. In the future, she will be responsible for the destruction and birth of countless worlds."
"The destruction and birth of worlds?!! Sea... am I really qualified to do that? I... I'm just a coward who hides behind Sister Bronya..." Seele felt no joy, only self-doubt and fear. If she was really responsible for the destruction and rebirth of worlds in the future, could she truly bear that responsibility...
"You can, Seele. Don't underestimate yourself. You have enough kindness and a strong heart. No one is more suitable than you."
"Yeah, Seele is indeed very kind..."
Before Ryn could finish his sentence, he was thrown out of the Sea of Quanta by the Sea. It was now time for the Sea and Seele's heart-to-heart talk.
"Brother Ryn?!"
Ryn's sudden disappearance startled Seele. The Sea of Quanta was vast and boundless. With Ryn gone, Seele was left all alone in the immense space.
"Don't worry, I just sent him back to the prime world. The journey ahead is one you must take alone... oh, no, you still have another 'Seele' with you. You two will need to experience it together. Rest assured, whenever you want to see your Brother Ryn, I'll pull him in."
"Mmm... thank you. Then, let's begin..."
Afterward, Seele transformed into a ray of light and began to flow through various Bubble Universes.
"Ah~ Daughters are the best, so pleasing to the eye. What a pity... she'll be given away to that Ryn fellow in the future. I should find a chance to stir up some more trouble for the Tree."