(That about sums up the events from that night. From what I remember, October was oddly quiet. There weren't many activities in the replica world. Besides Jeanne, whom I eventually slaughtered.)
(I see. The same goes for me on my side; most of my October was uneventful aside from the Earth Scale Eel Cave.)
Simon took note of Saber's words carefully. It was clear to him now that the reason why he did not deal with this entity himself was that Saber had already done so.
What bothered him was the fact that both Saber and this entity were able to avoid cameras for so long. Saber certainly had an excuse; she could've seen these cameras being installed and learned their blind spots.
But Jeanne, on the other hand, just didn't seem to show up.
(That's why I never had to do any expedition runs that month...At least on paper)
If he had dealt with the entity himself, there was no telling what course his life could have taken right now. Or if he was even alive in this future.
Simon shook his head before continuing:
(I'm sure the investigator won't ask me about it and move straight to November, but I can tell you what I did that month.)
The same night, Simon sat in the center of his deep, midnight black bed. With the previous entity dealt with, he would be able to advance into the sub-stage without having to worry.
The entire team's spirits were down after the death of Haruto Sato, so most days he had were free. Occasionally, he would come to work to help Evelyn.
However, occasionally meant almost every day.
Without her, there was no one to command the team. Simon knew Leo would rather kill himself than listen to Ezra because of his pride.
Not a single light was lit inside the room, a slight frost clinging to his skin. The moon shed a slit of light into his room, giving his eyes the look of stones floating across an ocean that reflected a full moon's beauty.
(I haven't had much time to refine my core with the recent incidents. However, now that I have so much free time, this time can be used for refinement. The second my core is Reformed, I will be able to suppress the Earth Scale Eels.)
The Earth Scale Eels were dangerous, but they were intelligent creatures. Even if Simon's signature was not fit for combat, they could sense when something was stronger than them.
Thus, they would not put up a fight against him if it meant they would have their lives in return. Like any animal, even humans, they valued survival over anything else.
If it meant their own kind would die in the process, they did not care. As long as there were two left to reproduce, they would sacrifice themselves or one another.
Additionally, if they did fight back, Simon would have enough spiritual energy to fight back against the large group. More fragments of Simon's core had pieced themselves together.
This was a given, considering that a Signator's core would instinctively refine itself based on the amount of spiritual energy used. This was the method used by most Signators to refine their core.
They would use as much spiritual energy when they knew it would not be needed, and let their core refine itself. Any other method was considered sociopathic, as it could lead to your own death.
If others had seen Simon's method in refining his core, they would call him delusional. He had already gotten close enough to killing himself last time, but he continued.
(What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.)
This is true... At least it would be if it weren't killing him. Simon started the process of refining his core again, emptying his spiritual energy.
His ears began to ring, his gaze shifting to black and blurred images. This did not deter him, as he closed his eyes and gathered energy from his surroundings.
His other self and the ravens on the surface of his core leapt away at this influx of energy. Once they were pulled away, the energy wrapped itself around the moss-green ropes.
The ravens occasionally assisted, bringing down more of the particles that did not cover the strings. Only after they were all covered with this lavender essence did he start pulling the fragments together.
Unlike last time, he did not let himself get distracted. His other self watched on a raven at a far distance as the ropes continued to get softer and thinner. The parts began to click together with a crisp sound, each one becoming easier and easier to form together.
The crisp sounds that came around once in a while began to become constant.
Click! Click! Clickclick!
It was as if chess pieces were colliding, and each one caused Simon's lips to spread into a smug grin. His core began to brighten until it became slightly dimmer than the halos in the replica world.
Click! Click! Click!
The once fragmented gem began to become a circle once more. While there were cracks in it, this would heal over time. By this time, Simon's core had become three large fragments.
The first two were rather easy to click together, as there was still much of the particles coating the moss-green ropes that were now like jelly.
Click!
However, as he began to pull the last piece together, it was an entirely different story. The piece was defiant compared to others, as the lavender aura around the ropes had disappeared. This caused Simon to frown, as his face was red from his efforts.
He pushed out the rest of his own spiritual energy, although dangerous — he was too close now to stop.
Even on the verge of death, he kept his efforts focused on the task at hand.
A deep exhale left his lungs, and he took another influx of energy from his surroundings.
Once this energy entered his core, he commanded the ravens to cover every inch of these moss-green ropes.
It was as if he were playing tug of war with his own life.
The struggle was hard, but the battle between life and death was even more significant.
Simon held his breath, forcing the two fragments together. Until finally...
Click!
He did it!
(Dissonantly Reformed!)