"WHAT THE HELL?!"
Aether Fragments: [0/1000]
'I went from 232 fragments to 0!!'
I would have brought my hands to my face, but the pain coursing through my entire body left me no choice but to stare at the sky with a completely empty expression.
'How long was I actually using Realmheart? I thought I'd only used it for a few minutes…'
I had never been this weak.
Not even after finishing my nightmare had I ever had so few fragments.
All the effort I had put into killing creatures to saturate my core had been thrown away because of a single mistake…
I couldn't stop the tears from forming in my eyes, born from the sheer helplessness I felt at that moment. And with my body aching so badly, I didn't even try to wipe them away. The tears traced a path down my face before falling onto the platform below. All I did was close my eyes and remain like that for several minutes.
Eventually, I pulled myself out of that emotional low and looked at my runes again. As I did, I could feel how the tears had dried along the trail from my eyes to my jaw. It wasn't a pleasant sensation, but I didn't give it much thought.
Memories: [Infinite Lash], [Phantom Armor], [Dawn's Ballad], [Last Oath], [Last Answer]
'At least I still have the same memories…'
Echoes: [Sylvie]
'Sylvie?'
'That's the name of the being inside the egg?'
Driven by curiosity, I entered my Soul Sea to take a closer look. I didn't pay attention to its design this time, I simply willed the egg to manifest in my arms. Once it did, I noticed two very strange things.
First, the egg wasn't heavy at all. In fact, I could hold it with one hand and barely felt its weight. Second, it was quite large, about the size of my torso. Even though I could hold it with one hand, its size made it completely awkward.
Looking at the egg's runes, I was surprised once more…
Echo: Sylvie
Echo Rank: ???
Echo Class: ???
Echo Attributes: ???
'Oh, wonderful. Thanks for the information, Spell.'
[0/500]
'Another counter?'
'I'm guessing that's what it needs to hatch, right?'
[Do you wish to give 500 fragments to this Echo?]
'…'
The Spell was messing with me.
Leaving Sylvie aside for the moment, I turned my attention to my Soul Sea. The purple sea was as calm as ever, illuminated by its equally purple sun. As I shifted my gaze toward the clouds, I saw the familiar pattern of Realmheart's runes but there was something else now.
'That wasn't there before.'
There was a new set of runes etched into the clouds. I immediately checked my attributes this only ever happened when I gained an aether-related attribute.
Attributes: [Djinn], [Former King], [Being of Aether and Flesh], [Life], [Realmheart], [Static Void]
'Static Void?'
[Static Void]
Description: [Your consciousness opens to the branch of the aether of time (Aevum). By imposing your will upon it, the surrounding temporal flow is halted, freezing matter and motion within your influence.]
That… that's completely broken…'
Wait, does that mean what saved me from the aether storm wasn't my Aspect, but the fact that I gained enough understanding of the time branch and froze the storm?'
That would explain why I ended up with zero fragments. Freezing time probably wasn't cheap. This was exactly what I had feared, gaining something far too powerful to actually use.
From now on, I was going to stop thinking about things I didn't want to happen. Before the academy, I wished not to end up in an unexplored zone and look where I am. Then I said I didn't want to find something absurdly powerful because I wouldn't be able to use it. And what just happened?
Exactly that.
And let's not even talk about my bad luck since entering the Dream Realm.
First, not meeting anyone even though I said I didn't want to. Now I regretted that too.
Second, all the progress I had made vanished in an instant.
Third, and most importantly, I had no idea how long I'd been stuck in here.
If my calculations were right, I'd been here for about two months… though it could easily be double that.
'Damn it. I said I wouldn't think about things I don't want to happen!'
I was exhausted. I needed sleep.
First, I recalled Sylvie's egg from the platform back into my Soul Sea, then I exited it. The day was ending, and only then did I realize I was back in the labyrinth, the Dark Sea was beginning to rise.
How did I get here? No idea. And at this point, I didn't care.
I closed my eyes and fell asleep.
I woke up to the sun's rays hitting my face. At first, opening my eyes was difficult, not from exhaustion, but because they were stuck together from crying the night before without wiping my tears away. My body wasn't fully recovered, but it no longer hurt everywhere when I moved like it had yesterday.
Standing up, I walked to the edge of the platform and looked into the distance. I was still in the labyrinth, but in a part of it I hadn't seen before.
It was otherwise identical, same structures, same corridors, and the same creatures roaming within.
Focusing a bit of aether into my eyes, I spotted them. Carapace Scavengers. At a glance, I counted six or seven.
That's when I noticed something else. The platform I was on was actually a colossal statue, at least two hundred meters tall. From this position, it was hard to tell what the statue depicted, but that didn't seem important.
I spent a while watching the Scavengers and planning a route toward the next elevated position I could find. It lay to the south, a couple of kilometers away. I could reach it today if I left right now, but I was still sore, so I decided to wait and recover. Scavengers weren't particularly difficult to kill, but I wasn't about to do something stupid.
For the rest of the day, I observed the labyrinth, mentally mapping routes and analyzing the creatures' behavior.
Eventually, it grew darker. I turned around, ready to lie down and sleep, when I noticed something I hadn't seen before. There was writing carved into the stone of the platform.
Up close, it read:
"West. People."
'What?'
'West. People? Couldn't you be a bit more specific?'
I had already planned a route heading south, but this changed everything. I wasn't sure I could trust it, it could easily be someone's trap. After all, in the Dream Realm, the only enemies weren't just creatures. Humans could be just as dangerous if not more.
Still, who would set a trap like this? It almost seemed counterproductive. Everyone knew better than to trust things like this.
Then again, what other choice did I have?
Head south and hope to get lucky? Even if this was a trap, it meant there were people. If I was strong enough by the time I reached them, maybe I could handle it.
I didn't like the idea of walking straight into the wolf's mouth, but I didn't have another option.
Tomorrow, I'd map a route to the west.
Another day passed, and I was ready to return to the labyrinth. The path was clear in my head. All that was left was to descend the statue and begin the journey. As I climbed down, I thought about my plan. Should I focus on strengthening myself alone? Or gather the 500 fragments and give them to Sylvie?
I didn't know what Sylvie was, but if she required 500 fragments, she had to be powerful. Maybe it was better to awaken her and at the very least, I wouldn't be alone anymore.
When I reached the ground, a Scavenger stood a few meters in front of me. Hearing the noise I made while descending, it turned and attacked.
'I'll vent all my rage on you, you disgusting creature.'
Seconds before it reached me, I summoned Dawn's Ballad in my right hand and Infinite Lash in my left. I'd kept my armor summoned the entire time since entering the labyrinth.
When the Scavenger was only meters away, I reinforced my body with aether and sprinted forward. Using the uneven terrain to my advantage, I slid beneath its body and lashed the whip around its two left legs.
With the speed and force I applied, the Scavenger staggered left, losing its balance. To avoid falling, it braced itself with the pincer on that side. I seized the opening and cast the whip again, this time at its right legs.
Once it was bound, I commanded the whip to retract, launching myself toward the joint of its rear leg. Dawn's Ballad met some resistance, but eventually severed the limb. The momentum carried me several meters away, where I planted the sword into the ground to stop myself from sliding further.
The Scavenger turned to face me and charged again. This time, instead of sliding beneath it, I deliberately lashed the whip at its right pincer. The creature thought I'd made a mistake and went to cut it. At the last second, I shortened the whip to its limit and kicked off the coral wall, launching myself toward its left leg through the opening.
The Scavenger managed to correct itself, well, its first mistake. Seeing this, I switched the whip to my other hand and cast it at its right leg. I passed within centimeters of being crushed by its left front leg, but when the whip fully tightened, the balance of its only remaining leg broke. Once again, it had to use its pincers to keep from falling.
I grew bored of this fight. Reaching its back, instead of aiming for another leg, I propelled myself upward, straight toward the weak point at the back of its skull. Dawn's Ballad pierced through seconds later, and the Scavenger collapsed.
[You have slain an awakened beast, Carapace Scavenger.]
[Your Aether grows stronger.]
I couldn't stop a smile from forming as I looked at its lifeless body and I didn't want to.
Aether Fragments: [4/1000]
'This is going to be a long road.'
The rest of the day went smoothly. I kept running into lone Scavengers, and I dealt with them the same way, killing them one by one. Things only got complicated when I encountered two or more together.
I was running through the labyrinth, following the mental map I had drawn before descending, when my aether sense picked up three Scavengers approaching from my right. I stopped abruptly and slipped into a hollow in one of the labyrinth's walls.
Judging by the distance between us, fighting was my only option. And if I was going to fight, it would be on my terms.
Hidden in the wall, I waited until all three passed by. I could have let them go, but I needed to grow stronger. If I kept avoiding obstacles, I'd never get anywhere. I had to become strong enough that when I finally reached those people, I'd be able to protect myself.
I reinforced my body with aether and leapt toward the one lagging behind, throwing a stone forward at the same time to distract the other two. Dawn's Ballad struck the weak point of the last Scavenger.
[You have slain an awakened beast, Carapace Scavenger.]
[Your Aether grows stronger.]
At the same moment the Scavenger's lifeless body hit the ground, the stone I had thrown struck the wall in front of the other two.
Both were distracted for a few seconds by the noise, and I used that window to jump from the corpse toward the weak point of the next one.
[You have slain an awakened beast, Carapace Scavenger.]
[Your Aether grows stronger.]
Only one remained. When it turned around, all it felt was Dawn's Ballad severing its two right legs. Trying to balance with its pincer, the only thing it could do was attempt to turn but it was too slow.
[You have slain an awakened beast, Carapace Scavenger.]
[Your Aether grows stronger.]
'That was way too easy.'
The fight hadn't been far from the next platform, so I kept running to reach it before nightfall. When I reached the top of the coral, the sky was already quite dark, and with it came the Dark Sea.
I reviewed my progress for the day.
Aether Fragments: [36/1000]
'That's really good!'
The one positive thing was that just as I could lose fragments quickly, I could also gain them much faster compared to other people.
And that wasn't the only thing progressing quickly…
[Dawn's Ballad]
[79/100]
At this pace, in two or three days I'd find out what the counter did, and in about two weeks I'd reach the 500 fragments Sylvie needed. I was excited about that.
Exactly two days later, I was one kill away from reaching 100, so I went out looking for it. Minutes later, I found a lone Scavenger that was already injured. It was missing one pincer and its rear right leg. The fight was very short. I used the same strategy, distracting it with a noise in front of it and hiding in a wall hollow before leaping out.
It didn't even have time to react before its body fell lifeless to the ground.
[You have slain an awakened beast, Carapace Scavenger.]
[Your Aether grows stronger.]
I searched for a safe place, hid, and entered my Soul Sea. I didn't stop to admire the view. I went straight to the orb that contained Dawn's Ballad. It floated toward me, hovering in the air in front of me as I opened my runes.
Name: [Dawn's Ballad]
Memory Rank: Dormant
[100/100]
[Do you wish to evolve this memory?]
"Yes."
At that moment, the orb began to shine with a warm light that forced me to close my eyes. When I opened them again, the process had already finished, but nothing seemed different at first glance. I checked the runes again.
Name: [Dawn's Ballad]
Memory Rank: Awakened
'So that's how it works!'
'With each counter it gets stronger, that's amazing!'
The new counter read:
[0/300]
It wouldn't be easy, but it was motivation and that was enough for me. A smile settled on my face as I exited my Soul Sea.
For the next two weeks, my routine stayed the same: advance to the next platform or remain on one for several days, killing as many Scavengers as possible. With Dawn's Ballad at the Awakened rank, killing them became much easier.
I obtained three Memories as well, but only one was worth keeping a dagger of the Awakened rank.
Memory Name: Chitin Edge
Memory Rank: Awakened
Memory Type: Weapon
Description: [A dagger crafted from the hardened pincers of a scavenger, retaining the creature's durability and cutting power.]
It wasn't very useful right now, but it might come in handy in the future. But back to what mattered most…
[Dawn's Ballad]
[121/300]
I was already close to halfway through the counter. Having a sword of the Ascended rank would be incredibly useful once I encountered people.
Standing atop one of the corals, I let out a small laugh, knowing what was coming next. I was genuinely happy, not just because I had gathered the 500 fragments, but because of the chance to no longer be alone.
I entered my Soul Sea and brought forth the egg—Sylvie. With it so close, all doubts about whether it was worth investing 500 fragments into her vanished.
Echo: Sylvie
Echo Rank: ???
Echo Class: ???
Echo Attributes: ???
[0/500]
I didn't understand what that counter meant, maybe they were fragments she had to obtain herself… but how could she do that as an egg?
[Do you wish to give 500 fragments to this Echo?]
Grinning from ear to ear, I said:
"Yes."
[So be it.]
An imperceptible change occurred in the Soul Sea, as if a sudden gust of wind had appeared from nowhere. The tranquil purple waters seemed to remain still and restless at the same time. Then, a sudden pressure surged from above.
Lifting my head, I saw a purple cloud peel away from my aether core and rush toward the egg, enveloping it completely. At the same time, I felt myself weakening from the loss of fragments, but I didn't pay it much attention.
Then I heard it.
[Your Echo has been destroyed.]
'What? And Sylvie?!'
I thought the Spell would continue, maybe telling me I had gained something, but it didn't. Still, the process in front of me continued. After a few minutes, the purple cloud began to glow and spin, with the egg at its center.
Visually, it was similar to when I had been inside the aether storm in the previous zone.
When the cloud finally dispersed, the first thing I saw was a human silhouette kneeling on the surface of my Soul Sea. It took me a second to process it. Where the egg had been, there was now a girl, motionless, head lowered, arms braced against the ground, as if she had just finished waking up.
Her build was slender but not fragile, and her posture conveyed a strange sense of stability, as if that place had always belonged to her. Her skin was pale, her features soft yet defined, with something familiar about her that made me frown before I understood why. Her eyes were a deep yellow, shining like polished gemstones, far too intense to be human.
Her hair was long and messy, the same pale color as mine, but it didn't fall like normal hair. It had a strange texture, almost like soft feathers instead of strands, and it moved slightly even though there was no wind. It flowed down her back and partially covered her forehead, leaving her face fully visible.
She wore a simple black tunic, without ornaments or symbols, contrasting with her pale skin and hair. From the sides of her head protruded two black horns, curved forward, smooth and well-defined—completely real. They weren't decorative or illusory. They were part of her.
For a moment, she didn't move. My Soul Sea seemed to have calmed entirely, as if it were watching as well. Then, slowly, she lifted her head.
When she looked at me, I felt a sharp impact in my chest.
Not because her presence was overwhelming, nor because she radiated power, but because there was recognition in her gaze. Not curiosity. Not confusion. She was looking at me as if she had always known who I was.
She stood up effortlessly, took a couple of unsteady steps at first, then walked straight toward me. Before I could say anything, before I could even organize my thoughts she wrapped her arms around me and rested her head against my chest.
All the weight I had been carrying since waking up in this place crashed down on me at once.
"Everything's going to be okay, Art."
Her voice was soft, calm, completely certain.
I returned the embrace without thinking, closing my eyes and staying there, holding her, grateful that for the first time since entering the Dream Realm, I wouldn't be completely alone.
We stayed like that for about ten minutes, neither of us intending to break the moment. Eventually, I pulled back slightly, though I was still holding her hands.
"It's good to see you, Sylvie," I said.
She answered with a smile.
"It's good to see you too, Art." A few seconds later, she added, "But I'd like to leave your Soul Sea, if that's possible."
That was when I realized we were, in fact, still inside my Soul Sea.
"Oh yeah, sorry."
And we returned to the platform. It was already completely dark, so neither of us could really see anything.
"Why don't you take the chance to sleep? Now that I'm here, I can keep watch during the night," she said.
"Are you sure?"
Letting out a small laugh, she replied, "Yes, Art. I know that ever since you came back to the labyrinth, you haven't been able to rest properly. Focus on sleeping well tonight."
Caught off guard, I asked, "How do you know that?"
"I'll explain everything tomorrow. For now, just worry about resting, okay?"
I had no choice but to accept. "Alright." A few seconds later, I added, "Good night… and thank you for being with me."
"You don't have anything to thank me for, Art," she said.
With that, I lay down and tried to truly rest for the first time since returning to the labyrinth.
I woke up with a strange sensation, but not an unpleasant one. For the first time since I had returned to the labyrinth, my body didn't feel tense, nor was my mind racing. I opened my eyes slowly and took a few seconds to remember where I was. The stone platform was the same, the sky above me unchanged but something had.
I wasn't alone.
Sylvie was sitting a few meters away, legs crossed, observing the edge of the platform. She didn't look tired at all. When she noticed me move, she turned her head and looked at me.
"Good morning, Art."
Her voice was just as calm as it had been the night before.
"Morning…" I replied, slowly sitting up. "I slept like a rock."
She smiled faintly, as if that was exactly what she had expected.
"You needed it."
I stared at her for a few seconds longer than normal. There were too many things I didn't understand, and all of them were related to her. Eventually, I sighed and rubbed my face.
"Okay. I think we need to talk."
"I thought so," she said, adjusting her posture slightly. "Ask whatever you want."
"Everything?"
"Everything."
I sat down in front of her, resting my arms on my knees. I hesitated for a few seconds, organizing my thoughts.
"Last night, you knew things I never told you. You knew how I was feeling, you knew I hadn't been able to rest since coming back to the labyrinth." I looked straight at her. "How?"
Sylvie didn't avoid my gaze.
"Because we're connected."
"Connected how?" I asked immediately.
"Through a bond," she replied.
I frowned.
"Like companions?"
"Yes." She nodded. "We can share thoughts if we want to, sensations, emotions. We can speak without words."
"Since when?" I asked.
"Since you took me out of the egg."
That led straight to what bothered me the most.
"Then explain this to me." I took a breath. "You know everything about me. But I know nothing about you."
Sylvie lowered her gaze slightly, without looking uncomfortable.
"That's true."
"Why?"
"Because when you used the aether fragments to awaken me, you didn't just use them as energy." She lifted her eyes again. "Those fragments contained your memories. Your experiences. Your decisions. Everything that shaped you."
"Are you saying that…?"
"That I grew up with you," she said naturally. "I know who you are. I know what you lost. I know what weighs on you. Not because you told me, but because I was there."
I stayed silent for a long time.
"And you?" I finally asked. "What about your memories?"
She slowly shook her head.
"I don't have a past like yours. I don't have a story from before I awakened. I only have what I am now."
"Doesn't that bother you?"
She thought for a moment before answering.
"No," she said. "Because I know who I am with you. And that's enough for me."
That… made me feel a little lighter.
We spent the rest of the day talking. Not about everything, but about what mattered. At one point, as evening approached, I stopped.
"When you said we can share thoughts… can you hear me all the time?"
She smiled, amused.
"Only if you open the door. Right now, no."
"Thank goodness," I muttered.
She chuckled softly.
Before the sun fully disappeared, I felt I could no longer avoid one thing.
"I want to see your runes."
Sylvie nodded without hesitation.
"You can see all of them."
I opened my runes, and at the very bottom, a new section appeared.
Companion: Sylvie
The interface unfolded in front of me, clear and unhidden. I leaned forward slightly and began to read.
Name: Sylvie
True Name: —
Rank: Dreamer
Mana Core: Dormant
'Mana Core? What is mana?'
Mana Fragments: [0/1000]
Memories: [Black Sanctuary], [Hollow Keep]
'How does she already have Memories?'
Echoes: —
Attributes: [Dreamspawn], [Draconic Form], [Mana Affinity], [Vivum]
[Dreamspawn]
Description: [You are born of two worlds, belonging to both, but welcomed in neither. Your soul exists on the edge between nightmare and reality.]
'I've never heard of this…'
[Draconic Form]
Description: [You possess a draconic form. By will alone, you may transform your body into that of a dragon.]
'She can turn into a dragon?! That's so cool!'
[Mana Affinity]
Description: [Mana responds naturally to you. Your connection to it allows for greater control and efficiency when shaping or wielding mana.]
[Vivum]
Description: [You are attuned to Vivum, the branch of aether that governs existence. Through it, you can influence life and continuity, performing powerful restorative and healing aether arts.]
'So she also has some affinity with aether?'
Aspect: [Bound Genesis]
Aspect Rank: Sacred
'Her Aspect is Sacred rank!'
Aspect Description: [You are a being born not from the world, but into it. The world recognizes you as a beginning after an end. However, that which is born without a past cannot fully understand itself. Your origin is obscured, and the world will never reflect what you once were.]
'A beginning after an end?'
Innate Ability: [Becoming]
Ability Description: [You are not defined by what you are, but by what you are turning into. Your strength grows alongside your sense of self.]
Aspect Ability: [Mana Manipulation]
Ability Description: [You can manipulate mana in its purest form.]
Flaw: [Solitary Weakness]
Flaw Description: [You draw resolve from protecting others, but when alone, your strength falters.]
'So because of her Flaw, she needs to protect others to be stronger… and because of my Aspect, the more I affirm my existence, the more alone I'll become…'
I looked back at her. "It's like we were made for each other, right?"
Smiling, she replied, "And I'm glad that's the case." A moment later, she added, "So… you have a True Name and a Divine Aspect."
Rubbing the back of my neck, I said, "Uh, yeah… though I still don't really know what having a Divine Aspect means." After a pause, I added, "You wouldn't happen to know, would you?"
"Nope," she said. "But we'll figure it out together."
After a moment I remembered something.
"Oh… right." I searched through my Memories and materialized one in my hand, a simple ring, without excessive ornamentation. "I wanted to give you this."
Sylvie looked at the ring, then at me.
And shook her head.
"No."
I froze.
"No?"
"No," she repeated calmly. "It's not for me."
"But—"
"Art," she interrupted gently. "You already know who it's for."
She smiled.
Not a normal smile.
A dangerous one.
'No…'
"Don't even think about it!" I said immediately.
She tilted her head, feigning innocence.
"I didn't say any names."
"But you thought about it!."
"Maybe."
I stared at her.
"That's going to be a problem in the future."
"Probably," she replied without any guilt.
I sighed and stored the Memory away.
A comfortable silence settled between us until Sylvie spoke once more.
"So," she said. "What do we do now?"
I looked around, the labyrinth, the sky. I thought about the Dark Sea, about the possibility of encountering people heading west.
Then I looked at my runes again.
Aether Fragments: [20/1000]
'With this… I won't get very far.'
"Stay," I finally said.
"Here?"
"Yes. For a few weeks. Train. Hunt. Get stronger."
Sylvie didn't hesitate.
"Sounds good to me."
And so, a few weeks turned into a month and a bit more.
All that time spent hunting Scavengers without rest. Learning how to fight together. Understanding how her mana worked and how it complemented my aether. A month in which I finally felt progress again.
As we approached the end of that month, I reached one of my goals, the counter on Dawn's Ballad.
[Dawn's Ballad]
[300/300]
The evolution process was the same as before, but now my sword was no longer Awakened. I had an Ascended-rank sword, and killing Scavengers became absurdly easy. So easy that just one week later, my core was already close to saturation.
Aether Fragments: [996/1000]
It was getting dark, so we returned to a platform using Sylvie's dragon transformation.
Sylvie expanded naturally into her draconic form, reaching several meters in length. Her obsidian-black scales reflected the light with a dull sheen, and the curved horns on her head looked sharper than ever. Her wide, dark wings spread open, their feathers resembling blades, as her body became powerful and fully armored.
The trip to the platform took only seconds. The efficiency we had achieved during this time was incredible. I had never felt so comfortable, or even happy.
We arrived, Sylvie returned to her human form, and I immediately lit a fire to cook the meat from the day's hunt. I didn't really need it, but Sylvie did, and to avoid leaving her eating alone, I sometimes joined her. Today was one of those days.
While we waited for the meat to cook, Sylvie pulled out two Shards from [Hollow Keep], a storage-type Memory.
"Go on, saturate your core," she said, bringing the Shards closer to me.
"But they're yours. It wouldn't be fair for me to use them," I replied.
Letting out a sigh, she pushed the Shards even closer and looked straight at me. "I'm giving them to you, you know. It's rude to refuse a gift."
Smiling, I answered, "Alright."
I took the Shards and crushed the first one.
Aether Fragments: [998/1000]
A little nervous, I grabbed the last Shard. As I did, I glanced at Sylvie, who—almost reading my thoughts, or maybe actually reading them—nodded and smiled at me.
When I crushed the last Shard, the Spell spoke.
[Your Aether is overflowing with power]
[Your Aether is taking shape]
Suddenly, I felt my soul begin to radiate a strange heat.
'Shit, shit, shit.'
[Your Aether is complete.]
Something inside me suddenly exploded, flooding my entire being with indescribable suffering. A strangled groan escaped me as I lost my balance and dropped to my knees. I clenched my teeth tightly to keep from screaming, trying to endure that brutal agony. I was no stranger to physical pain, but this was different, much worse. It didn't come from the body, but from the soul itself, and that made it devastating.
It felt as if something was breaking me apart from the inside, forcibly rearranging me. My breathing became erratic, my vision blurred, and for a moment, I thought I was going to lose consciousness.
"Art!" I heard Sylvie's trembling voice nearby. "What's happening? Are you hurt?"
I tried to answer, but all that came out was a gasp. I felt her hands on me and immediately sensed that she was trying to heal me.
"Let me help you, I can heal you—"
"No," I finally managed to say, my voice strained. "Stop… I'm fine. Really."
She hesitated, clearly terrified, but stopped without moving away.
The pain began to fade little by little. First, it stopped being unbearable. Then it became tolerable… and finally, it vanished completely, as if it had never been there. In its place remained a strange, deep sensation. I felt… renewed. Whole.
Stronger. Much, much stronger.
Not just that, faster, tougher, as if my body and soul had taken a leap I hadn't known was possible.
I lifted my head carefully to make sure everything was really okay, and that's when I saw her. Sylvie was kneeling in front of me, staring with wide eyes and a pale face, clearly frightened.
"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked quietly.
I nodded slowly.
"Yes… now I am."
"What happened? One moment you were fine, and then you started crying in pain," she asked, clearly shaken.
"I have a theory, but I don't know…" I replied.
At that moment, I entered my Soul Sea. What greeted me were the usual waves but now there were two purple suns. The suns were obviously my cores.
'I have two cores… why do I have two cores?'
Humans could only have a single core. In fact, only Nightmare Creatures had multiple cores.
I didn't know what it meant to have two cores, but just thinking about the possibilities made a smile spread across my face. With two cores, the distance between me and the rest of the Sleepers—or even Awakened in the future—would only keep growing. And if I wasn't mistaken, there would probably be a third, a fourth… up to a seventh core. Just like Nightmare Creatures.
To confirm it, I checked my runes.
Aether Core: Monster
Aether Cores: [2/7]
'Yes!!'
Aether Fragments: [0/2000]
Seeing it, I jumped in excitement. Thankfully, I was in my Soul Sea, so no one saw it. I exited immediately and went to tell Sylvie.
She was still standing in front of me, and it looked like she had been checking her runes—or mine.
"Sylvie! I formed a new core!"
She stepped closer and hugged me with a smile. "I know. Congratulations, Art."
I returned the hug, and we stayed like that for a while.
Eventually, we broke apart and started dinner. Meanwhile, my thoughts were racing, bouncing between all the possibilities this brought. Sylvie must have noticed, because from time to time she glanced at me with a raised eyebrow. During this last month, we had agreed not to hide our thoughts from each other, so she was probably hearing everything going through my head.
When we finished eating, Sylvie spoke first.
"I think it's time," she said.
"Yeah, I was thinking the same," I replied.
Looking straight at me, she answered, "I know." A few seconds later, she added, "Tomorrow, we head west. Flying."
Smiling, I said, "We're ready for whatever we find."