Strength. This was always a cornerstone of Elizabeth's resolve. Ever since the destruction of New Havens, she was haunted with an overwhelming sense of powerlessness. It continued to grow as she was captured by the Xingyuu Empire, failed in saving Lord Korogin, and nearly died against Lord Wenmord. Life was a terribly flimsy thing. Everyone only had one life. Although this was obvious, it did expose the brutality of this world. Elizabeth was not like other royalty or nobility. They had faith in their so-called position, status, wealth, and fame to protect them. In their minds, it formed an impenetrable armor! With a snap of their fingers, all would grovel at their feet. This was natural!
However, Elizabeth had seen firsthand how foolish it was to depend on these things. They were superficial, worth nothing at all! Even her title as heir apparent was a joke in front of true powerhouses! Against true power, everything else was meaningless. This was the law of the jungle! And her thoughts could be easily confirmed. Lord Wenmord's magic encapsulated Algard and Corasen, destroying countless buildings and killing countless people. What could the Alzar Kingdom do against him? Nothing. Nothing at all! He was singlehandedly strong enough to wipe out a capital city! If he fully released his power, with his upper-tier Rank 4 combat strength… Who knew how terrifying he could be? An Emperor could not be underestimated!
Elizabeth was no brute, nor did she think might was right, but strength was undoubtedly a reassuring thing. Without having to rely on anyone else, possessing enough power to protect herself and those she cared about, was that not ideal? Now that the chance presented itself, how could Elizabeth not grasp it? She never wanted to experience another New Havens. That pain, fear, and sadness… She would ensure it would never repeat ever again! Elizabeth had no idea how strong this ghost was, but they had to be far above her! Otherwise, they would not know things like Rank 4s or 5s. Therefore, she easily made the decision to make this ghost her teacher!
The figure was stunned before bursting with laughter. This was the first time they exposed any vivid emotion. Despite living an extremely long time, no one had ever said such a thing to them before. Everyone treated them with respect, caution, and most importantly fear. While their deeds may have faded with time, there was once a time that they reigned supreme! Alas, that really was an ungodly long time ago… They gave a bitter smile. They really lived a long life. So, Elizabeth gave a breath of fresh air in this otherwise blank and desolate world.
Although Elizabeth could not see the figure's chuckling, the sound still came across. Her face darkened and she shouted, "What are you laughing about? I'm serious here!"
They waved their hands in apology. "I'm sorry. This is just a first for me."
The girl pouted and crossed her arms. "Then are you willing to teach me?"
"You seem to think it's easy to reach that level, but I should be honest with you: It's not as simple as you think," the figure explained wryly. If everyone could reach Rank 4 or 5 like that, then the world would be flipped upside-down! Humanity would have been long since extinguished!
"I know, but I won't know if I can succeed until I try, right?"
"More importantly, I thought you didn't trust me?"
Elizabeth was startled. That was right! She had met this person not long ago and learned practically nothing about them. In a sense, they were complete strangers! Not to mention, this person could read her thoughts and influence her mind. This was why she raised her guard. How could she forget? This dumped a bucket of cold water on her, and she raised her suspicion. Were her thoughts controlled by them? If so, then she was really scared witless. How did she differ from a puppet? That feeling of losing one's will was scarier than dying! Elizabeth might be the heir apparent, but she was still a young girl. Her fear was clear for all to see.
"It seems like you won't trust me regardless of what I say," the person said. "What a shame for my first student to behave like this."
"Hmph. You can't fool me a second time," Elizabeth snorted with disdain.
"I see."
The conversation stopped again, leading to an awkward silence. Elizabeth started thinking again, reflecting over the previous conversation. Although she considered the possibility that her thoughts were compromised, what could she do? Stop thinking? That was ridiculous! Looking back, Elizabeth would have fallen for their trap, if they had not mentioned anything. That was the peculiar thing. She was forced to understand one thing in the world of politics: motives! Understand your enemies' motives, and you shall never be defeated! But Elizabeth could not understand this person's motives at all. What was their goal?
In this empty world, there was no perception of time. Time could pass dreadfully slowly to the people here. Nothing to do, nothing to see, nothing to eat, nothing to say… It was hard to imagine the boredom that Elizabeth felt. But one had to say, Elizabeth's patience was praiseworthy! She sat there quietly for two whole days! Two whole days without saying a word! She wandered around a little to explore her Core, but it was as plain and boring as she expected. Besides the dimensional cracks, there was nothing else! However bold she may be, tempting fate with those cracks was not how she wanted to die.
Then, something finally happened on the eve of the second day! Elizabeth was idling around when the ground underneath her split open. Crack! A dimensional fissure converged on her! She panicked. If her consciousness returned to her body now, then the burden would kill her instantly! Her hands tried to grasp anything, but there was nothing to hold on to. Falling into the black void, her heart sank. Thankfully, the figure acted quickly. Despite saying nothing, their perception was eternally present. With a simple gesture, Elizabeth levitated back to safety. Elizabeth laid on the ground, panting as her heart raced. It was too close for comfort!
"Thank… Thank you," the girl murmured. She might be wary, but she never forgot her manners. Her morals were surprisingly solid!
"The destruction of your Core is accelerating," the person frowned. "Even with my intervention, it will self-destruct completely soon."
This could not be helped. With Lord Wenmord's attack, its disintegration had already begun. No matter how powerful they were, they could not reverse nature's course! Like a fire set on an aging house, they could close the doors, divide up the floors, and slow its spread. However, the fire would continue to speed up and destroy everything in its path. In the end, the house would still crumble! To be honest, it was a miracle that Elizabeth's Core managed to remain intact for so long. This was entirely due to this mysterious figure's assistance! Without it, her Core would have disappeared long ago.
"… What happens if my Core disappears entirely?"
"You will lose your magic powers. Your accumulation of High Condensed Drop will disappear. Of course, you can redevelop your Core from scratch, so it's not permanent," they explained. "However, if it disappears now, I won't be able to protect your consciousness. Your Core will detonate, and the accumulated Magic Energy will kill you!"
Elizabeth was speechless before she muttered, "If you're trying to trick me again, it won't work." But even she did not believe her own words.
"Believe me if you want. The fact remains that your Core will self-destruct earlier than I expected. At this rate, you will die before your body is fully healed."
"Ah, forget it!" Elizabeth stomped her feet and pouted. "If you can teach me a way to slow my Core's destruction, then I'll trust you this one time!"
She might put up a strong front, but over the last two days, she could sense it. Her Core was really falling apart! Her current body was only her consciousness, so physical injuries had no effect on her. However, the Core was not physical at all. It was closer to a soul than a body. Elizabeth could feel her Core quaking, and every time it did, she felt pain slicing at her innards! The intensity was minor in the beginning, but who knew how much it would grow towards the end? It would be unbearable agony! Everyone feared pain and Elizabeth was no exception. She could feel the threat of death looming over! Choosing the less dangerous path, she chose to gamble on this ghost!
"Very well," the figure said.
"Before that, we need to come up with a name for you," Elizabeth fussed. She pondered for a moment and said, "How about Rena?"
The ghost seemed to smile. "Very well. From now on, my name shall be Rena!" And like that, this strange duo of will and spirit ended up becoming student and teacher!