"It has been a while, young Noctifer."
As the surroundings seem changed and became all dark like he was in the sight of the cosmos, Haise heard a familiar voice of a lady resonated from around.
"I never expected you to use the scroll and visit me here this early."
"My situation pushes me." Haise just stated in his neutral tone.
Virgentae, who still does not show herself yet, could sense his embarrassment. She couldn't help but inwardly chuckled in the shadows.
Soon, two bonny hands, glowing white like a moon, appeared and held Haise's shoulder. Behind him, two eyes literally glowing like a star were looking at him from behind.
"Ow... that makes me sad. I thought you miss me already." Said Vergintae in her teasing sad tone, then added: "Well go on, have your way. In this place time is on your side."
"Thank you." Haise kindly replied with genuine grateful words.
Vergintae vanished in the shadow as she pulled her hands, leaving Haise alone. The ground shifted and became a calm water with an endless horizon. The water gives light to the place and warming Haise, to which help him further to relax and concentrate.
Haise face upward. Shortly after, he took a deep breath then let it out from his mouth, red glow emitted vigorously behind his eyeglasses and hair. 'Okay... Let the experiment begin.'
'And I hope this fucking work!'
Blue threads and whip of screen-like light manifested around him under the command of his thought, and it looked like a fluid. He took off his eyeglasses and the bag, where the cat slumbering, off his back and put it down on the ground of water at a certain distance (not that far) with only mental effort alone.
The fluid-like light emitted under his will slowly became barrier like a shell with him inside. Haise felt the flames inside him wavered as he felt dizzy while his vision become hazy. Blood came out from his nose and flow on his face from his eyes at the same time, as he felt the shackles of his current state.
Haise knew he was going to die if he continues, but still chose to continue the process. Soon, his aura slowly became red with his great concentration as it fills the atmosphere inside of the barrier.
From the view of the outside, the barrier looked like bubble filled with blood or a big marble of blood as it was beginning to levitate. Furthermore, his mana seems more alive and behaving as if it has its own life.
Inside of the barrier, Haise was satisfied at the changes of his mana. He patiently led it flow through his veins across his body as his blood mutates with magic. Thanks to his exsancthuar, the process was smooth. Although, he still endured a lot of pain.
Under the process, Haise suddenly felt an embrace from behind. It was giving him nostalgic feeling of comfort and reminds him at the time when he was trapped in the darkness of solitude and silence.
Ignoring the nostalgic comforting feeling, Haise placed his hands together with his palms facing each other at the same level of his chest. Between his palms, a red sphere of light manifested; and as it got bigger and brighter, the color of its light became daker and daker, until it emits shade of blue light and turned into liquid and evaporated.
*CRACK!
Soon, cracks across the spherical barrier crawled. It was just a small crack at first, but then suddenly, the cracks crawled rapidly until the barrier shattered to pieces from the bottom to the top... And something, at that moment, fell down from it as the red smoke got out.
As the red smoke left and vanished into nothingness along the shattered barrier, Haise, who was kneeling on the ground, stood up.
"[]"
"[]"
Looking at the holographic screen-window before him, Haise was satisfied. The pain he endured was worth it, although the flame that was keeping him alive had gotten a little smaller than it seems. Looking at his hands, he thought: 'I should have done this from the beginning...'
"Congratulations... It appears you have succeeded your business here."
Haise as he wore his eyeglasses and put the bag on his back turned around as he heard Vergintae spoke.
Vegirgentae was standing, looking at him. She jokingly said and chuckled: "I hope you visit this place often..."
Haise didn't know what to feel or how he should react. Seeing him that way made Vergintae visibly chuckled.
"Use the scroll to go back."
"That scroll has already acknowledged you as its master."
"Just do what you did when you entered here."
Confused and disappointed at the life he was expecting by the quest he was about to face outside, Haise gently bit his lip as he tightened his grip on the scroll and took a deep breath. A mix of feelings was keep bothering him as the time he was collecting his thoughts through the battles he just experienced in his original world.
"Honestly, I am beginning to question my fate again. Can't I have just a small rest as my merit?"
"I just got out from the cage of my solitude."
As someone who was aware of his past, Vergintae understood what Haise's point and feelings about the circumstances he was facing. Right now, as he just returned to his original world and to his original body, his emotional state was unstable, and to make it worse, his soul is currently not compatible to his body. Hence, she can't really blame him for feeling that way.
"Sorry about that. I'm just-- just forget about what I just said. No dramas this time." Said Haise, as the art and symbols glowed on the scroll as he vanished, leaving Vegintae alone in her space-chamber.
"Poor chosen one..."
"You are just saying that now for the things you have left behind unsettled."
"Soon, as the time you overcome it... you are going to die the same way you did from that world."