Before I could react to Vakra floating before us, he shot forward and placed his hands on both mine and Cassandra's faces.
In an instant, I felt my entire body shift and warp.
I wanted to scream in pain, but I couldn't.
It hurt, but it also felt very pleasant.
As it went on, I began to have several very familiar feelings in my body...
Then, everything came rushing towards me all at once. I saw my entire life flash before my eyes and finally hit the ground.
When I opened my eyes, I immediately stood up and looked around.
Vakra's skin melted off and he remained as a skeleton.
"Dammit... Oh well, at least I got here in time... Gah...that feels weird..." he said.
"Vakra...?" I said.
I noticed that my voice sounded slightly deeper than normal and I looked at my hands.
I saw the scars Cassandra had given me so long ago. And then I felt my power... The incredible beating heart of the world as well as my Ultra Aspects.
Then Cassandra also stood up.
She looked older as well. Around twenty-two, or so. She had a certain mystical and elegant beauty about her.
She was clutching her head and blinking slowly.
"Ah...what happened...? Where am I...?" She said.
For a moment, I worried that her memories were gone and tapped her shoulder.
"Cassandra?" I said.
She looked up at me and her eyes turned to shock and horror.
"N-no...please no... Not the scars! I'm sorry...! I'M SO SORRY!!!" Cassandra wailed as she held onto my chest and cried.
Under her arm, I saw a heart device... It had a soft dark blue tint to it.
"Cassandra! Calm down! It's okay, really. I'm not bothered by them," I said.
She wouldn't listen, however.
Then I looked at Vakra.
"What the hell did you just do to us!?!?" I asked.
"Fixed you...dumbass..." He said through heavy breathing.
"Fixed...?" I said.
"I...gah... Give me a damn moment!" He said.
He dropped to his knees and opened his mouth... Then puked up some kind of azure-colored bile.
I wondered where it came from, but I wasn't about to ask. This was Vakra, after all.
Cassandra eventually stopped crying, but she still seemed really upset.
"I hate those scars... Why must they exist...?" She said.
"Ignore them, please. I don't want the stupid scars to affect our relationship," I said.
"But...they're constant reminders... I can't..." She said.
"Let them be reminders that you were forgiven and that I love you," I said.
Her sad whimpering turned into sobs of joy as soon as I spoke those words.
"Uwaaa... Mizik is so wonderful!!! I'm so in love!!!" Cassandra said.
"Umm... What, exactly, is going on here?" Leiso said.
"Long story. I promise that despite his appearance and actions, Vakra is an ally. Mostly..." I said.
"Eh...very well..." Leiso said.
"Okay! I'm alright, now!" Vakra said.
"What happened, Vakra?"
"Your bitch of a wife destroyed Delvandal and tried to kill me!!!" He said angrily.
"You're making a lot of assumptions. Isabella is my ex-wife. She murdered my family and tried to kill us. And her name is Rose, now," I said.
Suddenly, Valtheim appeared and turned her attention to Vakra.
"Paradox..." She said.
"Oh. Shit..." Vakra said.
"Vakra is a friend, Valtheim," I said.
She disappeared again.
Then Vakra stared at me.
"Start explaining right now," he said.
* * *
Once we exchanged information, Vakra seemed to cool off a bit.
I simply hold him what happened after he left. Then he told me about how Rose destroyed Delvandal.
Actually...it kind of hurt me to know that all of my former comrades had now met a terrible end...
Rastair, Aldaril, our soldiers, even Nasuria. Although I suppose that she would still have been in her previous form. The child hadn't even been born yet.
We learned that our current forms were only temporary. They were incomplete as a result of Vakra's curse coming back into effect at the wrong time...
A new skill had appeared in both of our status menus, however.
{Skill Name: Channeled Power}
{Skill Description: Temporarily reclaim your past self and wield the power you once possessed. This ability is incomplete and may be perfected through constant use and physical growth.}
Apparently, he had simply modified the true form of Cassandra's existence for her version of the skill. Hence the headache and feeling of disorientation.
It made her just as strong as before except that she wasn't Corrupted and had her own body.
He aged her accordingly in the same fashion as what Isabella had been and also managed to add a heart device containing the Heart of the Deep by modifying reality.
That's what I'm choosing to call it. Vakra's explanation was far too complicated. His true powers defy every known concept of reality.
As our bodies grew and we practiced using our skills, we would eventually be able to use them longer until the effect became permanent.
This was good... Because I really wanted to violently murder Rose.
The woman I once loved so much had become an existence that only caused me suffering. A mockery.
The more I thought about her...and about the Oracle who changed her...
The angrier I got.
Regardless, I checked the skill.
Currently, it had a duration of about one hour and took an entire day to cool down.
We had a few minutes left, so I quickly used the Archmage to modify our status menus into their previous state.
Tomorrow, I would try to grant the Enforcers status magic.
They were going to need it.
And since Rose had destroyed our only source of heart stones, they would have to fight as hard as they could to survive.
Because, unfortunately, this confirmed Rose's ability to travel to other worlds. We were now in terrible danger.
Just as our skills were about to wear off, Difar appeared with...Kazuma and Elizabeth.
They both wore Dark Army General uniforms and had purple eyes.
Although Elizabeth's uniform was a bit more revealing.
"Greetings, puny weaklings. Allow me to introduce the first of my new Generals!" Difar said.
Leiso tensed up and glared at the two of them.
"Don't worry, Lei, we're not here to fight. We don't work for Novak, anymore. Difar is our new god," Elizabeth said.
Then she stopped as she looked at me.
"Goodness... Talk about a sexy hunk of man..." She said.
Dad would be proud of me for getting so much female attention... But it's really annoying.
Then I transformed back into my younger self. And Elizabeth pouted.
"Hey! I wasn't done looking! C'mon...change back! Change baaaaack!" She said.
"I'm married, Elizabeth," I said.
"A ring never stopped me~!" She said with a wink.
Ugh. Absolutely not. You loose, vile woman...
Then she walked over and leaned down a bit in front of me. Purposefully showing her cleavage.
I stared her dead in the eye.
"Hmm... You're really cute like this, too... How does that trick work? Tell me and I might give you some...adult experience..." She said.
Kazuma rolled his eyes.
"Slut..." He mumbled.
"Hey! I resent that! Even if it is a bit true..." She said with a seductive smile as she placed a finger in her lips
"My darling Mizik is already taken. I'm not willing to share...u-unless he wants to be shared..." Cassandra said.
I could tell she was conflicted. She wanted me to herself, but valued my happiness more than her own.
"Oh? Is that permission?" Elizabeth asked.
"Absolutely not. I'm not interested. Besides, I don't like women who...get around..." I said.
"Awww... Well, if you're ever looking for a good time, let me know, handsome!" Elizabeth said.
"If I ever feel like I want radiation poisoning, I'll give you a call," I said.
Kazuma remained silent.
"Hello, Kazuma. I'm Mizik. Your new ally. Good to see you again," I said coldly.
"Tch...stupid kid," he said as he glared at me.
Then his eyes softened slightly as he looked at Cassandra. She noticed right away.
"Only Mizik is allowed to touch me. Anyone else might as well be a filthy maggot. You included, Psycho Demon," she said with contempt.
"Hm...whatever. I'm here to serve Lord Difar now. I don't have time to mess around," Kazuma said angrily.
"Ooooooh. So edgy! Who would have thought that Kazuma was an edge lord!" Michael said as he approached.
"Michael! My favorite Enforcer! Now that we're allies, how about we go somewhere private like you always wanted~?" Elizabeth said.
"Hah! Sounds like fun. But you're not gonna devour me like other men, right? I won't get sick from poison or radiation?" He said.
"My feelings are hurt... You act like I can't control my power!" Elizabeth said sadly.
"Aww, I didn't mean it. Just a bit of self preservation, is all, beautiful."
"UGH! JUST GET A DAMN ROOM!" Difar shouted angrily.
"Hmmm... Let's go, Michael. I want to get to know you better~!"
"Great, how about a movie?" He said.
"Sure...but let's not watch it~!" She said.
"I like the way you think!"
As the two of them walked away, Difar shook his head.
"Is she always like that, Kaz?" Difar asked.
"Lord Difar... Please call me Kazuma. And yes, Elizabeth is a very loose woman. Despite us being called the King and Queen of Nexus, we have no real attachment with one another," Kazuma said.
"No. Kaz is easier to say. Also, her name is Elara. Now then, maybe you should get to know everyone?" Difar said.
"Ugh...must I?"
"No. I don't really care. Anyway, I'm off to go...I don't know. I'll figure it out. Goodbye, everyone. And Mizik, I hate you."
"The feeling is mutual, jackass."
Difar sank into Valtheim's shadow and disappeared.
Then Cassandra grabbed onto my arm.
She said nothing, but seemed very happy.
"Leiso...about Davis..." I said.
"What about him...? Do you know about Davis and I, too?" She said.
"I know that you hate him for what he did to your descendants. Please try to keep it contained long enough for us to deal with the Oracle," I said.
She sighed.
"Why do you speak to me like an old friend? I understand that you knew me before, but the current me has never known you. So why?" She asked.
"You'll always be my friend, Leiso. I dont care if the old you is gone. You and I are still comrades. We trained together and fought together. Now please, set aside your hatred for Davis. And for the other Overlords, too," I said.
I elected not to tell her about our romantic past two timeline ago. That would only create confusion.
"You certainly have a...particular way of speaking. It's genuine... Straight to the point and without false feelings. Hmm..."
"Well, how about we call it quits on the training for now, then?" I said.
"That works for me, Mizik. Same time tomorrow, yes?"
"Of course. And don't hold back," I said.
She nodded and Vakra stepped forward.
"Mizik. You should request Iris to begin your awakening. I will also need Leiso's assistance in creating the materials for the heart containers," Vakra said.
"Why? Won't we already have them?" I asked.
"Yes, but this might speed up the process. Besides...I'm sure you're feeling quite worn out lately, yes?" He said.
He was right...
I hadn't mentioned it to anyone else, but Cassandra and I had been feeling very drained ever since we came here.
As much as I loved Ignitus, the atmosphere was suffocating to magic users.
The core of this world barely had enough animus energy to thrive the way it did. Ignitus likely didn't have an animus barrier, and if it did, it was probably paper-thin.
Despite this, Ignitus seemed to be a vacuum for magical energies.
I would need the Heart of the World to produce enough magic to stay in the fight in such a place.
"If you absolutely have to, we can implant the heart devices again... As much as I hate it, you should probably get started..." I said.
"I shall. This time, I will aid you with every ounce of my power... I want revenge on Isabella and the Oracle for-"
"Don't say her name. Isabella is dead. Rose destroyed your world under the orders and lies of the Oracle. You're also not the only one who wants revenge, either, Vakra," I said.
"Rose it is, then. That woman was clearly not the one I met before. She had a dark cloud over her mind and was full of hatred."
"Right... Do you have any idea why Cassandra would have kept her memories? And what about me not being completely cut off from my old self?" I asked.
"Well, it would have to start with something that only affected the two of you. Give me some time and we can discuss it further. I hope you'll tolerate me, Mizik, because I plan to stay here until I figure out a way to reverse the destruction of Delvandal... Damn that pink-haired witch..." Vakra said.
Then he looked at Cassandra.
"No offense. And I've always thought you were the more loyal one, to be honest," Vakra said.
"Disobeying my darling is unforgivable. I swear I will hunt her down and take my revenge on Rose for her crimes," Cassandra said.
"That's odd for you to care about what people think of you, Vakra," I said.
"What can I say? I've had a slight change of heart towards you two ever since the destruction of my world. Now then, I'll be going," he said.
He began walking after Leiso and struck up a conversation.
Kazuma had long since left as well and now it was just the two of us.
"Mizik...I want to lay down and cuddle! Is that greedy...?" Cassandra asked shyly.
"Not at all. We can do whatever you want, Cassandra," I said.