"Certain death or perpetual oblivion… What excellent options hahaha… How wonderful hahahaha."
"Indeed. But as far as I know, you should have died long ago in your universe. Even in this world, your fate was to perish before leaving your mother's womb. From this perspective, child, choosing between living in the flames of agony and despair or resting in the cold embrace of death is a great opportunity…"
"What if I don't want either of these options??? Isn't there another choice? THERE HAS TO BE…"
"…"
"Please…"
I couldn't resist the despair that continued to grow inside me. Even though I'd been given a second chance at life, what's the point if it means suffering through an existence I don't even know will be worth it?
How many joys will I gain? How many moments of suffering and pain must I endure to achieve just a small moment of happiness amidst a vast sea of boredom and idleness?
In desperation, I knelt and pressed my forehead to the ground as I approached her. My voice, heavy in my throat, was tearful and desperate. It didn't take an expert to see that I hated the fate awaiting me…
Worse still, I knew that whatever my destiny, the one responsible for choosing it was me and only me.
"… Don't overthink it, child. And if it helps you in any way, know this: Living is suffering. Resting in the cold embrace of death may be the better choice for those faint of heart, like you."
"I am not weak… You don't know me to say that. I AM NOT WEAK…"
"From my point of view, child, you are no more than a small worm I could crush at any moment with one of my fingers. And if you're not faint of heart, then why not choose the suffering of life? But make no mistake—Aura will not be kind to you."
"YOU…"
As if the despair I had been feeling had been erased, indignation mixed with anger began to flood my soul after her words.
I raised my head to look directly at her, ready to voice every word of indignation and rebellion filling my mind.
But before I could continue, a glow began to envelop the dragon, forcing me to close my eyes briefly. Thankfully, it didn't last more than a few seconds, much like when Kelama and Akachi underwent their transformations.
When the light faded and I managed to open my eyes again, there she was.
In place of the enormous dragon, a beautiful woman with fiery red hair was slowly walking toward me.
I couldn't speak. I was immediately captivated by the sight. Even though I had seen that face before, this time, she exuded an aura that overwhelmed my senses, making me want to draw closer to her.
"Do you realize where you are, child?" she asked as she walked, running her hand over some flowers and admiring the scenery just as I had done earlier.
"Oni… Uniri…" I tried to recall the word she had used at the beginning of our conversation, but I couldn't think clearly in that moment.
"Onírilis. You are in my Onírilis, child—a very special place. Here lies the center of my soul, a dreamlike landscape within the depths of my consciousness. A place that should not exist without my deepest will."
"I don't understand what that means…"
"Even if I spent hours explaining, you wouldn't comprehend more than 10% of how special this place is. For now, all you need to know is that not even I have entered this place before. And you are the one responsible for this special event. Thank you…"
"…"
"Unfortunately, arriving here has come at a very high cost… Your soul's image is completely fragmented, leaving only a mirage of your disfigured form. This means you must make your choice quickly…"
"I don't want to choose. There is no merit in dying after being given a second chance, but living in despair and agony is just as bad."
"Then… What if you lived for something? What if you knew that your suffering and despair were for a greater purpose? Would that give you the will to live?"
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
"You were never meant to reach my Onírilis… Arriving here means you can read emotions—my emotions—with unparalleled mastery. I'm certain this is what drew Akachi's intense interest in you. Akachi knew I would discover this through the bonding process and withheld the information until now…"
"I merely followed the positive sensations. It was obvious to me. Should that be seen as something good or bad?"
"That depends… But for now, let's return to the main question. Do you prefer to die or to live?"
"…"
Meanwhile, outside the shared consciousness, all the spectators patiently awaited a successful outcome to this entire situation. Their eyes were fixed on every detail inside Akachi's barrier which was still standing.
Inessa, no longer glowing or emanating a red aura, stood holding the baby in her hands, her forehead touching his, almost mirroring Marien's earlier position. Unlike Marien, however, Inessa appeared quite well. In fact, her physical appearance was visibly improving—her skin and hair seemed more vibrant and radiant.
On the same sofa where Inessa had been unconscious earlier, Marien now lay unconscious with some visible aftereffects from the prior events. With Akachi's permission, Aglaya and Hendrina had hurriedly removed her from the barrier.
At this moment, Marien had already received initial treatment for her injuries with Abigail's help, but the complete treatment was far from finished. According to Abigail, Marien's condition hovered between total Aura loss and mental collapse.
Unfortunately, the necessary steps to awaken her from her coma would be far more delicate and complex, potentially involving severe consequences and long-term effects. Only specialized, detailed treatment could mitigate these impacts.
For now, the priority was waiting for her to recover enough to endure an intense and painful treatment. Therefore, Abigail had chosen to delay the operation to properly discuss the matter with Inessa.
Hendrina, the most concerned of all, remained near the sofa, occasionally wiping away the blood that continued to trickle periodically from Marien's nose. She wanted to take Marien to her room for a bath to clean her thoroughly but was stopped by Aglaya, who argued that Abigail would start the treatment immediately after Inessa made her decision.
The initial estimate had been that the bonding process between Inessa and the baby would take no more than a few minutes to establish an Aura Link.
But this assumption soon proved wrong. More than 50 minutes had passed since the process began.
"Lady Abigail…" Aglaya, standing beside the armchair where Abigail sat, couldn't contain her curiosity about the situation and decided to ask for an explanation.
"Hmm? What is it?" Abigail, focused on the minute interactions and reactions in the Aura inside the barrier, replied without diverting her attention.
"Is everything alright? It's taking a bit longer than expected. Lady Abigail, I believe that establishing an Aura Link or even a Soul Link shouldn't take this long…"
"And you're correct—it wouldn't take more than ten minutes to establish even a strong Soul Link. But this is neither an Aura Link nor a Soul Link…"
"Then… What is actually happening?"
As everyone attentively watched the show of subtle nuances displayed by the Aura swirling around Inessa and the baby, Abigail realized she had been neglecting an important factor.
Unlike her and Akachi, the other women couldn't perceive the finer details and changes in the Aura's flow. As such, they couldn't fully understand what was happening.
Though each of them tried their best to notice even the smallest nuances, they didn't grasp that this bonding process was becoming increasingly strong and unique.
"Indeed, a bonding process typically takes just minutes to complete, whether for an Aura Link or a Soul Link. But can you tell me what that means? I believe Inessa has already taught you the basics of this subject. What, truly, is a Link?"
Without taking her eyes off the barrier, Abigail avoided directly answering Aglaya's question and instead opted to test some fundamental knowledge. Abigail also wanted to confirm how much Inessa had neglected teaching the girls over the past five years.
"My apologies, Lady Abigail, but Lady Inessa hasn't had time to teach us deeply about the subject. However, based on what she has taught us, a Link allows the exchange of Aura between a male Aura core and a female's Aura veins. With this Link, the core absorbs large quantities of low-quality Aura and floods the veins with high-quality Aura."
"Good. Continue…"
"A Link between the Aura core and veins also serves as a pact between the male and female, akin to an engagement or betrothal, where the male pledges to assist the female and vice versa. It's highly beneficial to both parties. The male receives vast amounts of Aura to refine, train latency, and expand the core's reserves, while the high-quality Aura greatly strengthens, restores, and enhances the female's Aura circulation and manipulation capacity."
"There are many other benefits, but that's a generally accepted summary. Now, what is required to establish a Link? And what do you believe distinguishes a Soul Link from an Aura Link?"