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Noah and Iris started a small telepathic conversation.
"So you've made up your mind, dear? You want to keep this world, not to destroy it, but to protect it and find another solution, right?" Iris asked.
"You read too easily. Am I that obvious?" Noah asked.
"Your heart is always closed except to ," Iris smiled. "I am the only special person to you. Ever since that ti we t, rember? When I was a little, nerdy, and bullied girl at school?"
"…" Noah sighed, rembering the past once more with eyes of sorrow. "Iris, we shouldn't dwell on the past."
"I know, but like you, I was also soone without parents," Iris said, admiring the world around her. "I was bullied and abused as well, not just because I was weak, but also because I was a coward. At that ti, when they beat to near death, you found , and you fed your blood."
"…Yeah," Noah said. "At that ti, I only did it to manipulate you. I didn't do it out of goodwill."
"I know you did it out of goodwill," Iris smiled. "I've always believed you're not a bad person deep down, despite how hard you try to act ruthless. Despite the harsh decisions you sotis make… you saved Earth and all of its people from certain destruction, and even when we all died, you sought these people and reincarnated them, recreating their hos on the moons of Abyss."
"Iris, where are you going with this?" Noah asked. He seed flustered.
"What I'm getting at is that you believe you've done terrible things, and you cannot forgive yourself for them," Iris said. "So you act like you're irredeemable, that you must do bad things because you're bad, but that's not right. Noah, we've been freed from the Curse that made us who we were before, and once more, the person I once was is awakening, lding with . I feel… freer. Don't you as well?"
"…The Curse," Noah sighed.
The Curse was being a Vampire. Its very existence carried a "nature" that they could not escape from, no matter how hard they tried.
Despite being the kindest Vampires of Abyss, there was a coldness in their hearts that could not be easily ward.
But now, things were different.
It could be said that this world was healing their minds and bodies more than they had imagined.
"I want to talk with Clentine from woman to woman once we're done here," Iris said. "I want to apologize to her for what I've done."
"Iris… you don't need to apologize," Noah said. "I should—"
"No, her unrequited, obsessive love is because we never truly addressed it with her. We never sat down and spoke with her. We were too prideful," Iris said. "Don't you think?"
"…Yeah, and we still are," Noah said. "Our friends are frozen on the moon, and she's being used as a puppet to fuel this dungeon. We have to save them, but at the sa ti, I don't want to destroy this world or its people, because we have families we care for."
"Yeah… you thought about that too," Iris nodded, sighing. "Dear… what can we do now?"
"If we both have agreed on finding a different solution…" Noah said. "We must create an alliance of every powerful faction in this world, power them up, and fight back against them, probably after we find the keys and locate where Clentine's Consciousness and Soul are. Their bodies might be frozen too, but perhaps their Souls are also trapped sowhere, not in this world, but in another."
"You suggest there's another world beyond this one?" Iris asked. "But that's…"
"Ridiculous? Yes, but by analyzing this Dinsional Dungeon and the requirents to step onto the stairs, it is obvious there are three worlds. Each world has a key," Noah explained. "These keys surely will 'unlock' the world sohow and open the way for us to enter the next."
"I see…!" Iris nodded.
"The greatest accumulation of Fate cos from that mountain." Noah looked at Mount Takao with eyes full of intrigue. At the sa ti, he could feel powerful auras, their connections leading to Kireina. "There are many people related to Kireina there. I can guess she's planning to go there as well. But how can I interact with her after I almost killed her? Should we call it even after she stole my sun?"
"What? So you plan to recruit her?" Iris wondered, rubbing her chin. "Hmm, dear, isn't she very mad at you? I wish you could've killed her, though. She stole our sun, and that's an unforgivable sin."
"It is. I wish I could've killed her," Noah nodded.
Despite the kindness they had gained, they were still themselves, and their hatred toward Kireina remained, although it had settled down much more now.
"However, we must admit that she's strong, and she has an incredible family behind her in this world and in the other," Noah said. "It is also quite obvious that her existence is sowhat related to those behind this."
"Her true origin?" Iris wondered. "Hm… You saw her 'father' from this world, right? How strong was he?"
"Equal to …" Noah said.
"…?!" Iris' eyes widened.
"However, what I saw was just the surface. In a fight, soone tends to go beyond their limits, so his power could be higher. Likewise, I have not used all I have yet," Noah admitted. "So it's hard to gauge from just a glance, but you understand what I an, right, Iris?"
"I do…" Iris nodded. "How amusing… Well, that mountain, shall we go take a look?"
"Not yet, the flow of Fate has not settled down," Noah said. "But once it does, a great event that may change this entire world will definitely happen. Several strong Fates will clash against one another, led by the primary Heavenly Fates of Kireina and Frank."
"And yours," Iris said.
"I am strong enough to oppose Fate's Attraction Force," Noah said. "But this ti, I will let it guide us there. It will be a unique opportunity to interact with these factions and perhaps show them our true power, while, if we play our cards well, make them owe us a few favors."
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