"Forget it," he muttered sourly. "Speculating endlessly won’t change reality. It is what it is."
Giving the fractured rune one last bitter glance, Orion slowly drifted onward, suppressing his lingering irritation. He moved gently forward, seeking solace in examining the runes of Fire Dragon Breath and Thunder Dragon Breath—his foundational draconic abilities.
When he finally arrived, Orion’s tense anticipation quickly shifted into soft optimism. Both runes, while visibly cracked, showed promising signs of gradual restoration.
Gentle streams of energy flowed continuously into their surfaces, nding the cracks slowly yet steadily. They pulsated softly, clearly benefiting from Orion’s ongoing evolution.
A quiet breath of relief escaped Orion. "At least these runes seem to be healing together with my evolution," he murmured thankfully, carefully observing the process. "They should erge stronger after this is all over."
Encouraged, he drifted past the recovering dragon breath runes, heading toward another part of his Sea of Consciousness.
Soon, the unmistakable silhouette of the Soulpiercer Sword appeared within his view, serenely floating within the azure currents, exuding an aura of silent dignity.
As Orion approached, the sword gently emitted a faint resonance, its blade softly vibrating as the familiar presence within slowly awakened.
Monts later, a stream of shadowy mana erged gracefully from the sword, forming into the alluring and majestic figure of Asteraxa.
She materialized elegantly, her vivid ember eyes sparkling with amusent as they swiftly located Orion’s flickering fla-form. Her lush lips curved imdiately into a delighted, teasing smile.
"Oh my," she laughed softly, a playful note coloring her sultry voice. "Orion, I didn’t expect you to be such a tiny and cute fla."
Orion stared at her with a deadpan expression, entirely unamused by her playful teasing. "No need to beat a dead horse," he replied dryly, his fla flickering with mild annoyance. "I’m already getting depressed looking at the condition of my Sea of Consciousness."
Asteraxa chuckled gently again, a subtle tenderness briefly softening her mischievous gaze. "Indeed," she conceded more seriously, scanning the damaged surroundings with a hint of sympathy. "Your Sea of Consciousness truly is in quite a bad shape. Though, I did warn you sothing like this might happen."
Orion exhaled another tired breath, acknowledging her words without resentnt. "Yes, I know. And I don’t regret it—not one bit. But seeing it directly like this... it’s discouraging, especially that Supre Grade Eye of Revelation. I still can’t understand how sothing like that got ruined during a fight between re mortals."
Asteraxa raised a finely arched eyebrow thoughtfully, her gaze sharpening with interest. "Oh? Even that supre ability of yours was affected? Hmm, that is indeed surprising. But," she added thoughtfully, "there could be various explanations for that. Perhaps the conflict between your multiple legacies caused it, or maybe an external force far beyond your comprehension interfered. Or possibly your rather... unique soul itself might have contributed."
She paused aningfully, eyeing Orion’s flickering golden fla with a subtle fascination. "Your soul appears to be a fusion of all three of your legacies. Quite extraordinary indeed."
Orion shook his fla-form lightly, dismissing further speculation. "There’s no point making hypotheses about it now. What’s done is done. Frankly, at my current level, I wasn’t utilizing it too frequently anyway. I’ll worry about its repair or reconstruction later, once I’m stronger and out of here."
Asteraxa’s lips curled into a flirtatious, playful smile, her gaze softening suggestively. "Ara~ Isn’t this quite a romantic situation? A young maiden and a handso young master, stranded together in an isolated, intimate space."
Orion felt an inexplicable twitch in his nonexistent lips, responding dryly, "It might have been romantic if one of us wasn’t an ancient dragon possibly millions or billions of years old, and the other not currently stuck as a re flickering candle fla."
Asteraxa laughed richly, her amusent genuine and unrestrained. "Oh dear," she teased affectionately, "you really know how to spoil a maiden’s romantic fantasies."
Orion sighed exaggeratedly, but his irritation slowly faded into mild amusent. "And you seem to enjoy poking fun at my misery."
She smiled charmingly, her voice softening. "Consider it my way of cheering you up, Orion. Dwelling too much on your losses won’t change them. Focus instead on recovery and improvent. With your talent and determination, you’ll surely overco these temporary setbacks."
Orion contemplated her words quietly, recognizing the underlying wisdom. He slowly exhaled again, gradually feeling lighter, more encouraged.
"You’re right, Asteraxa," he admitted softly, his tone lightening up. "No matter how severe the damage seems, it’s still temporary. I’ll simply rebuild everything better than before."
She nodded approvingly, her playful deanor briefly replaced by gentle sincerity. "That’s exactly what I expected you to say, Orion. With all these gifts you have, I would be disappointed if you weren’t this resilient."
Their conversation naturally flowed onward, becoming comfortably casual and gradually shifting away from serious topics.
The playful banter between them resud easily, Orion finding himself increasingly amused and comforted by her teasing presence, as he had not talked with anyone for months.
"You know," Orion eventually remarked, his fla-form gently bobbing in amusent, "it’s rather ironic. Here I am, stuck in my own Sea of Consciousness with a flirtatious ancient dragon for company. This isn’t how I imagined things turning out when you said I might not progress for a long ti."
Asteraxa chuckled again, her vivid eyes sparkling mischievously. "And yet," she purred seductively, "you seem to be enjoying my company imnsely. Admit it, Orion—you’d be terribly bored without ."
Orion laughed softly, conceding her point with playful resignation. "Fine, you win. Having you around does make things far more entertaining."
She smiled triumphantly, flicking her elegant tail gently. "See? I knew you’d eventually appreciate my irresistible charm."
Orion sighed dramatically, but his mood was unquestionably lighter. Together, they continued their conversation, their playful exchange filling the boundless azure expanse with a warmth that gradually healed the quiet lancholy lingering within Orion’s fractured Sea of Consciousness.
As ti passed unnoticed, Orion got quieter and began studying spells again, while Asteraxa stood silently in front of him, her expression unreadable.
The azure expanse regained its calm as everything fell silent.
***
In a remote corner of existence, hidden far beyond the boundaries of known Chiliocosms and untouched by the laws of ordinary worlds, stretched a chaotic expanse teeming with unimaginable cosmic horrors.
Nebulous voids and swirling maelstroms of corrupted energy clashed ceaselessly, giving birth to nightmarish creatures that vanished as swiftly as they appeared, their anguished roars silenced by the oppressive darkness.
Within this anarchic realm stood Echo, unmoving amidst the violent tempest, an island of serenity and unshakable calm.
His silver hair cascaded down his shoulders, shimring like molten starlight, contrasting sharply with the darkness around him. His eyes, ancient and indifferent, observed the group of colossal figures before him.
Each entity gathered there towered unimaginably large, their forms dwarfing entire universes. Their presence distorted the fabric of reality itself, warping ti and space into twisted configurations.
They stood like monolithic statues carved from nightmares—incarnations of primal fears given corporeal form.
Death Dragon Emperor lood foremost, his dark visage shrouded in dense, swirling shadows that whispered of despair and eternal silence.
Beside him, Decay Dragon Emperor exuded a corrosive aura, his massive draconic form perpetually deteriorating and regenerating, symbolizing the unstoppable march of entropy.
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