"You will not stop following even in the afterlife?"
Those purple Hairs . And those red eyes stared at with a teasing glint that made my chest tighten.
But I was not about to let her win this exchange.
"Following you?" I scoffed. "I am pretty sure you are the one who has been invading my dreams every single night. If anything, you are the stalker here."
Her cheeks flushed red imdiately.
"Hey it was not..."
She tried to form words. Failed miserably. Opened her mouth again. Closed it.
Then that embarrassnt shifted into a smirk as she changed tactics.
"That does not change the fact you were chasing . Rember how many tis I pushed you away? And you were the one who kept showing up again and again."
I rolled my eyes dramatically.
"Do not tell you call that pushing away."
I cleared my throat. Raised my pitch to mimic a whiny child.
"Go away because I do not want to get you hurt because I like you."
I dropped the act and crossed my arms.
"Goddam who would not fall for that? How could I have left that child alone?"
I leaned closer with a smug grin.
"And if you still think that was pushing away, then sorry. You are absolutely terrible at it."
Her pout was imdiate. Cheeks puffed. Brows furrowed. Eyes blazing with mock fury.
"I swear if I was not sealed right now, I would have shown you why people fear ."
"Oh?" I tilted my head with an exaggerated sympathetic tone. "Have I not already received that treatnt? You know, when you stabbed right through my heart?"
I clutched my chest dramatically.
"That shit still breaks my heart."
"Enough!" Her face was completely red now. "Stop teasing ! And it was not like I was controlling my dreams. We were both trapped due to so unknown factor. And the one you got killed was the cursed ."
My expression hardened instantly.
"Stop calling yourself cursed."
She flinched.
"And stop trying to cover up your betrayal to this poor soul."
I gestured at myself with mock offense.
She blinked innocently. As if she had no idea what I was talking about.
’This woman.’
I sighed and walked toward her. My eyes traced the chains that bound her wrists. Dark tal that seed to absorb all light around it. Pulsing with so kind of malevolent energy.
"Seems like you would be in quite a bit of pain."
She understood imdiately what I was looking at.
"Nah." She shrugged casually. "I am strong. It just itches sotis."
Liar.
I could see the way her fingers trembled slightly. The way her smile flickered for just a mont before she forced it back.
But I did not call her out on it.
Instead, I examined the chains more closely.
"How do I break this thing? It would have been better if my axe was summoned here."
I flexed my fingers.
"Now what am I supposed to use? My claws and teeth like so lion?"
"Do not try anything reckless." Her voice shifted. Serious now.
"The mont I am free, you will die."
I stared at her blankly.
"Die? Alia, why are you so dumb? Have I not told you countless tis already?"
I tapped my chest proudly.
"I am immortal."
She let out a long, exhausted sigh.
"You are insufferable."
"And you are stuck with ." I grinned. "Do not worry. I have so backing. I am sure I cannot die like this."
Her expression grew complicated.
"What if you succeed? What if we bond to each other?"
She looked down at her chains.
"You have not seen my side where I lose control of my own power. You were not present when I could have avenged you and slaughtered everything in front of instead."
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"And do not forget the ti I lost control and killed you."
I reached out and patted her hair gently.
She froze.
"Even when you lost control, you said I do not deserve you."
I let my hand rest on her head.
"Well technically you were right. I am quite the catch after all."
She tried to glare at but failed spectacularly.
"But you see, there was also the sa person who cared for . Who was just being protective in her own twisted way."
I shrugged.
"And let us not forget. It was just a dream."
My smile turned slightly dangerous.
"In reality, I can beat your ass if you dare try to shatter this poor soul again."
Her face exploded into red.
"I did not say those words! It was not ! I bet on that!"
I clicked my tongue. "Tsk. I bet you were so focused on that part that you did not listen to what I said afterward."
She opened her mouth to protest but I continued.
"But fine. Listen to this."
My voice softened.
"I made a promise to you that I would not leave. And I do not break my promises. So be thankful that I will take any risk for that."
I looked directly into those red eyes.
"And do not forget. You were never in any cage. In fact, I am pretty sure I would be the one in prison. Trapped with you for my entire life."
The teasing vanished from her face.
What replaced it was sothing I had fought so hard to see.
A genuine smile.
"I missed you, Eren."
My heart clenched. But I kept my composure.
"The feeling is not mutual."
Her smile shattered instantly.
"Scum! Dummy! Moron! Asshole! Pussy!"
I blinked.
Not at the childish anger. That was expected.
But at those words.
"Where did you learn those from?"
She puffed her chest proudly as if she had achieved so great victory.
"Who else do you think would have taught ?"
I was stunned into silence.
My hands were responsible for this corruption.
Looking at her now, I could see how much she had changed. That emotionless child from my visions was completely gone. Replaced by this mischievous, teasing, smiling woman.
I had caused that transformation.
But not entirely.
"By the way." I scratched my chin thoughtfully. "Have you not changed a lot? I do not an you becoming an oldie but that mischievous mocking and those grins. It is like you have changed more than I made you to."
Her eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Do not you dare mock my age otherwise I will—"
She paused mid-threat.
Then her expression shifted back to that smile.
"I like this side of . So I am practicing it. And you cannot have a say in it."
She tilted her head.
"You were the one who told to be whoever I really want to be. To do whatever my heart tells ."
Her voice grew softer. More emotional.
"And also..."
She looked at with those glistening red eyes.
"I promised a certain soone that I would not be a crybaby anymore. And that I would always smile."
Sothing warm spread through my chest.
Then her cheeks reddened again.
"By the way, my age would be two or maybe three years older than you. So do not call that again."
I just smiled at her flustered state.
Then my hands moved toward the chains.
"I need you, Alia. I am currently in a fight and I need you to show the world how great your master is."
Her expression twisted imdiately.
"Master? I think you do not want to live anymore."
But that anger vanished the instant my fingers touched the chains.
BZZZT.
Pain shot through my entire arm. Like lightning coursing through my veins.
"Eren!" Her eyes widened with genuine fear. "Are you okay? Does that hurt? Why the hell are you so stubborn?"
But I was not focused on the pain.
I was staring at the notification that had materialized before my eyes.
’What the...’
│ ───────────────────── │
│ ⚠️ CAUTION! DANGER! ⚠️
│ ───────────────────── │
│ Unsealing summon Alia will
| result in QUOR core fluctuations.
│ ➤ THE HOST WILL DIE.
│ Survival Rate: 0.000001%
│ ───────────────────── │
│ Rerouting to better possibility...
│ ───────────────────── │
Numbers began scrolling rapidly.
│ ───────────────────── │
│ Calculating possibilities
│ 1 / 32,042,002
│ 2 / 32,042,002
│ ...
│ 923,492 / 32,042,002
│ ─────────────────────│
│ ✓ BEST SOLUTION FOUND
│ ─────────────────────│
A new notification replaced the old one.
│ ════════════════════ │
│ ✦ DING! ✦
│ ════════════════════ │
│ Summon Alia
│ Current Rank: EX-RANK
│ ───────────────────── │
│ System unable to bind to host’s
| potential level.
│ Minimum bind: S-RANK
│ Host lacks required level.
│ ───────────────────── │
│ Solution found for QUOR increase.
│ Required: 1,000,000 Gold
│ Host Balance: INSUFFICIENT
│ ───────────────────── │
│ ➤ LOAN GRANTED
│ Amount: 1,000,000 Gold
│ Repaynt Deadline:
│ 2 MINUTES
│ ═════════════════════ │
Everything was going smoothly until now.
First, EX-Rank for Alia? That sounded absolutely overpowered.
The system was actually making things work for . Even calculating solutions and clarifying the situation.
How thoughtful.
Until the loan amount appeared.
One million gold.
And the ti limit?
Two minutes.
I stared at that number for a long mont.
’I am pretty sure the system ant two millennia.’
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