Capella—it was really Capella herself this ti—slowly opened her eyes, a trace of confusion flashing in them.
In front of her was an expanse of water so vast that no boundaries could be seen.
A refreshing breeze blew past, stirring layers of blue waves.
Under the sa blue sky, black and white birds soared on the wind, weaving lightly among the cotton candy-like pure white clouds.
"Where... is this?"
Capella stared blankly at the scene before her.
If she rembered correctly, she had previously given herself completely to the new Dragon Transformation Combat Technique, naly that Single Finger Dragon Shadow, and then her own thoughts and consciousness sank into an endless darkness that seed to have no end.
She could do nothing but curl up tightly, uncontrollably trembling.
During this ti, she had briefly escaped from that abyss-like darkness and had a fleeting glimpse of Andrew’s face.
But that was too brief; Capella rembered falling back into the darkness almost imdiately.
After an unknown amount of ti, her surroundings suddenly lit up without warning, and her face felt warm. Unable to resist, she opened her eyes again, seeing this scene before her: blue sky, white clouds, sunlight, breeze, and blue waves.
Capella grew up in the Scholar’s Fortress and had never seen such a scene. The closest she had seen to the scene before her was when she was sixteen, visiting Warm Fire City and witnessing the gentle waters surrounding it. At that ti, at least on the surface, the Magic Guild and the Warm Fire Comrce Association maintained friendly and courteous relations.
"But, compared to the waters around Warm Fire City, the waters here seem even more remarkable."
Capella was genuinely a bit bewildered, "So... where exactly is this?"
"You could consider this place a bathhouse," a voice filled with laughter rang out.
At the sound of this voice, Capella’s body imdiately tensed up in alertness, turning to look.
She saw Andrew smiling as he walked on the waves toward her: "Sorry, but you fused a bit too much with the power of that new Dragon Transformation Combat Technique. Although I’ve expelled the will of that Single Finger Dragon Shadow, your own thoughts and consciousness are still heavily tainted by its presence..."
Capella frowned at Andrew: "What are you saying? What do you an?"
Andrew shrugged: "Simply put, I can’t directly awaken your thoughts and will from your own body, or else you’d be contaminated the mont you’re awakened. So, I had no choice but to pull your soul and consciousness here, clean them thoroughly, and then return to your own body squeaky clean."
Capella stared at Andrew, then looked around at the extrely realistic scene.
Then she said in a low voice, "Are you saying this isn’t the real world, but an illusion realm you’ve created with magic?"
"More or less," Andrew chuckled.
Capella spoke coldly, "What do you an, ’more or less’? Yes or no? What kind of magic is this? I’ve never seen such a realistic Illusion Magic. Your Warm Fire Comrce Association’s Barbara, with her Orange Fla Warm Fire and Heart Fire Series, should be best suited for practicing illusions, but even she couldn’t create sothing this convincing. Let alone, it couldn’t—"
"Couldn’t create an illusion realm entirely devoid of any ’Fla Elent’, right?" Andrew smiled, "You’re right, yes or no. This isn’t an ordinary illusion realm. Strictly speaking, it’s not even considered magic."
Andrew didn’t continue, but Capella, deserving to be the Saintess of the Magic Guild, had already figured sothing out. Her face showed disbelief as she said, "Don’t tell this is your inner world."
Andrew nodded: "Yes."
This is indeed his inner world.
Commonly known as one’s soul, the place of the heart and mind.
After breaking through to Tier Five, the magic turbine condensed, and the body’s strength surged dramatically, showing a tendency toward "staff transformation."
At the sa ti, his soul and mind, quietly, manifested into this seemingly real little world before them.
While expelling the non-human will within Capella, Andrew pulled Capella’s own consciousness into his inner world.
Here, and only here, could Capella cleanse herself entirely of her connection to the new Dragon Transformation Combat Technique and then truly return to her own body.
"... So tell , how do you feel now?" Andrew looked Capella up and down, asking, "Do you still feel coerced by the power of the new Dragon Transformation Combat Technique? Probably not anymore, right? Hey, don’t be silent."
Capella said nothing, staring intently into Andrew’s eyes.
After a long mont, she spoke again: "Are you insane? Are you mad? You actually dare to let enter your inner world? Everyone’s inner world is like a forbidden territory others cannot touch! Here, it’s more vulnerable than any physical weakness. You’re letting directly into the depths of your territory. If I launch an attack here and harm you, your body won’t change at all, but your soul will be utterly obliterated, leaving you a husk with life signs but no soul! That’s a death more thorough than ordinary death!"
Her voice grew louder, more agitated as she spoke, until Andrew had to make a calming gesture. Then Andrew tilted his head slightly, looked at Capella, and simply countered, "So? Can you... defeat ?"
"You—!!" Capella froze, and then her face couldn’t help but glow with anger, yet she had no retort.
After surrendering control of her body to the inhuman will emanating from Single Finger Dragon Shadow, her own consciousness was locked away in a small dark room.
But even so, she could easily see that the Andrew before her was entirely different from not long ago.
She heard Andrew say, "I’ve broken through to Tier Five. As a Tier Four, it’s impossible for you to pose any threat to now. Most importantly, you have no reason to attack . I’m here to help you."
Upon hearing Andrew casually yet earnestly say "I’m here to help you," a strange spark finally flickered in Capella’s eyes.
However, her body remained tense: "Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why... help ? Aren’t we opponents? Aren’t we still in a life and death struggle?!" Capella truly couldn’t understand. "My relationship with you is that of enemies! Enemies!! You don’t need to explain the aning of that word to you, right?!"
Under the blue sky, Andrew’s silhouette flickered slightly, seemingly showing a brief instability, before becoming solid again.
Capella sharply caught onto this, her eyes moving again, saying coldly, "So that’s it. So your own body is injured, isn’t it? You got hurt while expelling that will and bringing here?"
Andrew sighed and didn’t deny it, "Yes. Got a hard jab in the stomach."
Capella gritted her teeth: "So I ask, why? If you’re injured, then even if you’re Tier Five, even if I no longer have the power of the new Dragon Transformation Combat Technique, in your inner world, I still have a great chance to seriously wound you, or even... kill you! Given all that, why? Why?"
The wind blew through.
A seagull landed on Andrew’s shoulder, and then took off again after a mont.
Andrew looked at Capella and after a mont of silence, spoke, "Because I wonder, if when I first traversed here, the point of arrival wasn’t the Inner Sea Desert, wasn’t Wildfire Town, but instead the Scholar’s Fortress, becoming a Fla Warrior or Earth Fire Mage, how would my story go?"
Capella: "?"
In her heart, she thought, what kind of nonsense is this? What crossing? What point of arrival? What is this guy talking about? She couldn’t understand!
But this was indeed Andrew’s true inner thought.
If he’d traversed here and the profession he entered wasn’t Water Mage, wasn’t on the side of justice, but on the side of evil.
Would he also, like Capella, gradually sense sothing amiss in the power he gained and want to seek help, only to find no one around he could turn to?
"—Simply put, after forming an alliance with the Warm Fire Comrce Association, I thought I was already one of them. But now I realize, not entirely."
Andrew looked at Capella, saying, "My goals and thoughts align with the Warm Fire Comrce Association, mostly. But there’s just a tiny bit of difference. If I had grown up in the Warm Fire Comrce Association, I wouldn’t want to help you at all, as you said, I would see you as a complete enemy, just as you see . But I didn’t grow up there. My thinking is quite simple; I hope the people of this world will no longer suffer from anything caused by flas. This includes ordinary people, includes those in the Warm Fire Comrce Association, and includes... soone like you, trapped by the power of evil from the Magic Guild."
Hearing this, Capella was already filled with disbelief, "You... you actually don’t see as an enemy?"
Andrew seriously countered, "Why should I have to see you as an enemy?"
Capella retorted, "Because I see you as an enemy! Do you really think after Yorkshire’s death, I could beco friends with you?"
Andrew’s eyes dimd slightly, shaking his head. When he again looked at Capella, a smile blossod on his face as he said with determination, "Precisely because of Yorkshire’s death, you should beco friends with , with the Warm Fire Comrce Association! It wasn’t who killed Yorkshire, nor Barbara, nor himself. It was the Magic Guild! If Yorkshire were still alive, if he truly understood what that new Dragon Transformation Combat Technique was, he wouldn’t let you embrace it. Instead, he would pull you to join us."
Capella murmured, "Crazy, you’re truly crazy."
"Perhaps." Andrew grinned, "You don’t seem to be, though."
Capella was stunned; she understood that Andrew was about to let her leave this inner world and return to her own body. For a mont, Capella even had an instinct not to leave: "Wait, wait a minute!"
Andrew said, "Alright, return to your body and take full control of it. Be your own only master."
As his words fell, Capella felt the light and shadows in front of her change rapidly.
When she ca to, she found herself lying on the ground.
Honestly, this was the weakest mont Capella had felt since becoming a Saintess.
She could no longer feel the Fire of Extinguishing, and the Dragon Transformation Weapon seed unable to be summoned.
"So now, I am still Tier Four in rank, but I no longer have the Dragon Transformation Weapon and Fire of Extinguishing that the new Dragon Transformation Combat Technique gave ? Now I’m just an... ordinary Tier Four Fla Warrior?" Capella thought.
She could hardly believe it and after checking several tis, she suddenly lifted a hand, lying on the ground, covering her eyes, and then laughed.
She hadn’t felt this ordinary and delightfully unburdened feeling in a long, long ti.
This is... the feeling of being alive.
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