Chapter 156: Something inside me

Eden stepped toward her.

"What do you mean? We just started talking!"

"I know."

She tried to straighten herself, but the effort seemed to cost her more energy than she could spare.

"Something within you has been attempting to pull you out of my consciousness ever since we began speaking. I have been keeping it at bay, but maintaining this connection has consumed far more of my remaining energy than I anticipated."

Eden’s expression hardened.

"Something inside me?"

The red cracks spread farther.

One passed directly beneath his feet, splitting the white expanse into jagged fragments. Beyond it, there was nothing but darkness.

Eden felt a strange pressure against his mind.

It felt like a Voice he knew was there, but couldn’t hear.

A presence he subconsciously knew existed, without a single clue stating it was real.

Whatever it may have been was unmistakably hostile toward the conversation itself.

Whatever it was, it did not want him here.

And it certainly didn’t want him learning more about Mendax.

Eden clenched his fists.

"Can you tell what it is?"

Nyx shook her head.

"Not with the time I have left."

"Then we need to get you out of here. Can you stop whatever is happening?"

"No."

Her answer was quiet, but firm.

"This is my consciousness, yet even I cannot sustain it indefinitely. I am already weakened from maintaining the connection, and whatever is inside you is becoming increasingly difficult to resist."

Eden looked around.

The red cracks were spreading faster now.

The white scenery flickered violently, and distant fragments of the void seemed to peel away into nothingness.

He could feel the pull against his consciousness growing stronger.

Something was dragging him back.

He had no idea whether resisting it would help or make matters worse.

"Then tell me what I need to know before we lose the chance," he said.

Nyx looked at him.

For a moment, she seemed to consider the request.

"You really are determined to learn everything, aren’t you?"

Nyx smiled faintly.

"Unfortunately I don’t have enough time."

She took a small step toward him.

"But there is something I can still do for you."

Eden frowned.

"What?"

Nyx didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, she brought her hands together before her chest, fingers interlaced in a gesture that resembled prayer.

A soft radiance spread through the void, momentarily pushing back the red cracks around them. The pressure against Eden’s mind faltered, and the pull threatening to tear him away weakened for a brief instant.

Nyx closed her eyes.

A faint light gathered between her palms.

Then Eden heard the familiar chime of the System.

[System Notification]

[Nyx, Ruler of Sorcery, has bestowed her blessing upon you.]

Eden’s eyes widened.

"...What?"

He stared at the notification, reading it twice to make sure he hadn’t misunderstood.

Nyx opened her eyes.

"I cannot explain the full nature of this blessing before our connection collapses," she said, her voice growing weaker. "But it will help you in a moment of crisis."

Eden looked at her.

"Wait. What kind of crisis? What does it actually do?"

"I’m sorry."

Nyx’s expression was genuinely apologetic.

"I do not have the strength."

The red cracks surged forward.

The white expanse began to collapse around them, fragments of light breaking apart and disappearing into the darkness beyond. The pressure against Eden’s consciousness intensified until he could barely maintain his footing.

He reached toward Nyx.

"Will I ever see you again?"

She looked at him for a long moment.

"Yes, but I’ll need time to gather my strength again.

"Give me around Three Months time on Earth’s standard."

Eden’s expression twisted.

"Three months?"

"That is how long I will need to accumulate enough energy to establish another connection. I am afraid I cannot shorten that period."

Eden stared at Nyx. Her weakened state was almost pitiful to look at.

For a brief instant, Eden wasn’t a ruler in the making, standing before an ancient goddess.

He was simply a young man speaking with someone who had been alone for far too long.

Nyx stepped closer.

"Eden."

"Whatever happens from here, do not assume that every answer will be pleasant. The history of us Rulers is filled with mistakes, betrayals, and choices that cannot be undone."

Her expression softened.

"But the mistakes of those who came before you do not have to define the choices you make."

Eden remained silent.

He wasn’t sure what to say.

Maybe because he understood what she meant.

Perhaps because he wasn’t certain whether he wanted to become the sort of being she was describing.

Nyx opened her arms.

"Come here."

Eden blinked.

’...Huh?’

He hesitated.

Then, awkwardly, he stepped forward.

Nyx embraced him.

Her arms wrapped gently around his shoulders, and for a moment, Eden simply stood there, uncertain how to react.

He wasn’t accustomed to this.

’What’s this...?’

The embrace was strangely warm.

Not merely physically warm, but comforting in a way he couldn’t quite explain. It carried no demand, no expectation, and no hidden threat. For the briefest moment, the endless white expanse seemed peaceful again.

Eden’s hands hovered awkwardly at his sides.

Then, slowly, he returned the embrace.

"Thank you," he murmured.

Nyx smiled against his shoulder.

"Don’t falter from your path, no matter what."

The red cracks spread across nearly the entire void.

The light surrounding Nyx flickered, and her figure began to grow faint.

"Remember, Eden. You are not obligated to become what others expect of you."

Her voice reached him as though from a great distance.

"Not even we Rulers."

Eden tried to respond, but the pressure against his consciousness suddenly intensified.

The world lurched.

Nyx released him, her expression filled with a quiet sadness.

"Until we meet again."

The white scenery shattered.

And Eden was pulled away.

He gasped.

The familiar air of the temple filled his lungs.

Eden staggered backward, nearly losing his balance as his consciousness snapped back into his body. He reached out instinctively, catching himself against the edge of the circular platform.

For several seconds, he couldn’t do anything except breathe.

The enormous chamber was exactly as he remembered it.

The green crystal stood before him, its surface shimmering softly beneath the dim light. Inside it, the white-haired woman remained suspended in her peaceful slumber, the halo above her head glowing faintly.

Nyx.

The Ruler of Sorcery.

Eden slowly straightened.

"...Holy shit."

He pressed a hand against his forehead.

His head felt heavy, as though he had spent hours listening to someone explain the history of the universe without taking a single break.

Which, considering what had just happened, wasn’t far from the truth.

A familiar voice suddenly echoed inside his mind.

[Master?!]

’Sylvia—’

Her voice was sharp with concern.

[What happened? One moment I could feel your presence, and the next it was as though you had fallen unconscious! I tried to reach you, but I couldn’t sense anything!]

Eden closed his eyes briefly.

"Calm down."

[How am I supposed to calm down?! You were standing perfectly still, and then—]

"I’m fine."

[Master...]

[Are you certain?]

"Yes."

There was a brief silence.

Then Sylvia spoke again, her voice noticeably more cautious.

[So, what actually happened to you, Master?]

Eden looked at the crystal.

The woman inside it remained motionless, her expression as serene as before.

Eden let out a long sigh.

"You could say I met and talked to a Ruler."

He turned away from the crystal and began walking toward the temple’s exit.

His footsteps echoed through the chamber, each one carrying him farther from the woman who had just changed his understanding of the world.

Sylvia remained silent for a moment, though Eden could still feel her concern through their connection.

Finally, she asked, more gently this time, [Are you really all right?]

Eden slowed.

He looked down at his hands.

They were trembling slightly.

He wasn’t certain why, but shrugged it off to the intensity of everything he had just learned.

He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to feel about any of it.

But one thing was certain.

The world was far more complicated than he had ever imagined.

Eden exhaled slowly.

"...I’ll explain everything on our way out."

Sylvia hesitated.

Then she answered quietly.

[All right, Master.]