Chapter 368: A part of an unknown

'These... This...' Eldrian paused, unable to make sense of things. 'Was that me?' He questioned. The past hour replying in his mind. Finding himself in a state like lucid dreaming, only what he was dreaming was real and fake. 

One moment it would be the battle or the pain of his wounds. The other it might be his fear of losing his friends. Then next it was his fear for his child. 

Wait... His child?

'That isn't right... I have no child. Heck, I've never been with a woman.' It had taken Eldrian some time to break through the anger and realize that not all the things he was feeling were his own emotions or even memories. 

He had thought that many of the memories were false, yet now he recalled something similar had happened before. 'Are these, Medion's memories? Was his anger added to mine?'

Eldrian felt this was right, yet it made no sense. It had all felt so personal, so real. 'And back then, Ziraili's touch had felt just as real.' He countered to his own doubts. 

Eldrian kept trying to sort out his thoughts, time passing unknown to him. If someone or something bothered him he had no kindness for it. He did not even realize he acted, it simply happened. He was just constantly trying to figure out who he was and what was his own memories. 

'I had thought it would just be those few...' Finally, after a few hours, Eldrian managed to come to a point where he could attempt to take control. 

Focusing on it all, he wished to enter the abyss. The Mageia Avyssos. 

Somehow, someway, this was enough. Eldrian found himself not at a spell module, but rather at the heart. Beating softly, ice and fire twirling around it along with a silver... Something, stuck to its side. 

'What are you?' Eldrian wondered.

"Ziraili, are you here?" Eldrian asked, calling out the name causing the silver something to stir. Vibrating was about all it could do, yet it did it with such vigor that Eldrian quickly took note. 

"What are you?" Eldrian asked, Ziraili coming to him with the answer after an unknown amount of time. 

"It is the curse." She said, appearing as a ball of light in the abyss. 

"I thought I broke it," Eldrian said, receiving an apology in return. 

"You did, but... You also accepted it."

"What does that mean?" Eldrian asked completely blindsided by the reply. 

"This is not the curse used on Medion. Rather, it is what was manipulated with the curse. What was inverted, is now reverted and mixed in with your soul."

"My soul?"

"Your avatar's. If you wish I can remo-"

"No," Eldrian quickly cut her down. "Can I... Can I merge with it, or learn from it?"

The reply took some time as Ziraili tried to figure out the same question. "I don't think so, certainly not without Skepsi's help. But... Why would you want to?"

Eldrian did not know how to reply. Saying he did not want to lose the feeling of true love would sound insane. Saying he wanted to know what it felt like to be a parent was even more insane. 

"Give me a moment," Eldrian said, taking his time to try his best to access this silver thing that clung to the floating heart. 

He found it truly easy to connect to the fire, much less so to the ice. Yet no matter how he tried he could not connect to the unknown substance. 

"Is it an aura?" Eldrian asked. 

"No, it is... A collection of experiences. Filled with memories and emotions."

"Is it a piece of his soul?"

"No-" Ziraili paused, realizing that Eldrian's question was not about the souls of those in the simulation. Rather, he was asking from the viewpoint of an Earthling. 

"It might be, depending on your definition of a soul. It is not his ethereal soul, but... It is part of him."

"What would you do with it?" Eldrian asked, he felt saddened by the thought of letting her take care of it. Yet he did not want to become so lost in rage again. He did not want to lose himself. 

"I would remove it."

"How?"

Ziraili did not respond for quite some time, "I am sorry, but that is one of the topics I cannot share. with you."

Eldrian mentally nodded, "You need me to log off, right?"

Eldrian did not wait for a yes, nor did he even bother to leave the Mageia Avyssos. Instead, he thought of his real body and woke on earth. Finding that unlike all the times before he was immediately at home. His body truly felt like his own. 

'What are the others going to say?' Eldrian wondered as he climbed of the chair, deciding to go for a run before going in for questioning. 

Unbeknownst to him, what he did left Ziraili stunned. The system of all the players nearly failing as she almost failed to keep them in mind. 

...

"So pretty," Akarui cheered as the two landed in a glade. A magnificent spring at the one side, a few Alicorns, Unicorns, and Pegasi gathering near it.

"Agamemas," Losios, the pegasus who had carried Erik greeted. "I have brought them."

Turning around, the group of magical creatures looked at the two in curiosity. "Thank you Losios and Xenthe. Zamia, please." Turning to his wife the Alicorn returned to business, his horn still broken but his coat back to pure white. 

"Follow me you two," Zamia said, caroling the two gently with her wings. After taking them a bit away she turned into her elven form. Soft white silk forming as she transformed, hiding most of her figure, yet even so it was clear that she was truly gorgeous. 

Erik was left without words by the sight before him. Her pure white hair flowed past her shoulders, which carried the straps of her silk clothing, the sight of which caused his mouth to water. He had to tell himself to behave just to remember where he was. 

"Faust and Akarui, welcome to avgi. I apologize for the lack of a welcome. Most of our family has gone elsewhere."

"Why?" Akarui asked saddened by Zamia's words. It were those words people had tried to use to explain her parents' death, even though she had witnessed it. 

"No child, I meant they went away to avoid the coming danger."

Hearing this Erik quickly snapped out of his stupor, finally managing to look away from the sights and focusing his view on the forest instead as he asked. "What danger?"

His tone was aggressive, even offensive. Naturally so, he had gone through great lengths to make sure Akarui is safe. 

"For the moment, none," Zamia replied, turning to look at Erik and giggling softly at how he purposefully making sure to not look at her. "However, it would not be hard for the enemy to arrive here."

Seeing that her reply did not help, Zamia explained how this should not be a problem as long as Taurus held. "But enough of that, you came here for help. So, little one." 

Bending down Zamia looked Akarui in the eyes. Erik doing his best to avoid taking advantage of the height difference.  "Why don't you go explore a bit and bring me the most prettiest flower you can."

"Flower? What type of flower?" Akarui asked absolutely adorably. Her worry about the grown-up talk disappearing as she looked at the nice lady before her energetically. 

"That is up to you. There are plenty of flowers in the forest. Why don't go explore for a bit?"

Akarui wanted to immediately rush away. She stopped herself through sheer will and looked at Erik first for approval. After getting it she rushed away as fast as her little legs could carry her. 

"I assume you want to talk about something more serious," Erik said after Akarui disappeared past the tree line. 

"Yes, but I also need to establish how strong her gift is. The forest is truly special, one of the most magical places on the entire Gaia. If she returns with a normal flower then she would have no talent. If she returns with a normal magical flower she might have a low talent-"

"This means?"

"I am not done, please wait for me to finish." Zamia replied, "If she comes back with a high-grade flower then her talent should be significant. However, there are three specific flowers here. If she comes back with any one of them... Then the risk to her life is far more than Nerenth thought."

"What should I hope for then?" Erik asked, looking to where Akarui had disappeared and hoping that she returned with a normal flower. That it was a false alert and that she was not in danger. 

"You should hope she does not come with a flower that even we have missed," Zamia replied, the reply sending shivers down Erik's spine.

...

A battered devil, bleeding nonstop appeared in an abandoned throne room. Yet not even this far a retreat was enough, a dwarf in black armor with bright red gemstones on the chest, helm, and gauntlets soon appeared behind him. Striking without mercy. 

The devil quickly activated the arrays, only to watch in horror as the blade cut through them with ease. His life was saved as his wife arrived and blocked the strike. Yet in her weakened state she could not stand the force, both sent crashing into the floor. 

Amnur gently floated to the ground and looked to the roof. 

"You should be glad that you managed to escape and that your wife sacrificed her arm for you," Amnur said. His strike had continued after breaking her blade and had severed her arm with ease. The wound was one that could not be healed through magic. The same went for Azamud who was riddled with such unhealable wounds. 

"NO! You should be afraid now!" Azamud shouted, shocked that Amnur seemed to not care that he was surrounded by at least five Devil Kings.

"Seems you still do not grasp the ability of my sword." Amnur said, "Choros, Ganalin," Amnur said, disappearing from the spot and reappearing in the Ganalin's secret teleportation hall. The guarding abyssal guards kneeling upon realizing who had returned.