Vaizer was dying of both curiosity and shame—not to talk of the unbearable pain that tore him apart from within—but no one was willing to tell him anything.

Not only had he lost his trump card, but he was now completely powerless. Vaizer felt like dying.

‘J-just… kill me…’

“You were stronger than anything I imagined. For that, you have my respect.” Asa said, however his glare only deepened.

“But, you hurt Miss Vida. That is a crime I can never forgive you for. You also betrayed your people and joined the Cult that is responsible for wiping out my friends and family… your own people!”

At this point, Asa was seething with rage.𝚘𝚟𝐿xt.𝐜𝗈𝑀

“Maro said you’ll be feeling so much pain that it would be considered unbearable. I hope that’s true.” The boy suddenly grinned.

“You should suffer.”

‘Damn brat!’ Vaizer groaned internally, watching as Asa flicked his card in the air as though it was a toy.

“Hey, Asa! Be careful with that Arcana!” Maro angrily yelled at the boy, causing him to finally cease his playful action.

“Yeah, yeah… what about Miss Vida?”

Asa knew she suffered some severe injuries, but shouldn’t she had been healed at this point? Or, perhaps…

“She’s completely healed, but she hasn’t gained consciousness yet.” Maro answered.

His tone sounded sullen, and his face also displayed confusion.

Naturally, Aloe should have awoken after her Mana and health had been restored, yet she was still unconscious.

“Could it be a side effect of that form she took at the last minute? It looked incredibly dangerous and powerful too…” The Magic Scholar murmured.

“H-hey! If anything happens to Miss Vida, you’ll—”

“Keep quiet, brat. I’m thinking here!”

Once Asa heard Maro snap, he found himself keeping silent. Was he scared of the man? No. It was just…

“Y-you’re lucky Miss Vida said to listen to you.” With that, Asa puffed his cheeks and kept a pout.

He watched Vaizer while Maro examined Aloe even further. Neither of them knew what was going on…

… For it was beyond mere comprehension.

*

*

*

“Where… am I?” A voice echoed through a vast space.

Aloe, the sole person within, wondered if the voice was hers. The question in the nervous voice, as though being stated by multiple persons at once.

Why was that so? Did it have something to do with the place she found herself in? No doubt, it did.

Around Aloe Vida were mirrors. Multiple mirrors that reflected her. They centered on the young girl’s location, everything capturing several moments of her existence—from different perspectives as well.

‘This place is… I can’t sense anything at all.’

>SHIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGG<

A brilliant illumination appeared from above, causing the young woman to raise her head. Her eyes widened as she witnessed it falling… the Arcana she had been searching for.

“T-the Moon?” Aloe murmured as she saw it descend.

However, just as the card drew closer to her, something else began gathering.

Light particles emanated from all the mirrors around her, and Aloe felt her heart resonate with the light fragments that formed.

It started to take form, and before long, it took the shape of a woman.

She was clad in a white gown, and her flawless skin was pale. She had white hair, and a black spot under her left eye and her lip. A brilliant green glow appeared in her irises, and she put on a gentle smile.

The woman clad in white floated in the air and took hold of the Arcana, descending slowly in Aloe’s direction.

‘Even though she took the Arcana… why do I feel at ease?’ Aloe simply watched, as though in a trance, until the woman floated right in front of her.

“You… there’s something different about you.” The pale woman spoke in a warbling tone.

She seemed to indicate surprise—as though something was wrong with Aloe. It puzzled the young lady.

“Ah, I don’t mean that in a bad way. I just mean… your Soul has a peculiar form. You must have… reached the Root, right? Or maybe you touched it?”

“Wha—? I don’t understand… what you’re saying?” Aloe Vida muttered.

She was totally confused.

“Aether. I mean, Aether. You’ve come into contact with it. And I mean, direct exposure. Your Soul is gleaming with the stuff. You didn’t notice?”

Aloe was hearing the total stranger speak about stuff like Aether as though it was common sense, but she didn’t even know what that was.

“Haha, I see. You must not know what it is then. I understand. But it’s such a waste, really. You could be so much more if you knew.”

Aloe felt like she was missing out on a lot. The friendly nature of the woman got her curious. Plus, this was her soul she was referring to.

“C-could you teach me?” She whispered her question, not exactly confident in her proposition.

“Hmm, should I? I don’t know…”

The blond young lady didn’t know what to say. Her elegant, ghost-like conversation partner didn’t seem to particularly mind. Perhaps she could insist?

“Your Mana must be increasing at a steady rate, right? I’m sure your Soul pumps out more Mana than usual, and your Mana Core— correction, Mana Cores—absorb them at a much faster rate. You recover your Mana easily, and you keep getting stronger. Are those symptoms accurate?”

Aloe Vida was beyond astounded. The ghost lady got it all spot on.

“Y-yeah. You’re exactly right!”

“Well, Mana and Miasma are just two sides of the same coin. It’s only natural that your Soul pumps out what your body is capable of receiving. It should have matured into Aether by now, though.”

“Y-yeah, you’re right. So teach me.” Aloe didn’t believe she was doing this… but she simply had to ask.

The ghost lady stared at her. It seemed even she was stunned by Aloe’s approach. Then—

“Haha! I like your spunk, girl. You know, I was already impressed that you got access to Aether at such a young age. Plus, these multiple Mana Cores, such a wonderful innovation.”

Aloe felt a little guilty since she didn’t really achieve any of that, but she just laughed in response to the woman’s praise.

“Yeah, hahaha…”