"I never realized he and the boy were one and the same—"
"SHUT— SHUT UP!!"
Naomi screamed out loud, her face instantly becoming red.
She then glared at the Ancient Spirit and—
"I was only a child back then. I did not know any better!"
Aevrienne frowned at that.
"No, I remember the way you talked about him. You were definitely attracted to him when yo—"
"Aevrienne!"
Naomi raised her voice again. Then, she looked at Aevrienne with this desperate look on her face and—
"Do. Not. Tell. Him."
Aevrienne just stared at her with utter confusion.
"Do not tell him, okay?"
"...Why?"
"Just..."
Naomi then tried to calm herself down.
"What I’m saying is...
You’re wrong about him.
He isn’t something I need to escape from or need protection from."
"Yes, I understand that now."
"And if your power comes with the condition that I have to distance myself from Lucian, then I— wait, what? You understand?"
Naomi blinked in surprise.
"I now know who he is."
Aevrienne smiled.
Naomi kept staring at her for a moment and seeing her expression, Aevrienne chuckled.
"And it was adorable how you were prepared to abandon my power for his sake."
Naomi’s mouth twitched, she was losing it again, the last thing she wanted was for Lucian to hear this conversation or she could already imagine him repeating it everywhere he went.
For now, however, she focused on the more important part.
"So you accept him?"
"If you believe he is still the same as the boy you once told me about, then I will trust your judgement."
Aevrienne nodded and the next moment—
A big smile appeared on Naomi’s face.
"So the contract...?"
Aevrienne watched the large smile on Naomi’s face for a moment, then—
"Come."
She extended her hand.
Naomi looked at it, then at Aevrienne, then back at the hand as her eyes started to shine.
"...Wait."
"What?"
Aevrienne frowned.
"Is this it?"
"It?"
"Are we finally here?"
"Where?"
"Forming the contract."
"...Yes?"
Naomi straightened almost immediately, her earlier embarrassment disappeared so quickly that it was almost impressive.
"So this is actually happening."
She muttered excitedly.
"I am about to form a contract with an Ancient Spirit AND get superpowers."
The geek inside her was awakening, realising the potential of what the future might hold for her.
Naomi then took a deep breath, then, a big grin appeared on her face as she prepared herself.
"Okay."
Aevrienne only stared at the girl.
Naomi grabbed her hand.
"I’m ready."
"...You seem considerably more enthusiastic now."
"I am!"
Naomi nodded with the same big grin. Her attention, however, remained on the silver light that had started gathering around their joined hands.
This was it.
This was actually it.
She had been dying for a moment like this since the day Evelyn moved that glass. Yes, she knew it all came with a cost, even a life-threatening one, but...
She was still excited.
She couldn’t help herself.
Demons.
Vampires.
Werewolves.
Witches.
Secret organizations.
Ancient artifacts.
Everything she only considered a fantasy, it was all real, how could she not dive into such a world?
No human could resist this temptation.
Not to mention, according to Lucian, she was getting the best of the best powers.
The power of an Ancient Spirit!
Naomi’s heartbeat accelerated as she thought about that possibility.
Aevrienne noticed that.
"You are nervous."
"I am excited."
She answered almost instantaneously, as if showing her mind was prepared for anything.
Aevrienne smiled at that, this was... a different side of her.
A side she... hadn’t seen in years.
A side that... did not look gloomy.
Her smile turned even more gentle, just then, hundreds of thousands of silver roads formed around them.
Naomi stared at it all with her mouth agape.
Then, every path in this endless space began turning towards her.
"...That is so cool."
Naomi looked around, her eyes were practically glowing.
"This is ridiculously cool."
Aevrienne chuckled again, looking at Naomi like a proud mother staring at her foolish, yet very capable daughter.
Then, she placed two fingers on Naomi’s forehead, a bright silver light flashed, blinding everyone. Naomi instinctively closed her eyes and when she opened them—
The place she was in was gone and she...
She was standing in front of the old shrine.
"Wha...?"
Naomi blinked.
For a moment, she thought she was dreaming.
Her eyes fell on Aevrienne’s idol that she had cleaned she didn’t know how many times.
It was dirty again, she should clean it.
But just as she thought about moving towards it, she noticed Aevrienne standing beside her and she finally realised it.
"Oh."
Aevrienne tilted her head, wondering what the ’oh’ was for.
"So this is the inner world they talk about. Or the sea of consciousness? The mind realm?"
She nodded knowingly.
"The what?"
Aevrienne only frowned.
"Nothing."
Naomi shook her head.
She probably should not use novels as a reference.
She didn’t even like reading novels that much, anime was better.
"Please continue."
Naomi nodded again. Aevrienne stared at her for a moment, then, she started slowly walking towards the shrine.
"An Anchor is not merely someone who borrows my Authority."
She spoke as she placed her palm against the stone idol.
"When I have no Anchor, I remain bound to my shrine."
Just then, thin cracks began appearing all over the stone and silver light started coming out of them.
It looked as though the silver light was trying to break out.
"I sleep."
Aevrienne spoke again as another crack appeared on her idol.
"I wait."
More cracks appeared.
"Until someone capable of carrying my road appears."
BOOOOOOM
The entire shrine shattered, filling the entire place with silver light. Naomi flinched at that. Then, she blinked in surprise when she saw thousands of silver fragments stop in the air.
The fragments then started circling around her, she instinctively started turning with them, as if she was following the energy.
Aevrienne noticed that and it made her nod inwardly.
"When you become my Anchor..."
She spoke as one of the glowing fragments moved towards her.
"...my shrine ceases to be the place I return to and I...
I... return to you instead."
Aevrienne spoke and as she did—
One of the fragments touched Naomi’s chest.
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