Boom!
The deafening explosion echoed through the air.
On the magic carpet, everyone felt the world spin uncontrollably, accompanied by the relentless sound of cracking and shattering.
"What a shame... Such a precious magic carpet, yet Violanda destroyed it in her rage..."
Amid the chaos, Liora couldn't help but feel a sense of loss.
But honestly, witnessing such a spectacular display of palace intrigue today, she thought it was worth it. Hahaha!
As they watched the carpet split into pieces, Violanda descended from the sky, scanning the smoky ruins below.
Soon, she spotted Eirik and rushed toward him.
"I've finally found you, my love!" Violanda's eyes welled up with emotion as she embraced him tightly amidst the rain of sparkling magic carpet fragments.
"Did you really find him, after all..." Elvynna muttered, her voice soft.
Not far off, Elvynna also descended from the air, her movements cautious.
Earlier, she had been captured after an intense confrontation with Violanda, unable to escape despite all her efforts.
The overwhelming advantage of Violanda—being a Savant Lv5—had shattered all of Elvynna's plans. Even her best strategies were no match for her opponent.
"Hmph, what does it matter that you've found him? If I'm right, there's only half an hour left! What are you going to do now?" Pixie crawled out from the debris, wiping her filthy face as she spoke up.
"Half an hour... not much time, I admit. But for someone like me, it’s far too short—after all, I’m quite... enduring in that department." Eirik couldn't help but mumble to himself.
Violanda didn't respond, simply holding Eirik close.
"Seems like we’ve won, then?" Selene and Liora helped each other, walking over to stand beside Elvynna.
"Looks like it..." Elvynna sighed, massaging her temple. It had been a long day.
Dear husband, why do you attract so many women?!
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"You all think I’ve lost, don’t you? You’re celebrating too soon!" Violanda said nothing aloud, but in her heart, she laughed coldly.
You may have your artifacts, Elvynna. You have your Shard of Rebirth, but do you think I, Violanda, don’t have something up my sleeve?
Her smile was knowing—her last simulation in the life-game had earned her a respectable score.
At that moment, as Eirik felt Violanda's warmth in his arms, he suddenly received a system prompt:
[Violanda has used the Soul Mirror on you.]
*[Soul Mirror: Selects one individual, sending their soul from their body into a dreamscape that belongs only to you both.]*
*[Warning: Time in the dreamscape flows at ten times the speed of reality. The entire dream will last for two hours, equivalent to twelve minutes in the real world.]*
What is this strange item?! Eirik thought with a slight groan.
Suddenly, he felt lighter, and the world around him began to warp and change. Elvynna, Pixie, Selene, and the others faded from view, disappearing into the distance.
The scenery shifted—forest to lake to city—until it finally settled in a room filled with roses.
Eirik blinked in surprise and realized that he was standing in a bridal chamber.
"Husband, what are you waiting for?"
Under the soft candlelight, Violanda, dressed in a pure white wedding gown, gazed at him with a tender expression.
"Wife..." Eirik's eyes became misty, and guilt welled up in his chest.
He remembered the past life, how he and Violanda had been thrust into marriage out of necessity, with no proper wedding. Later, he had thought about giving her a proper ceremony, but Violanda had always refused.
"It's fine, Eirik. We are powerful, after all. What do such petty ceremonies matter to us?" she had said. "Let the world criticize; we don't need to bother with their trivial opinions."
Despite her carefree attitude, after several refusals, Eirik had stopped asking. But now, seeing her in her wedding dress, standing before him so expectantly, he realized that perhaps Violanda had always longed for a grand wedding. And this dreamscape? It was her unspoken wish come true.
In this moment, they were both dressed in their finest, locked in an embrace that would never be interrupted.
"Huh?! Why haven't they moved for so long? They just fell asleep in each other's arms?!"
Pixie, after touching up her makeup, glanced at the couple and gasped.
"They're sleeping... standing up?!" she muttered, perplexed.
Elvynna frowned, a sense of unease creeping in.
She rushed over and tried calling out to them, but they remained unresponsive.
"Let me try!" Pixie pushed forward, reaching for Eirik's face. But she paused just before touching it. I can't hurt him, can I?
Instead, she pinched Violanda's cheek, grinning.
"Hmph, her face is so soft, so beautiful!" Pixie murmured, narrowing her eyes as she pinched Violanda’s cheek hard.
Still no response?!
Liora and Selene also gathered around.
"I think maybe I'm not applying enough pressure," Pixie said, positioning herself to pinch Violanda's cheeks from both sides. She pulled them with all her might, flattening the beautiful face into a pancake-like shape.
"You might be taking this a bit personally..." Liora muttered, stifling a laugh. She couldn’t help but find it amusing, watching Violanda's flushed face.
This was fun, so much fun!
But what would happen when Violanda woke up?
Would she snap back?
If she did, the great Apothecary Master would be reduced to the level of a child, humiliated by Pixie. But if Violanda didn’t snap back, Pixie would certainly feel victorious.
However, no matter how hard Pixie pulled, Violanda remained still, unresponsive.
"Stop pinching them, they're not asleep..." Elvynna observed with a sigh. She gently took Eirik's hand, closing her eyes to concentrate. When she opened them again, a look of realization crossed her face.
"They've left their bodies... their souls are gone!"
Elvynna's heart sank. What was Violanda up to? What kind of trick had she pulled to make their souls vanish? Where had they gone? And what were they doing now?