The calm in Yuri’s trembled, breaking the mask of emotions on her face. But only for a moment. Regaining control over her emotions, she supressed everything back into the depths of her Heart, and retained only her rationality, as she looked back at Alnea.

“Are you sure?”

“…I don’t know.”

“…Why did you think that the curse of your fate is back?”

“…My dreams… they are changing…”

“…Are those memories being etched in your mind once again?”

“No,” Alnea said, as he pushed himself off Yuri’s lap, and sat with his face towards her. Her Aspect, floating around her shoulders, were keeping the cave lit enough for him to see her face. And the worry hidden in the depts of her eyes. “I cannot explain it in words… It is as if the dreams are getting closer to me every time that I sleep… Like they are happening beside me… Even I don’t understand what I am experiencing. I just know that my dreams are changing.”

“…The change also be because of something else. Like your increase in strength. Or—

“Inkah’s month is almost here, Yuri. Did you forget what that Heterodox Wanderer had said?”

“We still don’t know—

“I know.”

“…Have you noticed anything else?”

“…The strike that I used to cut the Twin Tailed Python Tiger’s paw. I don’t know what happened back then. I was fighting the tiger, and all of a sudden, thoughts of my Oaths began to fill my head. Next thing I knew, my sword passed through the tiger’s leg as if it was passing through water. There was no resistance. Do you believe I am capable of something like that?”

“…It could be because of Roots.”

“Fine. Then what about the strange state that I often enter when practising my sword. All kinds of thoughts enter my head—

“It could be because of your Aspects—

“Thoughts, that only Alnea Oathkeeper of the world of Attuners could have.”

“…Why didn’t you tell me about it before?”

“…Because those thoughts were so subtle, that I did not even notice them until I woke up just now.”

“…What did you notice?”

“…Something is wrong with my Spirit…”

“…Are you sure?”

“…Do you remember how I described my first Wandering into the Origin Sea?”

“About the Aspects choosing to communicate with you on their own?”

“No… the other thing. About feeling that something was calling out to me from the depths of the Origin Sea.”

“…Do you still feel that call?”

“No… But I felt the emptiness of my Spirit… as if something was missing in my Spirit… and it was desperately seeking things to make up for its flaws. That feeling has almost faded away, but I am sure of what I felt when I woke up. A resonance with my Spirit, that made me feel as if…”

“As if?”

“…Anyways, I just know that something is wrong with my Spirit. And that the curse of my fate can act up at any moment. Just like how it acted up in Anneve, leading Heterodox Wanderers to destroy the city. And with the Heterodox Wanderers coming after me again… I just don’t want you two to suffer from the curse of my fate.”

“…Fool,” Yuri said after a few moments of silence. “Did your head break down with your Spirit?”

“…What do you mean?”

“If your curse truly begins acting up, then big sis Nyssa would be the first person to respond. She would not put your—our lives in danger.”

“…Maybe master wants me to handle it on my own.”

“Us,” Yuri said, emphasising the word so much, that she did not even bother using the rings to talk. “She wants us to handle the curse. We are a team. Be it Oren Beasts, Heterodox Wanderers, Thralls, or any other threats, we will face it together.”

“…Even if that is the case, it still does not change my current situation. My Spirit—

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“It changes everything,” Yuri said, with determination shining in her eyes. “At the very least, we know that whatever the danger is, it is not something that we cannot handle.”

“…What should we do then?”

“…Our only clue right now is the change in your dreams. And the only thing we can do now is to make sure that you do not have those dreams again.”

“I do not control my dreams. They come to me whenever I sleep.”

“Then we just have to make sure that you do not sleep.”

“…How are we going to do that?”

“You can try stuffing your Spirit with Oren to the limit of your control, so that if you dare to sleep, then all the Oren will run amok, and wake you up.”

“…Are you an Abyssal?”

“Or I can just keep talking with you from time to time to make sure that you have not fallen asleep.”

“…Will that not hinder your training?”

“I can have the leisure to talk with you casually when I am Wandering the Origin Sea. Do you think I will have problem doing the same when training some Martial Styles, or tempering my Heart?”

“Fine. It is about time I completely replace sleeping with meditations anyway.”

“Good. Then next—

“But what if it still does not change anything? What if my Spirit still continues feeling broken, and empty?”

“…Your situation should get better once your Spirit Power breaks through to the Intermediate Stage.”

“…But the curse—

“We will face it together.”

“…Fine. Fine. You win. We will face everything together.”

“Finally, you managed to get some sense in your head.”

“Speaking of us… where is Cecilia? And why are you here?”

“…Why? Are you not happy to see me?”

“Of course, I am happy to see you,” Alnea said shamelessly. “But shouldn’t you be guarding outside, while Cecilia and I recover?”

“…You were clearly enjoying my lap earlier. But the moment you wake up, you are looking for someone else. What a heartless man…”

“…Why are you making it sound like I am some kind of pervert?”

“Because you are a pervert,” Yuri said, replacing the fake forlorn look on her face with giggles. “The faces you made while resting on my lap…”

“…That was my dream, not me.”

“I did not say what kind of faces you were making. Why are you so nervous?”

“…Who is nervous? Me? Never.”

“Is that so?” Yuri said, and leaned forward, looking directly into his eyes. Alnea, however, was not looking at just her eyes, but also at her face, not even an inch apart from his. Their noses were practically touch each other. And he could even hear breaths. He could feel the air she was exhaling on his skin. He could—

Alnea gulped, and forced himself out of his daze, just as he forced himself to back away from the crazy girl, only to end up falling on his back.

“Who is nervous now?” Yuri said, filling the cave with her giggles. “How long are you going to keep lying on the ground?”

Urging his Aspects to hide the embarrassment on his face, Alnea pushed himself back into a seating position, one a little farther away from the white haired girl, earning even more of her giggles.

“How long have I been asleep?”

“Probably around three to four hours.”

“…Can Cecilia keep guard on her own?”

“She is an Intermediate Stage False Wanderer now. And is much more experienced than before. Keeping guard on her own should not be a problem. You do not have to worry about her too much. For now, worry about yourself. How long do you think it should take you to break through your bottleneck?”

“…Probably around half a month.”

“That’s too long,” Yuri said, shaking her head. “If there truly is a problem with your Spirit, then strengthening it should be the best solution. And the sooner we do it, the better it would be for you.”

“But we experienced a Fortune Spring just a few days ago… It should take me some time to—

“Five days. I will help you break through your bottleneck in five days.”

“…How?”

“By making you continuously temper yourself on the line between life, and death. The greater the danger you face, the more it will stimulate your potential.”

“…We are already facing advanced phase Oren Beasts. What greater danger are you going to make me face?”

“…I have an idea or two, but it will take me some time to think of a plan. For now, you should go Forge your Spirit. Even if it cannot help you break through right away, it should still temper your Spirit Power to some extent.”

“Shouldn’t I go help Cecilia?”

“She can take care of herself. Rather, she was the one who asked to keep guard by herself. Stop worrying about her, and go Forge your Spirit.”

“…And she says that I nag her like her mother,” Alnea mumbled under his breath, only for Yuri to pinch his nose.

“What did you say?”

“I said you are omniscient, great heiress of Faed clan! I am going to Forge my Spirit right away!”

“That’s what I thought,” Yuri said, nodding with an amused smile, as she let go of his nose. After a moment though, she put on a solemn face, and said, “Don’t overreach yourself while Forging your Spirit. I will think of ways to help you break through, so you do not have to be too impatient.”

“I know. I may be reckless at times, but I am not suicidal.”

“Says the man who put a dagger on his neck, and dove right into the midst of Heterodox Wanderers.”

“…It has almost been four months since then. Just how long are you going to tease me?”

“…Till I find something even more interesting to tease you with,” Yuri said with a smile. “Now, go, Forge your Spirit. I also need to go to the Origin Sea.”

“…Be careful in your Wanderings.”

“As long as you don’t worry me to death, nothing will happen to me.”

“…Alright, I will just worry you till you cry then,” Alnea said with a laugh, and hurriedly closed his eyes, entering his Spirit State to Forge his Spirit before Yuri could find fault with him.