"Rio..." she drifted out in a mumble, her voice cracking even in her sleep. "Don’t... don’t go..."
She was sleep-talking, her breath hitching as if she were still reliving those moments in the garden. The paths where her tears had dried were still visible on her cheeks, shimmering faintly under the soft light of the magic lamps.
I didn’t know what had come over me. For a second, the cold, calculating part of my mind—the part that only saw her as a source of resonance—stilled. I was just relieved she had stayed. Without even realizing it, I raised my free hand and softly caressed her head, smoothing back a stray lock of her messy hair.
"It’s okay," I whispered. "I am not going anywhere."
As I spoke, something shifted. A sudden, sharp clarity pierced through my vision, and I saw something truly odd. The world didn’t just look clear; it looked transparent.
I could see her heart beating steadily beneath her ribs. I could see the intricate network of her veins pulsing with life. And most strikingly, I could see her mana—a swirling, crimson fire that burned with an intensity that made my own eyes ache. It was concentrated right at the side of her heart, a miniature sun of pure power.
"Huh?"
My hand instinctively reached out, my fingers twitching as I tried to touch that beautiful, dangerous flame. But I was met with the warmth of her skin and the fabric of her clothes. My fingers didn’t pass through her; they were stopped by the physical reality of her body.
What? Was I hallucinating?
Confused, I pulled my hand back and touched my own face. I softly traced the skin around my eyes, feeling for anything different.
"What is happening?"
The world felt too loud, too bright, too ’visible’. I squeezed my eyes shut, counting to three, and then forced them open again.
As I did, the transparent layers of the world folded back into place. The internal map of her mana and bone vanished, replaced once more by the sight of my sister sleeping peacefully on my bed. Everything had returned to normal.
I sat there in the silence, my heart thumping against my ribs. It wasn’t an illusion. I vaguely remember the screen saying something like ’Void Gaze’. Maybe it was one of its effect.
I looked down at Elena again. She moved slightly, her grip on my hand relaxing just a fraction as the furrow in her brow finally smoothed out.
Maybe it was one of the effects. It had to be. Otherwise, there was no other explanation for seeing through the very fabric of reality.
I looked down at Elena again. She moved slightly, her grip on my hand relaxing just a fraction as the furrow in her brow finally smoothed out.
She looked too vulnerable. Just a few days ago, she was interrogating me, accusing me of being someone else, and treating my presence like a cognitive hazard. Now, she was clinging to me as if I were the only solid thing in her world.
I couldn’t tell if she was trying to save me... or save herself.
I slowly tried to free my hand from her loosened grip, moving my fingers millimeter by millimeter. I needed to get up, to check my reflection, to test this new power—but as I moved just a little, her fingers instinctively clamped down again.
"Mmmm," she hummed softly.
Subconsciously, she raised her head, her eyes still tightly shut, and turned to lay it down on the other side of her arms. Her cheek pressed into the silk of my duvet, her lips pouting slightly as she settled back into her dreams.
I was blown away by her reaction.
She looked too cute. The cold, sharp-edged Princess Elena was nowhere to be found.
[NOTICE: EMOTIONAL RESONANCE DETECTED]
[RESONANCE STABILITY: 10.0% (LOCKED) (MAXED FOR CURRENT STAGE)]
I sighed, resting my head back against the pillow. My hand was still trapped, and my body still felt like it was recalibrating itself to its new ’Supreme Physique.’
I looked at the ceiling, thinking about those glass cages in the darkness. Maybe they were the dragon and the demon in my blood. If I had truly unlocked their traits, then the "trash" prince was officially dead.
But as I felt the warmth of Elena’s hands around mine, I realized that while I had gained the eyes of a monster, I was still stuck in a very human complication.
I looked at the ceiling, trying to gauge the weight of this new existence. Even though the system had announced these grand titles—’Supreme Physique’ and ’Void Gaze’—I didn’t suddenly feel like an unstoppable god. It was more like a foundation had been laid where there was once only rotting wood.
I was still weak. The path to power had opened, but I was at the very beginning of it. I only felt a subtle boost in my physical density and a strange, heightened awareness of the air moving in the room.
And something else.
There was a lingering coldness in my marrow, a remnant of that violet shockwave, that made the warmth of Elena’s hand feel almost... addictive.
"Rio...?"
The voice was small, raspy, and dangerously close.
I froze. Elena’s head shifted. Her grip on my hand didn’t just tighten this time; it jerked. I felt her breath hit my arm as she slowly began to peel her face away from the duvet.
I squeezed my eyes shut, pretending to still be unconscious. It was a cowardly move, but I wasn’t ready to explain what and why that had happened to me.
I heard the rustle of fabric. The chair creaked as she sat up straight. The silence in the room became heavy, thick with the scent of the incense and the salt of her dried tears.
"Please be okay," she whispered. I felt her hand reach out, her fingers trembling as she touched my forehead, checking for a fever that was no longer there.
Then, her touch stopped.
The air in the room seemed to drop by ten degrees. I could feel her gaze.
"Your breathing..." she muttered, her voice turning sharp. "It’s too steady. You’re awake, aren’t you?"