Chapter 2729: Independent Individuality
Date: Unspecified
Time: Unspecified
Location: Myriad Realms, Card World, Southern Region, Blossom District, Sky Blossom City, TSR Guild Headquarters
"So, are we doing this now or what?" Corey asked, excitedly slapping my back while Hive Spirit and I ran simulations on a new fix Iâd come up with. It was meant to help Corey assimilate Agonyâs unholy core without having to kill her, or trigger a struggle for dominance to begin with.
I hadnât told Corey about the fix yet. I knew it would turn into an argument with her. Everything does. And unless I was completely certain it would work, I didnât want to get dragged into another screaming match.
"Yes, everything checks out. If you somehow manage not to fuck this up, youâll come out as the strongest Card Grandmaster the Myriad Realms have ever seen," I said, sending Corey a party request to make sure I could finish this no matter what kind of tantrum she threw.
No, this wasnât me giving up. It was her being too picky. Too greedy. Iâd spoiled her too much. That was one of the reasons I never involved my clients in the creation process. I just blew them away with the end result. They never left my door unsatisfied or disappointed.
"You make it sound like Iâm all screw-ups. I had my lows, sure, but Iâve had my moments too," Corey remarked. I couldnât tell whether she was stating that or asking for reassurance.
"Yes. Iâm sure you have. Just follow my word to the letter, and this can be one of those moments," I said. The insincerity in my voice was obvious.
Corey rolled her eyes, asking, "So, what is it you need me to do?"
"Donât try to share any of your memories with Agony, and leave the rest to me," I ordered, stressing each word, hoping she understood how important this one simple task was.
"Fine, I wonât. I wasnât planning to anyway," Corey agreed easily.
Her compliance caught me off guard. Corey rarely gave in without pushing back at least once, so the lack of resistance felt strange. I studied her for a moment, trying to decide whether she truly understood the gravity of the situation or if she was simply waiting for a better angle.
So, I chose to repeat myself, explaining, "Iâm serious, Corey. Just because you were able to learn something positive from your past life memories doesnât mean everyone will do the same. Not to mention, Agonyâs upbringing was different from ours. Sheâs an undead, raised in the Dark Realm. She canât relate to our human experiences or common sense. And because of the new changes I made to the plan, if you share your memories with Agony, you could overwhelm her will and end up damaging or even erasing it."
Corey nodded seriously, but then she asked, "By the way, you didnât tell me how you made it work."
"Usually, when a will gets split, the fragments assimilate back without much resistance. But in your case and Agonyâs, itâs different. Even though the two of you are essentially the same, Agony has developed her own individuality. She doesnât want to die or fuse anytime soon. As things stand, youâll have to fight for dominance while trying to assimilate each other. It wonât end quickly either. It will turn into a cycle, back and forth, until one of you kills or erases the other."
I watched Corey carefully as I continued, making sure she understood the implications before I moved to the part she wouldnât like.
"So I decided to remove the root of the conflict. Agonyâs individuality. More precisely, her memories. Without them, she becomes a blank spirit again. You can refine her into your undead flame of agony and stabilize the bond first. After that, you can slowly build new memories with her and strengthen her mind under your control."
Coreyâs expression was unreadable, so I continued, "Once sheâs mentally strong enough, you can return her original memories along with all your memories too. That is if you want to. No pressure," I finished explaining and studied her face, already prepared for her to find something to whine about.
"Okay." Corey nodded. But when she saw the surprise on my face, she added, "As long as she doesnât die, Iâm fine with it. And getting refined into an ego flame with her memories wiped clean should be punishment enough for the way she treated Lilâ Baem."
"Great," I sighed in relief. If she never would have allowed me to remove Agonyâs memories. As a compromise, I would have insisted on sealing them instead. But a seal wouldnât hold during the evolution of her title demon core and soul trait acquisition. It would just become a flaw waiting to rupture at the worst possible moment.
Fortunately, she didnât press further. She agreed without conditions.
"Sounds like a plan. Why arenât you getting started? Whatâs the holdup?" Corey asked when she saw me standing there, staring into the air as if Iâd drifted off into my thoughts.
I wasnât just standing there. I was reaching out to one of my bloodkins, Sansa Baylor.
Just calling her âmy bloodkin, I felt a chill in my soul. I should have killed her the moment I had turned her into a boodkin, but I didnât. Not because she deserved mercy, but because sparing her now would save far more lives in the upcoming wars. The updated three mischief: the Emissary of Light, Karl Masters, and Gideon Grim. Then the four royal families and the central government.
So yes, for now, Sansa was the lesser evil I had chosen to commit.
The reason I thought of Sansa now was because I planned to have her help us remove Agongâs memories and then refine them into a card for Coreyâs peace of mind.
I could do the same by refining Agonyâs will, her unholy core with the help of my primordial soul pupils, but it was a tedious process with a slight risk of damaging the will. Therefore, I decided to call the expert for help.
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