Chapter 176: Forgemaster

"It was to save her life," Bella said sharply. "But that has nothing to do with what I’m asking. Why do you remain and torment her with visions?"

Bella gained an annoyed look. "It’s time you left. I’ll be pulling this fragment of your consciousness away from her."

Bella’s expression hardened. "Then leave yourself. It makes no sense why you’re choosing to remain there."

Bella’s eyes narrowed. "What exactly are you doing? Explain it."

Bella sighed in frustration, raising her right hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose. She shook her head. "You say you’re me and I am you, but whatever it is you’re doing to this girl doesn’t seem like what I would do."

Then she pulled her hand back and added, "Moreover, if you ask me, I’m being helpful. Has the girl not reached an even better potential?"

The dark version widened her hands in exasperation, then sighed. "Okay, okay, fine. I’ll stop."

Bella stared at her for a moment, her expression serious. "Since you won’t tell me the reason why you’re doing what you’re doing. Then tell me this, and tell me honestly. Will it ever put her life in danger?"

Bella exhaled. "What if I need to save another life the same way? Would you latch onto this other person like some parasite?"

Bella stared at her for a moment longer, then let out a sigh.

Bella’s expression turned flat again. "That’s my private life."

Bella sighed and shook her head, but said nothing more.

[Flashback Scene Ends]

Bella had just finished narrating everything about the entity to Ethan. She started from the beginning, explaining how she had first realized it had always been there, even as a little child.

And then she recounted the most recent incident. The brief conversation they had just had inside Bettie’s subconscious space.

He paused, trying to process it all. "So this is like... an alter ego?"

Ethan sighed. "I don’t like this."

But Ethan quickly noticed and reached out, placing his hand over her cheek gently. "I mean the hold this alternate you has on Bettie. Not about the alternate version itself."

"I’m worried about it too," she said quietly. "But I know the visions and dreams will end now. She should be fine after today."

And they both looked really thoughtful in their silence.

A few days later...

This structure was the aircraft , with incomplete sections waiting to be filled.

Ethan had both hands stretched wide, and arcs of electrical charge streamed from his palms in controlled bursts, traveling down toward scattered metal panels lying on the workshop floor below.

The panels began to vibrate, then slowly lifted off the ground. They rose into the air, guided by the electric field Ethan was generating, and floated toward their designated positions on the aircraft’s frame.

But Ethan wasn’t done.

He moved methodically, piece by piece, his hands conducting an invisible orchestra of metal and electricity.

"It’s like I’m watching a Forgemaster," Lucy whispered, her voice filled with awe.

-

Attached to this text is a generated image that fits closely to what Ethan is doing. Just incase you missed it earlier.