Chapter 597: Cornballs, Assemble!
âIt might, or it will?â Anastasia asked coldly. âIâm starting to think youâre forgetting your place here.â
âBe that as it may, those titans werenât there in the past, were they?â Rael replied. âHonestly⊠as much as I donât want to be the person to tell you this, you need to move on.â
She held onto this memory so dearly as if it were real⊠He could understand, sure.
It was a memory of the time she and her friends were together. The final time, rather.
But now, it was basically a shackle.
How could someone so strong be so naive?
That thought lasted only for a moment as she shifted her hands from his collar to his neck.
âGet out of my head.â
âUgh⊠if youâre going to keep being so stubborn, then why donât you revive them in reality?â Rael shot back. âWith your powers, it wouldnât be difficult to get a soul. Heck, even I could probably get their souls and revive them.â
âThough let me guess, it would tarnish your memory of them? Or is it the other way aroundâŠâ he added, shaking his head as her grip continued to tighten.
âYouâre missing out on learning the truth just so you can feel better for what, another week? What happens afterward? You wake up and feel like shit again?â
For a brief moment, she eased her grip, allowing him to speak again.
âI know that deep down in your heart, youâre skeptical about all of this too. As you already saw, you canât influence time in this dream. Sure, using a lot of power might crack the Dream Realm and give you more leeway, but donât you think what weâre seeing now is a little, well, authentic?â
While on the rooftop, he had a bit of time for himself and his thoughts.
She couldnât alter the time. He couldnât either, even though he should be in complete control here.
The only way she was able to slightly alter this place is by using her actual power⊠so what if this dream weâre seeing is a little more than a dream?
It was a memory, that much was obvious. But what if Anastasiaâs memories were tampered with, and what the two were seeing now was what actually happened?
He knew that exact thought was lingering in her mind right now. In fact, he could guarantee it.
As the silence between them lingered, the other group members stepped in.
âYou two are way too hectic to be around. One minute youâre killing each other, the next, youâre talking about this place not being real. I mean, seriously, are you both on drugs?â the archer asked playfully.
âMm, maybe something really happened that day,â the mage mused. âAna, you did act a little strange this whole past week. You know you can tell us, right?â
As for the swordsman, he kept his thoughts to himself.
However, as innocent and playful as their words sounded, to Anastasia, they were like fireballs, each one stirring up a memory and causing her expression to slightly distort.
And because of that, she eventually turned to her teammates, wearing a smile that didnât quite reach her eyes.
âGabriel, Liz, Arthur⊠how long have we known each other?â
Her teammates tilted their heads in confusion, then answered.
âWeâve all been childhood friends, so I guess 15 years or so. Why?â
âHow many times have we been through this?â Anastasia asked slowly.
The archer, Gabriel, stepped forward and crossed his arms.
âThrough your constant forgetfulness? Probably a hundred times by now.â
Anastasiaâs brow twitched, but right as she opened her mouth to speak, Rael interjected.
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âHow many times have you all died before?â he asked plainly. âRather, how many times have you been plaguing her in her dreams?â
They were now even more confused, but that was sort of his goal.
âNo matter what you say to them, theyâll respond just like your friends. You want to believe this is a dream, but it isnât. Iâm here in Aureliusâs body, andââ
âShut upâŠâ Anastasia cut him off as her mana suddenly exploded, nearly sending him off the wall.
âEver since you showed up, Iâve been going through nothing but annoying circumstance after annoying circumstance. Why⊠if only I could get you out of my head, but youâre like a cockroach. I just canâtâŠâ
She mumbled to herself and then glanced between her friends and Rael. Her mind was in shambles, but with every passing moment, her mature side began slowly taking over.
Eventually, she took a deep breath and walked over to Rael, staring down at him.
âIâm not letting them die.â
âAt this point, I donât really care,â Rael replied flatly. âI just need you toââ
âIf this is really the original memory, then events will play out as they should have. If I abandon them, the events wonât play out like they should. I know for a fact that I wouldnât have abandoned them if this were the past.â
Having said that, Anastasia leaned in slightly.
âFrom this moment on, whatever happens⊠donât you dare make another move. Promise me that, and Iâll cooperate.â
A faint smile appeared on Raelâs face. âEven if making my move will mean the life and death of your friends?â
ââŠâ
âYes.â
His eyes widened for a moment at her reply, but then he simply nodded.
âAlrighty then. Iâll watch from the side, this time for real. If I see one of these guys on the verge of death, I wonât intervene.â
âI donât expect you to. Now buzz off to the side. I have these weird titans to deal with,â Anastasia said, and after pushing him aside, she dropped down to the ground.
She quickly tied her black hair in a bun and rolled up her sleeves, fully prepared to go to battle.
However, right as she was about to march toward the approaching titans, her friends jumped down beside her, their weapons drawn.
From up here, Rael couldnât hear what they were saying, but he had an inkling how this would play out, which sent a shiver down his spine.
These cornballsâŠ
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