A visit... Or so would Novus have called it, even though the others were currently enacting their part in the plan they made: though it made him feel bad that he was simply standing by as the others were working hard on the front lines, he was all too certain that they wouldn't even need his help in the first place– after all, each of them was capable of levelling even entire mountains with the individual power they possessed, and it was all too certain that they definitely wouldn't encounter any problems in the future.
Anastasia was mostly able to move around without stress or strain anymore, and as such, she was brought back to her isolated home surrounded by the frozen forests in all its lonesomeness. Alas though, despite the successful recovery his 'mother' made, it was still better to be safe than sorry– there was only one more month before she could finally use her revitalised body to its fullest, and it would be better for her to take the time to fully recover before anything else.
Despite the freezing weather outside the castle however, the room they were in had been kept rather warm, and it was all in due thanks to its life-supportive functions, specifically the heat generators that provided the necessary heat that allowed the residents to remain comfortable within the castle's quarters.
As for the reason why he went to visit his mother all of a sudden... Novus had been called by her to come there for an unexplained reason, and of course, he simply paid heed and decided to head there as soon as possible: there weren't any downsides to it in the first place, and it would also allow him to check up on her condition for today...
"This tea you made... It's quite good. It's nothing like I've ever tasted before... Where the hell did you learn to make it?"
"Speranza taught me a few things when she paid me a visit earlier. I'm surprised you actually find it good. Personally, I find it quite bland."
"Well, that explains everything... She's scarily good when it comes to maid work. She's even better than Whitlea, even though Speranza's supposed to be more combat-oriented than her."
Anastasia would let go of the cup and place it on the table for a while, a gentle smile forming on her face as she chuckled a bit for a moment.
"Speranza's vessel was supposed to be the new body that Whitlea would have. It was my way of making sure you stay safe in your journeys outside... However, since you were so eager in rushing to leave my side back then... I instead rushed the design and made it so that they were both separate entities entirely." the dragoness remarked. "In the end, I created a uniquely new being whose personality and set of abilities were drastically different from that of Whitlea's. However, I do find it quite amusing that their personalities are... Somewhat the exact opposites."
"Yeah, Whitlea's quiet and usually keeps to herself... Unless she's around me though. On the other hand, Speranza's always so bubbly and cheery, even when she manages to screw up and do something embarrassing." Novus spoke of their differences with a sigh. "Although, knowing you, I think you intentionally did this... It's in your personality to do intriguing things like that, after all."
"Well, in any case, I'm glad those 2 get along despite their differences..." Anastasia said with a shrug. "Ah, speaking of Speranza and Whitlea however... I have a... Problem that I wanted to talk to you about..."
"???"
The expression on her face would suddenly become a bit stern, as if she was about to confront him with some form of issue that was bothering her mind, and Novus quickly found himself a bit unsettled as he noticed it.
"My child... You seem to have surrounded yourself with a lot of women, hm?" a slightly dark smile reappeared on her lips as she uttered this. "Surely that, even in your 'past life', you remember that having multiple love interests is bad, right?"
"It would severely disappoint me if you were going to form some sort of... Harem in the future. You don't plan on doing something sickening like that, right~?"
"... I-it's not like that... I just went on to gather like-minded people for my cause... And most of them just happened to be women..."
"Oh? Is that so? If so, then of course you'd be willing to promise me something, yes?"
Novus, of course, quickly relented, not wanting to provoke his adoptive mother's ire any further. "Y-yeah... Sure, what is it...?"
"You can only choose one of them. I won't allow you to be involved in any heinous acts of polygamy." she stated with a serious tone, the eerie smile on her face still remaining upon her lips as she spoke. "If you so much as marry more than one, and if you would even become so bold as to try and make love with multiple of them..."
"I will personally give you an ass-whooping you'll never forget, do you understand~"
Novus stuttered a bit as he replied to her request... Or rather, her demand. "Y-yes, of course, mother... I already have someone I love among them anyway, and I don't plan on being unfaithful..."
The barely concealed anger quickly faded away, as her grin turned into that of a gentle one. "Good, then. May I know who this sole love interest of yours is?"
Novus gave her a brief stare, almost as if the answer was supposed to be apparent to her by now.
"Who else? It's Whitlea, of course. Besides you, she's the only woman who's been with me the longest, and we've been together since childhood. I really thought that it would've been obvious to you though."
For a moment, a look of concern temporarily became her expression, though it would quickly fade and flash away as it only lasted for a single second. "... Hmm... Well, you did make a good choice. But..."
"But?"
"She has a... Slightly dominant personality, as far as I'm aware. I remember tweaking her to be that way so that you'd have someone to keep you in check when I'm not around, but it's very interesting how it led to things I couldn't have expected... I wonder how the 2 of you do it whenever you..." she mentioned, before she quickly stopped what she was saying and spoke again after a few moments. "... Ah, pardon what I said, I got too carried away with my thoughts..."
"..."
"... Ahem... By the way..." Anastasia quickly cut in as she tried to dispel the short, yet awkward silence that ensued. "You're most likely wondering why I told you to come here, correct?"
"Indeed I am. Come to think of it, why did you call for me to come here all so suddenly? It's not like you to-"
"Well, to put it plainly... It's something incredibly important." her eyes suddenly began radiating with their signature orange lights, a sign that she was using her power again, though what Novus couldn't understand was why she was using it right now of all times.
"What do you mean?"
"You'll understand it soon enough, my child. Don't worry, it will probably be a... Relatively quick meeting, to say the least."
"H-hold on, what are you going to do to me-"
[Translocate.]
A radiant light would suddenly engulf the young prince, bringing him to a faraway, yet familiar realm where he had already been a long time ago...
________________________________________
"... What the hell... What did that crazy old woman just do...?"
Novus was brought into the same old place where he had once been after his supposed death: a dark, spine-chilling void whose coldness was enough to induce frostbites, yet for some reason, he found it completely unnecessary to breathe, and he couldn't even feel the pain that should have been induced upon him by its hostile presence.
Shit... His mind spoke subconsciously as his thoughts raced in panic, all while confusion became the main emotion that plagued his mind for the next few minutes that passed by– what did his 'mother' just do to him? Did she perhaps suddenly annihilate him with a mere gust of power? The only way he reached this place in the past was because of his death, and perhaps it was also the same excuse as to why he had been thrown into this cruel, empty space of nothingness.
It would have appeared that he would become stuck within this dark realm's embrace for eternity, as he wasn't sure whether he would be given another chance by that voice... More importantly though, if he had indeed been killed so suddenly by Anastasia, what could have been her reasons for doing so?
Suddenly, though, another peculiar change would take place, not in front of his eyes, but one that would reach his ears directly...
"Don't be so distressed. You were sent here by her, you weren't killed, and your body is still in one piece."
And there it was, that voice that spoke to him in the past, the same being who had previously given him the chance to live again: it had a gentle tone that Novus was incredibly familiar with, and it would also be the newfound source of hope that would help him understand the situation he was in.
Although, what the voice had stated just now... That he had simply been brought to this place and hadn't been killed at all... Instead of achieving its intentions of alleviating his confusion, it was only achieving the exact opposite.
"You... What do you mean that I was brought here? Aren't I supposed to be dead by now?"
The voice would, unusually, give off a light chuckle, almost as if it found his question to be amusing. "I've just told you... You're not dead, you were simply brought here. Then again, I suppose we haven't been truly formally acquainted yet, hm? You must think that I'm some entity who appears before the dead... In reality though, I'm not..."
The darkness began swirling impossibly in and out towards various directions, as the very environment that Novus was in would steadily begin to change: a strangely massive room built itself up slowly around him, converting what was once an empty void of space into a work of craftsmanship and architecture that would have taken multitudes of years for it to be built.
A throne room, with tall, massive pillars that stood tall to the sides of the chambers, its vast space lit dimly by the torches that hung from the stone columns, as well as the enormous chandeliers that hung from the ceiling in all their glory. How the entire void had been converted into such a refined place still remained unknown to Novus, though it quickly became clear how powerful the bearer of the voice truly was, as it was able to easily change his surroundings in only a few seconds.
To his complete shock, however, as Novus laid his eyes upon the throne chair situated right in front of him, there was a noticeable feminine figure that sat upon it with an elegant posture that radiated with that of authority and power... Her face, it was an exact, striking replica of one of the people he was closest to, and his mouth couldn't help but quickly run agape as he laid witness to the bewildering sight before him.
"You must be very confused, I assume? Well, don't worry, that's the reason why you were brought here in the first place. It's time for you to know everything, and I'm here to explain things to you. But first..."
"... Y-You... Why are you here...?"
"I've always been here... Well, most of time, anyway. This realm used to be my prison, but now, I've completely remade it into a domain that conforms to my will. By the way..."
"It's been a while since I last saw you... My beloved~"
Whitlea... Or rather, whoever this woman was... She was an exact replica of the woman he loved, as they even had the same tone of voice and personality...
This one though... There was an aura of mystery, as well as a form of... Insanity that dwelled in her eyes, as if she had seen countless horrors that no mortal man or woman could ever hope to witness without going completely mad...
"You... You aren't her... You're mimicking her... You're not real... Who are you? What are you, really?" Novus denied, his mind still thinking that this woman was an impostor who was attempting to mimic the very concept of Whitlea's identity.
"Now why would I try to copy someone who I already am? Please, dear, I'm not stupid. Though, I suppose it's because you don't know anything yet..."
The black-haired woman would then stand up and walk towards him, her eyes fixated upon his figure as Novus remained paralysed by the fact that he didn't know what he was supposed to do in this situation...
"I'll try to explain things to you as briefly as possible. Please don't struggle, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just going to give you a quick... Enlightenment~" 'Whitlea' said gently, as the index finger of her right hand then moved towards his forehead. "Now, if you would just... Close your eyes, and not move an inch..."
A series of illusions began to engulf the senses of his consciousness, as Novus would then see hundreds of years' worth of information in the span of only a few minutes...
...
...
In the beginning, there was nothing but the silence of an endless darkness: it was the space where both the heavens and the earth could exist in unison, and yet an empty void that never ended was all that lay there, one that possessed not even a single ounce of life that thrived within its stagnant domain.
... However, existence was unable to spring to life in such a cruel world, for only nothingness waited and dwelled in the dreadful void, and so everything would begin to change completely, and it was all due to the hands of an Almighty Creator...
"Let there be light."
A blast of energy, a powerful explosion that emerged from a concentrated point of infinite density... A rapid expansion of light and heat that gave birth to countless particles, the breath of new life that would finally allow existence to come to life and begin to write its first chapters into the endless archives of time.
And this was but the first day of creation, the first sequence among the many phases of the universe's existence, a foundation that would serve as a stepping stone for the next days that were to come.
In a quick succession, the second day would come to fruition: with the annihilation of ancient particles whose existences contradicted each other without end, only one form survived and gave way to the formation of matter... And then, the heat-ridden space that resulted from the chaos would last for millions of years before eventually cooling down, an era whose ending gave way to the coalescence of matter into atoms, allowing the formation of primaeval, nebulaic clouds and the beginning of the periodic elements that were important for the next steps that were to come.
And eventually, the third and fourth days were next– the birth of planets and stars, whose bodies were given life by the vast nebulae that roamed the endless space of the universe... Amongst those celestial bodies, the sun sprang forth in nuclear fury, and the terrestrial and jovian planets that orbited its mass followed suit in a slow, yet progressive development.
After an untold millennia, the 5th day was next, and what was once a barren husk of lava, rock, and a toxic, dust-ridden atmosphere, the conditions of the earth's surface inevitably became hospitable enough for life to thrive, and the very first living earthly organisms that came to life were microscopic creatures who resided in the vast waters of the ocean, some relying on photosynthesis, while others relied on the consumption of their brethren for their survival, as well as the assurance that their genetic legacy would continue on.
However, it was in the nature of all things living to change: those microorganisms, after an imperceptible amount of years of change, would become complex organisms that could swim for hundreds of kilometres in the deep, though of course, life simply would not be content with something so simple. The 6th day came, and a new change would come next– there were certain oceanic forms of life that rose to the surface and began dwelling upon the land, to bask in the sun and to be no longer limited by their watery domain...
Eventually, life that could thrive on the land's surface would emerge into existence, and it was a slow process of genetic and physiological change, and in time, the surface would finally be populated with the beauty of life.
However, the Creator was not yet content with what he had created: before the birth of man, there were many other countless species that rose to prominence and were given the chance to transcend their instinct...
Unfortunately, for the millions of years that they existed, not a single one of these organisms developed the gift that life was eventually destined to inherit, and so they would meet their end, not by the hands of a disappointed Maker, but due to their inability to prevent their own demises: the greatest amongst these organisms were the creatures known simply as the dinosaurs, as they were monsters in both size and strength, yet for all the glory that lay within their physical perfections, they were ultimately helpless against the face of a disaster that lied far beyond the realm of the earth's surface... They were given 150 million years to become something more, and yet they remained in their stagnant, primitive state of life, never having been able to become aware of the beauties of rational thought.
From the deaths of these mighty creatures however, the era of man would draw closer to reaching its beginning: mammalians could finally trod the lands outside their burrows without the fear of the once mighty behemoths that roamed the surface, and for the millions of years that would ensue, life would begin to change again into a new, more beautiful form...
There were beasts that possessed fangs and claws which could tear through even the strongest hides... Scales and fur that allowed them to weather through the toughest environments... And there were many other qualities that these new forms of life possessed, though there was a creature who held none of these qualities at all, and yet there was a hidden greatness in them that had yet to be truly unlocked.
The ancestors of man– their only qualities were their dextrous hands and their ability to work together and craft weapons of stone and wood, and yet even these paled in comparison to the gifts that the other land-dwelling creatures possessed... What was it that could have possibly allowed them to become the successful species they had become in the next thousands of years that would come?
And the answer, of course, was quite simple: wisdom, a beautiful gift that no other animal on the earth greatly possessed and exceeded at. The ancestors of men were capable of learning, to the extent that they formed tribes, systems of trade, and even entire languages, and it was an intelligence of the mind that no earthly creature could ever hope to perform in a million years.
Tha Garden of Eden... It was not a literal garden in a sense, but rather, it was a state of mind that only man had managed to successfully transcend from– it was a blissful, paradise of instinct where ignorance remained supreme upon most forms of life, for none of them became cognisant enough to become more than a creature bound by its instinctual necessities.
It was only man who had dared to bite from the wisdom, or rather, gain the beauty of rationality through evolution, and it was driven by a 'serpent' of evil that convinced them to stray from the path of the Creator...
However, was the serpent truly an evil being who sought to destroy man and cast them out of the Creator's favour?
...
...
The illusions ceased to form within his vision, and the sight of the vast throne room returned to him once more, with the woman who closely resembled Whitlea standing before him as she placed her left hand upon his shoulder.
"The serpent was not truly a reptilian snake. In truth, it was the embodiment of change: a constant value that was present in all living organisms, whispering for all to become better than the current states they were situated in." the lady claiming to be 'Whitlea' would say to him all of a sudden. "It was only man who truly heard these whispers, and through this, man transcended the limitations of the realm of instinct."
"Of course, the one who you would call The Creator knew this, as it was man's destiny to earn the beauty of wisdom. They were the sole earthly creature that was the most modelled after his divine appearance after all, and the gift of rational thought is the greatest evidence for this absolute truth..."
Novus was confused as those words that seemed like riddles reached his ears... What was she trying to point out, and what exactly did she mean by telling all of this to him? Instead of making things clearer for him, the things that 'Whitlea' was stating only served to bring him to an even greater state of confusion...
"... Why are you showing me all of this? And what do you mean when you said that the serpent wasn't an actual snake?"
"Because, my very darling beloved..." a grin formed upon her mouth as her mesmerising, lilac eyes concentrated their gaze towards his own.
"I embody that being... Or rather, the concept that most people would call 'The Serpent'."
"... W-what the hell... Then..." Novus stuttered, as his guard tensed up for a moment as he noticed her getting closer. "You... You're the devil? You're the literal incarnation of evil-"
A look of annoyance flashed from her face as 'Whitlea' gently placed her index finger upon his lips, an act which instantly shushed him into silence.
"I am not evil, dearest. I embody change, a neutral concept that's neither good nor evil. However, I am also the one who you love the most, though the reason why I've gained this terrible power is because of a vastly more terrible calamity that will happen in the future."
Before he could say things any further, she would quickly cut him off as she took the lead and continued speaking to him in their rather one-sided conversation.
"In another timeline whose chronological events weren't too different from this one's... We ruled this miserable world together, side by side. We built an empire greater than any other that came before it, and we held a power that no other individual on this earth could ever hope to compete with. However..."
The throne room's environment quickly changed: the stone foundations swirled and shifted back into impermeable shadows, though strangely enough, both Novus and the strange woman before him were able to remain standing amidst all of this. Eventually, their surroundings would change into that of a castle, a grand fortress with an impressive architecture... Though most importantly, it was the 2 decadent seats of gold and silver inside the castle's royal chamber, with the 2 figures sitting upon them side by side with each other, were the ones that held the most significance...
A king and queen, 2 royal figures who held the greatest authority within the castle's domain, though shockingly enough, their faces were the most excellent matches of that of Novus' and Whitlea's...
"However, like all things, this golden age of ours eventually came to an end... And it was a tragedy that I deeply loathe, even until now." 'Whitlea' continued, a solemn expression forming on her face as she did so. "We were surrounded by enemies from every corner, and we were eventually destroyed and defeated. We lost everything of value to us... You perished, and I... Was sealed in a place where no mortal could ever survive in."
The environment swiftly changed itself in accordance with the words she uttered– in the blink of an eye, the once beautiful stone fortress was reduced to rubble, its beautiful framework reduced to useless heaps of broken stone... And most horrifyingly, the king, the supposed highest ruler of this unknown kingdom that had suffered such a tragedy, his body sat lifeless upon his battered, bloodied throne, spears and arrows plunged into almost every angle of his body, with the queen nowhere to be seen throughout the carnage as her empty throne remained cold and empty beside its broken pair...
Eventually, the illusions would cease to be once more, and their surroundings would return to the old, dimly lit throne room belonging to the woman who claimed to be Whitlea.
"... Wait, so that dark void you used on me twice by now... Is it..."
"Indeed, like what I said to you a while ago, this dark void was initially my prison. I was too powerful back then, and because of that, our enemies chose to seal me away in this wretched place instead." she answered. "And for hundreds... No, perhaps even thousands of years, did I suffer in this endless darkness, and the only reason I managed to break free and make this nothingness into my domain was because of a certain individual."
"Individual?"
"To put it simply... He is the one who you would call 'God'. He gave me the enlightenment I needed to earn my freedom from my endless torment, and I immediately used this new-found knowledge to my advantage." she explained frankly. "But before we continue things any further, I must ask, my dear beloved... Have you ever heard of the symbol known as 'Ouroboros'?"
"No... I haven't... What even is that symbol, anyway?"
"It is a snake... Sometimes even a serpentine dragon, that forms a complete circle by swallowing its own tail. It represents the concepts of eternity, the cycles of destruction and rebirth, as well as the unity of everything that exists around us. In fact, I could even say without a doubt that this symbol is a perfect representation of my abilities."
It didn't take long for a realisation to quickly dawn upon his line of thought.
"Do you mean that... Your power, and your very being... Is related to the concept of 'infinity'?"
"You're very quick to catch on, as expected of my beloved~ Yes, I became a being who embodied the concept of eternity. I gained the ability to endlessly regenerate from any form of harm, as well as the ability to transcend my limitations and surpass any obstacle that would appear before me." 'Whitlea' continued as she followed up with her lengthy explanation. "At the same time, I also became someone who could never truly die, someone who's eternally stuck in a state of endless life, so much so that even those around me are cursed by this state as well, because all life within my proximity becomes unable to die due to my power."
"Ah, but of course, there was a reason the Creator chose to help me during that time. We made a deal after all, and he didn't help me solely because of goodwill. Yes, there was a reason why he decided to help me, and it's something that quite heavily involves YOU, dearest."
Confusion arose within his thoughts once more, as Novus would then ask her curiously. "Me? Why am I involved with this supposed deal you made?"
Without warning, her face quickly moved dangerously close to his as she leaned towards him, with their skin just inches away from each other as 'Whitlea' then continued their conversation, though her tone would noticeably become a bit lower and more serious.
"You, sweetie... You are an individual who is destined for something great. Both I and the one you'd call 'God' did not wish to see you reach such a pitiful end, and in exchange for the enlightenment he gave me, I was required to do plenty of things behind the scenes."
"Your rebirth... As well as the other fortunate things that have taken place in your second, current life..." a small grin appeared on her face as she stated this rather proudly. "I was responsible for all of them, sweetie~ From your very rebirth, to even those very certain moments where you seemingly got lucky against your enemies..."
"I 'influenced' the events of your past so that your fate would be changed and renewed~ I remodeled the fewest of details by manipulating the smallest of events, to initiate countless unravelings so that I could guarantee your survival..."
"Every luxury you've been enjoying up until now, they've all come to fruition because of me~"
"... I... I don't think that..."
"In fact, I think you're not being thankful enough right now." 'Whitlea' quickly cut him off with a teasing tone of voice. "After everything I've done for you, I think I should be getting a kiss from you right now while you thank me for all of the selfless deeds I did for you~ C'mon, come here and show me your gratitude~"
"..."
"Ahaha... I was just kidding, of course~. Anyway..." she relented as she saw the uncomfortable expression on his face, though she would still continue on with their conversation. "The reason why you're here right now... Making you aware of the truth isn't the only reason."
Novus immediately became confused again with her intentions: this woman was completely unreadable... What more was she planning to say to him, and what else was she planning to do? Even after all the things she had revealed before his eyes, Novus still couldn't find it within himself to believe even a single word she stated, as he still strongly believed that she had some form of malign intention at heart...
"... What's the other reason then?"
'Whitlea' suddenly pulled his body into a surprisingly warm embrace, her arms seizing him by the shoulders as he was inescapably dragged into a gentle, yet possessive hug.
"I love you, but... No matter how many times I change the events of this miserable world, you'll always be fated to face the hardest obstacles that exist in the realm of possibility." she whispered lightly into his right ear. "In the new future that's been laid out for you, you will be facing enemies who hold impossible, nigh-invincible powers, and as of right now, your current self is woefully incapable of taking them on by yourself, even if you were given a hundred years to prepare with everything you could muster in the real world..."
"Which is why you're here, dearest~ I will help you become strong~ I will guide you into reaching your greatest potential, so that you can fulfill the destiny that you have to enact no matter what." a warm, joyful expression formed on her face as she said this. "Even if it takes a million years, I'll help you become as strong as you can be~ Ah, don't worry though, I'll always be here by your side in this place~
"I'll never get tired of seeing that handsome face of yours... It's been a long time since I've last been with you, after all..."
"W-what? Hold on, what the hell are you talking about, you shifty, crazy wom-"
SNAP!
With one more flash of renewal, their surroundings would, for the last time, change and shift into that of a massive, empty arena, a vast, spacious structure that resembled a coliseum where great warriors would once do battle to the death– they were at the centre of its empty space, with the hundreds of seats where an audience would have spectated remaining empty and without any occupants...
As the 2 were brought into the new environment surrounding them however, a form of change would also take place on Novus' body itself: a form of light, metallic combat armour had equipped itself on him, as his right hand found itself holding tightly onto a silverine sword that had suddenly flickered into existence.
"You'll be here for a while, and I'll do everything I can to improve that frail body of yours. You might have been a soldier embroiled in war in your previous life, but your reliance on others and those gadgets you often bring needs to be, well... 'Fixed'~" 'Whitlea' proclaimed with a grin as she placed one of her hands on his left shoulder. "But first, since you're someone who I love very much, I wouldn't want to force you into something you don't truly want, so... I'll ask you just this one time..."
"Will you trust me? I know that all of this seems out of the blue, but... What I can say is that it's all for your own good~"
There was a brief period of silence that ensued as she posed that question to him, and it was an anxious silence that made even 'Whitlea' feel the slightest bit of unease for a moment: after a minute however, Novus would eventually give his answer, and he would do so in an appreciably bold response.
"To be honest... I still don't trust you. I don't even know if half of what you're saying is true, and I'm not even sure if you're actually the real Whitlea..." Novus gave his answer, though he would quickly follow up with a few more words. "You also have no way of proving yourself other than showing me those illusions again, and even then, you could easily just fake them completely..."
"... I see... I suppose that's a fair response." she uttered despondently, though it seemed that she was expecting this response from him...
However...
"... However, that excessive love you have for me... I can feel it's definitely genuine. Even if you're an excellent shapeshifter who can even copy memories... That creepily obsessive form of love you have for me whenever you look me in the eyes, and that excessive... Ahem, adoration, in your voice when you talk to me... It's too genuine, and there's no way you could just fake that."
Her face lightened up as she heard what he had just said to her. "... Then, that means...?"
"I'll trust you... 'Whitlea'. I know that you and Ana planned this anyway, and I also know that she wouldn't have sent me here without a good reason. Besides..." he gave away his reasoning. "It's obvious that I don't actually have a choice in this matter. You're the one with the power here, and it's clear that you won't be letting me out of here unless I do what you want."
A grin, followed by a chuckle, came rather slyly from her lips. "Ahahaha~ It's good that you know that~ Now then..."
"Let's begin~"
A blast of violet energy emerged from her raised right hand, a powerful beam that was as swift as the speed of light– it was an attack that Novus couldn't react to, as it quickly reached his body faster than the blink of a human eye.
ZAP!
"... Ahem, looks like I overdid it a bit... Maybe we should've taken things more slowly."
Only blackened dust remained from his body, as the effects of the attack immediately became apparent: fortunately however, due to the effects of the woman's power, as well as the esoteric qualities of the realm they were in, such a death was ultimately meaningless, and it was a tragedy that could easily be reversed without fail.
"I'm really sorry for overdoing it..."
As if time itself had been rewound, Novus' death became nothing more than a fragment of the past, as his body was quickly restored by seemingly regenerating from its ashened remnants, an impossibility that wouldn't have been possible in the confines of reality, yet in this world, something like this was all too simple.
"... Crap... Did I just..."
"Die? Yes, yes you did dear, though thankfully I can control everything that happens in this realm. Sad to say however, that attack I unleashed just now was only a small portion of the power I hold, and yet you were reduced to nothingness in an instant." 'Whitlea' smirked at his bewildered response. "That's just how weak you are, and it's the reason why I want you to become stronger. You'll be having enemies who come close to my power in the future after all, and I don't want you to die so needlessly."
"Alright then, I guess we're going to have to start with the basics. First off..."