Chapter 258: Peace in the Ice
{I’ll name you...}
{...}
"Seren."
The moment the name left my mouth, I felt a profound shift in our bond. It was as if something had clicked into place, like the final piece of a puzzle finding its home.
Seren’s essence seemed to brighten, his aura becoming more defined, more... real.
{Seren...} He repeated the name, testing how it felt. {...I like it. It feels... just right.}
{!}
Suddenly, my vision shifted. I found myself standing in a vast expanse of white, snowflakes drifting gently from an endless gray sky. It was a very familiar scene. Right, this was the moment he was born - a small spark of consciousness emerging from the heart of a winter storm.
I watched everything once again, but from a third-person view this time. But I still felt its emotions, the confusion, the satisfaction, the pain, the reluctance, and the hope.
Soon, the fragmented visions came to an end, and a sound filled our minds - a crystalline chime that seemed to resonate from everywhere and nowhere at once. It was hauntingly beautiful, like wind singing through ice caves, each note pure and clear.
The harmonic echo seemed to celebrate our fully forged bond, announcing to the world that something sacred had just taken place.
As the chimes continued, I felt our auras beginning to synchronize. My steady energy and Seren’s cool, flowing essence started to pulse in perfect rhythm, like two hearts beating as one.
The sensation was indescribable, a completeness I hadn’t even realized we’d been missing. We were no longer just simple partners; we were truly bonded now, two souls connected by something deeper.
The synchronization reached its peak, and I felt compelled to open my eyes. When I did, I gasped.
Above and around, ribbons of soft light dance through the air - ethereal auroras in miniature, painting the empty space around us in gentle hues of blue, green, white, and silver. They moved with fluid grace, swirling and weaving patterns that seemed almost alive.
At the same time, tiny snowflakes began to materialize from nothing, each one unique and perfect, spinning lazily through the aurora’s glow before dissolving into sparkles of pure light.
Thank goodness I chose this place instead of doing it in my room, or else it would have surely caused a commotion and attracted unwanted attention. My suspicions about naming a high-ranking bond causing a phenomenon were correct after all.
Still, it was breathtakingly beautiful. It felt like the winter was showing its gentle side now, rather than its usual harsh fury. The snow dance and aurora whisper seemed to be nature itself acknowledging what had just occurred, giving its blessing.
But the most magnificent moment was yet to come.
As the lights and snow began to fade, Seren’s small form suddenly pulsed with that same pure white light. It washed over us, and I could feel his essence settling into its new identity, becoming truly complete.
I felt all my loci responding to it. It was as if Seren’s essence was flowing through my entire aura system, bringing with it a transformative change I had somehow anticipated.
My aura began to expand, the familiar boundaries of my energy pool stretching outward like ripples on a still pond. It was also becoming purified; I could feel the invisible impurities being drawn out and dissolved.
All the accumulated stress, the minor aura contamination from the recent accidents, and the subtle discord that was built up till now - all of them were being cleansed.
My aura felt lighter and cleaner, the previous sluggishness being replaced with clearer flow.
Each of my loci began to resonate with newfound vitality, its responsiveness sharpening. Before, sometimes it felt like they were working only by tolerating each other, and due to the existence of Infinite Loop, but now they sang in perfect harmony.
The synchronization was so complete that I could barely distinguish where one locus ended and another began; they had become a part of a greater whole, like instruments in a perfectly tuned orchestra.
The same went for the Infinite Loop.
The aura flowed in seamless circles, each rotation more efficient than the last.
After a few moments, the light faded completely, leaving us alone in the moonlit private grounds.
Before I could perceive other changes, my attention was grabbed by Seren’s new form.
He was no longer a mere furry snowball.
His body had subtly grown, now roughly the size of a small house cat, though still hovering gracefully.
He looked like an ethereal being of flowing, pristine white essence, with wispy crests forming his head. Two medium luminous, brilliant blue eyes gazed out of his form. From his back extended two translucent wings composed of the same white essence and mist. His body tapered downwards into a graceful, swirling wisp.
There were no other changes.
Yeah, in short, he was an ethereal winged wisp.
{You look good.}
I complimented him with a smile. I wanted to add ’still cute’ as well, but held back. He still sensed it anyway.
{Mm...} Seren nodded.
{How was it? Did you like it? The name?}
I asked again.
{It means ’star’ in old language.} I continued, expressing the meaning of his name. {Stars guide travelers through darkness, just like you’ve guided lost souls through blizzards. And now, you will be the light that guides me forward.}
There was also another meaning to it. A similar to my own name.
{...Peace?}
{That’s right.} I nodded. {We can also call you Sereniel to match my style if you want.}
It wasn’t a random idea - Aman -> Amaniel and Lumin -> Luminiel. This way, I believed we could extend that tradition to him as well.
{Seren... and Sereniel...} Seren repeated the names. {They really sound like yours, friend. Both of them.}
His form seemed to shimmer with contentment, tiny sparkles of frost dancing around him like miniature stars.
{Thank you... for everything.}
{For saving me, for giving me a purpose, hope, an opportunity, and now... for giving me an identity.}
I reached out and gently touched his still fluffy surface. "Thank you for choosing to trust me, Seren."