"Are you still practicing?"
Ash turned his head when he heard the question and saw Eric walking toward him. This time he was not wearing his monocle, and instead of the overly formal outfit he usually insisted on wearing, he had finally changed into normal clothes.
Ash chuckled the moment he saw him like that.
A vein popped on Eric’s forehead as he asked in a slightly annoyed voice seeing him laugh, "What’s so funny?"
Ash shook his head while replying, though the amusement had not yet faded from his face.
"I just remembered the time when Eva politely asked you to discard your cosplay and behave normally. It was so funny to watch. You looked so meek even though she was not angry at all. Haha!!"
Ash chuckled again while remembering that scene, the memory of Eric’s awkward expression still fresh in his mind.
Seeing him laughing like that, Eric’s face slowly turned red with embarrassment.
"You....You...You....."
Eric fumed with anger while pointing his finger toward Ash, clearly trying to say something back but struggling to form the words as frustration built up on his face.
However, before he could take any action, a soft giggle filled with genuine happiness echoed throughout the whole Soul Space.
"..Hihi...hihi....you look so cute when you are angry little brother. It would be quite nice if I ever get the chance to pull your cheeks...or tease you too.."
Hearing that voice, Ash’s smile widened slightly while Eric’s anger vanished almost instantly as if cold water had been poured over it. He let out a helpless sigh, clearly unable to remain angry after hearing her gentle laughter.
But the next second, flames of determination awakened inside his eyes once again as he struck his chest confidently and looked toward the Soul Tree while saying, "Don’t worry sister, I will find a way so that you can even interact with physical things too.... I will definitely figure something out."
"Fear not brother, I trust your capabilities."
Her small projection appeared in front of them, looking like a ten year old child with rainbow colored hair, bright rainbow eyes, and three small horns resting gently on her head. Her tiny figure looked almost unreal in its cuteness, and she spoke those words while deliberately imitating Eric’s confident pose, even placing her hands on her waist the same way he often did when making bold declarations.
The playful imitation made the scene feel strangely warm, as if the centuries spent inside the Soul Space had quietly formed a small family between them.
Seeing the two of them chatting with each other so naturally, Ash asked.
"Now now, tell me what is it? You do not come to me often unless you need something or if there is some work. So what is it this time?"
"What do you mean what is it this time? You speak like I always bring trouble your way, tsk. Anyways, what I wanted to ask is when will we even be leaving this place? When will your body get reformed or whatever? I do not want to spend my whole lifespan caged inside your Soul you know. Even though we Unicorns have a longer lifespan, it is not infinite. So when will we leave?"
This time even Eva did not intervene. After all, even she was quite eager to leave this place and explore the world outside, because she had still been too young when tragedy befell her and she had never truly received the chance to see the world beyond the small memories she once held.
Ash closed his eyes when he heard Eric’s question, remaining silent for a few seconds as if carefully sensing something far beyond the Soul Space before slowly opening them again.
"We will be leaving quite soon. I can feel it. I can feel my body, and I can even slightly move my fingers now. Thus I believe it will not be too long before we are back outside."
Eric’s eyes widened the moment he heard those words.
For a brief second he simply stood there in silence as if his mind had not fully processed what Ash had just said, but then the meaning slowly settled in and a surge of excitement rushed across his face.
"You are serious...?"
His voice carried a mix of disbelief and hope as he stepped closer to Ash, his gaze locked onto him as if trying to confirm whether this was truly real or just another guess.
Ash nodded calmly.
Eric’s expression changed almost instantly.
The hesitation in his eyes disappeared and was replaced by pure excitement as his tail flicked behind him in restless energy, something he usually tried very hard to hide.
"So that means... we are finally getting out of here?"
His voice rose slightly as the words left his mouth, the anticipation in his tone impossible to conceal.
For hundreds of years he had remained inside this Soul Space, watching the endless quiet expanse around them while waiting for this exact moment to arrive.
Even though time flowed differently here and those centuries had not truly aged him the same way the outside world would have, the feeling of being confined within someone else’s soul still weighed on him.
Now that the end was finally approaching, the excitement bubbling inside him could no longer be restrained.
Eric began pacing around restlessly while speaking again.
"Do you even realize how long I have been waiting to see the outside world again? I swear the moment we get out of here I am going to run as far as I can just to stretch my legs properly."
Ash watched him quietly, a faint smile appearing on his face as Eric continued talking without pause.
"I want to see mountains again... forests too... and real rivers instead of this endless dark sea everywhere. And real sunlight... do you even know how long it has been since I last felt sunlight?"
Eric stopped for a moment before looking up toward the Soul Tree where Eva resided.
"Sister... did you hear that? We are finally leaving this place."
For a brief moment the Soul Space remained quiet before Eva’s gentle voice responded.
"I heard..."
Her voice carried a quiet warmth that had been absent for a long time.
"It seems our long wait is finally coming to an end."
Eric grinned brightly at those words before turning back toward Ash again, the excitement still burning in his eyes.
"Then hurry up and wake that body of yours already. I am tired of living inside your soul."
Ash shook his head slightly while letting out a small chuckle.
"Trust me... I am trying."
Talking with them for some time, Ash slowly moved away from them.
Arriving in the Soul Library he sat down on his chair, his gaze drifting toward the list of things he had written on paper at the very beginning of his long seclusion on his table.
**
[To do list.]
-Comprehending the Runes.
-Creating a Weapon Art.
-Creating a Movement Art.
-Learning Alchemy.
-Learning Blacksmithing.
**
I comprehended the Runes up to a certain point, created the basic foundations of my Runic Weapon Art and Runic Movement Art.... even awakened Eva, which I had actually never planned to do in the beginning. Because of that, I was not able to learn Alchemy or Blacksmithing.....
But I do not regret it. I feel what I did was based on what my heart wanted me to do..... we will see if I get the time in the future to learn these two things, and if not then so be it.
The 1500 years he spent focusing on Eva were not only because he wanted to awaken her, but also because he wanted to somehow repay Solareth and Lumielle, even if he would never openly admit such a thing.
If someone ever asked him directly, he would simply say that he wanted to create his own AI or system, something like a personal assistant.
As for the remaining 100 years after getting done with Elva, he spent all the time on his weapon art and movement art, he did not just practice with pole blade, but also transformed Eclipse into guns for long range and even practiced with sword after all it was something he had wielded for a long time, so it was much more comfortable to him.
The only thing I regret is that I lost some of my privacy... sigh...
Ash covered his face with his hands as that thought surfaced again.
Actually, after he connected the massive Runic formation that had grown as large as a truck, continuously revolving around the Spirit Devouring Crystal like planets revolving around the sun, the entire structure began functioning like a complex machine. Every Runic sequence interacted with the others in precise harmony, circulating energy through the formation without interruption.
Because of that connection, Eva was now able to sense almost everything that happened within his Soul Space. As a result, there were many things he could no longer casually say out loud.
Still, there remained one place Eva could not access.
That place was the hidden space where all the Runes existed, the endless darkness where he had comprehended the Runes.
There was also another place Eva could not freely enter. It was the separated space Ash had created to store his comprehension of the Runes. Even though Eva technically had the ability to access that space, she could not do so without his permission.
In truth, if Ash had wanted to, he could have imposed countless restrictions on what Eva was allowed to do and what she was not allowed to do.
However, he had chosen not to.
He did not want her to live like that, as if she were bound by invisible chains. Other than the hidden library of the Runes, everything inside the Soul Space was accessible to Eva.
And now that she was connected directly with his soul and they had spent so many centuries together, he at least trusted her nature.
She was simply too sweet and innocent.
As he was thinking this suddenly, the image of Elysia flashed through his mind.
Ash immediately shook his head as if trying to force the memory away.
It was not the first time her face had appeared in front of his eyes, but seeing Eva somehow reminded him of Elysia.
"Sigh....not again...."
Ash had no idea why, but somehow as his body was nearing completion and the more time he spent watching the pure and innocent nature of Eva moving around the Soul Space, the more often thoughts of Elysia appeared in his mind. It did not affect him too deeply, yet the memories lingered just enough to distract his focus for brief moments.
Must be because Eva’s pure nature reflects Elysia a lot...
Trying to push those thoughts aside, Ash decided to distract himself by opening his Status details.
Over the past few years, as his body gradually approached completion, more and more of his skills had slowly unlocked, revealing abilities that had remained sealed.
As he continued browsing through them with quiet curiosity, time passed almost unnoticed.
Before he even realized it, another year quietly slipped away.
On this day, after spending 6858 years inside the Soul Space which corresponded to approximately 4 years and 9 months in the outside world, something finally changed for Ash.
He was resting as usual on his rocking chair, sitting beneath the gentle glow of the Soul Tree whose mysterious light always carried a calming effect that soothed the mind and dissolved anxiety and tension.
Suddenly Ash’s eyes shot wide open.
A mysterious pressure that felt extremely ancient and vast as the starry sky suddenly filled the entire Soul Space, spreading through every corner and causing the surrounding energy to tremble violently as if the very foundation of the space had been disturbed.
Yet the core of his soul, The Soul Tree stood tall and unmoving like an ancient mountain that could not be shaken by ordinary winds.
"Brother Ash, something is affecting your soul..."
Eva’s worried voice echoed throughout the Soul Space as her small projection appeared nearby. Even Eric immediately sensed that something was wrong.
"What is happening here? Didn’t you say this place can’t be tracked or attacked by anyone? Who is attacking us now?"
Eric’s voice carried clear concern as he looked around cautiously, trying to sense the source of the pressure.
However, all of their worries and fears soon proved unnecessary.
Ash simply smiled calmly at the two of them before speaking.
"Don’t worry, my body is almost completed now. The soul and body are synchronizing at this moment, and that is what is causing the disturbance. Do not worry, it will be over soon."
Unfortunately, that ’soon’ of his lasted for an entire week inside the Soul Space.
During those days the ancient pressure continued to fill the entire space like an invisible tide, rising and falling in slow waves that made the surrounding Soul energy tremble again and again.
Eva and Eric could only watch as the disturbance persisted, neither of them able to interfere with the strange synchronization taking place between Ash’s soul and his nearly completed body.
Only after that, the heavy pressure finally began to fade and the atmosphere gradually return to its usual calm.
At that exact moment Ash’s figure slowly grew faint, his presence within the Soul Space becoming thinner as if something beyond this place was pulling him away.
Before disappearing, he left behind a single sentence for the two of them.
"Don’t worry, I will bring you out soon."
And with those words, Ash vanished from his Soul Space.
****