{So, what’s the plan? what are we gonna do next...?}
Eva asked as she floated around Ash in her projection form, slowly circling him as if trying to peek into his thoughts from every side, her eyes fixed on him with clear curiosity.
I am still thinking....
But Eva was not convinced with his words.
{Just say that you have no idea about it, why make it so complicated? Admit that sometimes even the Great Ash runs out of ideas, it is not going to break your pride or anything... unless your pride is that fragile.}
A vein popped slightly on Ash’s forehead hearing that, his calm expression cracking just a little.
I really wish I could hit her head pretty hard...
{Hey!!! I heard that. How can you even think about hitting my beautiful face..? Do you even understand how rare this level of perfection is?}
I intended on you hearing that, and why can’t I hit you? I believe in equality, girls are strong in this world and there is nothing that they can’t do, so you should be able to handle one hit without any problem...
{Tsk, if you keep talking like this you are going to stay single for your entire life, no girl is going to tolerate this nonsense. Meanie Ash!!!}
Ash stopped walking for a brief moment hearing that, his steps pausing as if her words had actually reached somewhere, but in the next second he continued walking as if nothing had happened.
I am fine with being alone...though if you think about it, I will never be alone....after all I have you and Eric...
Ash spoke in a calm and natural tone as he walked past Eva, holding the sleeping Snow carefully in his arms, his movements slow and steady so that she would not wake up, as he made his way toward his room, next to the common area.
Meanwhile, Eva remained floating in her spot, her movement coming to a complete stop as she processed what he had just said, her usual playful expression fading slightly as those words lingered in her mind longer than she expected.
A faint blush slowly crept onto her face, her eyes shifting away for no reason as if she suddenly did not know where to look.
{Big fat dummy!!!}
Eva muttered under her breath with her face still red, and without waiting any longer, her projection quietly disappeared, leaving behind a soft silence that felt just a little different than before.
Meanwhile, Ash entered his room, which was quite simple in its layout, yet carried a cozy atmosphere, with a large bed placed neatly at the center, a study table arranged to one side, a washroom connected at the corner, and a warm light spreading gently across the room without being harsh on the eyes, while a single rocking chair rested silently in one corner, adding a faint sense of calm to the space. Along with a wardrobe and some other basic stuff, the room was decent enough.
There was no window, because the room existed within the expanded space, completely cut off from the outside world.
After placing Snow gently on the bed and covering her with a blanket, making sure she remained undisturbed, Ash moved towards the washroom, intending to take a shower and clear his thoughts for a moment.
But just as he took few steps, he suddenly stopped.
His head snapped toward the entrance of the shop, his calm face almost cracking for a brief moment before he forced it back to normal in the very next second, not letting even the slightest trace of that reaction remain on his expression.
Why is she here..?....Coincidence?...I hate that word though....
Ash did not believe in such coincidences, especially not the kind where the very person he had been thinking about just moments ago appeared at his door without any warning, because in a world like this, such things rarely happened without a reason behind them.
His figure disappeared from the room in the next instant and appeared at the counter of the shop, seated in a relaxed manner as if he had been there the entire time. Eric was still not back, and Eva could not appear in front of outsiders, which meant that only he could deal with this situation.
I definitely need to hire some staff members...we are really in a pinch because of this every time....
The thought came to him naturally, followed by another that felt just as important.
Before that, I might need to think of a way to expand the shop’s scale even more, otherwise this will keep happening again and again...
-Ding!!!
A soft and melodious sound echoed throughout the shop as the door opened, the small bell above it ringing in a light and pleasant tone.
And in the very next moment, Elizabeth, the direct disciple of an Eternal Supreme, stepped inside, her presence alone enough to change the atmosphere of the entire place, as she appeared before Ash in her full glory.
[Elizabeth’s POV]
The moment she stepped inside, the soft ringing of the bell behind her slowly faded into the background, and Elizabeth allowed her gaze to move through the shop, taking her time to observe the interior of the shop.
At first, the place did not seem particularly special, it was not large, nor did it carry any kind of overwhelming presence that would make people feel pressured the moment they entered, yet there was a quiet sense of order in everything, from the way the items were arranged to the overall atmosphere of the space, which gave off a feeling that this was not a place left to chance, but one that was maintained with care and intention.
However, that simple impression did not last for long.
Her eyes paused on a few sets of clothes displayed neatly along one side, and for a brief moment, her expression shifted slightly, because what appeared to be nothing more than decorative patterns to most people were not ordinary at all.
Those were runes.
They were inscribed into the fabric with such precision and subtlety that they blended naturally into the design, making them almost impossible to notice unless one had the perception to truly see beyond the surface, and even if someone did notice them, understanding their purpose was an entirely different matter.
But Elizabeth was not someone who would overlook such things.
The moment her eyes settled on them, she recognized their nature without any difficulty, and more importantly, she could sense that these were not random inscriptions, but something done with clear intent and understanding, which made her interest rise in a quiet but steady manner.
Her gaze lingered there for a moment longer, as if she was trying to read deeper into what she was seeing, before she finally looked away and allowed her attention to move further into the shop.
It was then that her eyes settled on the counter placed at the center.
And there, she saw him.
A young man was lying back in a relaxed manner, his posture completely at ease as his legs rested casually on the counter, while a book covered his face as if he had no concern for anything happening around him, giving off the impression of someone who was either too carefree or simply uninterested in the world outside his own thoughts.
From every visible angle, he appeared completely ordinary.
There was no visible aura surrounding him.
No pressure that could be felt.
Nothing that would make others cautious or alert in his presence.
But the moment Elizabeth allowed her perception to deepen and truly focused on him, something changed in a way that could not be explained through normal means.
Her Soul Flame responded faintly on its own, a subtle reaction that she did not ignore, and through that connection, she could sense something that others would never notice.
The person in front of her had already crossed the limits of Will Power.
Not fully, not in a complete sense, but enough to step beyond a boundary that most beings would never even approach in their entire lives.
He had taken a half step into Transcendence.
He stood right at the edge of that threshold, at a point where one could no longer be considered ordinary, yet had not fully stepped into the realm of something greater.
All that remained for him was guidance, a proper understanding of how to awaken the Soul Flame, because only after awakening it could one continue to increase their Will Power beyond this point.
Without that awakening, growth would stop here, no matter how much effort or struggle one put into it.
Although it would not increase further, the Will itself would continue to become more stable and far more durable compared to others, making it stronger in a way that was not immediately visible.
But the foundation will become more solid.
Elizabeth’s eyes narrowed slightly as she continued to look at the young man, her curiosity deepening with each passing second as she tried to understand what kind of person would reach such a stage and yet sit here in such a careless manner.
Interesting.....is he the one who was gazing at me from this long distance...? but he appears like a normal person.....is he somehow able to hide his abilities...?
Although the Rune of Concealment was known to be quite powerful and capable of blocking almost all kinds of probing, it was still not absolute unless Ash reaches 100% comprehension of the Rune, because there were always limits to what such methods could achieve, especially when faced with something that did not follow ordinary rules.
Will Power was one of those things.
It was not something that could be easily hidden or completely suppressed, because it was not just an external force or energy that could be masked, but something that existed at a deeper level of existence, something that naturally revealed itself to those who had reached a similar height.
After all, even the effects of runes could be forcefully negated, even if only for a short period of time, through the use of Will Power, which meant that relying on concealment alone was never enough when facing someone capable of perceiving beyond such layers.
***
A/N: Just to remind you guys, in case you forgot, Ash was already able to suppress the healing effect of the Rune of Life for a short period of time using nothing but his Will Power.