[Ash’s POV]
Inside the Soul Space, silence reigned supreme.
Ash’s figure quietly appeared inside the Akashic Archive, his eyes instinctively drifting toward the cocoon suspended at its very center.
But even then, Akashic Archive felt somehow different to him.
It wasn’t a visible change, nor was it something that could be described through appearance alone.
Instead, the entire space felt... alive.
The countless books filling the Akashic Archive emitted a soft golden radiance, streams of runic symbols quietly flowed through the air between the towering bookshelves, and even the sea of Soul Energy beneath everything gently rippled as though celebrating the birth of something new.
At the center of it all floated Eva’s cocoon.
Unlike before, the diamond-like cocoon was now shining completely with a brilliant golden light, countless runes continuously emerged from the surroundings before flowing into it one after another without pause.
Ash quietly watched the process.
The cocoon continued absorbing the surrounding runes for several more moments before its radiance gradually reached its peak, becoming so dazzling that even Ash had to narrow his eyes slightly.
Then...
Without the slightest warning...
A faint crack quietly spread across its surface.
It was followed by another.
Then another.
Within moments, countless tiny cracks had spread throughout the entire cocoon as an increasingly brilliant radiance poured through them, causing the surrounding Space to respond even more intensely while the countless runes revolving around the Akashic Archive accelerated on their own.
Ash’s gaze never left the cocoon.
Finally...the cracks reached their limit.
The entire cocoon silently shattered into countless particles of light that drifted throughout the Akashic Archive before gradually dissolving into pure Soul Energy.
At that moment, Ash felt the Soul Energy within his own Soul rapidly increasing.
However, his attention wasn’t on that.
Instead, it was completely drawn toward the graceful figure quietly floating where the cocoon had once been.
Her multicolored hairs flowed gently behind her despite the complete absence of wind, while her white-gold dress shimmered faintly beneath the countless runes drifting around her.
Her once ethereal figure had become noticeably more solid than before, making her appear less like a projection and more like a real living person.
Her long multicolored eyelashes trembled softly.
Her appearance had also matured considerably.
The childish innocence that had once lingered around her had quietly disappeared, replaced by the graceful elegance of a grown woman.
Then...
She slowly opened her eyes.
Those familiar rainbow like eyes instinctively searched the surroundings before finally stopping upon the figure standing before her.
For several long seconds...
Eva quietly stared at Ash, while Ash calmly observed every subtle change in her appearance, the faint smile on his face gradually becoming warmer.
The next moment, the corners of Eva’s lips slowly curved upward into a beautiful smile.
"I am back."
She spoke softly, yet her voice seemed to echo throughout the entire Soul Space, causing the countless runes drifting around the Akashic Archive to shine a little brighter as though they too were welcoming her return.
Ash looked at her from head to toe before a faint smile appeared on his face.
"You’ve become an adult now. Did it happen naturally, or did you make some changes yourself?"
A faint blush immediately spread across Eva’s cheeks.
"It... happened naturally. I don’t know why either."
As she spoke, she slowly floated down until she was standing directly before Ash.
The next moment, without giving him any time to react, she threw herself forward and wrapped both her arms tightly around him.
"Look!"
Her voice was filled with excitement that she could no longer suppress.
"I can finally interact with things! I can hug you now!"
Ash smiled before naturally returning the embrace.
Eva, however, showed no intention of stopping there.
"I want to go explore all sorts of thing now . Before, I could only project myself outside without being able to touch anything, but now I can touch all things. Also Look!!!..."
She quickly pulled away before pointing toward herself.
"My core fused with my body during the Evolution. Isn’t that amazing? I don’t have to remain attached to the crystal anymore. I think I can stay outside without any problems now, which means I can help you even more."
She spoke so quickly that she barely paused to breathe.
"I don’t even know whether I can eat or not, but I want you to make me something delicious to eat. It’s been such a long time... well, technically I never ate before, but now I really want to try it!"
She continued talking one thing after another, barely allowing Ash the opportunity to respond as new thoughts continuously appeared in her mind.
Unknown to Ash himself, an unusually bright smile had gradually spread across his face.
Watching the normally composed Eva speak so enthusiastically while refusing to let go of him somehow filled him with an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
Though...
If he were being completely honest...
The close proximity between them was rather stimulating.
After all, the white dress she wore resembled little more than a thin flowing robe, and with her body pressed tightly against his, he could clearly feel the softness hidden beneath it.
Fortunately...
This was merely his Soul Body.
Otherwise...
Explaining the situation to Eva afterward would’ve been unbelievably awkward.
The Akashic Archive, which had stirred so violently during Eva’s awakening, gradually returned to its usual tranquility once again, while only the voices of Ash and Eva continued echoing throughout the silent space, one speaking excitedly without end and the other quietly listening with a smile that never once faded from his face.
Time quietly slipped by, and after enthusiastically talking about everything she finally calmed herself down as the excitement in her eyes slowly settled, though the faint smile upon her face never disappeared.
Ash looked at her before smiling lightly.
"So... shall we see what has changed for you, Eva?"
Eva immediately nodded, her curiosity rekindling the moment she heard those words.
"I was wondering about that too."
Saying so, Ash activated [Eye of True Omniscience] and quietly directed his gaze toward Eva.
════════ < STATUS > ════════
[Name] – Evangeline
[True Name] – The Unblemished Soul
[Title] – The Reborn Saintess, Keeper of Sacred Wisdom
[Race] – Akashic Spirit (Variant)
[Soul Age] – 4562 years
[Soul Lifespan] – 6,493 years
[Gender] – Female
[Master] – The Forsaken One
════════
Ash’s eyes lingered on the status window for a few moments before the corners of his lips slowly lifted into a smile.
"Oh... you got two new titles."
His gaze shifted toward Eva.
"Congratulations."
Eva’s beautiful rainbow-colored eyes immediately brightened, and the composed expression she had been trying so hard to maintain instantly crumbled as curiosity completely took over.
"Hurry! Open them." She lightly tugged on Ash’s sleeve, her voice carrying an excitement she made no effort to hide. "I want to see... I want to see."
Ash couldn’t help but chuckle.
Even after everything she had gone through...
Some parts of Eva hadn’t changed at all.
Without making her wait any longer, he opened the first title.
**
[The Reborn Saintess]
[Description] :
**
[Keeper of Sacred Wisdom]
[Description] :
**
"...Damn."
Ash unconsciously let out a low whistle before looking back at Eva with an expression that was somewhere between admiration and mild jealousy.
"That’s one hell of a title effect. Even I don’t have something this outrageous when it comes to Rune Comprehension."
Eva couldn’t stop herself from laughing after seeing the genuinely exaggerated look on his face.
She was naturally delighted.
As someone who had dedicated almost her entire existence to organizing, analyzing, and understanding knowledge, there was hardly any ability that suited her more than Keeper of Sacred Wisdom.
As for The Reborn Saintess...
Unlike the second title, this one didn’t offer any direct increase in strength, nor did it mention any obvious effect that could be immediately understood. Yet precisely because of that, neither Ash nor Eva dared underestimate it.
Anything capable of affecting something as abstract as Destiny itself was bound to possess a far greater significance than its simple description suggested.
"It sounds... important."
Eva softly muttered.
Ash nodded in agreement.
"Titles like this usually reveal their true value only when the right moment arrives."
Without dwelling on it any further, his eyes naturally drifted toward the next change.
"...Looks like your race changed too."
Sure enough...
The race displayed on her status was no longer the same as before.
**
[Akashic Spirit] (Variant)
[Description] :
**
The two quietly read the description together.
"...A Spirit."
Ash softly muttered, his gaze naturally falling upon Eva once more as though he were seeing her in an entirely new light.
"So you’ve truly become a living spiritual lifeform."
Eva slowly lowered her gaze before quietly clenching one of her hands, a faint smile gradually appearing on her face as she felt the subtle sensation of possessing a body that no longer felt ethereal or incomplete.
"I suppose..."
"...I really have."
While Eva quietly immersed herself in the realization that she was no longer merely an existence born from a crystal, but a true Akashic Spirit with a life of her own, Ash’s eyes drifted toward the lower part of her status window before stopping at a particular line.
[Soul Lifespan – 6,493 Years]
His eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he silently performed the calculation.
Ash briefly glanced at Eva, who was still happily lost in her own thoughts, before silently keeping the matter to himself and continuing to scroll down.
Soon...
Another section appeared before the two of them.
══════ < ABILITIES > ══════
**