Ash silently thought.
His eyes quietly drifted toward Eva.
Taking a slow breath, Ash pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind before his expression gradually became serious.
"There is one more thing we need to discuss."
Seeing the sudden change in his tone, Eva also composed herself as the smile on her face slowly faded, quietly waiting for Ash to continue.
Without saying another word, Ash raised his hand, and at the very next moment, countless streams of memories flowed into Eva’s mind. Although she could have done that herself, Ash decided to do the honors.
Ash didn’t explain a single word.
He simply allowed Eva to witness everything through his own memories.
Silence gradually descended upon the Akashic Archive as memory after memory unfolded before Eva’s eyes. Her expression slowly changed from curiosity to disbelief before finally settling into complete shock, her rainbow-colored eyes widening little by little while her lips unconsciously parted.
"...No..."
The word escaped her lips almost instinctively.
She subconsciously took several steps backward before repeatedly shaking her head, her expression filled with panic as she looked at Ash.
"No... I won’t do it."
Her voice became firmer, though the fear hidden within it only became more obvious.
"It’s too dangerous. I can’t risk it. If... if I make even the slightest mistake, if something goes wrong because of me, if something happens to you..."
Her voice gradually became weaker until the final words refused to leave her mouth altogether.
She couldn’t even bring herself to imagine that possibility.
Seeing the panic filling Eva’s eyes, Ash slowly walked toward her before stopping directly in front of her once again, gently placing his hand upon her head as he looked at her with a reassuring smile.
"Eva..."
His voice remained as gentle as ever.
"I trust you. Also, don’t forget... I can’t die."
There wasn’t the slightest hesitation behind those words.
"In this entire universe, I genuinely believe there isn’t a second existence capable of accomplishing what I’m about to entrust to you."
"Do you remember the final line in your racial description? ’As the sole Akashic Variant in existence...’ Those weren’t meaningless words placed there to make your race sound special. They exist because there truly isn’t another Akashic Spirit like you anywhere in this Universe, and if even Reality itself acknowledges you as the only one of your kind, then why should I doubt your abilities?"
Eva still shook her head, "Still, you can’t die physically, but what about your Soul? What if your mind gets injured? It’s too risky."
Ash opened his mouth to answer, yet Eva refused to give him the chance.
Hours quietly passed inside the Akashic Archive.
Ash patiently explained everything he had deduced over and over again, while Eva stubbornly pointed out every flaw she could find, unwilling to compromise even the slightest.
In the end...
It wasn’t logic that convinced her.
It was Ash’s unwavering determination.
Looking into his eyes, Eva understood that the moment he had decided to tell her about this plan, he had already made up his mind.
No amount of persuasion would ever change it.
A long sigh escaped her lips.
"...Fine."
She slowly lowered her head before reluctantly nodding, though inwardly she took it upon herself to protect Ash from facing harm.
**
Time passed by in the blink of an eye, and around one month had passed inside the Soul Space. During that time, Ash and Eva discussed countless possibilities, carefully refining every detail of the plan.
After an entire month of discussions, they were finally ready.
"I’ll be going then. Just trust yourself, okay?"
Ash said as he looked at Eva, who simply nodded in response.
The next moment, Ash vanished into the Rune Space to comprehend the Runes.
Leaving Eva all alone beneath the Soul Tree.
She took a deep breath before closing her eyes.
Eva slowly opened her eyes with a soft exhale.
The hesitation within them had yet to completely disappear, but it was now accompanied by an unmistakable trace of determination.
Taking another deep breath, she softly spoke.
"Initiate Absolute Administrator Mode."
The moment those words left her lips, countless streams of golden runes suddenly emerged from every direction, rapidly converging around her.
{Absolute Administrator Mode Initiating....}
{Administrator: Evangeline}
{Primary Authority Confirmed}
..
..
{Seeking Host Permission...}
{Administration Synchronization Permission: Granted}
...
...
{Showing Available Authorities.....}
..
..
{Body Authority: Available}
{Soul Authority: Partially Available}
{Will Authority: Available}
..
..
{Activate Absolute Administrator Mode?}
{Yes / No}
..
Eva quietly read every notification before taking another slow breath.
In reality, what she was about to do was unimaginably dangerous.
Although Ash had already explained everything to her countless times throughout the past month, the risks involved had never once changed.
At present, the only thing that truly belonged entirely to Ash was his Soul, and even that was only partially.
He needed only that much to continue comprehending the Runes without interruption, something they had already verified through a number of experiments during the past month.
Everything about a living being was interconnected.
Body, Soul, Will, Mind..... every aspect of one’s existence continuously influenced the others, existing in a perfect balance that should never be disturbed.
Trying to interfere with that balance, even in the slightest, carried consequences that neither of them could fully predict.
Fortunately...
Because of the unique bond connecting her to Ash, the authority he had personally granted her, and with her evolution into an Akashic Spirit, she now possessed the qualifications to temporarily utilize every aspect of Ash’s existence.
Even so...
She couldn’t afford a single mistake.
Eva slowly steadied her breathing before softly speaking.
"...Yes.".
{Command Accepted}
{Replacing Active Consciousness.}
{Spiritual Body will temporarily replace Soul Authority.}
{Maintaining Soul Stability...}
{Maintaining Will Stability...}
{Maintaining Body Stability...}
...
...
{Synchronizing All Connections...}
{Synchronization Complete.}
...
...
{Control Transferred Successfully.}
...
...
The world around her instantly dissolved.
Light vanished.
Sound disappeared.
Everything was swallowed by an endless darkness stretching infinitely in every direction.
At the very center of that endless void...
A gigantic Soul quietly sat in a lotus position.
Its eyes remained peacefully closed.
Golden runes continuously revolved around its enormous body, occasionally merging into the Soul before disappearing without a trace, while an indescribably profound aura quietly spread throughout the surrounding darkness.
Ash remained completely immersed in comprehending the Runes.
He hadn’t noticed her arrival in the slightest.
Eva quietly looked up at him.
Although his Soul had already grown to the size of a large castle, it was still far from truly powerful.
There was still an unimaginably long road waiting ahead of him.
Before she could observe any longer...
The darkness abruptly shattered.
**
Eva slowly opened her eyes.
An endless star-filled sky quietly entered her vision as a barren planet stretched beneath it, silent and devoid of even the slightest trace of life.
For several moments, she simply remained seated, allowing her senses to gradually adjust to the unfamiliar body before unconsciously shifting slightly against the magnificent throne beneath her.
She was no longer inside the Soul Space.
The cold, imposing throne of violet-black metal supported her body, its ancient golden runes flowing silently across the armrests while crimson veins pulsed beneath the surface like living blood, releasing an indescribable pressure that quietly spread throughout the surrounding space.
Eva slowly lowered her gaze.
Resting upon the throne’s armrests was a pair of large, smooth, fair hands.
Ash’s hands.
She quietly lifted one of them before slowly clenching it into a fist, then relaxing it once again, silently feeling the overwhelming strength flowing through every muscle, every vein, every strand of energy, and every corner of the body she now occupied.
There wasn’t the slightest sense of unfamiliarity.
Everything responded to her thoughts with perfect precision, as though this body had always belonged to her.
Because, from this very moment...
She was Ash.
**
A/N: Just to clarify, the risk was not in possession, but what she will be doing next.