Chapter 148 - Beating Hearts

The old features of the archmage looked particularly aged as he absorbed the memories. Deep lines etched themselves deeper around his eyes as waves of recollection washed over him. The void was a place of much pain for both of them, and it had pressed on that ache many times over during his trip inside. His weathered hand trembled slightly against his sides.

Nova watched in silence, noting how the old man's breathing grew shallow and labored. Each memory seemed to weigh on him like a physical burden, causing his shoulders to sag further with every passing moment.

But then, like dawn breaking after the longest night, his features softened in relief. The tension drained from his face, and a smile hung on his lips.

"It was quite the journey," he finally said, opening his eyes again. They were glossy with tears of happiness that caught the light from the magical formations around them. “So that’s what happened…”

Nova felt something tight in his chest loosen at the old man's reaction. "I think so. I hope so."

The archmage wiped at his eyes with the back of his sleeve before turning his sight to Anny. “We would have drowned in that rage if not for you. I think it’s my turn to give thanks.”

He bowed to her, much in the same way she had done earlier.

Anny shifted uncomfortably under the intensity of his gratitude. “I’m glad I was of some use, at least. Before that, I had only been a burden.”

"Oh, don't be so modest." The archmage straightened, looking into her eyes. “Few things have ever been as important as that moment to us, as I’m sure you’ve understood.”

"Yeah, well… yeah." The words came out awkward, as if she wasn't quite sure how to accept such recognition.

“...And you have its heart?” He turned his attention back to Nova.

"The heart, the flesh, as well as an eye. But the heart is the most powerful by far." Nova's hand instinctively moved toward the piece of silver in his pocket. He felt more vulnerable than he expected without the immunity.

“Yes, I can imagine. But when you say absorb…?" He turned to Anny with a curious glance. "Does it have to do with what I saw in those memories? Of the fight between you?"

Anny's posture stiffened, and she looked away toward the far wall. Her jaw worked silently for a moment before she answered. "I wasn't myself. But yes."

She turned her arm into that of the drake, showing it to the old man while gripping it tightly and releasing. The muscles beneath the scales moved like cables of steel. "I can absorb the abilities of monsters if I have the right body parts. And the heart specifically lets me turn into them completely."

The archmage's eyes widened, and he leaned closer to her, studying the arm closely. “That’s fascinating! The cellular restructuring alone should be impossible, yet here you are... May I?" He held out his hand as if to touch the scaled limb.

Anny pulled her arm back slightly, then seemed to steel herself and extended it again. "Go ahead."

The old man's fingers traced along the scales, and Nova could see his eyes lighting up slightly as he activated a few vision spells. "Remarkable. It's as if your body remembers every aspect of the original creature."

"Yeah, I thought the same thing," Nova replied, nodding along. He remembered his own amazement when he'd first witnessed the transformation. "Which is why I gave her the Thousand Beast Sovereign Technique."

"Ahh, of course. That would unite the beasts inside her to a single purpose."

"Exactly. It didn't work perfectly, but well enough. And she's quite a talent in cultivation, unlike us." Nova glanced at Anny with obvious pride, though she was focused on returning her arm to its human form.

The archmage chuckled, a dry sound that spoke of years spent buried in magical theory. "Well, magic was always more our style. But let's not waste time—" His tone shifted, becoming more businesslike as he rubbed his hands together. "Can I see the heart?"

Nova hesitated. The memory of the heart's influence was still fresh, the way it had whispered madness into his thoughts. "Is the room safe from void interference?"

"Oh, absolutely." The archmage gestured around them at the intricate formations carved into every surface. "If anything did manage to appear, it would want to flee immediately.”

“Then, here it is,” Nova replied, summoning the large heart from his core. For an instant, he could feel the buzzing of madness in his mind, but it was quickly suppressed by the formations in the room activating around him.

The heart was still beating, floating above the floor without any support. Blackened and grotesque, it really didn’t make for a pleasant sight.

Anny made a light noise as she turned away from the heart, wrapping her arms around herself. Nova wondered briefly how she would have acted if she was asleep, remembering well what happened last time.

"Ah, I see… Well, I can deal with that over a day or two. Then it should be safe to absorb, if that's what you wish to do." The archmage's tone was matter-of-fact, as if he was discussing removing a splinter rather than purifying void corruption.

Anny looked at the heart with undisguised revulsion, her earlier curiosity completely overcome. "Please do. I changed my mind about absorbing it as it is." She shuddered visibly. "I don't want that thing anywhere near my soul."

Nova summoned the eye as well, sending it floating toward the old man. “This one should be easier to fix. Do you have any ideas for using it to forge something?”

The archmage reached out and caught the eye, seemingly unbothered by its weight or the way it seemed to watch him. "Mmh, some sort of staff with a vision-based attack maybe?" He turned the eye in his hands, studying it from different angles.

"Yeah, purify that one as well, then." Nova felt relieved to have a clear path forward, even if it meant waiting.

“I wanna staff!” Millie suddenly yelled. She had been unusually quiet during their discussion, but apparently the mention of magical weapons had finally given her something to latch onto. "You said I could have one!"

Nova turned to face her with an expression of exaggerated patience. "No, I said you would have to earn it. Have you learned the spells I taught you?"

Millie's face scrunched up in indignation, her cheeks flushing pink. "When would I have time for that?! The day just started!"

“Then you still have plenty of time to learn them, right? I’m sure this old fool has a room for you to test spells in, if you want to try the offensive ones.”

The old mage smiled at Nova’s namecalling. It was what he had called himself in the past, especially when talking to younger students or apprentices.

After putting away the heart and eye with a swipe of his arm, he turned to Millie with a grin that made him look decades younger. "I do indeed have such a room. Would you like to see it?"

"Yeah!" The word came out as almost a squeal of delight.

"Then let's go!" the archmage declared with theatrical flair. He snapped his fingers with a sharp crack that echoed through the chamber.

The sound was followed immediately by a sensation like the world folding in on itself. Both the archmage and Millie simply vanished from sight, leaving behind only the faint scent of ozone and displaced air. No flash of light, no dramatic effects—one moment they were there, the next they were gone.

The sudden silence that followed was almost oppressive. Nova and Anny stood alone in the experiment room, surrounded by the archmage's countless projects and the soft hum of protective formations.

"...Are we just supposed to stay here?" Anny asked, looking around the cluttered space with obvious uncertainty.

Nova ran a hand through his hair, feeling suddenly awkward in the intimate space. "Uuh, I could probably figure out the commands for getting us back to the living room. But it would take a bit of time."

“Hmm…”

"...How are you feeling?" The question came out softer than he'd intended, still feeling guilty about the revelation about their souls.

Anny's shoulders sagged, and she let out a long, weary sigh. “Unreasonably tired.”

“I’ll find you that couch, don’t worry. And I think we have a few days of rest before we’ll be ready to meet the dungeon king.”

"Yeah, seems like it." A ghost of a smile touched her lips. "But after rushing down to this floor, I don't mind that at all.”

“...Thank you for coming along.”

"Hey, stop it." Her response was immediate and firm, cutting through his attempt at gratitude. "I go wherever you go."

“Yeah, but… Is that your decision, or is it based on the feelings I planted in you?”

For a moment, Nova worried he'd crossed a line, pushed too far into territory they both tried to avoid.

But Anny barely reacted. “Wouldn’t you follow me if I decided to go somewhere reckless?”

“...Good point. I would.”

"Exactly." Anny's voice carried a note of satisfaction, as if she'd proven a theorem. "I'm not saying I know what I would do if I wasn't hopelessly in love with you, but I don't think much would change. The moment we met again, I knew we would stay together for the rest of this life."

Nova smiled, feeling a warmth in his heart. They were in agreement there. Their meeting, after thinking they would never see anyone from their past lives again, had been such a joyful surprise.

“...But you are hopelessly in love with me?”

Anny's cheeks flushed pink, and she turned her eyes away from his with sudden shyness. The confident woman who had just defended her choices became almost bashful about her own words. “You know that.”

She was unreasonably cute.

"I know that." His voice was gentle. 

He wanted to say more, to reciprocate, but he was afraid she would see it as dishonest. Whatever affection he felt, it didn’t burn in his heart like he knew it did for her. Not yet.

Anny shifted her weight from foot to foot, clearly struggling with the emotional intensity of the conversation. When she spoke again, her tone had turned deliberately practical, a retreat into safer territory. "...Get me that couch already. I wanna lay down."

“Will do.”

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