Chapter 397 - Soul Link
"How are you now?" Arthur asked with worry, but he could see that Rega was quite well. The spirit broke their embrace and flew away to spin in the air, showing Arthur its roots and leaves.
"Rega is well," the spirit danced and spun to show Arthur to prove its wellbeing. Arthur simply nodded with a smile as he presented Dia to the spirit.
"I hope you remember Dia," he gestured toward the princess, and she stiffened like a plank of wood. If Arthur didn't know she was from Alka, he would have thought she was doing a robot dance.
"H-hi," she stuttered as she greeted the spirit, and Arthur saw her grow frustrated. Rega turned to her and seemed confused before shaking its head.
"I'm sorry, I don't remember faces..." Rega scratched her head with her roots, seeming quite apologetic. This, for some reason, made Dia panic even more.
"It's okay!" Dia hurried to console the leafy spirit as if fearing it would feel bad. Arthur smiled at her entirely unexpected side but didn't comment further.
"She's my friend," Arthur introduced them. "She helped me when we were killing the monsters in your Inner World."
"Thank you, big sis!" Rega acted like a child despite its age, and it bowed to Dia, who seemed bashful and panic-stricken. "Master, are you here to...?"
"Yes, to get you out of here," Arthur smiled as he raised his hand, and a rune appeared above it. "This something I've learned just recently, but I think it'll work."
The rune that appeared was a soft bluish hue, radiating a pulse that affected Rega's Inner World. It was one of the two he obtained from the human-pig spirit, called Spiritual Interference.
[Spiritual-Interference: a rune that directly manipulates spiritual energy and boundaries, allowing interference with spiritual energy and entities.]
[Note: this rune transcends tiers because it was obtained by a stroke of fate in a realm far away.]
The note proved that this rune was quite extraordinary, and it even transcended tiers. Of course, Arthur didn't know if this meant this rune couldn't evolve further, but this was quite enough.
"I'm going to link your spiritual body to my soul, and you can play around in the outside world," Arthur explained and saw the look of sheer horror on Dia's face.
"Your soul?" muttered the princess with shock. She had the right to be surprised, as matters of the souls weren't things to be tempered with. "Arthur, are you sure about this?"
"It should be alright, I think," said Arthur with a hint of uncertainty, and it made Dia gawk at him.
"You are," she gave a pause as she squinted her eyes, "doing this without being certain about the side effects?"
"I promised her, so I'm keeping my promise."
Rega seemed confused while Dia looked unconvinced. The princess opened her mouth again to protest, but Arthur hurried to use the rune.
The Inner World appeared to be shrinking the moment the rune touched Rega's body, and Arthur could feel his hand grab into its bindings to the world. He then manipulated the boundaries and linked its existence to his soul.
The process was quite simple, almost too simple, and it didn't take any time. However, the pain that arrived after a few moments made Arthur snap his eyes open as he grabbed into his heart.
"Ugh," a groan leaked out of his mouth as he fell to his knees. Rega seemed unaffected, but Arthur felt his body was being cut open while the link began to form.
"Arthur!" Dia rushed to his aid but didn't know what to do. Arthur raised his hand to gesture that he was okay, but the pain was growing stronger. He gnashed his teeth together but knew that Rega was getting worried, so he tried to give a smile.
"I'm alright. How do you feel?" Arthur said with a weak voice, and Rega looked at her body with confusion.
"I feel... connected to you... the same away I've connected to the tree..." her voice came in intervals, as the spirit never experienced something like this.
"Then let's try to take this outside," Arthur stood up as he waved his hand, and a portal opened to the outside world. The pain seemed to subside a bit as he walked out into the world. "Come out, Rega."
There was silence, but then Rega's head left the tree's surface. It floated out of the tree in front of Arthur's and Dia's eyes, looking around with amazement.
"Is this... the real world?" gaped the spirit. "There are so many colors... more than Rega's Inner World..."
"You have never seen it before?" Dia asked as she held into Arthur, and the spirit shook its head.
"I only sensed it using my link to the tree, that's all. However, I feel like I forget something. I don't know what it is," the spirit scratched its head. "Master, can I..."
"Play around all you want. We'll be right here," Arthur smiled as he sat to lean on the tree's trunk.
"Yay!" Rega's leaves glowed green before she flew around the tree, descending toward the forest and camp below them. Here, she had an ethereal body, allowing her to pass through things without hindrance.
"Are you truly alright, Arthur?" Dia lowered herself to his level and asked with worry.
"Well, to be honest, it hurts a lot, but it's getting better." Arthur weakly smiled as he leaned back on the tree. "I just need to rest a little, that's all."
There was a pause before Dia leaned beside him, and Arthur felt her warmth beside his intact arm. She didn't say anything more, and Arthur allowed himself to drift into sleep.
He couldn't sleep in the Spirits Realm, so he wanted to lose consciousness to 'reboot' his brain. Fortunately, sleep came upon him faster than he expected, and he was soon within a dream.
There was someone in front of him, and Arthur felt as if he knew who it was. Arthur walked toward the person and grabbed him by the shoulder, and the latter turned around to see him.
It was a younger version of himself. Young Arthur flinched and retreated away from him, looking quite terrified.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry,"
"What are you apologizing for?" Arthur was confused.
"I'm sorry for not being enough. I'm sorry."
After that, young Arthur disappeared without a trace. Instead, a mirror appeared in front of him, reflecting his current appearance.: long hair covering his face, missing arm, and a battle-hardened sharp expression.
"I'm not enough?"
"You are more than that," a voice answered him, snapping him awake. Arthur opened his eyes to see Dia's face before him as she held his cheek gently. "You are so much more than that," as she said, she rested her forehead on his, trying to calm him down.
Arthur closed his eyes again, and he calmed down. The fact that he saw his father brought out some of his feelings after he left them. They were nothing, but they left a tiny wound that festers once in a while.
A cold stream of energy seeped into his head, cooling him down. Then, finally, Arthur felt Dia retract her head, and he opened his eyes to see her looking at him.
"Did you have a nightmare?" she asked, to which he nodded and then gave a dismissal shake of his head. Arthur stood up from his spot and looked at Hidden City.
"It's nothing. I just needed to rest. How much time did I sleep for?"
"Ten minutes," she stood up beside him, "barely. You should sleep more."
"The rest are waiting for me," he turned to her with a smile, watching her blonde hair fluttering in the wind. "Are you staying here?"
"Do you want me to?"
Then came a pause, as Arthur didn't have an answer for that. He wanted her to stay but knew that asking this of her would be nothing less than selfish, as her simple presence here would jeopardize everything she worked for in Livia.
"Don't think unnecessary things," she said with eyes of clear intentions. "Just answer my question, without thinking, without too much thinking."
"I do, but I don't think it's the right thing to do."
"You are a moron," she sighed and walked closer to him, and he could tell her rosy perfume. "I'm staying here for two days, so you can go ahead and meet with your friends."
"I'll talk to you later," Arthur smiled. "You can play with Rega until then," he said and watched the princess stiffens. "You are awkward with children."
"Don't laugh," the Demi scowled before looking around. "I just worry that something I would say would hurt it. Children are quite fragile in their developmental years."
"First of all, it is hundreds of years old. Secondly, where the hell is the manipulative attitude that you had when you met me? You were great at coaxing people into liking you."
"I don't need it after I regained my strength," Dia blushed as she waved him. "Go to govern your city. I'll stay here."