I squeezed my hands in a fist. “So, there is another Elaya…”
“Of sorts… you could say that. It’s not like she’d look like me, or even have my memories. As I said, my own soul has burned away. However, she is the piece of me that survived, and the legacy and lore of the name I represent.”
In a world of resurrection, I suppose reincarnation makes sense too. Certain souls were too strong to be consumed by the dungeon and have no choice but to be incorporated into it. I supposed such a thing could exist on a grander scale. Mana souls that are too defined to be reincorporated back into the earth, refusing to be destroyed, but too righteous to become corrupted.
“Reincarnating souls… they’re basically the opposite of dungeons,” I concluded.
“They are truly the anti-dungeons… but they are also a pitiful existence. Like dungeons, they are a lore incomplete. Unwilling to accept their ends, they end up in a never-ending loop, playing out the same story a different way. The Princess Hero will always lose her family and her nation. The Bandit Hero will always be betrayed by those he trusts. The Maid Hero… she will always give her life for the man she dedicated herself to.”
“Are you going to be absorbed by this maid hero? Is that what you want to tell me?”
“What I wanted to show you is a hero’s birth.”
“Birth? She’s not alive yet?”
“Heroes aren’t born, Master, they are made. You spoke of reincarnation, but that isn’t quite right. The mantle of the hero floats across the life force of the world. When it finds a kindred soul, it is only then that the soul’s unite and the heroes are reborn. The strength of the hero’s past will flow into them, and their destinies will intertwine. This is the thing that I wanted you to see. The time is coming in this story where the next maid hero will gain her power.”
“I don’t care about any of that,” I responded frustratedly. “Answer the question. Once this hero maid is created, will you end up merging with them?”
“I’m happy that Master is so worried about me. However, I am not the one you should have your eyes on. This isn’t my story. This is her story.” She smiled sadly and then pointed behind me.
A door slamming behind me caused me to turn and see the woman named Fifi running out of her home. A man was walking up to her. It probably was another one of these scenes. Except, I was tired of these scenes. I just wanted Elaya back, but she was still playing coy with me.
“I’ll only have time to see you once more before the end.” Her voice whispered in my ear.
I turned back to see she was gone. Not just her, but Selena had disappeared as well. I made another vexed noise in my throat. The next time she pulled that on me, I definitely wouldn’t fall for it. I’d tie her up and make her explain everything.
Unfortunately, she was already gone. I stood up, brushing the grass off my pants. It was time to see how heroes were made.
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