Chapter 1964: Helping Each Other
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Thanks to this incredible new map, Elayne could finally see where everyone was. More than that, her eyes widened as she spotted a strange area leading to Arcadia.
"A portal to Arcadia?! Some kind of dimensional bridge?! Where is this located?"
The map displayed a swirling mass of colorful clouds hovering above a deep, abyssal darkness.
"Where everything started—the Dream Plane again," said the other Elayne. "But it might be too risky. The last journey didn’t end well."
"..."
"However, there may be a way if you can harness the power of the game—BNLO," the other Elayne continued. "You’re a Heroic Spirit now, far stronger than I ever was. Learn more of the Art of Creation from the Gods. From there, aim to create a Potential Cube and find a headset to access BNLO. Remember that idea we once had?"
"I do!" Elayne nodded. "If we apply a Potential Cube... but can I even recreate something from the game? Even with the Art of Creation, it seems unlikely."
"Hm, I could unlock my Inventory," said the other Elayne. "I think I’ve gathered enough Spirit Energy Reserves."
"What?" Elayne tilted her head.
"The System has changed in the Netherworld, as you saw in my memories. Thanks to Gardenia, I can regain some of my old powers by accumulating this energy," explained the other Elayne.
"Oh, that’s right..." Elayne nodded. "You still possess Arcadia’s System, but it has adapted to our real body rather than the Avatar. What happened to her? To the Avatar? To Planta?"
"I have no idea," said the other Elayne. "My best guess is that she might be stored somewhere. We may be able to channel her power if we reach the world of the living within Arcadia. But that still feels unrealistic right now. I need more power. I have to keep leveling and growing."
"Anyway, this map is enough for now," Elayne said. "About entering Arcadia... we might be able to do it once all the conditions are met."
"Yeah. I must first unlock my Inventory and grow strong enough to access its deeper parts," the other Elayne explained. "Once that’s done, returning to Arcadia should become possible. I believe using a Potential Cube on the headset will work. You’ll need to return to our home, though. I know you’re in Japan right now for our daughter and everything else... you haven’t even visited her family yet, and that was one of the goals. Still, returning to Canada should be a priority. Not permanently—just long enough to grow strong enough to travel easily between there and here."
"You ask so much of me, other me..." Elayne sighed. "I’m already stressed enough with this Holy War and everything happening around us."
"It’s a chaotic world, both here and outside," the other Elayne replied. "But let’s persevere together. And about the map..."
"I think I can do this." Elayne waved her paintbrush, compressing the map into two gleaming jewels. She kept one and handed the other to her counterpart. "Here, take this and keep it safe."
"I wonder if I could bring it to the real world?" the other Elayne asked.
"It should be possible to transfer it between souls," Elayne explained. "After all, both of our souls have evolved and expanded into larger Soul Realms."
"Indeed..." The other Elayne nodded. "Then please take this as well. It is a gift from me, now that I realize you lacked a true connection to our past."
"What do you mean?" Elayne tilted her head.
The other Elayne smiled gently. "You’re the embodiment of my records, fused with other mythological figures. Technically, you were never part of my original soul."
"...!!!"
Elayne had dreaded this truth for far too long. When it finally struck her, the pain still cut deep. She had feared it more than she ever admitted.
"I... I knew it..."
"..."
"I’m not even you, am I? I’m just a copy... a copy made by the Root when my—your daughter summoned me," Elayne muttered, tears streaming down her face. "I’m not real..."
"You are real," the other Elayne said softly, pulling her into a warm embrace. "It’s thanks to you that any of this is possible. You are the spirit born from my daughter’s longing to see me again. And I will make you real. Take this."
"T-This is...?"
"A piece of my soul. Once you absorb it, you will truly become part of me," said the other Elayne.
"But...!"
"No buts." The other Elayne smiled. "You are as much me as I am you. It doesn’t matter if you were never a fragment of my original soul. I don’t know where the other fragment is, but I know you are still part of me. You are the living embodiment of my history on Earth, of my dreams, of my memories—immortalized as a Heroic Spirit."
"E-Elayne..." she whispered. "Thank you... for recognizing me as part of your heart."
They hugged tightly one last time. As they did, the other Elayne—the original—began to fade, her time as an avatar nearly over.
"I guess I’ll get going..."
"Wait!"
Elayne stopped her, channeling her power to sustain the spirit a little longer.
"...?"
"You want to see her, right?"
"!!!"
"I’ll take you to her. It’s not fair that the real mother can’t see her daughter, is it?"
"..."
The other Elayne’s crimson eyes widened, her lips trembling with emotion.
"Would you really let me...?"
"Yes, of course. Even if only for a small glimpse. Let’s go."
Elayne carried her canvas of dreams and spirits as an aura around her body and stepped out of Erebus Junior’s Dream Realm, entering the house.
The other Elayne gasped in awe, gazing at the comfortable home, the bright sunlight streaming through the windows, and the gentle breeze drifting inside.
She smiled softly, even as her form grew more ethereal and faint.
They moved quietly through the house until they reached Elena’s room, where the exhausted girl slept soundly.
Elayne nodded to her other self and let her enter alone, watching from the doorway.
"...Elena."
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