"Is that what we are calling it?"
Her melodious voice almost caused my walls to collapse and explain everything to her but I stopped in time.
"Tell me, where is it?"
I felt her gaze land on me but I knew better than to look back up at her.
Thankfully she didn't take too long before snapping her finger.
Hearing the sound I looked up and the next second the red mist appeared.
But it wasn't like it was before where the mist seemed threatening enough to devour the whole world instead it was reduced to its human form.
Even now I could see the white damaging the body of the mist as it tried to remove the foreign object.
In a way it was similar to me in the sense we were both impeding in a different world.
[You're here.]
"I am. Have you been well? Do you like this little place of mine?"
[Your taunts are meaningless.]
"Oh, you still have your pride even though you are in the palm of my hand… literally."
[…]
I sighed as I felt some of the white brush up against me before redistributing the Aether around my body.
"Let's get down to business, you have two options."
[I will not be controlled by a mere human.]
"Right, well, option one is I leave you here, get some must-deserved sleep, forget everything I know about you, and when I wake up in the morning I doubt you would still be able to fend off the white."
The mist did not seem to like the first option as it tried to attack me by shooting out a condensed wisp of red.
Thankfully Nightfall came to my rescue as just before the attack reached me the space in front of the wisp folded in on itself and shattered along with the red.
Although the mist knew the attack wouldn't be able to harm me if it had landed on my body, Aether would have automatically destroyed the attack as that was its nature.
If that had happened my time in the realm would have been reduced greatly.
It was a risk that the mist took because losing the slightest amount of its life force would result in a sooner death.
"Are you done?"
[… What is the second option.]
I knew that the mist was desperate to survive after sending out the attack and that it knew if it didn't do something soon it would really die.
"Ah, I'm glad you asked, it's a good one."
[Say it already you scoundrel.]
"You and I join hands together."
[?]
"Here is my proposal, I allow you to exist within this world and in return you allow me to call upon your power."
[No, I'd rather die. I won't have someone command me!]
"Before you are so quick with your decision let me explain it a little more and I am sure you will understand that the deal is favorable for the both of us."
[I highly doubt it.]
"Listen I will list out all the benefits this deal grants you then I will do the same for myself."
[Go on.]
By this point, too much time had passed and I had to call back some of the Aether protecting my arms to reinforce other parts.
As my hands were quickly swallowed up by the white now that nothing was protecting them I watched as they disappeared from this reality.
Once my body was entirely covered in white I would return back to the real world and be kicked out.
That meant I needed to move faster.
"First I save your life, second I give you a home where you can exist without having to be bound to a human, third I will grant you the options of feeding on the minds of your victims, which will allow you to grow stronger."
[…]
"It's a good deal is it not? I give you the perfect environment where nothing can harm or stipulate you all the while you are free to grow stronger. If anything you should be thanking me."
[Why is that?]
"I'm giving you the same benefits that you had with Evelyn however now you won't have to go through so much to get a single soul and if a variable like me were to pop up that could kill you you'd be safe staying here."
The mist fell silent for a bit of time to think it over.
Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to be wasting which meant I had to lay down on my back and remove the Aether covering my legs.
After allowing him to think for a minute I interrupted his thoughts and explained how I would benefit from our cooperation.
"By joining hands with me I in turn would be able to call upon your ability by using Nightfall as the mediator."
[Her?]
"Yes and no, what I mean is the sword part of her, not that part her."
[The sword?]
"It's not something I have time to explain, you just have to know that anytime you want to take the life of an enemy with your permission I will be able to call forth your ability."
[So what you are saying is that I get to stay safe in here and live out a utopian life and anytime I want to get stronger I offer you my power to defeat an enemy and in return, I grow stronger.]
"Exactly, a perfect deal is it not? Then by doing this and you allowing me to use your power it will in turn make me stronger. Thus, the stronger you grow the stronger I grow."
What was left of my body started fading away into the white and I gave the mist a look that told it that it needed to make a decision soon.
[You swear those are the only terms of our agreement.]
"I swear on my mana."
[Then let's do it.]
Looking over at Nightfall I burdened her with dealing with the mist.
"Sorry to put this on you Nightfall but as you can see, I'm out of time, but I have faith that you can do what needs to be done."
She didn't respond but it wasn't like she needed to because she was going to do what I wanted whether she wanted to or not.
I gave her one last smile before my body was devoured by the white and I was taken away.
Opening my eyes I stared up at the ceiling of my room and let out a sigh before closing my eyes one more time and drifting off to sleep.
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