Chapter 69 – Now We Are…

The first thing Noxx felt was movement.

A soft sway. A strange rocking. Like when someone was carrying her in their arms, but without care, without balance, more like awkward pride.

'What...?'

Noxx slowly opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was a chin. A feminine chin, proud, raised toward the front with the posture of someone who had won a war.

Aurora.

Aurora was carrying her.

It took Noxx a few seconds to process the image. The blonde had her in her arms, one arm under her knees and the other under her back, holding her close to her chest. And she was walking with Noxx’s body carried like a prize.

Noxx looked up at her from below, still half asleep. Aurora had not noticed she had woken up, since she was far too busy talking.

"Master!" she said, her voice loud and clear as she walked. "I found her! She almost disappeared."

From the other side, Noxx heard Matt’s voice, calm, but a little tired.

"Aurora, I doubt Noxx would disappear."

"She could."

"No, she couldn’t."

"She could!"

"Aurora."

"But I brought her. And I brought her in record time. How long? Five minutes? Less? Less, definitely. It was less. Nobody finds a person in the mental world that fast. Nobody."

"Nobody else lives in here."

"Exactly. That’s why I’m the best."

Noxx closed her eyes again.

"Ah!"

Aurora stopped all at once.

Noxx felt the swaying cut off.

"Master! She woke up!"

"Aurora, you’re carrying her."

"So?"

"Put her down."

"...Put her down?"

"Yes."

"Already?"

"Yes, Aurora. Put her down."

Aurora made a small pout, but obeyed. She lowered her with more care than Noxx expected, bending her knees so Noxx’s feet would touch the grass gently, holding her by the back until Noxx could stand on her own.

Noxx wobbled. Aurora put a hand on her waist by reflex.

"Careful."

"I’m fine."

"You’re not fine."

"I’m fine."

"Your legs are giving out."

"My legs are not giving out."

"They gave out just now."

Noxx clenched her teeth, adjusted herself as best she could, and held on. After a few seconds, her legs stopped trembling so much, and she was able to stand without Aurora’s hand on her.

Aurora lowered her hand with clear distrust. Noxx looked around.

The green grass. The blue sky of the mental world. The television with the console connected, still on, with a pixelated character standing still in the middle of a platform.

Matt was sitting on the ground with his legs crossed, looking at her with that expression of his that was a mix of exhaustion and calm.

"Matt."

"Noxx."

"...What happened?"

Matt took a second before answering.

"That’s a complicated question."

"Summarize."

Matt barely smiled.

"You carried most of the fusion."

"...I see..."

"Aurora and I handled the rest. But the heavy mental weight was yours. It’s normal for you to feel like this now."

Noxx processed that. Then she let out a small, short laugh, barely a breath through her nose.

"So everything was a disaster again."

Matt looked at her.

"It wasn’t a disaster."

"Yes, it was."

"No."

"Matt."

"Noxx."

The two looked at each other for a second. Matt sighed.

"The disaster wasn’t your fault," he said in a calmer voice. "It was more my fault. I forgot to warn you. I didn’t tell you that fusing with an ego-weapon requires preparation."

Matt moved one hand.

"It’s complicated, Noxx. Even I, when I did it with Aurora, had training before. The queen taught me a long time ago... and that’s why I forgot to tell you, especially because the soul fusion with Aurora was very easy."

Aurora puffed out her chest proudly.

"I know what I’m doing."

Matt continued, ignoring her.

"Noxx, what happened today was my negligence. I’m sorry for---"

"Enough."

Matt stopped. Noxx lowered her gaze.

"Enough, Matt. Seriously. Enough."

"...Enough?"

"Yes."

"You’re not going to let me apologize?"

"No."

"Noxx."

"I just want to rest for a while."

Matt looked at her in silence. Then he nodded slowly.

"All right."

Noxx exhaled through her nose. She ran a hand over her face, feeling the exhaustion weighing on her eyelids. She was going to say something else, some sharp comment to cut off the scene, but before the word reached her mouth, she noticed something.

There were two other people back there.

They were standing a few meters away from the group, a little apart from the grass where Matt and the television were, half-hidden.

Noxx had not noticed them before. She did not know if it was because they had not been there, or because her head had been spinning too much to pay attention.

The two were twins. Or almost. They had the same face, the same general shape. But the details were different.

The one on the left was shorter. She had blue hair, long down to her waist, straight and soft, falling on both sides of her face. Her eyes were a light blue, almost sky-blue. She stood with her hands pressed against her chest, her shoulders slightly hunched, looking at the ground.

She was clearly the shy one.

The one on the right was taller. She had red hair, long down to her waist, but wavy, with orange glimmers underneath. Her eyes were red, deep, shining. Her body was curvier, more defined, with a more pronounced figure than her sister’s. She stood with her back straight, her arms crossed, her chin slightly raised. Firm. As if she were waiting for something.

And both of them were dressed. In simple black clothes. Black shirts made of plain fabric, black pants made of plain fabric. Nothing special or elegant.

Noxx looked at them in silence for a moment.

'So these are them...'

Sun was the first to notice Noxx looking at them. And the moment their eyes met, both their faces changed.

Moon opened her eyes wide.

"Mistress!"

And she ran.

Tap tap tap!

Small feet struck the grass, and in three steps the blue-haired girl was already on top of Noxx, hugging her.

It was not a gentle hug. It was a hug with all her strength, with both arms wrapped around her neck, her face pressed against Noxx’s shoulder.

"Mistress! Mistress, mistress, mistress!"

Noxx almost fell backward.

Sun followed her, but walking, slower, with that firm posture of hers. She stopped beside Moon and looked at Noxx with great seriousness.

"Mistress," she said, with a warm, slightly hoarse voice.

"Uh."

"Because of us, you had to suffer like that."

Noxx blinked.

"Ah."

"It was our fault. We both pushed at the same time. We both tried to enter through different places. We both tugged on your soul without knowing what we were doing. I’m sorry, Mistress."

Moon, still hugging Noxx’s neck, lifted her face a little. When she spoke, her voice came out softer, almost musical, though it trembled slightly.

"I’m sorry, Mistress..."

And the two lowered their heads at the same time.

Noxx stayed still for a second, with Moon still hanging from her neck. Then she let out a breath.

"It wasn’t your fault."

"But---"

"It was my fault."

Sun frowned.

"Mistress, no---"

"Yes, Sun. It was my fault. I---"

"No."

Aurora spoke. Sharp.

Noxx turned her head. Aurora was standing beside her, arms crossed over her chest, mouth tight and narrowed eyes nailed to Sun and Moon.

"It’s not your fault, Noxx," Aurora said. "It’s these two idiots’ fault."

Moon gave a small jump and detached herself from Noxx’s neck.

Sun lowered her head further.

"Idiots," Aurora repeated. "Stupid, noisy, clumsy idiots. What made you think entering at the same time was a good idea? Did nobody teach you anything? Were you born yesterday?"

Sun clenched her jaw. She said nothing. She stayed there, her head lowered and her arms loose at her sides. As if she knew she had no argument to answer Aurora with and preferred to endure it.

Moon, on the other hand, tried to defend herself.

"I-I... we... we didn’t mean to---"

"You didn’t mean to?"

"N-no. We... we just... wanted... wanted to enter and... and..."

"And?"

"And..."

Moon went quiet.

The word got stuck in her throat. She opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again. Nothing came out. She turned red all the way to her ears, pressed her hands against her chest, and lowered her face until her blue hair covered her eyes.

Aurora smiled in satisfaction.

"Ah. See? You don’t even know---"

"Aurora."

Matt.

Aurora turned her head.

"Have patience."

"Patience?"

"Yes."

"With them?"

"Yes, Aurora. Patience."

Aurora opened her eyes wide.

"But they’re idiots!"

"It’s my fault, not theirs."

"No! It’s their fault! Theirs! They were the ones who---!"

"Aurora."

"Master!"

Matt raised his hand and covered her mouth.

His palm covered her entire mouth. Aurora froze for a second, her eyes very wide, looking at Matt as if he had done something unacceptable.

And in a way, for her, he had.

Aurora wanted to keep talking. Aurora wanted to keep messing with those two. Because inside Aurora’s head, the problem was not the pistols.

The problem was much bigger and much simpler.

She did not want, under any circumstances, for Matt to think about using those two.

She did not want Matt to think about training them.

She did not want Matt to think about them, period.

Aurora already had enough with Matt wasting time talking to Noxx. She already had enough with sharing his head with another person all day.

Putting two more in there meant Matt would have less time for her.

Less attention for her.

Fewer hugs for her.

Fewer hands on her head for her.

Less of everything.

And that was not acceptable.

Aurora tried to say all of that. Aurora opened her mouth against Matt’s hand and tried to push the words out.

"Fmpf! Fm fm fmpf!"

But Matt’s hand did not move.

"Fmpf!"

Nothing.

Aurora frowned harder. She pushed with her tongue. Pushed with her lips. Pushed as if she could move his hand through sheer willpower.

And then, without meaning to, she tasted it.

The skin of Matt’s hand had a taste.

It was not a strong taste. It was a human taste, slightly salty, with a little of his scent on top. A taste Aurora had never had so close to her tongue before.

Aurora went very still.

Then, very slowly, she ran her tongue over it.

A tiny lick.

Matt frowned.

"Aurora."

Aurora did not answer. Aurora was busy.

She ran her tongue over it again, a little longer this time. Then she bit his palm with her lips, without teeth, only holding it. Then she licked again.

Her eyes had become a little shiny, with that strange expression she always got whenever she discovered something new that she liked.

Matt sighed.

"Aurora, stop doing that."

Aurora licked again.

"Aurora."

She licked.

"I said stop---"

She licked.

Matt closed his eyes for a second, took a deep breath, and decided it was better to ignore what was happening under his hand.

Aurora was entertained, so she was quiet. In the overall balance, leaving his hand where it was was a win.

Matt turned his face toward Moon and Sun.

"Sorry about her."

Sun slowly lifted her gaze, and Moon still had her hair covering her face.

Matt continued in a calm voice.

"Don’t feel down because of what Aurora said, and don’t feel down because of what happened during the fusion. It was my fault. You did what little you knew how to do, and that’s it. You don’t have to apologize for anything."

Moon barely lifted her face.

"...Really?"

"Really."

Sun uncrossed her arms.

"But---"

"No buts."

Matt adjusted himself a little on the grass, with Aurora still licking his hand at his side, and continued.

"Welcome to the mental world. This is going to be the place where you live from now on. With us. I hope you can be good support for Noxx during all the time we’re going to be here inside the castle. She’s going to need you. And you’re going to need her."

Moon stared at Matt with wide eyes. Sun too.

And something on both their faces changed slightly. A small color returned to their cheeks. Their shoulders stopped being so hunched. Their arms stopped looking so limp.

Because both of them understood, in that moment, something important.

That they were in there because of Matt.

That if Matt had not chosen them, if Matt had not carried them out of the cave, if Matt had not placed them on that nightstand, they would still be in some dark corner, waiting centuries for someone else to find them.

Or worse.

Nothing.

Matt had taken them out. And now Matt was welcoming them.

Moon felt a knot in her throat. A knot she did not know what to call, but that squeezed her chest in a pleasant way.

Sun swallowed.

And the two, at the same time, looked at Aurora.

It was a brief look. Because both of them knew. They had heard everything from inside the nightstand, when Matt and Aurora had argued, back in the cave.

They had heard Aurora say to leave them.

They had heard Aurora say they were not worth carrying.

They had heard Aurora say they would be a burden, that they were noisy, that they were unnecessary.

And they had heard Matt tell her no.

That he was taking them.

Sun looked at Aurora with distrust. Moon did too.

Aurora, who was entertained with Matt’s hand, took a second to realize it.

When she did, she stopped licking and a wrinkle formed on her forehead.

"...Fmpf?"

The twin girls quickly looked away.

Aurora narrowed her eyes. But she could not say anything. Matt’s hand was still there.

Sun took a step forward. She straightened completely. She placed her hands behind her back, brought her heels together, and lowered her head in a small bow. Firm. Formal. A little stiff, as if she were trying to remember how these things were done.

"My name is Sun."

Her voice came out firm.

"It is an honor to meet you in person, in your true form. I thank you... I truly thank you for the opportunity you gave us. For not leaving us there. We both know it was not the easiest option. I... I will not forget that favor. Never."

Sun lifted her head and looked him in the eyes.

"And if you allow me, I also want to serve you."

Matt raised an eyebrow.

Aurora, under his hand, went rigid.

"Fmpf! Fm fm fmpf!"

Matt ignored her.

Moon, beside her, hurried to bow too, imitating Sun in a rush. She tucked her hair behind her ear, joined her hands in front of her stomach, and spoke with a much smaller voice.

"I-I... I’m Moon."

Sun gave her a quick approving look.

Moon grew a little braver.

"A-and I’m also grateful... grateful for what you did for us. Truly. And... and I also want to serve you... if you want..."

Matt looked at both of them.

And he barely smiled. It was a tired smile. A small smile. But it was a smile.

"You don’t need to serve me."

The twin girls blinked.

Sun frowned.

"Excuse me?"

Matt moved his head to the side, pointing with his chin at the blonde whose mouth was still covered by his hand.

"This noisy one," he said, "is my ego-weapon."

Aurora puffed out her chest under Matt’s hand.

"Fmpf! Fm!"

"As you can see," Matt continued patiently, "she’s troublesome. She’s loud. She’s a disaster. She hangs from my hand and starts licking it like it’s candy. That’s the general level of problem I have."

Moon covered her mouth with both hands, trying not to laugh.

Sun kept a serious face, but the corner of her lips trembled slightly.

Aurora narrowed her eyes furiously.

"Fmpf! FMPF!"

"So I’m asking you for a favor," Matt continued, ignoring her completely. "Just one favor. Don’t be problematic like her. Even half as much. A quarter. Whatever you can manage. If you can give me that, I’ll be grateful forever."

Moon let out a small giggle.

Sun coughed, composed herself, and lowered her head again.

"We promise to be loyal to both of you. To you and to Mistress. And we commit ourselves to not causing even the slightest problem for either of you."

Sun lifted her face and added, her chin raised:

"And so you know these are not just words, both of us are powerful ego-weapons. We are useful in battle. Very useful. When it is time to prove it, we will prove it."

Moon nodded behind her.

"Y-yes. Very useful. A lot."

Aurora tried to laugh.

She really tried.

She opened her mouth against Matt’s palm, forced the muscles of her face into a mocking smile, and made the highest-pitched sound she could.

"Fjaja! Fjaja fjaja!"

It did not sound like laughter. It sounded like someone choking on toast.

Matt sighed.

"Enough, Aurora. Enough."

He let go of her mouth.

Aurora took a deep breath, wiped her lips with the dignity of someone deeply offended, and decided she was going to behave.

For now.

For Matt.

But she kept looking at the two twins with an expression that promised nothing good for the coming weeks.

Sun and Moon pretended not to notice. Sun probably did notice. But she pretended not to.

"Noxx."

Noxx lifted her head.

She had been silent during the entire exchange.

She had watched Sun introduce herself.

She had watched Moon stammer behind her.

She had watched Aurora lick Matt’s hand.

She had watched Matt handle all three of them at the same time with the patience of someone who was no longer surprised by anything.

And Noxx had not known what to say at any of those moments.

Now Matt was calling her.

"...What?"

Matt looked at her calmly.

"Take your time."

"For what?"

"To talk to them."

Noxx frowned.

"...Now?"

"Now or later. Whenever you can."

Matt paused.

"But talk to them. Seriously. Don’t make the same mistake I made with Aurora or Eleonora."

Aurora turned her head when she heard her name.

Matt continued, looking at Noxx.

"Don’t do the same thing with them," Matt continued. "They’re part of you now. They’re inside your soul. You share space with them. Take care of them."

Noxx looked at him and sighed.

"I... I’ll keep that in mind..."

THE 3-CHAPTER-A-DAY MARATHON WILL CONTINUE UNTIL WE REACH CHAPTER 90 ON PATREON!

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Yesss! The 3-chapter-a-day marathon on Patreon will continue for the next few days, until we finally reach Chapter 90~!

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And over here, I’ll also continue posting 2 chapters a day until the Patreon marathon is over.

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I really hope you enjoy all the upcoming chapters!

(ﾉ>ω<)ﾉ