Chapter 494: Difference

Jillia's eyes narrowed slightly as she stared into the distance.

"When you look at him through that lens, such a man might be the most dangerous person you could ever stand against… perhaps even more dangerous than our ruler."

"And finally…" Her expression softened. "There was him."

A subtle smile appeared on Jillia's face.

"There is something about my lord that simply makes you want to follow him. And since then, I have known no greater duty."

Bernadette glanced at her, noticing the faint smile on Jillia's face.

Then she turned back toward the view ahead, a smile of her own gradually appearing.

"Yeah…" she muttered. "There is something about him."

For the next few seconds, neither of them said anything.

Somehow, they understood each other.

Eventually, Bernadette pushed herself away from the railing. "When your lord is ready to speak, let him know I came around to see him."

Jillia nodded. "I will."

Bernadette gave her one final glance before turning away and walking back through the veranda.

———

Much later that night…

Ethan's eyes slowly opened and the first thing he saw was the ceiling of his chambers.

He stared at it for a few seconds before slowly sitting up on the bed. He was shirtless, and as he moved, the shadow cast by his back stretched across the sheets behind him.

The shadow moved on its own, rising from the bed and gradually taking form behind Ethan.

Two slender arms emerged through it, wrapping themselves around his body before Isabella fully materialized from the darkness and pressed herself against his back.

"I'm sorry, babe," she whispered.

The sudden embrace caught Ethan slightly by surprise, but after a split second, his expression softened.

He turned within her arms and pulled her closer, wrapping his own arms around her as he smiled.

"It's all right," Ethan said softly. "It's all right, love."

Isabella still felt guilty about what Morgana had subjected Ethan to earlier that day.

For a while, neither of them said anything. They simply remained in each other's arms, sharing the quiet intimacy of the moment.

Then several System messages appeared before Ethan's eyes.

[You have completed several self-imposed objectives;

[You fought and survived against the Knight of the Sun.]

[Reward: +100,000xps.]

[You granted blessings that contributed to your Blessed and your allies successfully defeating their opponent.]

[Reward: +50,000 XPs.]

[Total Experience Points: 755,000]

[You are now eligible to advance to the next Summoner Level.]

[You have also received a Special Reward.]

Ethan's attention lingered on the messages for a moment.

But right then, his eyes slowly narrowed.

Something felt different.

His attention immediately moved away from the System screens as he mentally dismissed them.

Then Ethan slowly pulled away from Isabella's embrace, keeping both hands on her shoulders as he looked at her more carefully.

There was an enormous amount of magic power seeping from her body.

It wasn't subtle either.

The difference between the Isabella standing before him now and the one he had last seen was noticeable.

Her magical presence had grown considerably stronger in the time she had spent within the Endless Dark.

Ethan stared at her for another second. "You feel different."

"Oh, yeah," Isabella said. "I didn't think spending this much time inside the realm of shadows would help me recover this much power."

Ethan raised his eyebrows slightly. "Okay. That's pretty cool."

Bella nodded. "Yeah, but it's also pretty taxing."

Her expression tightened slightly.

"There's some form of readjustment my body has to undergo whenever I reclaim more of my power. I've gone so long without most of it that having all that power gradually return is… uncomfortable."

She paused, trying to put the sensation into words.

"And with the split personalities, it makes the whole process even more difficult."

Bella looked down at herself for a moment before continuing. "But at the same time, I can feel the gap between the Mistress and me closing…It's beginning to feel like we're more alike."

Ethan's expression changed slightly at that.

There was a part of him that wanted to ask a few questions, but he decided against it for now.

Instead, he smiled and gently pulled Isabella closer.

She relaxed on his chest, resting comfortably against him as Ethan began stroking her hair.

Bella said nothing more. Her fingers moved idly along his arm as the two remained together in silence.

——

Inside Nathan's chamber…

He sat on the floor in a meditative position, his legs crossed under him and his hands resting loosely over his knees.

His breathing was slow and controlled.

Then his physical form began to distort as his body folded inward, twisting into a swirling vortex before disappearing entirely.

Nathan entered the Astral Realm.

He found himself walking across its seemingly endless surface, his feet never sinking into the currents beneath him.

With every step, a faint glow spread underneath his feet, sending gentle ripples through the surrounding sea of consciousness.

Nathan continued forward.

Then, with his next step, the world around him suddenly changed.

It felt as though the Astral Sea disappeared as Nathan found himself standing inside a garden.

His eyes widened in terror at the sight of Irene's Mind Island.

It was the same garden he had visited almost every other night since gaining the ability to enter the Astral Sea.

But it looked nothing like the place he had grown accustomed to seeing.

The once-beautiful garden was withering.

Flowers that had once covered the landscape in vibrant colors had wilted. The white trees surrounding the garden had lost much of their leaves, their branches hanging lifelessly over the dying landscape.

Even the stream that once flowed peacefully through the carved channels had slowed considerably.

Nathan's expression filled with dread. "Irene!"

He rushed deeper into the garden.

It didn't take long before he found her lying on the ground among the withering flowers, looking completely exhausted.

Her long red hair was disheveled around her. Sweat covered her face, her eyes were swollen, and even the simple act of keeping them open appeared difficult.