Chapter 356: Reconciliation

​“Mother!”

​Marie threw her arms around Ravenna instantly, burying her face into her shoulder the exact moment she opened her eyes.

​Ravenna gently returned the embrace, striving to soothe the young girl's immediate panic. “Alright... alright... I am okay,” she murmured softly, caressing the back of Marie's head to ground her.

​As she did, her gaze drifted past Marie's shoulder, and she noticed Alice standing quietly in the far corner of the room, her arms folded across her chest. Her expression was completely unreadable.

​“How long was I out?” Ravenna asked, carefully shifting her weight to sit up against the headboard of the bed.

[Reputation System Activated]

[ Reputation System v4.1 ] (New)

User: Ravenna Solarius / Joy Cha Kim

Reputation Level: 100 — (Max)↑

Current Reputation Points: 1,000,000 RP↑

Titles Unlocked: Raven of the Sun Palace, Unruly Princess, Beast Slayer

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The floating system panel materialized right behind Marie’s head. This time, its standard neon-blue glow had shifted entirely, radiating a vibrant, warm orange hue instead. “It actually went through another upgrade,”Ravenna realized internally, her thoughts racing as the buried childhood memories she had just recovered as well.

​Alice’s voice cut through her thoughts, cold and steady. “You were in a mana-induced coma for nearly an entire week... It was exactly like the last two times you came into close contact with Marie’s divine light after she absorbed an Odyssey Ring.”

​A heavy, lingering silence descended upon the room, punctuated only by Alice’s intense glare. Alice shifted her gaze down to Marie, her tone softening slightly. “Marie, could you go downstairs and inform everyone that your mother has finally awakened? I have a few matters to discuss with Her Highness in the meantime.”

​“Yes!” Marie stood up instantly, her face flushing with excitement as she wiped away her tears. “I bet everyone will be incredibly relieved that Mother is finally awake!” She didn't waste another second, rushing out of the bedroom and letting the heavy wooden door click shut behind her.

​Leaving Alice and Ravenna completely alone.

​A deadly, suffocating silence raged within the four walls, filled only by the distant wind rattling the windowpanes and the steady, rhythmic ticking of the wall clock. Alice simply stood her ground, glaring at Ravenna, who remained seated on the bed with a pained, guilt-ridden expression, her gaze firmly locked onto her own hands.

​“You...” Alice began, her voice trembling.

​“I know!” Ravenna interjected suddenly, looking up. “I know you don't trust me after everything you've learned... and I know it was incredibly reckless of me to proceed with the ritual under the ruins, but... it was very important that I—”

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​“You are right. I don't trust you. I don't even know who you are anymore, after all,” Alice said, her posture rigid as she continued to look down at her. Taking a deep, sharp breath to steady the raw emotion in her throat, she asked, “Can I ask you just one thing?”

​Ravenna offered a solemn nod.

​“Are you certain that... you are Ravenna Solarius, simply possessing the memories of this foreign woman, Joy Cha Kim?” Alice’s face contorted into a deeply pained expression as she pressed on, her voice cracking. “Are you certain it isn't the other way around? Because... because I simply cannot bring myself to accept the alternative. I cannot accept that Ravenna is... is just gone forever.”

​A long, agonizingly silent pause stretched between them. The only sound left to fill the void was the distant, muffled crashing of the ocean waves against the cliffs outside.

​Finally, Ravenna replied.

​“I don't know... I am still not entirely sure.” Reaching out, she looked directly into Alice’s eyes. “But I have made a choice. Whichever one of the two I originally was, I will continue to live on as I am now. Because whatever the case might be, the current version of me is still a version of me that exists.”

​Alice stared at her for a long moment. Suddenly, all the rigid tension left her posture. She walked forward with faltering steps and collapsed onto her knees right beside the mattress, her frame trembling violently as she rested her head directly onto Ravenna’s lap.

​“You know I took a week-long break to exactly distance myself from you... just so I could think everything through calmly,” Alice whispered, her tears finally overflowing and soaking into the fabric of the bedsheets.

​“Yet, the exact moment I received word that you had collapsed into a coma again,” she looked up, her tear-stained eyes searching Ravenna’s face, “it scared me. It scared me terrifyingly to death, Ravenna. I didn't care if you were Ravenna with someone else's memories, or two separate souls forcibly merged together, or even some strange woman flawlessly mimicking her. Before I could even finish sorting through all of those terrifying thoughts, I already found myself rushing right back here, losing my mind worrying about you.”

​“My little sister...” Alice breathed, reaching up to gently caress her hand over Ravenna’s cheek. “So... please, do not try to fool me. Are you truly my Ravenna?”

​Ravenna’s own expression twisted with a deep, echoing pain. She didn't say another word; she simply leaned forward and pulled Alice tightly into her arms.

​Alice buried her face into Ravenna's shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably as she held onto her as if she were a lifeline. Ravenna held her back just as fiercely, letting the stars and the dipping sun witness a silent vow to protect the bond they shared, no matter what twisted truths lay hidden within their lives.

After staying like that for a few minutes, the storm of emotion finally began to pass. Alice gently pulled away, wiping her damp cheeks. “That's right... this is not the time to be getting lost in identity issues.”

​Standing up and fixing her spectacles, she forced herself back into her composed, professional persona in an instant. Her voice hardened as she said, “We have a much bigger issue at hand. I am sorry to dump this on you, but even if you just woke up from a week-long coma, we need to tackle it immediately.”

​Ravenna’s entire demeanor shifted, growing serious as she took in how focused Alice was. For her childhood friend to forcefully push back a matter as deeply personal as their entire relationship meant the situation outside these walls was dire.

​Alice took a deep, steadying breath and delivered the report. “Shortly after you collapsed into the coma, something truly unfortunate occurred.”

​Straightening her posture and adjusting her spectacles with one hand, she looked directly into Ravenna's eyes. “The escort vessel that Vice-Captain John was assigned to, the one transporting the new wave of Otto immigrants, has vanished!”