The neatly sorted documents on the desk scattered to the ground as both hands slammed onto the table.
Processed and unprocessed files mixed together, meaning they would have to be reorganized all over again.
Yet Ellie didn't care at all. Ignoring the fluttering papers, she quickly ran toward Law and threw herself at him.
The stern, cold expression on her face melted away, replaced by a joyful excitement, like a fluttering fairy.
Seeing Ellie rush over so enthusiastically, Law couldn't decide whether to dodge or catch her, so he simply let her crash into his arms.
With soft warmth pressed against him and a faint fragrance lingering in the air, Law couldn't help but feel a little helpless, marveling at how easily her usual strong-woman demeanor had crumbled.
"Click, click."
A wooden clattering sound came from the side, ruining the moment.
The golden-haired doll tilted its head slightly, staring at the two embracing as if puzzled.
"Quiet."
Ellie's face was buried deep in Law's chest as she issued the command.
The golden-haired doll immediately stopped moving its mouth, and the study fell silent once more.
"Alright, let go now," Law said after a moment.
"No, I won't!"
Ellie nuzzled against him like a spoiled child. At this moment, she bore no resemblance to the composed businesswoman she appeared to be in public.
"Stop fooling around."
Law patted the hands she had wrapped around his back.
"Ten minutes… no, five minutes is enough," Ellie said, looking up at him with a radiant smile.
Law lowered his gaze to her face, which was beaming as if she had just won a gold star. The black-framed glasses she wore added an intellectual charm to her features.
Time passed so quickly. People changed in the blink of an eye… growing up, growing old.
He nodded, giving in. Suppressing the soft warmth pressing against him, he tried to control any involuntary physical reactions.
Ellie slowly closed her eyes, her expression serene, like a ship that had been adrift in the vast ocean finally finding a safe harbor.
Five minutes passed in silence.
Law watched her peaceful expression and couldn't bring himself to remind her, staying quiet instead.
Time continued to slip away until, half an hour later, a knock on the door startled them both.
Ellie loosened her grip and took a step back, silently gazing at Law.
"Is there something on my face?" Law touched his cheek.
Ellie let out a light laugh and shook her head. After smoothing out her clothes, she turned toward the door and calmly said, "Come in."
The door opened, and Kenda walked in.
"I had someone prepare some late-night snacks." Kenda said, looking at the two of them.
Ellie nodded at Kenda before turning to Law and asked, "Are you hungry?"
"A little bit." Law replied.
"Mm."
Without hesitation, Ellie took Law's hand and led him toward the door.
Kenda turned and walked ahead, guiding them.
A few minutes later, Law and Ellie were seated at the dining table, enjoying their late-night meal.
The golden-haired doll stood quietly nearby, its gaze fixed on Law.
Law finished his food quickly and met the doll's stare.
Despite being a Nen-manipulated puppet, it had an independent line of sight, as if harboring the beginnings of consciousness.
'The last time I had seen it, it hadn't been like this.'
"Soul Mimic… this is the Nen Ability I've refined." Ellie said, noticing Law's attention on the puppet's peculiarities as she set down her bowl and spoon.
"What exactly does it do?"
Law was quite surprised. Previously, Ellie had independently created a Nen Ability called [Universal Sticky Notes]… a conjured notepad where tearing off a page, writing a keyword on it, and sticking it onto a non-living object allowed for basic operations.
Now, she had refined it into Soul Mimic. Just from the name, it seemed related to the soul.
Modifying one's own Nen Ability was no simple feat.
"I reduced the fifty-page notepad down to just two pages, altering the overall Nen Ability's effect, so I changed the name too."
Ellie raised her hand, conjuring a thin pink notepad with no remaining pages, and explained, "One of the last two pages had the word soul written on it, which I fused with the human puppet. The effect I set was to create a soul."
Hearing her explanation, Law frowned, "What's the restriction?"
Anything involving the soul would likely come with a heavy price.
"Nourishment."
Ellie looked at the golden-haired doll as if gazing at a close friend.
"Nourishment?"
Law's expression shifted slightly, as his first thought was lifespan or energy.
"Hehe, it's not what you're thinking." Ellie seemed to read his mind and explained, "It's Nen nourishment. From the moment the effect activates, I have to constantly supply Nen to Goldie."
"It might be a long process, but I believe that one day, Goldie's soul will fully mature."
Law's slightly tense expression relaxed somewhat, "That's it? The cost seems... light."
Normally, conjuring a Nen Beast with even the faintest hint of intelligence was no easy task. Ellie's Soul Mimic fell under Manipulation, with a branch in Conjuration.
This wasn't just creating a Nen Beast… it was imbuing a non-living object with a soul. The restrictions for such an ability shouldn't be as lenient as those for conjuring a Nen Beast.
However, Nen abilities could also be explained by the phrase 'form follows intent'.
What one desired, they would obtain. If it aligned with their true nature, the restrictions might not be as harsh.
Ellie's lifelong attitude toward human puppets, nurtured over time, had subtly formed an indispensable factor… the key to why she could now create Soul Mimic.
Thus, the restriction was merely the constant supply of Nen.
'Still, while this restriction might seem light at first glance, for someone who frequently engaged in combat, it was an incredibly harsh limitation.'
'Also… Goldie?'
"I'm not entirely sure myself."
Ellie shook her head slightly. The Vows and Limitations she had set for Soul Mimic were as she described, and in the end, she had successfully constructed it.
Law studied Goldie and asked, "So, does it have an independent soul now?"
"Yes, but my mental connection with Goldie is still weak. If I want her to do something, I have to give verbal commands."
Law pressed further, "Then, its soul originates from you, right?"
Goldie's situation bore some resemblance to Kuro's. Kuro's soul was essentially a derivative of Law's own.
When Ellie heard Law's question, she remained silent.
Seeing this, Law was puzzled.
After about ten seconds, Ellie replied, "No. Goldie's soul was created entirely from nothing. Actually..."
She paused, then said, "From the moment I started nurturing her soul, I've occasionally wondered… maybe Goldie's body already carried fragments of a soul. What I did wasn't creation, but awakening… like watering and caring for a seed until it sprouts."
'Human puppets were made from living people.'
Law's eyes narrowed slightly, 'Could it be…?'
'Fundamentally, a human puppet was a corpse. If Ellie's speculation was correct, then her Nen Ability might be even more terrifying than creating a soul.'
'Not creation, but using soul fragments to reconstruct a framework, then slowly nourishing it with Nen until it returned to its original form.'
'Resurrection?'
Suddenly, for some reason, Law thought of the breathtakingly beautiful woman in Stargie's tomb.
At that thought, he instinctively shook his head.
'Even if Nen Abilities were bizarre and seemingly limitless, bringing back a departed soul was just too absurd.'