Chapter 35 – The Final Echo
Light bled into color.
Color folded into sound.
And then sound fell silent.
Rimuru blinked, the distortion peeling away as she and Ren stepped into the core of Aira's dream.
The world around them was... still. A frozen lake stretched in every direction, smooth as glass, reflecting a red and blue sky that pulsed like a heartbeat. In the distance, fragments of memory floated — laughter, voices, school corridors — all fading in and out like breaths.
Rimuru crouched down, brushing her fingers along the surface. The reflection rippled, and for an instant, she saw Aira beneath the ice — eyes closed, floating weightlessly, her hair spreading like ink in water.
"She's here," Rimuru said quietly. "But the core's sealed."
Ren moved beside her, scanning the distortion lines. "This entire construct is built from her emotions. She's protecting herself."
Rimuru glanced up. "From what?"
Ren hesitated, then looked at her. "Maybe from you."
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The sky above them flickered — Rimuru's red hue clashing against Ren's blue until the color bled into violet.
She exhaled softly. "She's not afraid of me, Ren. She's afraid of what being around me means."
The lake trembled — cracks spreading across the surface like lightning. Beneath it, Aira's reflection twitched, her lips moving faintly as though whispering a name.
> "Rimuru…"
Rimuru's chest tightened. "She's calling me."
Ren's gaze sharpened. "Then go."
Rimuru hesitated. "If I break the surface wrong, her consciousness could shatter. The distortion's feeding off her emotions — if we force it, we lose her."
"Then we don't force it."
Ren raised his hand, silver light threading through his fingers, forming sigils that rippled across the lake's edge. The sigils pulsed — slow, steady, grounding the distortion.
Rimuru watched, faintly impressed. "Since when do you use soft touch?"
"Since I learned from you that brute force doesn't fix everything."
She grinned. "Wow. Character development. I'm proud."
He shot her a look. "Focus."
Rimuru closed her eyes, kneeling by the cracks. Her aura shimmered — blue at first, then red, then both blending into a pale violet glow that hummed softly. The ice responded, glowing beneath her palm.
She spoke softly, voice barely above a whisper:
> "You're not alone in there, Aira. You never were."
The cracks stopped spreading. For a brief, trembling second, the reflection beneath the ice opened its eyes — glowing faintly violet.
Then the silence shattered.
The lake split apart, fragments of light rising into the air like shattered glass. Aira gasped, breaking free, but something else came with her — a shadowed figure, tall and warped, its face blank except for a faint smile.
Rimuru froze. "That's—"
Ren finished her sentence, voice sharp. "The core distortion. It took form."
The shadow tilted its head, voice dripping with static.
> "You brought them here, Rimuru. You always bring the endings with you."
Rimuru stood slowly, shielding Aira behind her.
Her grin was small, steady, and sharp. "Then you should know — I never end things quietly."
The air around her flared to life, crimson and blue streaks burning against the glassy sky.
Ren stepped beside her, his silver aura intertwining with hers. "Ready?"
Rimuru smirked. "Always."
The distortion screamed — and the fight began.