The moon had long sunk behind the mountains, leaving the Atelier Éternité bathed in pale dawnlight.The alchemy circles were scorched into the marble like constellations burned onto stone. The air still shimmered faintly — the residue of something greater than magic.
Rowena Ravenclaw rested on a velvet couch nearby, her breathing soft, eyes closed in peaceful exhaustion.Nicolas and Perenelle moved quietly around her, taking readings from crystalline instruments, recording fluctuations in aura density and soul harmonics.
But Roy… stood utterly still at the center of the chamber.
The Aftershock
The Ope Ope rings that had surrounded him during the ritual were gone — yet a faint golden sigil still glowed over his heart, pulsing irregularly. Every few seconds, it flickered like a heartbeat that wasn't his own.
Nicolas turned to him sharply."Roy, you haven't released the anchor seal. Your aura is still bound to hers."
Roy blinked, then tried to flex his fingers — and winced."I thought it would fade once the transfer was complete."
Perenelle frowned. "No. The ritual formed a resonance tether. You didn't just channel the soul's passage — you linked yourself to it. If the connection breaks too harshly…"
"I'll survive," Roy interrupted quietly, giving a small, tired smile. "Avalon won't let me die."
The Golden Light
Nicolas's eyes flickered in understanding. "Avalon—the sheath of the Everdistant Utopia. I wondered if that shimmer I saw wasn't mere spell-light."
Roy nodded faintly and unclasped his left sleeve. A line of soft golden runes spiraled up his forearm like veins of sunlight. Each rune pulsed once, in rhythm with the sigil on his chest."It protects, always," he murmured. "Even from the price of my own magic."
Perenelle studied the light closely. "Immortality… yes, but not without consequence. Avalon seals wounds — it doesn't erase fatigue or pain."
And indeed, Roy's face was pale; his breath came shallow. The air around him shimmered with strain. The vessel's birth had drawn deeply on his life force — Avalon had merely kept him from collapse.
The Alchemist's Concern
Nicolas stepped closer, resting a hand on Roy's shoulder."You gave her part of your essence to stabilize her form. That tether might evolve — perhaps even merge with your soul's frequency."
"So… she's connected to me now?" Roy asked softly.
"Part of her life will echo yours," Nicolas said. "Not domination — not control — but resonance. If you grow stronger, she will too. And if you suffer…"
Roy chuckled faintly. "Then I'll make sure not to."
Perenelle smiled at him — motherly, proud, and worried all at once. "You always carry the world too quietly, Roy. Even your grandfather Darius didn't burn himself out this hard at your age."
He looked down at his hands. "He taught me that if I can protect someone — even from death — I should. That's what being a Valvas means."
Rowena Awakens
A soft light stirred near the couch. Rowena's eyes opened — glowing faintly with moonlight. She looked around, then found Roy across the room.
"Roy… I can feel you.""The link," he said gently. "It's still stabilizing."
She rose, her movements graceful yet unsure, and approached him. When she reached out, the golden sigil on his chest brightened — the tether resonating between them like a silent chord.
"You gave more than magic," she said quietly. "You gave part of your soul."
Roy smiled faintly. "You'd have done the same."
"Yes," she whispered, "but I have had a thousand years to regret what I lost. You… still have your whole life to live."
She touched his cheek, and for a moment, the light around them dimmed — peaceful, steady.
The Scholar's Rest
Nicolas cleared his throat softly, breaking the spell of silence. "We'll monitor the resonance for a week," he said briskly. "The vessel's stability is promising, but Roy — you'll remain under observation. Avalon or not."
Perenelle gestured toward a second couch. "Rest, my boy. The stars may forgive your brilliance, but your body won't."
Roy sighed, sinking down. The moment he exhaled, a faint shimmer of golden motes escaped him — Avalon's energy healing the last traces of ritual burn.
He looked once more toward Rowena, who now studied her own reflection in a crystal mirror, a ghost rediscovering what it meant to exist.
"Welcome back to the world, Rowena," he said softly.
And as the first rays of sunlight struck the workshop, the sigil on his chest faded at last — though deep inside, the golden tether still pulsed, linking two souls born centuries apart.