Having drawn her long blade and reclaimed her full power, Acheron now seemed somehow unfamiliar in Sylvia's eyes.
Yet, subtly, Sylvia also sensed that this version of Acheron carried a certain… "vivid sorrow"—a quality her usual self lacked, in a rather unsettling way.
Sylvia nearly laughed at her own clumsy choice of words, but the sight of white-haired Acheron's scarlet gaze stole any trace of amusement from her lips.
"...So you really didn't sleep last night!"
Defiant, Sylvia stiffened her neck, trying to regain some ground. But Acheron only offered a faint, knowing smile.
"Sleep doesn't hinder my awareness of my surroundings. Your vigilance, however, remains too weak—so consider this a lesson."
"…"
A cold sweat broke out instantly down Sylvia's back.
A lesson my foot. I might've believed you if you hadn't said that first part.
Clearly, Acheron wasn't feeling particularly charitable right now. She flashed Sylvia a brief, almost playful smile before lowering her head and sinking her teeth into Sylvia's neck.
"Mmph—"
An endless tide of blood, accompanied by rolling thunder, swallowed Sylvia in an instant, giving her no chance to resist before she was pulled into that faded, colorless world.
Her consciousness slowly sank into ashen silence.
Countless fragmented images flickered before Sylvia's eyes.
And with them came an endless weight of blood-debt and boundless despair, churning like dark, relentless waves.
Sylvia felt herself becoming a lone, battered skiff tossed upon that raging sea.
"Is this… Acheron's past…?"
Drifting along with the turbulent currents, Sylvia watched as memories unfolded before her—yet the experience was deeply conflicted.
There was a pure, instinctive revulsion toward the void, the annihilation of existence itself. Yet, intertwined with it, a sense of trust blossomed simply because she knew these memories belonged to Acheron.
Perhaps Sylvia's own instincts were resisting the stillness of Nihility, or perhaps her body was merely reacting to the invasive touch of void energy.
From deep within her limbs and bones, a power began to stir—the power of the Aeon of Permanence.
It wove itself together, anchored in the very concept of "Permanence," becoming Sylvia's lifeline, the anchor that kept her consciousness from drowning in the void.
--+--
Acheron did not walk the Path of Remembrance, and neither did Sylvia.
Nor had Acheron intended for Sylvia to see her memories at all.
Her plan had simply been to let Sylvia feel those emotions.
Acheron had sensed Sylvia's curiosity about her past at times—a curiosity that went beyond mere "knowing." Sylvia had even harbored a desire to truly feel it.
And to understand Acheron, the Nihility was an unavoidable threshold.
If Sylvia had only wanted to remain on the surface, Acheron wouldn't have minded.
But Sylvia clearly wanted to go deeper.
Though never spoken aloud, Acheron could feel that curiosity directed toward her.
It was why, despite the deep trust between them, Acheron had not yet shared her true name.
Though her memories were mostly faded, Acheron knew the depths of despair her past held—that utter, crushing hopelessness of giving everything, believing you've sacrificed all to escape a cage, only to be left with nothingness in the end.
Acheron didn't know why Sylvia wanted to delve into this.
But Sylvia wanted to, and Acheron found she wasn't entirely opposed. It was just that… perhaps Sylvia needed some preparation first.
How to prepare her, though? Acheron had pondered it many times.
The best choice, truly, would be to refuse Sylvia. Touching the Nihility was never a good thing.
Yet Acheron…
Found Sylvia's requests hard to deny.
Not out of kindness or obedience, but from a genuine desire to fulfill Sylvia's wishes.
And besides. After becoming aware of her own darker emotions, Acheron felt a need to release them, just a little.
That was what had led to Acheron's actions today.
And after that, the so-called "lesson" was, of course, also one of her aims.
Only, what began as a plan to simply release those emotions and use the Nihility to train Sylvia had somehow ended up showing Sylvia fragments of Acheron's own memories.
Within those fragments, even a single fleeting frame—
That image of a black sun—brought Sylvia an intensely perilous sensation.
Just that one glimpse from Acheron's memory set Sylvia's instincts screaming in alarm.
That was not something any living being should ever approach.
In her scarce moments of clarity, Sylvia couldn't help but wonder: how had Acheron endured facing that thing back then?
Not only endured it—but managed to strike it down.
Just witnessing these scattered shards of memory left Sylvia feeling utterly overwhelmed.
--+--
Back in reality.
White-haired Acheron held Sylvia's limp form with one arm, supporting her slender waist.
Sylvia, collapsed against her, seemed to blur the lines between reality and illusion, her brows tightly furrowed as she murmured incoherently from time to time.
Acheron's free hand drifted gently across Sylvia's cheek.
She couldn't resist giving it a few playful pinches.
Just then, Sylvia shuddered violently. A strange, unfamiliar Path energy—the power of Permanence—stirred within her, rising to resist the void.
It was faint, yet tenacious and unyielding, pulsing with stubborn vitality.
Noticing this, Acheron let out a soft, curious sound.
Frowning, she pressed her forehead against Sylvia's, concentrating intently.
"This is… the power of Permanence? But how…? She hasn't been gazed upon by that Aeon, nor is she of Vidyadhara blood. Why would this energy emerge?"
Acheron murmured to herself, eyes lowered.
Another unexpected development.
Whenever Sylvia was involved, things always seemed to take an unforeseen turn.
While Acheron was still lost in thought—
For Sylvia, the surge of Permanence energy brought a sliver of clarity to her fading consciousness.
The memories of Acheron and Acheron herself began to overlap before her eyes.
And Acheron's touch against her skin grew steadily clearer.
With what little strength she had left, Sylvia's hand closed weakly around Acheron's fingers.
She half-opened her eyes, her clear gaze fixed accusingly on Acheron.
"...You… were trying to mess with me again… weren't you!"
Seeing Sylvia still capable of speaking, Acheron opened her mouth to reply—
But Sylvia abruptly looped an arm around Acheron's shoulder, pulled herself up, and pressed her lips firmly against Acheron's, cutting off whatever she'd been about to say.
They held that position for a long moment.
When Sylvia finally pulled back, she narrowed her eyes at Acheron.
"Not a chance I'd let you win…"
"…"
Acheron watched Sylvia's defiant display, wondering where she'd mustered the nerve.
Honestly, where did this girl find the audacity to bite her right to her face?
With ease, Acheron captured Sylvia's restless hands and pinned them firmly against the wall. And with that, the "Void" thoroughly overwhelmed the nascent power of "Permanence."
--+--
By the time Acheron finally saw fit to release her, nearly a system hour had passed.
Emerging from the depths of Acheron's memories and the abyssal void, Sylvia gasped for air as if she'd just been hauled from water.
Drenched in sweat and utterly drained of strength, she could do nothing but slump weakly against Acheron, her soft cheeks completely at the other's mercy.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.