It was a surreal sensation.
The physical transformation felt as though it had truly happened, down to the last fiber of her being.
Every sensory detail, every tactile nuance, felt distinctly different from her original body.
It was so convincing that Acheron, who seemed far too familiar with how this all worked, managed to utterly overwhelm Sylvia.
Of course, there was a catch. Once she let go of the keepsake, the transformation would unravel.
It got to the point where, near the end, Acheron actually draped her own clothes over Sylvia. And so, Sylvia sat there, wrapped in those garments... not a single worry in her mind about them getting soiled.
The only real shame was that this ability couldn't be shared. If only she could make Acheron transform into her own likeness... well, hehehe. A girl can dream, but alas, it wasn't meant to be.
After a long while—
In the spacious bathroom, Sylvia and Acheron sat shoulder to shoulder, their bodies submerged in the soothing heat of an artificial hot spring.
"Phew... I traded the intel on Penacony's Stellaron for a total waiver on the planetary reconstruction costs. But in exchange..." Sylvia's small hand found Acheron's palm beneath the water's surface.
She gave it a playful squeeze, a smile playing on her lips as she shared her thoughts. "The IPC might be sending Topaz for the Charmony Festival this time."
"Does that make much of a difference? According to you, the candidate hadn't been finalized anyway."
"Well, technically, yeah... but in the original future, a guy named Aventurine was supposed to be the one heading to Penacony."
Sylvia was preoccupied with the fact that her constant meddling in Penacony's affairs was bound to tear the original script to shreds.
Yet, the Stellaron Hunters hadn't reacted at all. She couldn't tell if they thought her actions wouldn't change the grand scheme of things, or if the altered ending had become a blur even to them.
"So, you're worried because the Stellaron Hunters have been silent?"
"Yeah, a little. I'm torn between worrying that I can't change anything at all, and worrying that the change will be so massive that even Elio won't be able to see it."
Even though the Stellaron Hunters were known for their reckless and arrogant methods, Sylvia understood that Elio's script was meticulously designed to guide the universe toward a specific, vital future.
The fact that they hadn't lifted a finger regarding her business on Penacony was, frankly, a bit unsettling.
She had heard Silver Wolf and the others mention Elio's evaluation of her before, but Sylvia still worried.
If she accidentally tossed Elio's "safety net" out the window, would she really be able to shoulder the weight of an unknown future?
Thinking about it made her instinctively scratch her head. "I feel like I'm overthinking things, but I just can't help it."
Hearing Sylvia's lament, the corners of Acheron's mouth curled upward. She reached out and gently patted Sylvia's head.
"You are definitely overthinking. But it's not necessarily a bad thing. If something truly goes wrong, I suspect someone will come looking for you."
Acheron paused as a thought occurred to her. "Oh, right. Regarding the architecture of Izumo—I used an AI program to simulate the parts I still remember. I'll send them over for you to look at in a bit."
"Oh? You're actually willing to build it?"
"Yes. Not just Izumo, but Takamagahara as well... I think it's best to recreate them all together."
Acheron's expression was relaxed, her smile soft as she continued to stroke Sylvia's hair. She leaned in, resting her head against Sylvia's shoulder.
"It's a strange feeling. I've wandered the cosmos for so long, and this is the first time I've felt the urge to actually... settle down and decorate a place."
"Well..."
Sylvia looked up, trying to think of what she should contribute to the decor. Her mind eventually drifted toward the games she used to play. Suddenly, her eyes lit up.
"Hehe, I just thought of something fun."
"What is it?" Acheron watched as Sylvia suddenly stood up.
Sylvia grabbed one of her small accessories and, after shifting into Acheron's form, sat down before the mirror to start tinkering.
She trimmed the overly long bangs.
Then, using a handy device, she began to construct a peculiar outfit. Gradually, a set of armor-like garments dominated by red and black took shape.
But the most striking feature had to be the two black-and-red oni horns protruding from her forehead.
"..."
The sight brought back a wave of nostalgia. In Acheron's fragmented memories, there was a time in her past when she, too, had horns growing from her brow. It felt like a lifetime ago.
While Acheron was lost in thought by the edge of the pool, Sylvia had finished donning the armor—which featured a rather... "delicate" amount of coverage.
"Finished!"
She stared at herself in the mirror. This "Herrscher of Thunder" look was about a seventy or eighty percent match, she reckoned.
"So cool!"
Even though the armor was just a technological facsimile and purely decorative, Sylvia was having the time of her life. This wasn't just cosplay—she was the character!
Sylvia had always felt that Acheron's black-haired, Eastern aesthetic hit the mark much harder than someone like Kiana.
The next time she ran into Welt, she was definitely going to do a few laps in front of him.
Just as Sylvia was busy striking poses in the mirror, Acheron walked over and reached out to touch the horns on Sylvia's forehead.
"And what is this look supposed to be?"
"You remember Welt, right? This is the Raiden Mei he used to know."
"Oh... I remember."
Back in Scalegorge Waterscape, Mr. Welt had looked at her with a rather peculiar expression. Sylvia had given her a brief explanation afterward.
Acheron nodded slowly. Then, she reached out, pinched Sylvia's cheeks, and gave them a sharp tug—
"Ow, ow, ow—!"
Caught completely off guard, Sylvia let out a pained yelp.
She stared at Acheron with wide, innocent eyes, only to find Acheron wearing a "kind" but piercing smile.
"To take my form, only to play the part of another woman... should I say you're heartless, or just..."
"Uh—"
Sylvia stared at Acheron, dumbfounded.
Wait, seriously? You're counting it like that? Besides, you're both named Raiden Mei...
"Hmm?"
As if sensing exactly what Sylvia was thinking, Acheron's gaze sharpened like a blade. Sylvia immediately threw in the towel.
"Fine, fine... I just wanted to try it out."
With a sigh, she deactivated the constructed clothes and the transformation along with them, returning to her original self.
Seeing this, Acheron nodded in satisfaction, then pulled Sylvia back into the hot spring for another soak.
Night fell over the Xianzhou.
Acheron departed through a portal. One moment Sylvia was waving goodbye, and the next, she wore a devious smirk.
"Hehehe—do I look like the type to give up that easily?"
Sylvia patted the small accessory belonging to Acheron in her pocket and chuckled.
"March 7th, it's time to show off those photography skills of yours!"
Sylvia sent the message to March 7th as she pushed the door open.
Looking in the mirror by herself wasn't enough; she needed a proper photographer. Since Acheron wasn't willing, March was the only choice left.
After a quick exchange, she learned that March was resting on the Express. Excitedly, Sylvia hailed a starskiff and set off toward the port.
--+--
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.