'Is she calling me stupid?'
Yuma was clearly reflecting his hurt ego now. All she had done was laugh, yet he took it personally, his pride flaring up faster than he wanted to admit. He crossed his arms slightly, jaw tightening as if bracing himself for another slight. After a few moments, her laughter finally died down, Serpheria huffing out a small breath as she tried to collect herself.
"Celebrity? No, no. Although that was a good guess," she said warmly. "Please don't take my laughter as an insult. It's just… sweet, having a new take on our concept." She reassured him gently, clearly trying to make sure he wasn't offended.
But she was too late.
Yuma's eye lifted ever so slightly, the subtle movement giving him away completely. His irritation lingered beneath the surface, even if he didn't voice it. Still, it didn't stop her from resuming her explanation, her voice flowing smoothly as if she were used to speaking about such things.
"An Ikon is… like an avatar," she continued. "We represent an element in the natural world. I represent cold fire; fire-frost flames, in other words."
Yuma tilted his head, confusion written plainly across his face.
"Frost fire isn't a real element…" he paused, unsure whether he should even humor the thought.
"Fair point," she replied easily, unfazed. "Which is why I'm very rare. In fact, I shouldn't exist at all. I came to be in the very fraction of a second when it was real." She continued without missing a beat. "Actually, you're the first I've brought here to my sanctum since I was born sixty-one years ago."
'Sixty-one years ago?! She's sixty-one?!'
Yuma was rattled by that revelation. She was sixty-one and yet looked impossibly young, far younger than any human old woman he'd ever seen. Then again, considering she could change her size at will and summon impossible phenomena, perhaps that shouldn't have shocked him as much as it did. Still, the number echoed in his head.
Gaining his bearings, he refocused on the conversation. That was when something nearly slipped past him, something far more important.
She said we.
What did she mean by we?
"We?" Yuma repeated cautiously.
Serpheria tilted her head, confused by his question. For a brief moment, they simply stared at one another until realization dawned on her face. Elated that he'd caught it, she smiled brightly and straightened her posture before nodding.
"Yes, we!" she said enthusiastically. "There are twenty-six of us, divided by rank and by the order in which we came to be." She beamed, clearly proud as she continued prattling on. "I have thirteen other siblings, each with their own names and elements they represent…"
She spoke with unmistakable fondness, her pride in her "siblings" shining through her words. That enthusiasm, however, completely blindsided Yuma. There were other Ikons in the world, entities like her, and not a single piece of evidence to prove their existence?
His thoughts spiraled.
Maybe he had lost his mind.
Maybe this was all just a very bad dream brought on by exhaustion or stress from the trip earlier.
Did he hit his head? Was he bleeding out somewhere in the real world?
The sheer amount of information Serpheria was dumping on him, combined with the terrifying implications, made his head spin. Dizzy and overwhelmed, he raised a finger to stop her mid-sentence.
"And I-" she cut herself off immediately when she saw his finger raised.
"Is this a bad trip?" Yuma asked bluntly. "Am I dying in the real world?"
It was the first truly serious question he'd asked since arriving here.
Serpheria shook her head slowly.
"No. This is all real," she said calmly. "The sanctum is simply a shared space between our consciousnesses. Time moves much more slowly here."
That eased Yuma slightly, though it didn't help him understand much of anything. Before he could follow up, however, Serpheria spoke again. This time, her tone shifted. The playful cadence she'd been using vanished, replaced by something firm, something deliberate.
"Let's cut the fluff," she said. "I've taken up too much time already, and I need to ask you something. I have an offer to make you."
The sudden seriousness caught him off guard, but the word offer immediately grabbed his attention. Straightening in his seat, Yuma leaned forward slightly, giving her his full focus.
"Listen, I'll be frank," she continued. "I find you very interesting and not to mention, attractive. You have a will I don't see very often. I've never brought anyone to my sanctum before, let alone offered a connection." She paused briefly before finishing, "So, to cut to the point… I want you as my conduit."
Yuma squinted at her, his confusion now completely visible on his face. Serpheria noticed immediately, letting out a soft sigh before continuing.
"As I explained earlier, a conduit is someone who has met and formed a contract with an Ikon, either through conditions or a simple promise. I won't delve too deeply into it, given the limited time we have left." Her gaze softened. "I don't have conditions to impose, so I'll offer you a soul promise instead. Once you agree, you'll wake up as if you never met me, and this will all feel like a dream. You'll wake up like you were before… however, you won't."
"What do you mean I won't be 'like before'?" Yuma asked, caution lacing his tone.
"You'll awaken as a conduit," she replied evenly. "A vessel for me to inhabit. In return, you'll gain my assistance, abilities, and enhanced physical capabilities. In other words, you'll be a little above superhuman."
Yuma sat silently, absorbing her words. She gave him no space to reflect, just went straight to the point. As he sat there, a small cog in his mind turned.
"Wait," he said suddenly. "What do you mean by a vessel to inhabit? Are you going to possess me?" His voice wavered as unease crept in.
"…No," she answered after a brief pause. "Not in the way you're thinking. I'd simply be a constant visitor in your dreams. As our relationship develops, things will change, but always to your benefit more than mine."
Yuma went quiet again.
"And if I say no?" he asked finally.
"I'll release you," Serpheria replied without hesitation. "You'll return to your life and your worries… though I doubt you will." Her eyes met his. "I know about your struggles. Your fears. All of which I can help you with."
Yuma's eyes widened in shock. He hadn't told her anything, nothing at all, and yet somehow she knew. Dropping his gaze to the table, he noticed her hand extended toward him.
"There's no real advantage here for me, aside from experiencing the real world," she continued. "I'll keep my word and grant you the power I can share. I can only offer this once."
She finished by gently shaking her hand, the motion clearly meant to tempt him.
Yuma was at a loss for words. Power. Answers. Solutions to his problems. What seventeen-year-old wouldn't want that? And yet… something about it felt wrong. He sat there, wrestling with himself, when suddenly an icy-hot sensation surged through his palm.
His breath hitched.
Without realizing it, he had taken her hand.
The soul promise was sealed.
"I'm glad you took the offer," Serpheria said with a smirk, her earlier flirtatious expression returning. "It would've been a shame if you hadn't."
"WAIT! I DIDN'T-"
Before he could finish, the world snapped away. He was back at the moment he'd been transported to the sanctum, the sensation of reality rushing back all at once.
The hilt was nowhere to be seen.