Chapter 667: I Won’t Give You Spoilers This Time
Chapter 667: I Won’t Give You Spoilers This Time
While Ethan's body had entered a comatose state, his spirit awoke on a place that he had visited in the past.
"Good morning, Ethan."
"Good morning, Mimir."
The young man was floating above crystal clear waters, with Mimir looking down on him with a smile.
"Can't move your body?" Mimir asked.
"Yes," Ethan replied. "How long have I been unconscious?"
"Two weeks."
"… That long?"
Mimir nodded. "Your Other Half opened a connection within your consciousness to allow a Progenitor to descend into your body. He believed that it was the only way for you to get out of that dire situation."
"And was there any other way aside from that?" Ethan asked out of curiosity.
When he was facing against Erass, his back was pressed on the wall. He could do many things, but after carefully considering his options, all of them proved inadequate to use against the Progenitor of Pestilence.
"There were, but the consequences of using those methods would have been harsher than what your Other Half did. At most, you'll be sleeping for a month with the method that was used. The other methods would have required you to sacrifice someone important to you… for example, Sebastian.
"If your Other Half didn't have a way to save you, Sebastian would have sacrificed himself to save you. The trade off would have been that you would lose him forever, and you would need to find another way to return to the future."
Ethan grimaced at the thought of losing Sebastian, which he would never want to happen.
"Erass is strong," Ethan said. "And it wasn't even his real body, but merely an Avatar."
"He is." Mimir nodded. "Erass is one of the Dark Ones, and even the other Progenitors avoid him like a plague. The only reason why he can't move unhindered in the world is that the moment he goes too far, all of the Progenitors will gang up on him and eliminate him for good.
"Destroying an empire or three won't warrant the other Progenitors to take action because the world is vast and, as long as their interests don't intersect, Erass can do whatever he wants.
"In fact, even if he destroyed the entirety of the Lands of Alastor, the other Progenitors wouldn't bat an eye. Unfortunately, he was not aware that you'd be in the picture, and you have someone backing you up that also has a beef with Erass."
Mimir chuckled in a good natured way because he found this turn of events quite amusing.
"How long will I remain here?" Ethan asked.
"If no variables happen, you'll be here for two more weeks," Mimir replied. "But, I think you'll be waking up sooner because there are two girls that are working hard to make that happen."
Ethan felt something warm spread inside his chest as the images of Joanne and Princess Ramona came to his mind.
Suddenly, he thought of a question that he believed would be answered by one of the wisest beings he knew.
"Mimir, I have a question."
"Ask."
"How can I get along with my sister?" Ethan inquired. "She hates me, and I feel like no matter what I do, she will not see me as her brother."
"Just to clarify, she doesn't hate you as much as you think ," Mimir answered. "Joanne has grown up alone, and had to fend off the loneliness by herself. Aside from her parents, and grandparents, she doesn't treat anyone else as family.
"So, after hearing that her brother, whom she hasn't seen for twelve years, would suddenly be arriving in Caer Wydion, she didn't know how to feel or how to act in front of you. Since that is the case, she did the only thing she could do, and that is to deny that you're part of her family."
Ethan sighed. "Then, what should I do?"
"Take small steps," Mimir replied. "Joanne is a girl, so if you treat her like one, she will definitely come around. You don't need to work hard to be her brother because you are her brother.
"Even if she closes her eyes, your connection with her will not disappear. Joanne understands this as well, so she is now taking her own steps to accept you as her brother. Just don't tell her that I told you, okay?"
Mimir winked at Ethan, which the young man found amusing.
"Okay, so she is already starting to consider me as her brother," Ethan said softly. "That's good."
"Mmm, but you need to thank her Other Half for that," Mimir commented. "If not for her, that gap between the two of you would have grown bigger."
"Her Other Half is a kind and sweet," Ethan couldn't help but smile after remembering the time when Joanne's Other Half sat on his lap, and wanted to be spoiled by him.
The Giant Head didn't make any comment about how "kind and sweet" her sister was, especially after what she did to the Princes' and High-Ranking Nobles of the Magdar Kingdom.
"Yes," Mimir replied. "It is one of the powers within your bloodline. In fact, her Other Half wants to be spoiled by you. She wants her brother, so she will definitely help to make you and Joanne become closer to each other."
Ethan felt that with Joanne's Other Half helping him, he stood a better chance in having a good relationship with Joanne.
But after thinking for a few seconds, he sighed in relief because even though his sister was mostly alone, she still had someone to talk to.
"I'm sure people would have thought her weird if she talks to someone out loud, even if there's no one there." Ethan sighed.
"True that," Mimir replied. "Ethan, although you can trust your Other Half, you can't trust the one that gave you that Other Half."
"Are you referring to the one who took over my body?" Ethan said solemnly.
Mimir nodded. "Although I don't think that he will do bad things to you, his nature is… well… unpredictable."
"Unpredictable?"
"Yes. He is a very bored individual. Maybe he will do things just to entertain himself. For example… drag your sister into the River of Okeanos with you."
The moment those words were spoken, the world around them trembled as if someone was trying to break it open.
However, Mimir was unfazed, and was even smiling as if he succeeded in teasing someone.
No matter how strong the Patron of the Valentin Family was, Mimir didn't give a hoot.
"Looks like he got angry because I spilled the beans," Mimir chuckled. "Anyway, although he did it for his amusement, he also did it for a reason. Your trial is about confronting your heart demon, and Joanne's heart demon is you.
"Since that Person thinks that letting you take the trial together will be like hitting two birds with one stone, he decided to give it a go. Maybe you need to thank him because, by doing what he did, you and Joanne will be together for a long time.
"Using that time, the two of you may grow closer to each other, and she will no longer hate you. Although he can be twisted, I think he genuinely cares for you and your sister very much."
After saying those words, the world stopped trembling as if the one that was trying to break it open was pleased with Mimir's choice of words.
"Then, what is my heart demon?" Ethan asked.
Mimir eyed Ethan with a smile. "You already know it, right?"
"I do?"
"Yes you do."
"But, I don't know it?"
"Do you really not know it?" Mimir asked in a teasing tone. "What is the thing that has been troubling your heart for a very long time?"
Ethan didn't answer right away as he pondered this question.
Fortunately, he didn't have to ponder for a long time because the answer had always been in his mind, and his heart.
"I want to know the reason why I was abandoned."
Mimir nodded. "That's right. That is your heart demon."
"Then, will I find the answer here in the past?" Ethan inquired.
"Sorry, but time's up Ethan," Mimir said as the world around him started to turn transparent. "It seems that Joanne and Princess Ramona brought the help you need. While you will not be able to wake up right away, you will definitely open your eyes in a day or two."
"Wait, Mimir!" Ethan called out. "Please answer my question first!"
Mimir chuckled as he looked at the desperate young man, who was asking him for answers.
"Sorry, but I won't give you spoilers this time, Ethan," Mimir replied. "But, I'm sure that you will find the answer to your question. After all, this trial is for that very reason, right?"
After saying those words, Ethan heard a soothing song, which made him feel extremely drowsy.
"Illumina…," Ethan muttered as he recognized the owner of the beautiful voice, which was making him fall into a deep and dreamless sleep, so that his body, and soul, could once again become one.