Terra's Reflection (Continued)

—I have a feeling that this mistake was a bit deliberate. Last time, I exhausted all means and techniques, and even used my knowledge of the dream world and my memories of my past life to launch a dimensional attack on an anchor point that she could not possibly pay attention to, just to barely push her to the brink of despair before my heart failed... And that was also the first time I saw genuine panic on her face.

—But this time...hmm, why does it feel a bit like they're just trying to appease me? Because I performed too well before, and because the former Rhodes Island operators are wary of me, they deliberately arranged this self-inflicted mistake to dispel my concerns...tsk, although this conjecture is really too far-fetched, I can't find a reason to refute it for the time being...

A jumble of thoughts flashed through her mind, but she quickly dismissed them—in any case, Persephone had been completely open with her. And if she were to make such baseless, malicious assumptions about her, that would be utterly repulsive.

Not to mention...

There is nothing in this world that she should fear, nothing that requires her to go to such lengths to scheme. And based on this, her only motive can only be to consider my feelings.

—She... deliberately acted clumsy and humble for my sake?

A thought surfaced in her mind, a subtle, intriguing, even somewhat narcissistic idea that made her heart pound nervously—if everything was a spur-of-the-moment plan by Persephone, then her thinking of this at this moment was also within her prediction. And this...

She touched her chest; the unusual heartbeat guided her emotions, but not the anger of being tricked. Instead, it was a subtle, strange sensation, like a warm breath flowing through her veins.

—I'm not angry.

Why don't I get angry?

Her mind, which had been stable and clear-headed just seconds before, was now restless again. All of this only subsided when she subconsciously raised her hand and pressed down on the sword blade floating beside her.

—It's too complicated, whether it's true or false, it's all too complicated.

—Laevateinn is better to me... at least it doesn't make me do any hard thinking.

She let out a soft breath, banishing all these chaotic thoughts from her mind.

Thinking about meaningless things is pointless. Instead of wasting your brain cells, it's better to tidy up and get a good night's sleep to rejuvenate your mind.

"Okay, I'm going to sleep," she thought, and said.

But as he turned around, his gaze lingered briefly over the bathroom.

The hot water prepared for Persephone was not used.

I have always been accustomed to bathing with fire, and full-body close contact with fluids like water is actually quite rare for me.

Why don't we give it a try today?

Driven by her mind, Miss Surtr came to her senses and found herself already dressed in the warm bath—a bath designed by Persephone with enough space for ten people to frolic in together. Although Miss Surtr couldn't understand why so much living space was being wasted in a place she wouldn't use at all, Persephone insisted, so she let her have her way.

At that moment, she truly appreciated Persephone's kindness.

"... It's alright." She said softly, immersing herself in the water and letting it flow over every part of her body.

The water was clean because her body was naturally untouched by dust. Bathing had always been a psychological thing for her; physiologically, she didn't need it.

It might be necessary in the Dream World, but it's different in Terra.

The experience of bathing in the dream world is naturally different from that in Terra.

She closed her eyes...

—If only Persephone hadn't left, I could have been with her... This thought is rather strange.

An idea suddenly popped into her mind, and she gently shook her head, dismissing it. However, as she dismissed it, more fragmented thoughts began to surface in her mind.

She recalled Persephone's flawless, even slightly imperfect, figure, which, despite its minor flaws, was perfectly proportioned within an overall aesthetic. Her fair skin, flowing long hair, and elegant curves shone brightly in her memory. And those pink lips were especially alluring, sparking her imagination.

I want to touch it, I want to caress it, I want to explore it, I want to...

What am I thinking?

He tapped his head, and the wild thoughts vanished without a trace. However, the next moment, even more thoughts surfaced from the depths of his mind.

The warm water, silently, seemed to transform into Persephone's delicate hands, tracing her neck, sides, waist, and lower abdomen, and then continuing—

"Wrong."

Everything came to an abrupt end.

All the water evaporated and vaporized in an instant, and the expanding air was rapidly compressed into tiny spheres. Then, Laevateinn's raging fire engulfed them!

Something is wrong.

There are some important points that are incorrect.

"How could I possibly expect to be the passive party!?"

His fingers gripped the sword hilt, and the fiery aura extended outward, covering the entire area of his dwelling.

Muspelheim unfolds. In an instant, the interior and exterior of the small building are completely separated.

Breathe.

Breathe.

The flames surged with every breath in every corner of the small building.

Sweep away all impurity, uncover all abnormalities. The battle attire reappears on her body with the first breath—it is not sturdy, but versatile. And as it completely envelops the girl's body, the concept of [Surtr] expands rapidly within her, filling and repelling all abnormalities within this body.

The next moment, she saw a ray of light.

A wisp of light emanated from her chest, the conceptual resting place of her soul, and was repelled into the realm of fire. Laevateinn seized it like a predatory lion. The results of the analysis quickly synchronized with her cognition.

That was desire, originating from Terra's consciousness, not from some unknowable place. It wasn't evil; in fact, it was a small aggregation of concepts like beautiful romance, first love, and mutual affection. But if left unchecked, perhaps soon a deity symbolizing Deity of pure love would be born into the world because of her thoughts!

Why is this happening?

The birth of God is clearly not something to be taken lightly!

—Could it be that...

—It's because I just thought of Slaanesh, and I thought of color—

The thought abruptly stopped, for just as the name of that god was about to materialize in her mind, the light of gathered emotions before her began to expand slightly. Clearly, there was some unspeakable connection between the two. And if left unchecked, perhaps a new god sharing the same name and nature as that other ancient deity of Terra would be born into this world!

--what the hell!?

—This spans the universe; how could the power of that evil god be projected onto this land through the connection of cause and effect?

—Is it because this place is also called Terra? Or is it because I have the message of that evil god in my mind, and when I thought of that name, it was copied onto this land through my thoughts?

—Or perhaps, deep within this land, from the very beginning...

Miss Surtr desperately hoped this was just an exception, a special natural phenomenon built up by a series of coincidences. However, she knew even better that any wishful thinking would only fuel a tragic end.

So she took a deep breath and gripped that ray of light tightly.