– Inside the Reality Rift –

After Iris fell asleep, Finn went ahead and called upon Zelestria to pull him into the rift so they could talk and perform the ritual. He hasn’t been in here for a while, but was welcomed by the same vaporwave-style world he had already grown accustomed to.

Zelestria’s beauty, however, was a different story. No matter how many times he saw her, it was impossible for him to not be entranced by it. She had a divine air to her, one that never grew old. Any mortal who laid eyes upon her would be unable to look away, and would feel compelled to worship her like a goddess—which, to be fair, he was.

Too bad Finn was unaffected.

“… Are you sure about this?” He asked quietly, staring Zelestria straight in the eyes.

Zelestria smiled. “If only you were always so considerate to me, darling… but yes. As long as you wish for this to happen, I will happily oblige.”

“… I see.”

Finn’s answer was cold, dispassionate, just like everything else he said. His eyes carried no emotion, and neither did his voice. Zelestria was a bit saddened by this, but didn’t let it show on the surface and just passed it off as how Finn always was—which wasn’t wrong.

“If you’ve made up your decision, step closer to me,” Zelestria said, spreading her arms as if preparing for a hug.

Finn, after some slight hesitation, stepped forward. Immediately, Zelestria pulled him in for a hug, surprising him a bit. Her grasp was tight, and her body soft and warm. It was a nice, cozy feeling.

“… Are you ready, darling? You won’t be able to see me again for a few months, you know. Maybe even a year.”

“… I’ll get you back. Sooner than you can imagine.”

At this, Zelestria blinked. “Eh…? Since when did you know how to charm a girl’s heart, hm?”

“Hmph. You misunderstand. To bring you back sooner, all I have to do is kill Ghosts, right?” Finn chuckled darkly.

“Mhm. But it won’t be easy. It’ll take a long time to gather the amount needed, even for you.”

“Is that so?” Finn raised an eyebrow. “We’ll see about that.”

“Fufu~ that’s my darling. Don’t go fooling around with other women while I’m away, mkay? I’ll know once I get back~”

“Should it be necessary, I will do what must be done,” Finn replied. In other words, ‘no promises’.

“Heh. You even know how to crack jokes now, huh? I’m starting to regret my decision of leaving like this right when things are getting good… but alas.” Zelestria closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then opened them again.

“I’ll miss you, darling~”

“… I won’t.”

“Fufu~”

With one final, seductive laugh, Zelestria leaned forward and planted a kiss on Finn’s lips. Instantly, Finn felt an incredible amount of energy and power flowing through his body, almost like the armor set’s Voidheart powers but exponentially stronger.

“…!”

After several seconds, Zelestria finally backed away, and Finn’s eyes widened slightly as he saw her body begin turning into white light, pixel by pixel.

“Goodbye for now, darling. Oh, and don’t die! I’ll never find another suitable candidate like you, after all.”

Finn clenched his fists tightly, and looked away from her, unable to meet her gaze. Zelestria may be smiling, but there were tears in her eyes.

‘So… even gods and goddesses can cry, huh?’

“Take care~”

With one final wave, Zelestria’s body could be seen no more, and instead, in its place was a white ball of pulsating light. Finn figured that was her core, and every time he gained Souls, part of it would be redirected to this core. Eventually, her body will be rebuilt.

Spinning around, he saw a door behind him—the exit to the reality rift. Without any hesitation, he boldly began walking towards it.

“… I’ll bring you back, Zelestria. Just you wait.”

– The Next Morning –

“Mmn…” Iris shifted around in the bed and moaned gently, yawning and stretching her arms a bit.

“… You’re awake,” Finn remarked dispassionately.

“Yeah… what time is it?” Iris asked, rubbing her eyes cutely.

Finn glanced at the clock. “Nearly 8 AM. You look tired, though, so feel free to sleep in more. There isn’t much to do today anyway, for you.”

“Mm, you’re right… wait.” Iris stopped, and looked at Finn, who had his back turned to her. “How did you know the time? And how do you know I look tired?”

Slowly, Finn turned back to her with opened eyes. Iris nearly fell out of the bed, and her mouth hung open. Neither of them were wearing their disguises anymore, since now that they had new outfits and masks, an appearance change simply wasn’t necessary. In Finn’s case, remaining Shapeshifted costed mana, which shouldn’t be wasted under any circumstances.

“Y-Your eyes… they’re… healed?!”

Finn snorted. “You aren’t the only one who got cured.”

“Wha… but how?!”

“… To be honest, I am not certain either,” Finn replied, just like he had once told Zelestria he would. “It may be the Voidheart in the armor set somehow synergizing with my blindness and curing it. However, if that is the case, that means my vision is temporary. Eventually, it will run out.”

“But you are not even wearing the armor right now…” Iris scratched her head, utterly bewildered. Finn gave a light shrug.

“It is what it is. I’m not complaining.”

Then, turning to the table across from the bed, he continued.

“I called for room service breakfast. They delivered. Eat it whenever you want. I have a training session to attend, though.”

“R-Right… um, good luck?” Iris said hesitantly, still not getting over how Finn’s eyes were suddenly healed.

Finn gave a firm nod, then slipped on the armor set Mavrick had made him yesterday and swiftly left the room, closing the door behind him. As Iris watched him go, she couldn’t help but sigh a little, but in a good way.

“Gosh… you’re always full of surprises, Finn…”