Chapter 234: The Incubation Of Fate
[Soul Sea.]
Mirabella appeared on the open field of her inner consciousness, the ethereal grass swaying in a phantom breeze. Her gaze was immediately fixed on the massive, dormant egg resting in the center of the spiritual plain.
"Adira."
"I am here, Master."
Adira materialized out of the ambient light before her, floating gently down to the grass, and bowed her small head in absolute reverence.
"The core."
Mirabella ordered, walking slowly toward the towering shell. Adira nodded. A spatial ripple distorted the air, and the Wyvern’s gem—now a brilliant, spiky crimson crystal radiating intense draconic heat—appeared before her, flying obediently toward Mirabella.
"The Wyvern might not be a true Dragon, but it does have high affinity to flames. It can surely help me with this egg," Mirabella reasoned. She opened her palm, and the heavy gem floated smoothly above it, casting a warm red glow across her face.
"Master, I have something to report," Adira said in a low, serious voice, just as Cupcake’s cat form appeared on the grass, lazily lying on her stomach but keeping her eyes closed.
"What is it." Mirabella didn’t look back; she moved the gem closer to the egg’s surface, and the shell immediately started glowing with an answering crimson light, resonating with the fire attribute.
"Jessica has demonic energy in her... I suggest we kill her and get rid of any future obstacle," Adira said, her logic cold and pragmatic. To the fairy, the Abyss was a universal enemy, and a corrupted vessel was simply a target.
Mirabella paused, the gem hovering midway, as she was suddenly lost in deep thought.
’Adira has a point. Jessica is stronger than before... But she is still the same Jessica I know in my previous life. She not only led Humanity against the monsters, she also fought for Earth... But.’ She stared intensely at the gem. At her mental command, it shattered into thousands of brilliant red lights, a cascade of pure, refined energy.
’Did I change the course of everything and everyone’s lives after getting reborn? Or was Jessica and Ethan already brainwashed in my previous life and I didn’t know about it?’ The crimson lights flew toward the egg, swirling around it like a miniature galaxy before seamlessly merging into the porous shell.
’This isn’t a baseless thought,’ Mirabella deduced, her mind piecing the timeline together. ’If Ethan was indeed brainwashed in my previous life, there is no way I would know about it... They will simply brainwash him to know those around him. So of course, he will remember his girlfriend, or it’ll draw attention... This time around, I am not his girlfriend, and the Sword Empire doesn’t know about our past relationship, which is why I detected this...’ Mirabella exhaled a long, heavy breath. Her gaze was fixed on the egg, which was now pulsing and glowing brightly, absorbing the monumental energy of a high-tier beast.
’So... Ethan was brainwashed, which is why he betrayed me in my previous life.’ The realization brought a strange sense of closure. She lightly shook her head, dismissing the ghost of her past lover.
’Forget about Ethan, past or present... I don’t care what happens to him, but Jessica is a valuable asset.’
The egg gradually dimmed, its temperature dropping as it turned back to its normal, dormant state.
"Jessica is a very powerful fighter. No matter what, I will find a way to set things right... Killing her will be dealing a heavy blow to Earth’s defense. Do you understand now?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at Adira’s tiny form.
"I... I understand, Master," Adira nodded her head, though her spiritual aura suggested she was clearly still confused by human sentimentality and long-term tactical gambles.
"Adira, Jessica isn’t a bad person... She is just under someone else’s control. We will get to the bottom of this."
"Master... I thought you said you won’t interfere with the empires, as long as they don’t cross you," Cupcake reminded her.
"Cupcake, I might be related to the Sun family in Galaxy Fall, but I grew up on Earth, so I will protect it." She turned her gaze back to the egg, asserting her dual identity. The system interface pinged quietly in her peripheral vision.
{Current Timer: 5 Months.}
’Hmm... Not much, but it’s a good start,’ she said internally, noting the reduction in the incubation period. She turned fully to face Cupcake and Adira.
"I am planning on building my own force, and I need Jessica... She is currently using the powers given to her, but has never used her own strength... If that happens, even Yakima won’t be able to fight her..." She turned her head toward the distant horizon of the soul sea, her mind shifting back to the physical world.
"Time for the second round, and help me keep watch on Luigi."
With that final instruction, she vanished from her soul sea, leaving the inner realm in sudden silence.
CRACK!!
Adira and Cupcake immediately turned their heads to the Egg. A sharp, jagged line now marred the flawless surface.
"....?!"
They were both dumbfounded, staring at the physical manifestation of Mirabella’s accelerated timeline.
____
[Tower.]
Mirabella opened her eyes, the familiar dark obsidian of the tower hall replacing the bright skies of her soul sea. She found herself staring at Carl, who sat cross-legged on the floor directly before her, his eyes closed in deep meditation as he stabilized his newly acquired assassin skill.
She smiled softly, the heavy burdens of her past life momentarily lifting. She slowly stood up. "He looks cute."
She walked toward him and affectionately ruffled his blonde hair. In this life, Mirabella was three years older than Carl, so normally, she had the right to treat the lethal assassin like a younger brother.
Carl’s eyes snapped open, his instincts flaring before he registered who it was. He looked up at her in surprise. "Senior sister, you’re awake."
"Yeah, come on, let’s go." Mirabella nodded, her demeanor shifting back to the decisive Captain of the Dragon Academy, and walked toward the pulsating light of the gateway.
Carl jumped to his feet, quickly dusted off his dark uniform, and followed behind her without hesitation, stepping into the gateway and vanishing into the second round.
WHOOSH!!
The moment they were gone, the spatial fabric in the darkest corner of the hall shifted unnaturally. The shadows peeled back, and a man dressed in a full black outfit walked out. He moved with zero ambient sound. He was hugging a golden sword tightly to his chest, its heavy sheath etched with aggressively glowing red runes that hummed with restrained power.
"As the greatest Swordsman in the Third World, I didn’t expect these kids to have this much strength... Truly fascinating. It seems those kids, Hayatobi and Nadia, are doing a good job." He paused, his sharp eyes lingering on the spot where Jessica had stood earlier.
"But... why does that other girl have such a lifeless look? Did Nadia...?" He frowned, the implications of his own thoughts troubling him. He adjusted his grip on the golden sword. "Umm, I will keep observing. Maybe Mirabella can save her."
He added quietly to the empty room, and with a step backward, he vanished, folding seamlessly back into the spatial folds of the tower.