“M-Master… no, I should call you the Valkyrie, shouldn’t I?”

Her panic ebbed like tide after a storm. Aphelia tested the words, voice small.

Of course. The figure she’d seen before blacking out was the one who’d taught her the Ancient Martial Flow—the fabled Eastern Valkyrie. And right now she was shamelessly pillowing her head on the woman’s thigh.

That was how it felt from Aphelia’s side. From a bystander’s view, it was lilies in bloom, spring running riot.

Ahem. I’m digressing.

Aphelia didn’t have room for such wild thoughts. Heat dusted her cheeks like peach blossom, yet her gut tightened—she was still inside her sea of consciousness. The illusion hadn’t faded, had it?

With that thought, she almost surrendered to the woman before her. If this was also a conjured echo, then after seeing what her copy could do, what chance did Aphelia have against the real master?

“Are you… real?”

Resigned, she shut her eyes like a prisoner awaiting the blade, and asked.

The woman let out a soft chuckle. Every rise and fall of her smile felt born to bewitch; even the moon would dim at her fingertips. Aphelia’s heart thudded, a startled deer against her ribs.

“What a cute question. I’m very real. Your illusion? I set it. Does that put you at ease? It’s been a while. You’ve grown again. As your master, I’m pleased.”

She stroked Aphelia’s silver-white hair. The touch was a mother’s quiet fondness, yet the closeness brushed like a lover’s whisper; her every move blurred lines with lazy grace.

But the moment Aphelia heard, “I set the illusion,” a spark snapped her awake. She looked up, wary and puzzled.

“You’re wondering why I’d weave an illusion and bury it in your sea of consciousness, aren’t you?”

Aphelia nodded before she could help it. Deep down, she trusted this gentle woman. Reason still told her to keep her guard up.

“My body’s still in Arcane Power fatigue. Why would you put me in an illusion now? Do you… Valkyrie—do you mean to kill me?”

She met the Valkyrie’s soft gaze head-on. No flinching. The shy girl from moments ago straightened her spine and waited for the answer.

“Aphelia, Aphelia—think back. Have I ever harmed you?”

The Valkyrie’s smile stayed warm. Aphelia nodded. In those days on the road, she’d learned too much to count—technique, knowledge, instincts. She’d grown at a dizzying pace under the Valkyrie’s hand. And when it was done, her master had asked for nothing and vanished like mist.

“Right? I’ve never lied to you, never set you up, never had a reason to take your life. And for the record, the illusion I set has already healed your body. Wake up and you’ll see.”

She opened a magic circle right there, showing where Aphelia’s body lay. The dark-blue marks on her skin had faded. The chaos in her aura was gone, as if it had never been.

A ring of strange arcane tracery wrapped around her body, guarding her like a warding barrier.

Before Aphelia could react, the Valkyrie took her hand and led it through the circle, guiding her to touch her own flesh.

That small motion shocked her. Under the Valkyrie’s lead, her hand truly reached out of her sea of consciousness and met her body. A jolt ran through her like lightning, head to heels. The blood-tie aura matched perfectly. No doubt. That was her body.

What stunned her more wasn’t the proof—it was that the Valkyrie had bridged the gap between the sea of consciousness and the real world. She yanked her hand back, stumbled a few steps, and stared, eyes wide with awe and a slice of fear.

“Valkyrie… you—you’ve surpassed the gods? Crossed a forbidden line?!”

Her fear came from the simple act that had just shattered a pillar of the world’s rules.

If the human body is held within a great world, then the sea of consciousness is the small world hidden by the body—just like the bond between this world and humankind.

When the gods created humans, the tales say they set a barrier between worlds. Anything not of this world, or any similar world that tried to appear within it, would be repelled, even destroyed.

That’s why those who became gods had to leave. And it was how the creating god kept humanity from chasing too far, splitting soul and flesh, and ending themselves.

It was mercy. It was cruelty.

Soul and flesh must not part. Soulcraft hit a ceiling and stopped. Anyone who pushed on met a bad end.

Those who tried crooked paths around the barrier either died or became pitiful dead things, drifting on the edge of life and death.

So Aphelia trembled at what she saw. If all this was only the Valkyrie’s illusion, that was the best outcome. It meant her master hadn’t stepped over the taboo.

But the resonance of soul and flesh—the perfect fit—didn’t lie. It was a tremor from the marrow of her soul. No falsehood. She almost cried out.

The Valkyrie only smiled and placed a finger to Aphelia’s rosy lips, stopping the flood of questions. Something flickered in those gentle eyes, then hid itself.

“Don’t ask. Don’t say. You’ll understand soon. Titleholder is only the start line. Aphelia, please… keep trusting me as you always have. I will never harm you. Don’t be afraid.”

“But—”

Before the word left her tongue, the Valkyrie stepped in and held Aphelia’s shaking frame. They said nothing. The hug spoke warmth in the old way, easing the storm in her chest.

Right. A being like the Valkyrie had left legends across the world. If she meant to hurt Aphelia, why paint circles? Her power alone sat above the masses like a mountain.

Her arrival clearly answered danger. The illusion must have alerted her, and that’s why she was here.

In that warmth, the girl who’d fought and bled without pause finally let go. Aphelia leaned into the Valkyrie’s arms. She was so tired. Since falling into the Demon World, she’d walked a tightrope, every breath a held breath.

“Sorry, Mas—ah, no…”

“No need to be so stiff, Aphelia. If I’m a Valkyrie, does that stop me being your master?”

Her mock-scolding lilt sent heat rushing to Aphelia’s ears. She lowered her gaze, dodging that near-perfect face.

“Master, what should I do next? The Demon World—everything…”

The question tumbled out. She was lost and small. Against the vastness of the Demon World, she felt like a leaf in a flood.

Demonic Knights. The Plague of Beasts. House Hydra. The empire’s power struggle. It all sprawled like a twisted jigsaw, a hidden hand arranging the pieces, burying the truth.

“Sadly, I don’t have much time to speak with you like this. It’s too tangled to explain here.”

The Valkyrie ruffled her hair again, then pressed a light kiss to her brow with fondness. She stepped back. Her body began to unspool into threads of light, then into Runes, turning translucent.

“I’m not here in person. Time’s short. Aphelia, listen. I’ve etched the advanced swordwork of the Ancient Martial Flow into your sea of consciousness. With a little insight, you’ll grasp it quickly.”

By now her figure was breaking apart, becoming Rune after Rune, each one branding itself into Aphelia’s inner world. She looked at the girl and let out a long sigh.

“Goodbye, Aphelia. I hope we meet again. Hold to your heart. The knots will untie themselves…”

Her words faded as her form became pure Runes and scattered through Aphelia’s sea of consciousness. A flood of memory slammed into Aphelia’s mind. She couldn’t even chase a question before she was flung out of her inner sea.

With the Valkyrie gone, the illusion collapsed. Linked to it, Aphelia had to be expelled before the space fell in on itself.

After a stretch of endless dark, Aphelia slowly opened her eyes.

Her familiar black robe lay on her skin. The arcane tracery still circled her like a quiet orbit. She was back in the world of flesh. She took a long breath, replaying the memories the Valkyrie had left.

She stood. The circling pattern shattered into fine Runes and sank into the back of her hand.

“In that case… let’s raise hell.”