Chapter 68: Aden Finally Returns

For some time, Aden didn’t say anything. The Entity had said all he could possibly say and all he could hope for was the hand still clenching his host’s heart would release itself from the forced agony.

’…Fine.’

Those words were no different from an Angel’s voice to the Entity’s ears. The constricted heart was released, blood resumed its flow with the expertly infused Resonance energy to stabilize its flow and avoid any internal damage.

Aden wheezed multiple times, his head shifting side to side in an effort to get the maximum amount of air flowing into his lungs.

Bloodied saliva pooled beneath him as he writhed. His face had become uniform again, and only one emotion could be made out.

Relief.

It was a primal, almost instinctual reaction by anyone who has escaped death. Wether the cause of death was deliberate or not didn’t matter.

After close to ten minutes, Aden finally regained his bearings and slowly stood on his feet.

He clenched and unclenched hands more times than necessary. He had increased a few centimetres and the sound of his flesh being knitted together traveled through his ears.

The pool of blood beneath him reflected his image. His two eyes had returned to their blue nature, his silver hair had been heavily stained by the blood of multiple people, but that wasn’t anything a long bath wouldn’t fix.

The issue however laid on his body. Specifically, from his torso downwards.

’This fucker turned me into a monster,’ Aden cursed internally.

He knew the Entity was listening, after all he still didn’t know how to suppress him or hai thoughts, but that wasn’t going to stay the same for too long.

Taking his eyes off his strange appearance, he peered into the distance. Zero was still crouched at the edge of the crater, struggling to gain his breath. The same thing could be said for everyone else.

Lorelei however…

Aden vanished from his position and placed his hands on Lorelei who’s face had gone incredibly pale.

His face darkened, but he didn’t let the strange feeling settle before he called out to the Entity.

’You caused this. How are we going to save her?’

A brief moment of silence followed. Probably a result of the Entity wrestling with his innate pride and unfortunate need for survival.

But Aden didn’t care about any of that as he pressed. ’If she dies, you do know there’s no one else to hold me back, right?’

The Entity promptly understood the meaning behind those words. Without delay, he replied:

’She’s in a critcal state, but as a Vassal, their durability rivals many. Just infuse Void energy into her veins and her physique will refine and absorb it seamlessly.’

Aden furrowed his eyebrows. ’But how much should I infuse though? Won’t she get blown up if I infuse too much?’

If the Entity was visible, he would have shook his head. ’I’ll tell you when to stop. Part of my Void energy still remains inside you. That should be more than enough to heal her.’

Aden was skeptical, but he didn’t care to argue with the Entity, not when things were this dire. ’Fine. I’m guessing I’ll have to give you partial control of my body again?’

’… That much is obvious.’

The brief hesitation in his tone gave a weird sense of reassurance to Aden, but that was gone in the next moment.

’Try anything remotely fishy, you know what happens next,’ he warned.

His heart rate increased slightly as he closed his eyes and allowed the Entity free access into his mind.

The air changed as Aden opened his eyes. The blue colour had dissapeared once more and was replaced by a grey and silver colouration in the left and right eye respectively.

Zero, who wanted to tap on Aden previously froze mid–way. His hands hovered a few inches above Aden’s shoulder, a visible tremor passing through them.

Aden turned his head slightly. The silver eye was unmistakably cold and filled with resentment so pure it caused Zero’s survival instinct to flare.

Before Aden could speak, Zero had already deleted the distance between them and stood far away with a deep bow.

The Vassals also scrambled towards Zero’s direction, using whatever techniques they had at their disposal to escape from their mistaken return of the Entity.

’…I didn’t do anything,’ the Entity cut in before Aden could even say anything.

’Just… let’s just start.’

His eyes flickered and turned a darker shade before he extended both arms with a solemn expression.

Lorelei was tucked against the wall, courtesy of the fleeing Vassals, so they didn’t need to worry about the positioning.

Aden’s, or rather, the Entity’s fingertips hovered just above Lorelei’s collarbones. They didn’t touch her skin; instead, the air between them began to hum and distort.

“Breathe, host,” the Entity murmured, his voice a strange, dual-layered rasp. “If your heart rate spikes, the flow will shatter her.”

Aden felt the channels in his arms open like floodgates. It felt less like magic and more like pressure. A thick, mercury-like energy that had an unmistakable emptiness within them began to drip from his palms, seeping into Lorelei’s pores.

Lorelei’s body jerked. Her back arched off the stone floor, her mouth opening in a silent scream. The impure Void energy the Vassals had been using to stabilize her was instantly incinerated by the raw, unrefined Void energy Aden was pumping into her.

’Isn’t that too much?!’ Aden yelled internally. ’You’re burning her!’

’Quiet!’ the Entity snapped back, the silver eye glowing with a manic focus. ’Her vessels are collapsed. I have to over-pressurize the system to force the stagnation out. Watch her eyes.’

As the silver-grey energy flooded her, the black veins that had marked her skin began to retreat, replaced by a faint, metallic sheen. The pale, deathly hue of her face vanished, replaced by a flush of violent heat.

Suddenly, a loud crack echoed through the cave, not from the stone, but from Lorelei’s sternum.

“Stop!” Zero shouted from the distance, his hand reaching for a weapon he didn’t have. “You’re breaking her!”

The Entity ignored him. “Now,” he whispered to Aden. “Draw back the excess. If you leave even a drop of my residue in her, she’ll self–destruct. Pull it back, Aden! Pull!”

Aden seized the reins of his own body, grabbing the flow of energy like a physical rope. He felt the sickening tug of Lorelei’s soul pulling against him, a vacuum of emptiness trying to swallow his Resonance whole.

With a roar of effort, he yanked his hands away.

A shockwave of silver light exploded outward, throwing Zero and the other Vassals against the far wall. Silence slammed back into the cave, heavier than the rocks above.

Lorelei slumped back against the wall. Her chest rose. Once. Twice.

Then, her eyes snapped open. They weren’t red, and they weren’t blue. For a fleeting second, they were the same terrifying silver-grey as the Entity’s.

“Lord… Aden?” she whispered, her voice carrying a slight undertone that resembled the Entity’s voice.

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