"What do you want from me? What kind of plan do you have prepared for me? And tell me if I'm myself and not you," Aris stared into Aristoria's eyes with a cold gaze, her eyes beginning to glow.
Aristoria could see the Orthias energy in Aris that was familiar, oddly familiar. She nodded with understanding as she turned around and used a glance to tell Aris to follow her.
Aris stayed still, not wanting to follow Aristoria because there was no reason for them to speak in private since they were in a void realm. Aristoria glanced at Aris for the second time, still not following her.
"You want answers, and I'm planning to give you answers. Don't make me change my mind, Aris," Aristoria said, her voice turning a bit colder. "I lose nothing but you'll lose everything. Think about it carefully," she warned before she continued to walk.
Aris narrowed her eyes and decided to follow Aristoria. She didn't expect Aristoria to say something like that, but that was enough to say that Aristoria had ulterior motives, plans for Aris. Aris furrowed her brows, staring at the back of Aristoria's head, realizing that Aristoria was planning to climb the mountain.
"I don't have time for this," Aris said.
"Time? We are in the void realm, time and space, don't you remember? A day in real world is like a year here, so don't you worry about time," Aristoria answered as she began to climb the mountain.
Aris knew that, and that made her wonder about Aristoria because Aristoria had been summoned to this void realm. It had been months since Aris and Rasmus saw her in this realm. With that being said, Aristoria had been stuck in this realm for at least a hundred years.
The issue was the fact the True Dragon was tamed by Aristoria when the True Dragon should have been capable of killing her. Back then, Aristoria was on par with the True Dragon because she borrowed the Dragon's Blood in Rasmus' body.
Aris wondered how Aristoria managed to tame the True Dragon, and what kind of information Aristoria had from the True Dragon. Aris knew that the True Dragon should know about what had happened in the past, about the being that had massacred all the True Dragons.
When they reached the summit, the True Dragon stared at Aris, its eyes seeing through her body and the energy inside her. Aris stared back at the True Dragon's eyes that were bigger than a single mansion. She didn't know why, but she felt a connection with the True Dragon and could understand its thoughts. However, she pushed that thought away because she didn't want to become a True Dragon, and that was something she didn't want to change.
Aristoria approached the True Dragon's mouth where its fangs were three times her size. She turned the rocks around her into a throne with a mere flick of her fingers. She sat down and created another throne in front of her for Aris.
"So? Which one do you want to know first?" Aristoria asked as she watched Aris sit in front of her.
"I want you to tell me everything, without lies and not hiding even a single detail," Aris answered as she stared into Aristoria's eyes. "First, I want to know what exactly your plan is for me, for Rasmus, and Rullein?" She asked with a stoic expression.
Aristoria raised her brows, surprised when Aris found out about Rullein.
"You met her already... I'm glad that she's still around, and now she's following my child," Aristoria said and couldn't hide the smile of joy and relief. Aristoria cleared her throat, slowly regaining her composure but she couldn't stop smiling. "For the plan, I think you already know what it is, and that's to prepare the three of you to fight the being that once put an extinction to a powerful race," she answered.
"Do you even know what kind of being that you're talking about? The being that massacred all the True Dragon," Aris asked, resting her arms on the armrests.
"Perhaps," Aristoria answered ambiguously as she stared into Aris' eyes.
"Perhaps? Didn't I say that you shouldn't hide a single detail? Or should I remind you that I'm not playing around here, Aristoria. If I want to, I can kill Rasmus just to waste everything you have prepared," Aris said with a serious expression.
"Kill him? Go ahead, do it," Aristoria said as she leaned back, challenging Aris by staring back right into Aris' eyes. "Nobody is stopping you from doing so, and I know for sure you won't do it because you can't. Why? Because you're me, Aris, you're not yourself entirely," she revealed with a serious expression.
Aris was expecting that kind of answer about who she was, but hearing it directly from her predecessor, she felt devastated.
"You know that too, the fact you're intrigued by him, finding comfort in following him, and to get attached to him more than you should. Why do you think that you have that kind of drive to stay by his side? Is it curiosity that you believed in?" Aristoria asked as she rested her chin on her fist. "There's a reason why you're following the same path as mine, walking away from my own people," she added.
"So it was all because of you? You influence every decision I make?" Aris asked with her brows furrowed.
"In short yes," Aristoria answered with a smile on her face. "Everything that you do, feel, and think about, they're influenced by me. It's similar to putting blood in the water. My existence is like the blood while your mind and body are the water. No matter what and no matter how many successors, the blood will runs in the water," she explained as she crossed her legs.
"Is it because of the Dragon Blood that you consumed back then? Is that why you're capable of influencing the mind of your successors?" Aris asked with her eyes narrowed.
"Yes, that's correct," Aristoria nodded her head. "But let's go back to your question about the being that put the True Dragons into extinction. You're wondering if I knew about the being's existence or not, and the answer is I'm not if I understand what they are. It's something beyond my comprehension, my understanding even..." she answered as she looked at the True Dragon beside her.
"I don't think you'll know what they are, but I do," Aris said as she looked at the True Dragon.
The moment Aris said that, both Aristoria and the True Dragon stared at her with a surprised look. Aris didn't expect that the True Dragon would listen to her words, but knowing that it did, it seemed that the True Dragon also wanted to know what kind of being that was able to kill even hundreds of True Dragons.
"But I'm not sure if they're indeed the ones who do it or not, but right now there are so many powerful beings that might be able to kill True Dragons. They have descended to the world of mortals, to Neva," Aris pointed out as she furrowed her brows.
"What kind of beings?" Aristoria asked with her brows raised. "I was thinking of not telling you everything, Aris. However, now that you hold useful information, how about I'll tell you everything, but in exchange, I want to know everything that you know," she offered.
Aris clenched her fists when she found out that Aristoria was planning to hide something from her from the beginning. She couldn't trust her, and that made her realize what Rasmus had said to her. Trust could be said to be allowing oneself to be fooled in a way.
"You want to know everything when you're basically me? Shouldn't you be able to know what I know?" Aris furrowed her brows.
"No... not yet," Aristoria shook her head with a stoic expression.
That answer disturbed Aris because that answer could imply that one day Aristoria would take over the body. The more that she thought about it and the possibility of her losing control of her body, becoming one as Aristoria, it scared her. The more she looked at Aristoria from Rasmus's perspective, the less she wanted to talk to her.
"Do we have a deal?" Aristoria asked, tilting her head.
Aris stared into Aristoria's eyes and knew what she should do. She would hide half of the truth, just like Aristoria was planning to do in the first place.
"Yes, we have a deal," Aris nodded.
"So? What did you find? What makes you believe the being that put the True Dragons into extinction is the one you know about?" Aristoria asked, slowly fixing her sitting position as she sat straight.
"Because I have seen it," Aris answered. "The place where the demons came from, the world beyond ours, the world where they can observe us. A world where we are nothing but a piece on the chessboard," she answered ambiguously.
Aristoria narrowed her eyes, realizing that Aris was mirroring her, using an ambiguous answer to make her equal.
"I see, that's interesting. Tell me more..." Aristoria smiled as she leaned forward and stared into Aris' eyes.