Chapter 597: Cornballs, Assemble!

“It might, or it will?” Anastasia asked coldly. “I’m starting to think you’re forgetting your place here.”

“Be that as it may, those titans weren’t there in the past, were they?” Rael replied. “Honestly… as much as I don’t want to be the person to tell you this, you need to move on.”

She held onto this memory so dearly as if it were real… He could understand, sure.

It was a memory of the time she and her friends were together. The final time, rather.

But now, it was basically a shackle.

How could someone so strong be so naive?

That thought lasted only for a moment as she shifted her hands from his collar to his neck.

“Get out of my head.”

“Ugh… if you’re going to keep being so stubborn, then why don’t you revive them in reality?” Rael shot back. “With your powers, it wouldn’t be difficult to get a soul. Heck, even I could probably get their souls and revive them.”

“Though let me guess, it would tarnish your memory of them? Or is it the other way around…” he added, shaking his head as her grip continued to tighten.

“You’re missing out on learning the truth just so you can feel better for what, another week? What happens afterward? You wake up and feel like shit again?”

For a brief moment, she eased her grip, allowing him to speak again.

“I know that deep down in your heart, you’re skeptical about all of this too. As you already saw, you can’t influence time in this dream. Sure, using a lot of power might crack the Dream Realm and give you more leeway, but don’t you think what we’re seeing now is a little, well, authentic?”

While on the rooftop, he had a bit of time for himself and his thoughts.

She couldn’t alter the time. He couldn’t either, even though he should be in complete control here.

The only way she was able to slightly alter this place is by using her actual power… so what if this dream we’re seeing is a little more than a dream?

It was a memory, that much was obvious. But what if Anastasia’s memories were tampered with, and what the two were seeing now was what actually happened?

He knew that exact thought was lingering in her mind right now. In fact, he could guarantee it.

As the silence between them lingered, the other group members stepped in.

“You two are way too hectic to be around. One minute you’re killing each other, the next, you’re talking about this place not being real. I mean, seriously, are you both on drugs?” the archer asked playfully.

“Mm, maybe something really happened that day,” the mage mused. “Ana, you did act a little strange this whole past week. You know you can tell us, right?”

As for the swordsman, he kept his thoughts to himself.

However, as innocent and playful as their words sounded, to Anastasia, they were like fireballs, each one stirring up a memory and causing her expression to slightly distort.

And because of that, she eventually turned to her teammates, wearing a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Gabriel, Liz, Arthur… how long have we known each other?”

Her teammates tilted their heads in confusion, then answered.

“We’ve all been childhood friends, so I guess 15 years or so. Why?”

“How many times have we been through this?” Anastasia asked slowly.

The archer, Gabriel, stepped forward and crossed his arms.

“Through your constant forgetfulness? Probably a hundred times by now.”

Anastasia’s brow twitched, but right as she opened her mouth to speak, Rael interjected. Chapters fırst released on NoveI(F)ire.net

“How many times have you all died before?” he asked plainly. “Rather, how many times have you been plaguing her in her dreams?”

They were now even more confused, but that was sort of his goal.

“No matter what you say to them, they’ll respond just like your friends. You want to believe this is a dream, but it isn’t. I’m here in Aurelius’s body, and—”

“Shut up…” Anastasia cut him off as her mana suddenly exploded, nearly sending him off the wall.

“Ever since you showed up, I’ve been going through nothing but annoying circumstance after annoying circumstance. Why… if only I could get you out of my head, but you’re like a cockroach. I just can’t…”

She mumbled to herself and then glanced between her friends and Rael. Her mind was in shambles, but with every passing moment, her mature side began slowly taking over.

Eventually, she took a deep breath and walked over to Rael, staring down at him.

“I’m not letting them die.”

“At this point, I don’t really care,” Rael replied flatly. “I just need you to—”

“If this is really the original memory, then events will play out as they should have. If I abandon them, the events won’t play out like they should. I know for a fact that I wouldn’t have abandoned them if this were the past.”

Having said that, Anastasia leaned in slightly.

“From this moment on, whatever happens… don’t you dare make another move. Promise me that, and I’ll cooperate.”

A faint smile appeared on Rael’s face. “Even if making my move will mean the life and death of your friends?”

“…”

“Yes.”

His eyes widened for a moment at her reply, but then he simply nodded.

“Alrighty then. I’ll watch from the side, this time for real. If I see one of these guys on the verge of death, I won’t intervene.”

“I don’t expect you to. Now buzz off to the side. I have these weird titans to deal with,” Anastasia said, and after pushing him aside, she dropped down to the ground.

She quickly tied her black hair in a bun and rolled up her sleeves, fully prepared to go to battle.

However, right as she was about to march toward the approaching titans, her friends jumped down beside her, their weapons drawn.

From up here, Rael couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he had an inkling how this would play out, which sent a shiver down his spine.

These cornballs…

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