Eduardo followed behind Nathan as they walked through the Astral Sea.

Nathan kept one hand stretched before him, his fingers gliding across the endless expanse as though pushing aside an invisible current.

Every motion of his hand caused the surrounding sea of consciousness to ripple outward in concentric waves as countless drifting memories and fragments of sleeping thoughts parted before him.

The further they advanced, the more the surrounding sea distorted. Eventually, it gradually dissolved into light and with one final ripple, both figures arrived within a garden.

The beautiful sunlight bathed the landscape that was covered in blooming flowers. There were white trees swaying softly in a breeze, while a beautiful stream flowed peacefully from carved out channels.

The moment Nathan entered, the clothes upon his body changed.

The black three-piece suit disintegrated into countless particles of light before reforming into a simple white shirt with neatly rolled sleeves and plain white trousers.

Right then, a delighted feminine voice called out. "Nathan!"

A woman in a flowing white dress came running toward him.

Her red long hair danced behind her as she closed the distance before throwing herself into his arms.

Nathan caught her effortlessly, holding her around the waist and lifting her slightly off the ground.

She leaned forward and kissed him. Nathan smiled into the kiss before they slowly separated.

She rested her forehead on his and said in a soft voice, "You took so long, I’ve been waiting for you all night."

Nathan smiled apologetically. "I’m sorry, my love."

He gently brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I had to meet an old friend."

She tilted her head curiously. "Who?"

Nathan stepped to one side to allow Irene see Eduardo who was standing several metres behind him.

Her eyes widened. "Eduardo?"

Eduardo had a smile on his face before inclining his head respectfully. "My Lady."

The moment she recovered from her surprise, Irene quickly walked toward him, reached out and placed both hands upon his shoulders to guide him back upright.

Then she embraced him. Eduardo slowly returned the hug.

...

The three of them spent the next few minutes speaking together.

Irene had this gentle smile on her face throughout.

But at some point, that smile suddenly disappeared as her eyes widened.

She immediately turned toward Nathan, and spoke in a voice that carried a high level of urgency. "It’s about to happen again."

Then she looked toward Eduardo. "I think you should send him away."

Eduardo looked puzzled. "What’s—"

The words had barely left his mouth, when an overwhelming force descended upon him, striking from above with terrifying weight.

Eduardo’s knees instantly slammed into the ground and the ground beneath him fractured.

His entire body shuddered as though an invisible mountain had suddenly been placed upon his shoulders.

In fact, it felt like every bone in his body had become subject to that horrifying burden.

"Ghk—!"

Blood burst from the corners of his eyes, with more spilling from his mouth as his breathing became extremely difficult under the crushing pressure.

Nathan and Irene experienced the same phenomenon as Eduardo, but unlike him, they were standing through it.

They were used to this already.

Nathan held Irene gently in his arms while she rested her face on his chest, her eyes closed as she struggled to endure the sensation.

Several minutes passed. Then, little by little, the crushing force disappeared.

Eduardo was still hunched over on the ground, drawing heavy breaths while blood still lingered at the corners of his mouth.

After a moment, he looked up and asked in a strained voice, "What... was that?"

"I’m sorry," Irene said in a voice that carried heavy guilt.

Nathan turned toward Eduardo. "I brought you here because I wanted you to understand the exact pain my wife endures."

He had known there was a high likelihood that one of Irene’s episodes would occur while Eduardo was present within her Mind Island.

That had been part of the true reason he had brought him here.

Pain, after all, was ultimately interpreted by the mind. The body received the injury, but it was the mind that experienced suffering.

And since a Mind Island was the landscape of a person’s mind, the sensations currently being processed by the brain naturally reached there as well.

Irene’s warning earlier had been because there was only so much of that pain she could suppress before it overflowed.

And when it did, anyone sharing the Mind Island could experience the same sensory feedback the owner’s mind was processing.

For those few moments where Irene had stopped suppressing that feedback, Eduardo had felt exactly what she endured in reality.

Fortunately, Irene had pushed it back once more, which was why the pressure had eventually subsided.

Eduardo slowly adjusted himself and stood, staring at Irene in disbelief. "This..."

He hesitated. "This is what you’ve endured all this while?"

Irene gave a nod.

Even now, Eduardo struggled to properly describe what he had experienced.

It was pain in a form that somehow made sense, yet did not. It had felt like the weight of countless needles pressing into every part of his body.

Needles that each carried the burden of several tons. A force that crushed, pierced, burned, and suffocated all at once.

And that had only been a fraction of what Irene endured every day.

Nathan continued speaking to Eduardo again. "Earlier today, I noticed that the girl had better control over Carrion."

"Under those circumstances, I do not wish for the girl to be subjected upon an operating table."

"What I want now is different. I want to teach her, I want to show her how to use more of Carrion’s power, to show her the true extent of what she could become."

He paused.

"And if, after understanding all of that, she chooses to help me. Then perhaps..."

He glanced toward Irene. "...together, we may have a chance at bringing my wife back."

Silence followed as Eduardo looked between them both. They both had a facial expressions that were desperate and pleading, it was hard not to see how much they truly wanted this.

Eduardo let out a sigh after and gave a nod

***

——

The next morning...

A vintage sedan waited just outside the gates of Stark Residence while its driver stood patiently beside the open rear door.

Prince Rayleigh was standing by the front steps of the manor, with Ishtar wrapped in his embrace.

"It’ll be alright," he said, patting her hair. "I only need to return to the palace for a short while. I’ll be back before you know it."

Ishtar gave a nod. "I’ll be waiting."

A smile crossed Rayleigh’s face before he leaned forward and kissed her. She returned it just as gently.

When they finally parted, Ishtar turned towards the entrance of the manor, where Ethan and Eduardo stood several metres away, watching the exchange.

She inclined her head respectfully. "Lord Ethan."

Ethan returned the greeting with a nod, letting her step back into the residence.

Rayleigh walked over toward the two men and extended his hand towards Ethan. "Thank you, for always looking out for her."

Ethan accepted the handshake. "She’s family."

The Prince smiled a bit before his expression became serious. "There is... something I wanted to ask. It’s about incident yesterday, concerning the appearance of Demon Lord Krygon."

"My father is still leading the effort to locate him. Should I report everything that happened at the manor?"

Ethan was silent for a few seconds before glancing toward Eduardo who shook his head subtly.

Ethan sighed, then turned back at Rayleigh. "Can I ask you to withhold it from His Majesty for the time being?"

Rayleigh had a sort of frown on his face.

Ethan exhaled. "I have to admit...I don’t fully understand what’s happening yet. I’d rather avoid creating more confusion until I know exactly what we’re dealing with."

The Prince nodded. "Very well."

Not long after, Rayleigh disembarked from the residence inside the waiting car outside.

Eduardo watched the departing vehicle until it vanished from sight. Then he turn toward Ethan. "Master Ethan, there is something I have to tell you"

"Yeah?" Ethan muttered.

Eduardo then began with the words, "I saw your Master Nathan again"

——

A/N: Work Travel ended today and i just returned home. I’ll be mass releasing tomorrow (target is 4/5 chps at once)

Thank you all for the consistent support so far!