Davi's eyes weakly opened. He winced as a wave of pain shot through him. "What the?" He glanced down at his hand, and his eyes widened when he saw dozens of cracks. His body was covered in them as well, and he was missing a few digits of his fingers.
"Davi!" Olivia stared down at his broken and beaten-up form in shock. "Are you okay?" Her own body had reverted to her normal state, no longer being made of mana.
Davi ignored the question and looked around, taking in the sight. He was sprawled out on the ground, Olivia next to him, and all around him, for as far as his eyes could see, was a white void. He had been in this place a few times.
The land was like paper, and the sky above was nothingness. An endless void that needed a door to be created to escape. There was just one issue. He was out of blood. Not a single drop was left in his body.
"We're still dreaming."
"We are?" Olivia also looked around the void, taking in the sight. "I thought we could just leave?"
"I did as well. I guess not, though. We left the nightmare but not the dream itself." Davi explained. "We need to make a door. Can you spill your blood?"
"Why?"
"Your blood is ink."
"What?"
"It's dream bullshit, just trust me."
Olivia gave him an odd look but nodded. She pulled her dagger out and sliced into her palm, cutting it open. Red liquid dripped down her arm, and she looked back at Davi, waiting for him to tell her what to do, but Davi had a look of bafflement on his face.
He reached out and snatched her wrist, staring down at the bloody hand. "Blood? Why is it blood?"
"Because that's what is in my body?"
Davi shook his head. "No, you don't get it. Last time I was here, when I spilled my blood, it was ink."
"And there lies the problem with the current situation." Davi spun around when he heard the voice, and he came face to face with Evelyn Lunar. The woman stood before him, a smirk on her face, as she pointed at him. "When you spilled your blood, it was ink. The cutie behind you doesn't have ink in her blood, though, nor do I, because we do not belong here. This place is yours, and so the only one who can write on the blank page is you. You're the holder of the ink."
Davi's eyes narrowed slightly when he saw Evelyn, and he felt some of the hairs along his body stand up, but he remained quiet. Olivia looked excited to see the witch and gave a giddy nod. "Evelyn! Do you know what this place is?" She asked hopefully.
"That I do," Evelyn brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear, and she strutted over slowly until she was close enough to look Davi directly in his blue eyes. "I've heard about this place but have never been here myself until today. What we're standing in is an illusion, and none of it is real. Nor are we."
"We're not real?" Olivia looked down at her hands. "I feel real?"
Evelyn giggled and shook her head. "When your Polymorph wore off, your body left Davi's and reverted back to normal. In the real world, you're on the bed next to him. As am I now. All three of us are asleep, and what we are right now is nothing more than particles of thoughts, mana, and our very spirits."
"Like our souls?"
"Indeed." Evelyn nodded. "This place is sometimes called the void or the blank space. The human body houses a 'soul' within it. This soul is not an organ, nor is it something that can be seen with the eye, but it exists within us. The soul is made up of Yin or Yang, and it draws in the raw mana of the universe, absorbing chaotic mana. Beyond the soul lies our inner world, the World of Paths, an infinite realm where we create a place to hold our Cores. Under normal circumstances, we'd be in Davi's World of Paths; however, we accidentally got tangled up with him."
"What are you saying?" Davi questioned. "I don't get it."
"Olivia here didn't just place some of her mana into your body. If she had done that, then the mana would have simply gone into your soul and reached your inner world and core. Instead of doing that, what she did was a lot more personal. Olivia placed herself directly into you. Her soul and your soul became tangled for a moment, and what we're in is the byproduct of that. When two World of Paths collide, it results in neither world being generated. Instead, our Cores have ended up in a blank field of nothingness."
"Is that bad?" Olivia winced, suddenly getting nervous.
Evelyn shook her head. "Actually, it is rather harmless. Doing something like this isn't uncommon; it does happen from time to time, though mainly in Rossume, since it tends to happen during intense bouts of Joint Cultivation. The bodies we currently have can be viewed as our Cores. They shaped themselves to look like us, and our thoughts merged with them so we think we're the real us, while our true bodies are in a realm far beyond us."
"So how do we get out?" Davi folded his arms.
"That's actually easy. When this realm is created, there is a host soul. The host soul is the soul that the second soul entered. In this case, Davi, you're the host soul, and Olivia's soul entered you. I also managed to enter this place by using a spell and a trait I have to transfer a section of my consciousness into you, so I am fulfilling the role of the second soul as well. In order to get out, the host just needs to make a door. Each person has their own way to make a door. Am I to guess yours involves blood?"
Davi balled his hand into a fist and felt his nerves ignite. He was sure now; this was indeed the place he had been with the dragon, and it was the beast that told him how to make the door out of this realm, but if that was the case, whose soul had he gotten tangled with back then? Couldn't it have been the dragon's? No. That was a silly thought.
"Last time I was here, I was told to make a door out of ink. When I bled, ink flowed out of me," Davi explained. "The issue is, I have no more blood."
Evelyn nodded at his remark. "Yes, sadly, this is a dream, and so your body can survive something like that here. You're nothing more than a spirit, and so as long as you still think you're Davi and are a collection of memories in his shape, you'll still operate like Davi. Thankfully for us, this is another easy matter to fix."
"How so?" Olivia questioned.
"Davi just needs a bit of time. His spirit was damaged due to the Heart Demon, and so his form broke down a bit, but if he can get more mana, he'll eventually recover and mend." Evelyn floated into the air and then shifted so she could sit across her staff. She smirked down at Davi before her eyes trailed to Olivia. "Perhaps it is good that we're all here. After all, I assume you have several questions for Davi."
Olivia turned to gaze at Davi, and he shifted, clearly uncomfortable, but he nodded. "It's okay," he said softly. "If you have a question you want to ask me, then ask. I'll answer it the best I can."
Olivia gulped and thought for a moment. "Was that your village that I saw?"
"It was."
"And those people were your villagers?"
"They were. They're… They're no longer around now."
Olivia gave him a sad nod. "That dragon…"
"That was the dragon who destroyed my home." Davi's eyes fell downward. "It killed everyone but me and my brother. To this day, I don't know how I survived. I know it has something to do with my mother, though. Olivia… I have a curse on me. It seems I can talk freely here, but…" He trailed off and glanced at Evelyn. 'Someone else would stop me from saying the full truth.' Went unsaid. He'd have to be careful with his words. "There was a blade. One forged from darkness and sin. It was created by the being that I know now to be the Ebony Knight. Growing up, I always thought of him as some bastard from the abyss, so you can imagine my shock when I learned he was a human once. When he died, his very being became this sword, and somehow my mother found it. She was a twisted woman—one who wanted to cultivate her own power. I don't know all the details, but she and that evil man made a deal. They would make a body perfect for both of them. This led to my mother mating with a man named Orion. My father. The Hawker DNA isn't particularly special, but it did have one unique trait. When Hawkers die, they are able to hold tiny fragments of the souls of their fallen brethren. Their souls are, in a way, very sturdy and powerful. In order to find a perfect vessel, a soul like this would be needed. This led to my mother making me. The Hawker DNA has another special thing about it, though. It's very hard to wipe it out, and so the kids of the Hawker bloodline all share the Hawker trait of blonde hair and lightning magic. It'd be a one-in-a-hundred child that would be born with my mother's magic type. I guess she eventually got her kid, though, because here I am. Someone with Shadow magic instead of Lightning magic, and I have black hair instead of blonde. For years, I was raised and slowly groomed to be a vessel for the sword. My mother made it no secret to me that I would one day vanish and she would be reborn through me. Her own body had been badly injured and destroyed in an unholy battle, and so her dream was to live on through me. That all changed one day when a man from another land appeared. He called himself Adam and told my mother that he knew of a body that would be even better for her. One that had a soul far stronger than mine and a type of magic even greater. My mother's greed knew no limit, and so this led to her summoning an ancient calamity—a dragon. I don't know what fully happened, but my mother died, so did my father, and everyone else in my village. I survived, though. Sieg and I lived, but we were trapped in ice for who knows how long. When I eventually did come to, I found myself in this kingdom, and I was no longer from the time that I knew. I also wasn't alone. My mother's plan hadn't fully been destroyed. That cursed blade now resided within me. I became someone who would one day break apart and be consumed."
What is freedom?
Freedom was a concept Davi longed for. Something he didn't get himself. From the very start, he was placed into a tale bound to end with him being unraveled.
"D-Davi, that's…" Olivia's voice quivered slightly.
"It's okay."
"No, it isn't." Olivia shook her head, and her look turned harder. "That's not okay at all. You've had to go through so much. That isn't fair."
"Life isn't fair." Davi gave a weak smile, though it held no life behind it. "I only learned about a lot of this recently. I had forgotten so much. Maybe it was repressed, or perhaps it was because of my mother, but I remember that Adam guy, and I also know my mother had other kids. Kids who didn't exist anymore." His smile faded, and he weakly gripped his chest. "I think I learned what those birds within my vault were."
Olivia reached him and hugged him tightly. "I'm not going to let you become your mother or the Ebony Knight or anything else. I won't let you die. I'll keep you safe. I don't care what I have to do. I'll do whatever it takes."
From above, Evelyn's smile grew, and her eyes lit up. "Olivia." She sang the name softly. "I am glad to see your conviction has grown. Like you, I want to keep Davi safe, and I know just the way to do it."
Davi's body grew rigid, and he went to glare up at Evelyn, but Olivia was already staring back at her. "How?"
"Davi just needs to become a bit stronger, is all. He needs a soul that can reject the change within him. Just as the dragon did." Evelyn giggled. "There are two main ways to do this. The first and hardest is to kill the dragon itself. The one that torments him."
"How does killing it help?"
"The reason the humans killed all the dragons is that you can get a special trait for slaying them," Evelyn explained. "When a dragon dies, they say that a human consumes their soul, their core, and all that they are, and this human will then undergo a Polymorph and become a new being. A greater version of themselves. This is one of the reasons Haru's Knights were so much stronger. Back in the day, Haru and her group slaughtered all the dragons and consumed their flesh in order to strengthen their souls and cores, and thus they transformed into greater beings. If Davi's soul can become strong enough, he can turn the tables on the curse within him and fully absorb it, breaking it down and taking it over. My plan has always been this. He just needs to kill the dragon. I'm strong enough to where I think I could beat it. If I do, I plan to let Davi get the finishing blow and then have him consume it. The strength he would gain should be enough to let him take over the curse. The issue with this plan should be obvious, though."
"You don't know where the dragon is?" Olivia asked.
"Exactly." Evelyn nodded. "We would need bait or something that could lure the dragon out here."
"We'll find it without bait." Davi cut Evelyn off, and the glare he gave her caused her smile to fade. "There is no need to involve her."
Evelyn laughed. "Oh, don't worry, Davi. I have no plans to use Olivia like that."
"Use me?"
"Yes. You see, you're actually connected to the Dragon of Roads."
"I am? But I thought I was connected to the Dragon of Love?"
"It is strange indeed." Evelyn hummed. "Even I don't know about it fully. What I can tell you is that I had an old plan. You see, I wanted you to die!" She announced cheerfully.
"W-What?" Olivia's face paled, and Davi reached for his sword, but Evelyn waved the concern off.
"I said it was an old plan. That is no longer the case."
"Thank Haru." Olivia sighed in relief. "Why would my death be a factor?"
Evelyn tapped her chest. "Dragons, believe it or not, tend to care for their younglings. They'll sacrifice themselves if it comes to it and ensure that they'll get their revenge. I had planned to have you killed in the hopes it would draw out the Dragon of Roads; however, I could only do this when Davi himself was in a state where the growth he would get from the Dragon would be enough, hence why you kept living. That said, I've changed my mind for several reasons. The first is that there is no guarantee that the dragon will come out, and the second is that I think you'll be more useful to Davi the way you are now."
"The way I am now?" Olivia looked confused. "What do you mean?"
"I told you that there were two ways to help Davi, did I not? The first way to strengthen his soul was to slay the dragon. The second way is a lot simpler but takes far longer to get results."
"What is it?" Olivia demanded. "I'll do it. Whatever it takes to help Davi."
Evelyn giggled once more. "I'm glad your spirit is so high. See, it's really simple. All you and Davi need to do is perform Joint Cultivation."
"Got it—Huh?" Olivia suddenly felt her face heat up. "Y-You mean like the sex stuff?"
Evelyn tapped her chin. "It doesn't just involve sex, such a barbaric way to put it. Joint Cultivation is just the recycling of Yin and Yang energy between two bodies. Simply by holding onto Davi and feeling a strong pulse of emotion for each other, you can perform Joint Cultivation."
"Oh." Olivia seemed to look a little relieved. "That's good-"
"That said, sex is the best option, so get to it."
"S-Seriously?" Olivia's face flushed more. "L-Like right now?"
"It's best to practice early," Evelyn hummed. "None of our current bodies are real; we're just pure mana right now, so it'll be easy to do it so you can get a feel for it later. You'll just need to connect in an emotional act with him and seep your mana into him, and he'll do the same. This will help mend his spirit also and allow him to create the exit we need out of here quicker, so it helps all of us."
Olivia's face was pure red now, and she looked dizzy. "Olivia." Davi's words instantly got her attention, and she turned to him. "You don't have to do this."
Olivia's blush faded, and she stopped for a second, processing his words. She shuffled slightly before finally shaking her head. "No. It's okay. I-If you want to, we can do it."
"But-"
"I like you a lot." She cut him off. "I basically already told you how I felt earlier, didn't I?" Olivia smiled at him. "I'm glad we're friends, and I'm happy that I know you. You've fulfilled my life a lot better than others have. It's a bit embarrassing, but… Well, if it can help you out, then let's do it. I don't mind. Also, I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to do it…"
"Girls are weird," Davi said flatly. "But if you're sure…" He looked at Olivia, suddenly inspecting her. "Yeah. You're kind of good-looking now that I think about it, and you have a good personality. Sure."
Evelyn stepped forward and took Davi's hand as well as Olivia's with her other one. "In that case, then the three of us should start."
"T-Three of us?" Olivia's blush returned. "Wait, you're joining it?"
"Absolutely," Evelyn said flatly. "Now! Let's have sex!"
"Okay, I'm less interested now." Davi let go of Evelyn's hand.
"What? You wanted to do it when it was just Olivia?" Evelyn actually managed to sound a bit hurt.
"It's not even that." Davi shook his head. "It is just spiritual in nature, right? Physically, we won't have lain together."
"You guys are talking about this so casually..." Olivia hid her blushing face. "Total pervs."
"It might not be actual sexy stuff, but it'll seem like it." Evelyn hummed and tapped her chin. "I'm also curious how good Olivia is."
"Please stop!" Olivia could feel how hot her face was becoming. "This is weird. If we're going to do it, let's just do it."
"And you want Evelyn involved?" Davi raised an eyebrow.
"Whatever! I just want out of this dumb place!" Olivia announced, grabbing at her clothes. "Let's just do it!"