Author: I'm a huge hypocrite... But screw it, I'm going to try until the end, enough with giving up on this shit. I've already given up on too many things, so enough.
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Noah fought against the enormous tentacles for exactly 30 seconds. Every strike he landed opened up space between the creatures, but new tentacles emerged right after, making the confrontation ceaseless.
After that short period of battle, everything around him seemed to distort for an instant, and he simply emerged into a completely different landscape. It was a place covered by crystalline water that stretched in every direction, interrupted only by a few narrow paths of earth scattered across the scenery.
Undeniably, Noah could sense something — an intense feeling of being watched by someone hidden in that place.
"Don't try to fool me." The demonic mark slowly surfaced on Noah's forehead as a dark power burst from his body, making the darkness spread around him like a living mist. "I know very well that you've got your eye on me. You're pretty obsessive and obscene, aren't you?"
"Oh? How perceptive." A feminine voice echoed across the entire expanse of the lake, coming from every direction at once. Soon after, the water began to churn violently, forming waves that surged toward Noah. Then, countless tentacles emerged from the depths and shot at him, trying to wrap around him and trap him before he could react.
"Insignificant." Noah's darkness spread rapidly across the terrain, wrapping around his body like a dense aura. The moment the tentacles tried to touch him, they were consumed by the shadows and instantly disintegrated, vanishing without leaving any trace. The water settled back into stillness a few seconds later, as if nothing had happened.
"Darkness of the Demon Clan... Despite being human, you're able to use it without possessing their blood. Very interesting." The feminine voice sounded curious, almost amused, as she carefully observed his every movement.
"Just tell me what you want already, Lady of the Lake."
"Ara ara~ Don't be cruel." The voice replied in a playful tone, laced with provocation. "I'm only greeting my man."
"Huh?"
Confused by those words, Noah remained silent for a few moments. Instead of responding right away, he made a decision. The demonic mark on his forehead gradually faded, while the darkness enveloping his body dissipated until not a single trace of shadow remained. His body then slowly descended from the sky, landing on the surface of the endless lake as though the water were solid ground. Raising his hand to his silver hair, he combed it back before finally facing the horizon.
"What do you mean by that?" Noah asked in a calm tone.
Before he could get an answer, he felt something wrap around his torso. His body stayed still as his eyes slowly dropped to his own waist. Two human arms embraced him from behind, delicate and feminine, holding him with a naturalness, as though the gesture were completely normal.
"Hm?"
"Isn't it obvious?" The Lady of the Lake replied in a serene, slightly amused tone. "You already carry a part of me inside your body, which makes us man and wife." As she spoke, she kept the embrace firm, pulling her body even closer to his.
"I think you have the wrong idea about what husband and wife means." Noah replied without showing any reaction to the physical contact. Despite being embraced by a mysterious entity, his expression remained unchanged. "And this part of you you're talking about... are you referring to my immense magical reservoir?"
"Exactly." The Lady of the Lake gently rested her head on Noah's shoulder, speaking almost in a whisper. "You absorbed a part of me, and now I am a part of you." She smiled before adding, "Just as you are also a part of me."
'This is getting strange... But I literally appeared at Salisbury Lake when I reincarnated into this world.' Noah reflected silently, letting out a quiet sigh before turning his gaze back to the Lady of the Lake. 'The God must have activated automatically and absorbed a small part of the Lake.'
Noah's magical power, The God, possessed the ability to assimilate any magical power he witnessed and, afterward, transcribe it into his own magic. For a long time, Noah believed this ability functioned only as a temporary copy: he would reproduce a power while it was active, and once he undid it, he would need to copy it again if he wished to use it once more.
However, as he accumulated experience, he realized that interpretation was wrong. Once The God assimilated a magical power, it became a permanent part of his repertoire, able to be used again whenever Noah deemed it necessary, without needing to copy it a second time.
Even so, there was a clear limit. From everything he could tell, The God was unable to fully assimilate the power of higher-existence entities. Proof of this was the Lady of the Lake herself: instead of acquiring all of her magic, Noah had only assimilated a small fraction of the Lake of Infinite Magic. Perhaps his magical reservoir wasn't yet large enough to sustain something of that magnitude, or perhaps there was some restriction inherent to the power itself.
Either way, that was a limitation he would still need to understand.
"That's more or less it." The Lady of the Lake replied in a calm tone. "Your magical power reacted to my presence. I imagine that, unconditionally, your magical power amplifies your physical and magical capacity, just as it forces you to maintain calm and control regardless of the situation. Furthermore, it assimilates attacks even while you're unconscious, all in order to protect you. What an unusual magical power."
The entity's words made Noah raise an eyebrow slightly. She hadn't merely understood how The God worked — she had described aspects he himself had never explained to anyone.
It seemed she knew exactly what he was thinking.
"I am an entity born of Chaos." The Lady of the Lake continued, noticing the surprise etched on his face. "And what's more, we are in my Realm. As long as you're here, I can hear your thoughts."
Noah swallowed hard upon hearing that revelation.
No matter how controlled his expression remained, that piece of information was unsettling. No matter how much he tried to hide his intentions or organize his thoughts, everything was completely transparent before her in that place.
"But don't worry." The Lady of the Lake's voice returned to its gentle tone as she tightened the embrace around him even further. "Your reincarnation is no secret to those connected to Chaos."
She paused briefly before smiling.
"But I don't mind." Her tone turned almost affectionate. "You're my husband now."
The entity's arms wrapped around Noah with even more force, as if she feared he might vanish at any moment.
"I am your wife... and you are my husband, for all eternity."
Noah remained silent for a few seconds.
Arguing with her seemed completely pointless. Besides being within the Lady of the Lake's own Realm, it was obvious that any argument would be answered immediately, even before it was fully formed. Continuing to deny that strange logic would only prolong a conversation that would hardly have a winner.
Letting out a small sigh of resignation, he decided to simply give in.
"Ah... Fine." Noah replied, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "I'm your husband, aren't I?"
The Lady of the Lake broke into a wide smile, visibly pleased with that answer.
"That's right." She declared with evident happiness. "We'll be one for all eternity."
At that very instant, all the water in the lake began to vibrate in response to her words. Gentle waves spread across the surface before enormous quantities of water rose into the sky, forming countless liquid currents that slowly converged toward Noah's body.
"So then..." The Lady of the Lake said with a sweet smile, as her figure began to dissolve into the water. "Take me with you, dear~"
The currents of water enveloped Noah completely, merging with his body, never to be separated from him again. Of her own will, the Priestess of Chaos wanted to accompany the one now recognized by her as her husband.
...
All of Britannia trembled.
From the realms of humans to the territories of the fae, from the mountains of the giants to the lands of the Demon Clan, even the gods turned their attention to a single point on the continent. Everyone felt the same thing in the exact instant a colossal amount of magic began condensing at Salisbury Lake.
In the next moment, that energy was released.
A gigantic wave of power tore across all of Britannia in a matter of seconds, spreading in every direction like a silent explosion. Silver bolts cut through the skies, lighting up the clouds as the very air seemed to vibrate under the pressure of that absurd magic.
Every creature endowed with magical power felt their bodies shudder.
An uncomfortable, heavy, almost suffocating sensation invaded their hearts. It wasn't merely a vast quantity of magic. There was something in that energy that felt ancient, incomprehensible, and profoundly malevolent, as though a power that should never have left Salisbury Lake had finally awakened.
For a few moments, Britannia sank into an unsettling silence.
At the center of the place where Salisbury Lake once rested, Noah remained standing on the now-exposed ground. Countless silver particles circled his body as a colossal amount of magic overflowed from his very existence, slightly warping the space around him. His silver hair swayed with the energy that continuously escaped him, and his eyes studied his own body with an expression of surprise.
"How incredible..."
'Yes... Indeed.' The Lady of the Lake's voice echoed directly in his mind, carrying a faint tone of satisfaction.
Noah smiled slightly.
"I've gained quite the companion."
Without saying anything more, he began calmly walking out of the deep basin where Salisbury Lake had once existed.