"Here's my condition," the man said, frowning as he pointed at Erik. "That power you've created is truly fascinating, and an advancement leap we weren't able to make in my time… but it's far too dangerous to leave in your soul. In its current state, it won't simply kill you if the bond somehow disappears, it's also a kill switch that this fairy can trigger any time she wants!"
He threw his arms up when he noticed Erik was about to react with anger. "Look! Let's not argue about whether or not she would, or what the chances are that your bond breaks for other reasons in the future. The point is that it's dangerous! We don't know how unstable this is! Let's say your soul is disturbed for reasons unrelated to your bond? How much does it take for this thing to rupture and kill you!?"
He shook his head with a resolute frown. "I can't allow such a situation to remain! Your life is too important! In exchange for releasing the fairy, we'll spend whatever time I have left to linger here, on a way for you to access this power more safely, and if we can't find a way to do that, I want it removed altogether!"
Before Erik or Elora could respond, he continued in a lower octave. "I understand this power is one of your trump cards, but it's not worth your life. I don't care if you disagree with me on that, because this is my condition for her release."
Erik and Elora glanced at each other, and they didn't need their bond to know what the other was thinking.
"We want it out of my soul, too," Erik told the man, his brow furrowed. "But what if we can't find a way to move it, and I refuse to have it removed altogether? The only thing you can threaten me with is Elora's life, but that will simply kill me too, which is what you're trying to prevent."
The man stayed calm and waved one hand around. "This place is powerful, Harbinger. As long as one finds themselves within its walls, most would be subject to the whims of whoever controls its many sigils."
He pointed at Erik again, his voice grave. "I can rip that core out of your soul by force, if I wish, Harbinger. It would be dangerous without your cooperation, but I would try. And when done, I'd kill the fairy. This way, you have a decent chance of surviving and being completely free of her influence."
He shrugged with a hint of sadness. "Afterwards, I could only hope you'd be smart, stay alive, and aid Lady Audumla out of your own self-interest. I'd rather not do it that way, but if you accept my offer instead and I release the fairy, I'd basically be hoping for the same thing, anyway."
Finally, he cocked an eyebrow. "If you accept, I'll keep the fairy in her cage until we've reached a conclusion, but I'll restore your bond and connection to full, and stop suppressing her magic. So, how about it?"
Erik and Elora glanced at each other again. Erik could see the hatred his beloved felt at being used as a bargaining chip, as well as her curiosity. Currently, her frustration was doing battle with her inquisitive mind, which longed to pick this man's brain for his knowledge.
Still, underneath it all, he could see Elora most wanted to accept the deal… and so did he. They, too, wanted a new solution to Erik's Elorium core so that Elora could merge with him again. Besides, they didn't really have any other options.
"If I accept," he growled at the man, still a little wary, "you also have to agree to treat Elora with basic respect and use her name."
The man grinned, losing his stern and grave tone once again. "Hah! Fine! You have a deal. I'd shake your hand, but,"—he waved his transparent hand through Erik's body, then shrugged with amusement—"you know…"
Not yet ready to joke around with this man, Erik scoffed. "We'll keep it verbal, then. Now restore our bond!"
The man sighed, clearly conflicted about his joy at actually meeting the harbinger Lady Audumla had seeded long ago, versus the fact it wasn't exactly a pleasant meeting. Still, he nodded and waved his hand.
Instantly, both Erik and Elora felt a rush of relief as their bond was restored. Once more, they could feel each other's presence rush back into their minds, and they couldn't help shuddering and sighing. At the same time, dark green aetherium danced across her body, restoring her complexion and wiping away the weakness she'd felt since being imprisoned.
They looked at each other and smiled. Elora was still in a cage, but the end of this ordeal was in sight… and, in fact, they might even end up with a net positive if this man could help them figure out the best way to safely store and access the Elorium core.
It would be much less dangerous, true, but these two mostly looked forward to giving Elora her ability to merge with him back.
Suddenly, Naeku walked up and wrapped her arms around Erik, a big smile on her lips. "I'm glad you're alright…" she whispered softly. "I hate when you threaten yourself like that… None of us wants you to do that, you know?"
Erik sighed and caressed her silky black hair, a warm but conflicted expression on his face. "I know, Naenae… I had this conversation with Emily, but what else can I do? I'm still not powerful enough, and I refuse to lose any of you."
His determination to grow ever more powerful became a little stronger again. Every time that happened, his moral compass shrank a little. He wondered how far he'd go to grow stronger at this point.
"I hate to interrupt this moment," the man smirked wryly. "But I have a limited time left, and we need to get started. I believe we also have a lot of questions for each other that we might answer while we work."
He turned to Naeku with a genuine smile. "I don't expect you to be able to help us with the theoretical nature of our research, Naeku — I believe that's your name? But I hope you'll join us anyway, as I'd love to get to know my inheritor better."
Naeku glanced at him. She wasn't exactly happy with how this all went, but she couldn't deny to being curious about her ancestor. Of course, these were all things Erik could feel through their bond. So she nodded.
With that settled, Erik looked at Eira, who was floating a few steps away with a bright smile on her lips. Grinning, Erik waved her closer and, when she curiously did so, he pulled her into a hug.
"Thanks for all your hard work, Eira," he told her, kissing her forehead.
The Minotaur construct blushed and revelled in his touch. "O— Of course…" she muttered, embarrassed, her tail sweeping as she pressed her horned head against Erik's chest.
Suddenly, when the embarrassment reached a peak, she disappeared, leaving nothing but the words: " I- I'll tell the others about what happened!"
Of course, everyone knew Erik had already informed Emily and Astrid through their bonds, but that simply caused them to chuckle.
"Alright, come with me," the man quickly said, clearly worried about his remaining time. "My name is Lemayian, by the way. Now, let me show you to an appropriate room for this…"