I dreamed of countless rivers of rainbow light reaching into the skies.
I don't know why I even dreamed of that, but I was there, seeing the spectacle occur before my eyes.
Was it truly a dream?
The rivers seemed to be carrying things, tiny, little beings. Souls, or maybe Spirits, I couldn't tell.
I can recall my body feeling very light in that dream, I was floating amidst this interconnection.
The surface of Earth, I remember I could see it very clearly, the rainbow rivers of light connected to another place, another world.
And then, as if things couldn't be more mysterious, there was a voice.
"The connection is becoming stronger… Will you be able to stop it?"
"Who is it?" I remember asking.
"Or will you help make the connection even larger?"
"Larger?" I had asked.
"What will it be, Yggdrasil's Successor?" The voice kept asking. "Will you merge both worlds… Or will you keep the separated?"
"Merge… or separate? You mean… Earth and Arcadia?" I asked.
"Precisely, you've become the strongest bridge." The voice said. "In you lies the fate of both worlds… Even as strong as I might be, I am merely the Voice."
"You will learn more once you understand the principles of what you're comprehending, my child… Or should I say, child of two worlds?"
As I heard that voice, I remember looking down once more, into the entire world, Earth. Its beauty had no comparison, yet the voice seemed to be coming from there.
From its very depths…
"Are you.. the Voice of the World?" I asked.
"That you can occasionally hear me was not a coincidence. I allowed you to do so, so you could properly understand your abilities." It spoke again. "And now, we can even talk after you've absorbed the Principle of Dreams, long ago stolen by the Demon King from the Hands of the Goddess of Dreams and Nightmares."
"W-What?" I was confused.
"Wake up for now, there is plenty of time for you to decide… But eventually, you will have to choose." The voice reiterated. "I will be watching over you, Gaia."
"That's not my name…" I sighed. "I'm Elayne…!"
"Of course it is." Giggled the voice. "That is the name that your soul bears."
And then, after that strange yet mystical encounter, I woke up, as if nothing had happened. I don't even understand the point of that whole conversation.
But it seemed like the Voice of the World wanted me to make a decision. Between… merging the worlds or keep them separate?
I doubt I can even have a say about that! I'm still just a little person compared to the greatness of creation, what can I even do?
Oh well… She also said my Soul was bearing the name of Gaia.
It must be because I hold her Divine Protection, do I become something like a child of the Goddess by doing that?
Well, anyways, it was really fantastical. And she seems to also know about Arcadia's history really well, saying that thing about the Goddess of Dreams and Nightmares.
And… the Principle of Dreams?
So many questions, and no answers… These god-like beings really love to be cryptic about it, huh?
For now, I better just start my day as usual.
I had some breakfast with my daughter, Mark, and Monica, and then we got together with Rita and Lily, jumping right into the gym to get some exercise and improve our physiques.
And on the way back, we suddenly sensed some Hollows nearby, so we decided it was the perfect opportunity to give my daughter some fighting experience.
They were right in some alley that was empty, they were three large ones, probably comparable to E Rank Monsters, good enough for a newbie.
The three entities slowly noticed Elena stepping towards them, she swallowed saliva in a bit of nervousness mixed with anticipation.
Their bodies were made of a black sludge and malice energy, these three were the "humanoid" type, being tall and lanky, with large claws on their hands and legs, long tails, and faces that wore white masks resembling skulls.
"S-So these are the Hollows you mentioned before…" My daughter said nervously. "Y-Yikes! They're sure large… Damn, seeing this IRL is totally different than in that game… well, it's no longer a game but yeah."
She was tightly holding the slightly long silver-red-colored dagger I had made as my very first item through Blacksmithing, the [Fiery Bronze Spirit Dagger]. I had some swords, but none were low rank enough for me to transform to Earth…
"You can do it dear! You've practiced your Spells enough, right?" I asked her. "You've also got me here. I'll heal you and give you some Mana, so go ham!" I said from afar.
"O-Okay!" Elena panicked as she held her dagger tightly. "Ugh, good thing my secondary weapon is a dagger… sometimes… A-Anyways, how do I do this again…?!"
The smallest of the three Hollows couldn't wait any more, quickly rushing towards her, raising its claws! I was about to conjure a barrier to protect her in case she were to panic too much, but Elena, on her own panic, activated her spell!
"{Blue Oni Demoness Transformation}!"
Her body underwent a sudden transformation, this was one of her core spells, and also part of what made my daughter's Magic Circle so incredibly unique.
Unlike us who mostly develop spells similar to our skills and all, but still had to gain physiques and other things to undergone physical changes… She was different.
Her Avatar was so connected to her own soul that through her Magic Circle, she was able to create a Spell that temporarily transformed her appearance into something similar to her Avatar!
The moment the claws reached her while she transformed, a huge explosion of darkness spread around our surroundings.
And amidst the smoke, my daughter seemed unscathed, the Hollow's arm suddenly gaining countless of cutting wounds…
"{Pseudo Sword Ki Aura}…" She said, her eyes glowing bright red.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
Her very aura became as sharp as a sword, cutting the Hollow's entire arm into pieces!