“Master, are you sure she’ll be peaceful toward you?” Alysia asked nervously.
“No.” I shook my head. “I don’t know how she’ll react to seeing me. She might attack.”
“Just in case, can you detach her from the dungeon?”
“She isn’t connected to the dungeon. She absorbed the dungeon. In a way, she is the dungeon. It’s not unlike when master powered a dungeon with his soul, except yours was an external dungeon, and hers is internal.”
“What are you saying? The dungeon is inside her?”
“I don’t know anything more about dungeons than you do. In fact, I know a bit less. I can just tell you what I feel. I don’t see a bond that can be cut.”
“Can you knock her unconscious?”
She hesitated a minute before her voice was transmitted. “I can’t…”
“Seriously?” I responded in disbelief.
“I knock someone out essentially by striking their spiritual energy. She’s a spiritualist. Such an attack on her would be useless.”
I frowned, finding that if things did come to blows, this would be troublesome. Of course, there was always the possibility that the second Miki saw me, she would break into tears, run into my arms, and cry. There was a chance that this would all end the second I called her name. There was a time I might have just run out and called to her, but I had experienced too many unexpected circumstances and was more cautious these days. I wanted a plan before I approached her. Regrettably, I didn’t have a lot of time. Every second, she was getting closer to the city.
“Can you cut the bond between the soul and the body?” I asked.
“No, I can do it, but…” Her voice drifted off. “I should be able to do it.”
“Tell me…” I didn’t allow her to hide such a thing.
She sighed. “You felt it when she used her power. That sucking feeling. Just being near her, even when she’s not doing anything, threatens to suck your soul out of your body and into her inner dungeon. I believe Master won’t be sucked in, at least not easily. Your soul and body are too powerful to be easily ripped apart. However, my soul and blade are one…”
“You’re a god blade though…”
“It’s true, but the pull is incredible. She might be able to rip our bond apart and suck me in.”
“Trying isn’t what I’m worried about.” She explained hesitantly. “The thing that leaves me worried is whether I can cut her body and soul while she’s pulling on me. I might miss and strike her soul instead.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying… I could kill her!”
“We have to give it a try,” I responded, bringing her blade form out. “Let’s leave it plan B though.”
With no time to spare, the two of us leave the safety of the forest and walk out onto the dead plain, following behind Miki. I move quickly but stop about two hundred meters away from her. This was far enough. If she did do some kind of attack, I wanted to be ready for it. Holding my hands up to my mouth, I shouted.
“Miki!” Her body froze at my call. “It’s me, Deek! Your master? I’m still alive! Ah… actually, I did die, but you know it is me, right?”
Miki slowly turned around. Slowly, her hands reached up and she grabbed the edges of her hood, pulling it back. Seeing her pale, sad face immediately tugged on my heartstrings. I instinctively took a step forward.
“Master…” Alysia warned.
“You don’t need to do this anymore,” I explained. “We can go home now. Okay?”
A light smile formed on Miki’s face. Tears began to run down her cheeks.
“Master…” She spoke quietly.
She did recognize me. I let out a breath of relief. She gently raised her hand.
“Die!” A wall of miasma shot toward me.
It looked like it would be Plan B!