章 37: Follow the Blue Thread

As a fairy, Lily was uncomfortable with the void as she was extremely sensitive to the changes in energy. However, orders were absolute. She had to guide Zero to Egui's soul in this place devoid of life. Locating a soul here was easy and Lily's only concern was the distance they had to travel. The further it was, the higher the chances of being unable to return.

Back in Ruban x Pointes the goddesses watched with bated breaths, uneasy at the sight awaiting Zero. Gaia felt Lily's uneasiness through their connection and sent reassurance. Feeling her creator's strength flowing through her, the little spirit calmed down enough to start talking to Zero.

"Please give me some time to locate Egui's soul."

Zero shook his head. "It's fine, I know where he is. I just don't understand how it ended up here. Could you hide in my shirt? We're going to teleport for a while to get there quicker. I know that spirits don't like the dark or the void very much, Jen told me this."

Pleasantly surprised but not protesting, Lily got into Zero's shirt. Unlike pixies, fairies could emit light when they move. Most humans call that light particle fairy dust. To be more accurate, the light left behind was a magical trail. This trail helps to nourish the environment and balance the lack of magic in the area. The more lacking the magic in the area, the less obvious the magic trail. Hence in the void, only the light glowing from Lily's small body could be seen.

True to his word, Zero moved very quickly through the void with a series of almost instant teleports. The goddesses watched in amazement after they lost count of the times Zero teleported. What's more impressive was how Zero continuously cast teleport without even a chant. Many humans cannot afford to teleport without the aid of a magical equipment for it required very strong control and visualisation. The chant helped them visualise and the casting time depended on the caster's level of magic control.

Gods can cast without the limitation of mana capacity, unlike mortals, for they received magic energy straight from the environment they rule over. However, control and visualisation were things that weren't instantaneous. For someone to be able to teleport like Zero, it required millenniums of practice. Their reverence for Zero increased yet again at the display of pure power. Their precious creator... were there no limits to his abilities?

For Lily, her initial shock morphed into admiration. The fear she felt at first even after Gaia's reassurance had completely disappeared when Zero sped through the void with ease in the direction of Egui's soul. Although she couldn't understand how Zero was able to determine the soul's location so quickly, Lily knew that he could be trusted.

Meanwhile, Zero was focussed on following the blue thread. It was initially very faint but as he got closer, it became brighter. Unknown to his admirers, Zero was having a silent mental conversation with Mind's Eye.

(Can I call you something? It's difficult to keep calling you Mind's Eye system. You feel like a real person despite being a memory created by my past self.)

[Affirmative. What would you like to call me?]

Possessing not much naming sense (and a terrible author), Zero decided to call Mind's Eye - Mii after the name 'Bob' was rejected.

(Mii, could you explain what happened back at Mega Gourmet? Why did Egui's soul end up in the void? Does that mean that anything I absorb or come in contact with will end up here?)

[Answering Zero, everything that has been absorbed by you will be reflected in your status. You may use the [Inventory] command to check what you've absorbed. As you have access to the void, the inventory is connected to it. You may store and retrieve anything inside it at any point of time with no limitation to the quantity. As time does not exist in the void, items stored there will be preserved in its initial condition until it is retrieved.]

At once, Zero tried the inventory function and was shocked to see the items he possessed.

[As for Egui's soul, it was an unforeseen accident. When the status effect was removed through absorption, the part of Egui's soul that had fused with the effect was absorbed too as the system isn't advanced enough to differentiate them. Having said that, retrieving his soul was only the first step to recovering a broken soul.]

Zero paused.

(What should I do after I bring it back?)

Mii was silent for a while.

[Answering Zero, I do not have an answer. However, King Enma should be able to help.]

Nodding to himself, Zero hurried. The blue thread was so bright by now. He wondered if Lily could see it too. Then again, Lily's expression hadn't changed since they started the journey so Zero knew that the blue thread was something only he could see.

Up ahead, the blue thread ended at a white light. Zero smiled. He'd found Egui's missing soul fragment.