CHAPTER 314: A TALK FROM THE SOUL

I don’t know how long it took, but eventually I got close enough to realise that I was getting closer, just very slowly, as the dimply pulsing light that I hoped was Asty’s soul got ever so slightly bigger.

This was taking its toll on me though. In a mental capacity that is. I didn’t quite feel a drain on my soul or anything, just my mind.

Which wasn’t a good thing by the way, it was still bad as I still hadn’t gotten any proper rest since the last night of the festival now that I think about it.

’Ugh... I feel so weak and pathetic right now. I can’t even save my friend... Maybe I should just give up and die... I’d probably just end up killing myself anyways like the tiny insignificant piece of shit that I am...’

’...’

’Wait a minute... Tiny... Tiny... AM I STILL SMALL???’ My soul body slowly floated to a halt as that revelation hit me.

My soul was still compressed when I fell asleep, I think. If I can somehow undo this process somehow, maybe it will make me bigger, or in this case return to the size I should supposedly be, making me able to travel this space faster.

But what if becoming big in here means making my actual soul bigger as well, and if forcefully occupies Asty’s body? What then?

I know I could just return to my body, but how would Asty come back after that? Or would she just come out with me when we leave or something?

Too many questions and scenarios with no answers of any kind. It’s really frustrating not knowing what to do or what will happen.

But... I have to take this risk. If there’s a chance that it works, great. And if not... I don’t want to dwell on that.

Shaking my head, I took a deep breath, which I didn’t need to do here, it was more for mentally preparing myself for what I’m about to try and do.

After a couple of seconds, I exhaled, releasing that breath that doesn’t exist, and feeling myself get a little bigger, and then suddenly a lot bigger.

’Ah! Fuck! ... Oohh... The vertigo... Ow...’

As the dizziness receded and I was able to regain clarity once more. And again, once clarity hit me, I was able to see Asty, a lot more clearly this time.

Instinctually, I started to float towards her, my speed getting faster the closer I got until I just let my momentum carry me over to her as I screamed out to her.

"ASTY!!!" I then crashed into her soul body, coiling my own soul tail around her tightly, not letting go out of fear that she would fade away if I were to let go.

The moment I clung to her, I felt her shivering. Not out of coldness nor out of shock. No, none of that. The reason she shivered was because she was overwhelmed with emotions.

She started to snivel as she coiled her body around mine in response, and then she suddenly started to cry.

"WAAAAHHHHHHHAAAAAAA!!!!!"

I coddled and cradled her in my warm embrace as I pulled her into me and let her cry everything out, reassuring her that all would be fine as I hugged her tightly.

She hugged back and we stayed like that for a long while. I didn’t mind as I was just glad that she was okay. I even shed a few tears myself.

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After a long while of crying in each other’s embrace, I finally pulled back and looked into Asty’s puffed up eyes and smiled gently, my gaze warm and comforting.

She had always looked up to me like a big sister, and I wanted to be there for her when she was at her worst. Yet I wasn’t.

A twang of guilt made my smile twitch and falter for but a moment, nearly imperceptible, but I manage to keep my smile and speak.

"Are you okay Asty? I was so worried about you after I came back."

She didn’t answer and just hugged herself into my breasts. And even though none of this was physical, I could still feel her warmth on my chest.

I could also tell that she wasn’t quite ready to speak up yet, so I told her that it was okay and that she could take all the time she needed before she spoke.

And so, once again, I just coddled her within my embrace, neither of us letting go, too afraid to lose the other.

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After an unknown amount of time, Asty finally spoke up.

"I thought I’d never see you again..." She cried despondently, her voice shivering in relief.

"It’s okay, I’m here for you now. And do you want to know something?"

"What?" She looked up at me, her eyes still puffy from crying fake tears, her pupils filled with curiosity and a hidden expectation.

"I brought Ashtraz back. For good." The moment I said those words, I saw her slightly swollen eyelids parts more than they probably should have as she started to cry once again, this time out of happiness.

The woman whom abandoned her had been brought back. She knew that she had reasons for leaving, and she likely didn’t care what they were, she was just happy to hear that I convinced her to come back and that she wouldn’t ever do something like this again.

After she finished crying rivers once again, she looked up at me with the biggest grin I’d ever seen on her.

"Thank you... Thank you so much... For everything. You’re the best big sister I could’ve ever asked for!" After that, she stuffed her face into my bosoms once more and cried some more.

I merely smiled and stroked her head with love. I was glad that she considered me her sister, and that she was alright.

Eventually, after her tears ran dry, she pulled away and started to look around us.

"Umm... Where are we? A-And where is everyone?" Fear started to set in her voice again after realising and seeing that we were the only one’s here.

Before she could panic any further, I soothed her worries. I cupped her face and made her look at me as I said in a calm and soft manner, "Hey, it’s okay, we’re going to be fine."

She was going to say something but I just put a finger on her mouth and shushed her quietly as I continued speaking, "Shhh... It’s fine, everyone is fine, we’re just not in the world right now."

"I’m sure you’ve noticed our current forms, yes?" She nodded in silence as she listened. "That’s because we’re in our soul forms, locked in some kind of Soul subspace. We’ll get out of here in due time and return to our bodies safely."

I kind of lied about that last one a tad as I wasn’t sure if we would return safely per se, but if this calmed Asty’s nerves then a little white lie here and there couldn’t hurt, could it?

Thankfully it did as such, and Asty calmed down a lot, but she was still clearly a little spooked and on edge despite that, as she still didn’t quite understand anything.

"Tora... What exactly happened after I left? I remember you saying you went out to get Ash back, and then David came to comfort me in your place, but then a few days later, he said work had come over to talk some things over."

"He said he would only be gone a couple of hours, but I fell asleep shortly after he left. After that, I don’t quite remember what happened, but I do remember something..." She shivered and brought me in closer. "Something terrifying."

Sighing heavily, I and began to explain what I knew, about how she began freeing over, about how some evil spirit possessed her in that time and even what happened in my own soul subspace.

I even told her about the two ancients that were within that space and about the God who wished to right his wrongs by serving and training her and her newfound powers.

I did however leave out the part about Ash and the curse, that was Ash’s story to tell, not mine.

As she listened, her face turned to one of horror, then relief, and upon hearing that a God would basically be her teacher, she was ecstatic.

Why wouldn’t she be? A God was going to be her teacher. Such a thing is basically unheard of.

But I gave her a stern warning about it though, "Do not tell anyone about this though, there are people out there who would do anything to get what you have for themselves, understood."

She nodded grimly as the reality of what I was offering her set in, but she was determined to follow through either way.

"I’m ready, when do we start?"