Olivia Melianne was powerless to stop such a change; even the Magic Mirror could not offer any useful solutions. Yet, she still had to come. This was also the Magic Mirror's suggestion: to appear before Rose’s eyes.
And so, she arrived.
"Rose, listen to me. There might be bad people who want to harm you soon, so you must protect yourself. Those people are very skilled at using dreams and illusions; you must be careful of their influence. By the way, do you remember the Paradise you visited in your dreams before? It is that very Paradise that is trying to capture you..."
Olivia quickly explained the situation to Rose. On Rose's body, her numerous eyes reflected a deep sense of bewilderment.
"Why?" Rose asked. She did not understand why that seemingly beautiful Paradise would treat her as prey to be hunted.
"Because..." Olivia looked at Rose with a complex gaze. "Because you are special. I have learned about your situation through certain channels."
"In the past, you were a normal human being. But somehow, you fused with a forbidden artifact, becoming an aggregate—a being that is half-human and half-forbidden artifact."
"A forbidden artifact is a tool possessing various miraculous effects as well as negative consequences. That map you obtained from Annie before, called King's Domain, is a forbidden artifact. The one you fused with back then seems to be quite special; it involves the very essence of life and has the effect of extending a person's life."
"Perhaps that was the reason you chose to fuse with it in the first place. However, some accident must have occurred during the fusion process. You forgot who you were, forgot the changes in your body, and you didn't even realize that you are actually very powerful."
"But your situation is not a secret. People found out about you and coveted the forbidden artifact you fused with—perhaps even you yourself—and thus began their hunt. Paradise... or rather, Dreamland Paradise, they have come specifically for this purpose."
"They somehow learned that you might be in Kaliron, so they came here. Their movements even attracted the attention of various other heretical organizations, causing them to converge on Kaliron as well."
Olivia's expression grew increasingly heavy as she continued:
"A long time ago, I heard that many organizations were gathering in Kaliron, including many heretics, making the Imperial Capital dangerous. I didn't know the reason then, but now I do. The reason is you. Dreamland Paradise came for you, and the other organizations followed in their wake."
"Of course, many of those organizations are just blind followers looking to fish in troubled waters, and their members aren't particularly strong. But they have indeed created a situation where many heretical organizations are gathered. While most have no clear goal of their own, Dreamland Paradise is here specifically for you, making them the most dangerous."
The Vortex of Kaliron
As she spoke, Olivia's eyes were filled with complicated emotions. Tonight, as the members of Dreamland Paradise entered the Magic Mirror's range of control one by one, they naturally revealed information that allowed her to understand the truth.
When she first met Rose, she never would have imagined that this little girl would be the center of the entire vortex—the fundamental cause of the chaos in Kaliron. Of course, this was not Rose's fault. She was entirely innocent; the fault lay with those who targeted her.
"As I mentioned, the forbidden artifact you fused with involves the extension of life," Olivia added. "The length of one's life is something countless people cannot ignore. Everyone wants to live longer, perhaps even... to achieve immortality. I don't know if your forbidden artifact can truly grant immortality, but it can certainly extend a life significantly. Dreamland Paradise has targeted you because they want to master that power!"
Rose seemed to understand, yet also remained confused. Her many eyes blinked. "I... what should I do?"
"You must protect yourself. I'm sorry... I am too weak. I cannot help you," Olivia said helplessly.
As they spoke, Rose's figure began to grow increasingly transparent. In an instant, she became so faint that she was barely visible. Olivia reached out to touch her, only to find her hand passing straight through Rose's body. She could no longer reach her.
"It's okay. Since they came for me, then I will face it all. Here, take this, sister novice nun."
As Rose spoke, she turned over her palm. At the center of her palm was an open red eye. At that moment, the eyeball detached from Rose's body and leaped toward Olivia.
The Gift of the Aggregate
Before Olivia could react, the red eyeball expanded rapidly in her vision and sank directly into her own eye. There was no pain, only a strange, tingling sensation in her left eye. She couldn't help but rub it.
'Magic Mirror, what is happening?'
【This is one of Rose's eyes. It contains a portion of her power and serves as a gift to the Master. By fusing with this eye, your life force has been significantly increased. Additionally, you can now actively emit the aura of a powerhouse. 】
Rose's gift? This answer left Olivia speechless. Even at a time like this, Rose was still thinking about giving her a gift.
She rubbed her eye. Under the moonlight, one of her eyes was amber while the other was a deep, blood-red. These heterochromatic eyes gave her an eerie, otherworldly temperament, subtly shifting her entire presence. She looked down toward where Rose had been, but the girl was gone.
Rose had been captured by the Paradise.
In her place, only a single map remained—the rule-grade forbidden artifact, King's Domain. Without Rose's presence to suppress it, the artifact "awakened" almost instantly. It began to float, radiating a terrifying, forbidden aura.
Olivia's heart tightened. If a rule-grade artifact were left uncontrolled, it could turn the South District, or even all of Kaliron, upside down. Just as she was about to ask the Magic Mirror for guidance, the crimson eye in her left socket suddenly flared with light.
Rate on N.U.
