With the words, Ning requested a bond, and Saphandra didn't hesitate to accept.
She wanted his companionship and a way out of the solitary life of a spirit.
A summoning circle appeared below Ning and the two were bonded.
"Great," he said. "Should we leave now?"
Saphandra nodded, but then she looked at Aimee that was still sulking on the ground.
"We should help her," she said.
"Of course," Ning said. He walked up to Aimee and sat in front of her while Saphandra came to sit on his shoulder.
"Aimee, do you want to talk?" she asked.
"Let me cry in peace, please," she said.
Ning stayed quiet and decided to do nothing but stay there. Aimee sniffled for a long while.
The sky even turned dark in the time she was there doing nothing but crying.
"Aimee, you can't keep sulking like this. You are the last of your people. If anything, you need to step up and move on, for everyone's sake," Ning said.
"I… I can't just forget about them," she said. She was horrified that Ning even suggested such a thing.
"I'm not telling you to forget about them. I'm telling you to do what your friends would have wanted you to do. What your sister would have wanted you to do."
"They may be gone, but their spirit lives on with you. You need to let them live," Ning said.
"I…" Aimee finally looked up. "Yes, I… I can't sit here doing nothing." She quickly wiped away her tears. "Wha-what do you suggest I do?"
"For now, come in there," Ning said and pointed at the spaceship behind him. "You need a place to eat and rest for today. Regarding the rest, you can take your time."
Ning took Aimee into the spaceship and gave her something warm to eat, and then a place to sleep in.
She cried herself to sleep, of course, but there was nothing Ning could do about that. Besides, crying was a much better option than letting it bottle inside her for now.
Early morning, Ning woke up and went to check on Aimee. She was still asleep from having slept in late last night, so Ning let her be and consulted with Saphandra on what they should do now.
They no longer had a need to stay, especially since Ning had reached Rank 10 as a Bondforger, but they couldn't just let Aimee stay alone on this island.
"I guess we can stay with her for a while, right? How much longer is there even?" Ning asked.
"21 more days?" Saphandra asked. "Let's explain the situation to Aimee and see what she will say we should do."
"That does feel like the best option," Ning said and waited.
After Aimee woke up, he gave her some food, and while she ate, he explained everything that had happened when Saphandra had taken over her body.
"I'm… in a new planet?" she asked.
"Yes," Ning said.
"There are no demons here?" she asked.
"Demons?" Ning was a little surprised by her questions. "System, are there demons here?"
<None in this galaxy, so there is no chance of invasion.>
Ning explained to Aimee what he heard, and she couldn't help but be happier.
Afterward, Ning let her know about his plans and Aimee said she did want to bond with a spirit if it wasn't going to take over her body and corrupt her will as Saphandra had.
Ning nodded and took Aimee around the island to look for the spirit. He taught her what to say, but it wasn't until the 5th spirit that she finally found the right thing to say and bonded with a feminine spirit.
She named the spirit, Mary. That was the name of her little sister.
Through Mary, Aimee gained the power of Speed. She could become very fast both physically and mentally. She was so fast that she could run on top of water too.
From what Ning could test, she could reach close to Mach 5 without much problem. Also, she was very much capable of thinking at an incredibly fast speed.
Aside from that, she could also speed up healing in her body as well, while at the same time slowing down other aspects of her body, such as aging.
"That's not bad," Ning said after learning all of it. "In fact, I want the same powers too. System, can I have those powers too?"
<Do you want all of those together? Some of those are unnecessary for you>
"Yes, ignore the unnecessary ones and give me the rest," Ning said.
<Confirmed>
< 'Superspeed movement', 'Superspeed Perception', and 'Superspeed thinking have been bought.>
The system bought the skills without letting know the price. That simply meant that Ning had so much energy that the price wasn't a problem at all.
"Should we leave now?" Ning asked. Both Saphandra and Aimee nodded.
"Let's go."
Ning and Aimee appeared outside the island. Ning turned to look at the island one last time and then towards the edge to the north where he could barely see the ships there.
He could go fight the headmasters there, but there was no need.
"Come, I'll take you to a place you can settle down and live your life."
Ning took Aimee towards the south where it was colder and visited a city called Harmoon. It was a small city in the middle of a small country by the name of Twuntar.
Ning helped her settle down there with the many spiritual pearls that Saphandra had earned. He helped her however he could on behalf of Saphandra, and after she was well adjusted a month or two later, he left.
Ning felt like he had done it all in this world. He reached Rank 10, bonded with spirits, and summoned beasts using the summoning circle.
Now, all he wanted to do was go around and see the world, help his friends and students when he could, and just wait for the spaceships to come and take him away.
