"Step into the real world..."
Maya mumbled to herself as she stared at the sky. It was as if a fire had been lit up inside her mind. Her eyes started exuding a peculiar light.
When the iron was hot, the butcher decided to hammer it again to cast it.
"Lady Maya, you ought to understand what your existence as a woman entails. You need to feel their joys and sorrows. You need to understand what excites you as a womanâ€" no matter how shallow or profound it is.
Only after doing something like this will you be able to understand what it means to have a real existence. And only after developing an understanding of this matter will you be able to cultivate a soul for yourself."
Eren looked at Maya intently before asking her something radical.
"Let me help you, Lady Maya. I'll turn you into a real woman."
Maya seemed to be lost in her thoughts while hearing Eren speak. She took a while to develop a suspicious expression on her face. She looked at Eren angrily and straightened herselfâ€" only for him to cough before making his stance clear.
"*Cough. I mean... I'll help you cultivate a soul for yourself.
I don't know what it means to cultivate a soul for oneself. But I am damn sure about the fact that nobody can do it while sitting isolated in a fake world.
The Sansara World has become your prison. It prevents you from growing up. Only life outside this bubble of comfort can make you understand what it means to be alive."
Eren got up from his seat and stood in front of Mayaâ€" blocking her view. He looked her straight in the eyes before continuing.
"The risks, the heartbreaks, the successes, and the failures. The feelings of pleasure and pain. Fulfilling experiences and heart-wrenching upsets. All of these are integral parts of life.
As you sit here, how can you experience such facets of life? How can you live without doing something worthwhile to live for?
It's like you have been told to make complex cuisine that has multiple ingredients. And you sit here with only meat, salt, and pepperâ€" trying to find a way to make things work with the limited ingredients you have."
Maya kept a low level of awareness of Eren's words. But deep down, she had already come to understand what he was trying to say. Her facial expressions signaled to Eren that his talk was working. So he decided to give her a final push in the right direction.
"Look... I have as much respect for Sansara Sage as you do. And I acknowledge your existence as well.
So forgive me for saying thisâ€" but he didn't create this world for you. He didn't create you only for you to stay locked up inside it.
He might not have said this explicitly. So I'm guessing he wanted you to come to this conclusion on your own. You were meant to step out you have always been.
You were meant to explore this world and the many possibilities that are within your reach. You can shape the experiences that you gain from such explorations into a soul- your soul.
Don't you want to meet your father? He may not always wait for you, you know."
Eren gave Maya a sense of urgency to come to a quick conclusion. His words always had a profound effect on most people, as if they were whispers from the devil. But they started having an edge like none other as he grew up as a ranker.
Maya couldn't stay immune to Eren's influence either. She looked him in the eyes before softly stating what he wanted to hear from her.
"I... I need to get out of Sansara World."
'Bull's eye.'
Eren thought to himself and flashed a bright smile. But his smile quickly faded when he heard Maya's next words.
"I need to step into the real world, indeed. But what makes you think that I need your help?"
***
Maya could guess that Eren probably had his own interests linked to her exit. She didn't need to know about them to authenticate their existence. One had to say that Sansara Sage had given her enough gray matter to think for herself.
Maya had access to the known information available in Edinburgh's records about all the participants. She quickly updated herself with Eren's information as she listened to his words.
Maya had to say that Eren's on-paper portfolio was impressive. A young and low-key Expert ranker who was the owner of a rapidly emerging city. He was a certified potioner and businessman.
The potion manufacturing division of his guild had been given various contracts by the kingdom itself to manufacture various explosive potions for the upcoming war. He had an impressive academic record and his army service was spotless.
There hadn't been much interaction between Maya and people outside the Sasara World. Just like Eren had assumed, she was born inside the Sansara World right after Sansara Sage created it.
After Sansara Sage left the continent of Anfang, Maya kept in touch with various correspondences from the kingdom. She was not involved in Edinburgh's matters directly. But she was exposed to a lot of things and developed her own understanding of the world outside.
Eren could only offer Maya monetary gains, she thought. He had his connections. But they weren't deep or old enough to help her for the most part.
Or so she thought.
***
Eren was a bit taken aback by Maya's words. But he quickly recovered from his initial shock before making her understand something she hadn't thought of.
"Hehe. You don't need my help, do you?
Things are not as simple as you are made to believe, Lady Maya. You lack certain experiences in your life that have sheltered you from such obvious problems.
You might think that I am not useful in your endeavors. And maybe you are not completely wrong.
But have you considered what might happen when you try to get outside the Sansara World?"
