Eren nodded at Reen before responding.
"I was equally surprised when I checked out Menaka's Blessing too. Now we just need to find the right time, place, and opportunity to test out the options to ourselves. But before anything else, we need to do something very crucial."
"And what would that be?" Reen asked while enjoying her breakfast.
"Contact Alephee," Eren said before accessing his own Spectral Screen.
He just thought of Alephee as he accessed a dedicated panel meant to be used to contact someone.
Menaka's Blessing allowed the patrons to communicate with each other through various means. People in Labh Salem could share their unique communication brands with each other through their Spectral Screens, which they could later use to contact one another.
The communication didn't have the traditional limitations like the ones associated with the ID Stone's use. The distance basically didn't matter much. In fact, one could contact the other even if they were in two separate worlds, provided both the worlds had the Mesh.
If people knew enough about one another, they didn't need a communication brand to contact someone. They could simply think about the person in their mind and the Mesh would find the communication brand associated with those particular memories.
Eren was sure that Alephee would have gotten access to the Menaka's Blessing by this point, no matter how far she was from him. As such, he contacted her as soon as he determined that the time was ripe.
"Eren!"
Eren's Spectral Screen changed in the next moment, showing him a familiar smiling face. Alephee had kept her appearance the same for the most part. However, she had abandoned her gothic back dress after landing in Labh Salem.
"You… you finally managed to land in Labh Salem huh? I… I'm afraid you caught me with a bit of bad timing."
Miss Timeless embraced an attire that seamlessly melded elegance and readiness for the unknown. Her youthful face, framed by the midnight hues of her cascading locks, exuded an air of both mystery and determination.
Draped in a white tunic that peeked from beneath a dark brown jacket, Alephee's ensemble spoke of practicality and style. The jacket, adorned with silver-edged embroidery. A circlet, intricately crafted with magical symbols, adorned her brow, adding a touch of ethereal charm to her appearance.
It seemed that it had been quite some time since Alephee had been to Labh Salem. She had decked herself with Hex Artifacts.
Eren was surprised to find Alephee all by herself, exploring some unknown terrain. Her rugged brown pants, chosen for their durability, allowed freedom of movement as she navigated through the perils of uncharted lands. Over her tunic, she wore a silver-threaded sash that seemed to shimmer with hidden enchantments.
Completing her ensemble were arm guards that wrapped around her forearms, practical yet embellished with ornate designs that mirrored her affinity with the time-element magic. At her waist, a sword in an intricately designed scabbard hung in readiness—a silent companion ready to be unsheathed at a moment's notice.
"I landed here a few days ago," Eren said as he greeted Alephee. "Uh… It took me some time but I finally managed to get this damn Blessing."
Eren explained to Alephee how he was able to finally get himself out of the maze that was the Immortal Plane. He told her his current circumstances as well as his plans.
Alephee listened to everything closely. She told him that it had been almost 18 years since she had landed in Labh Salem. The others who had embarked on this journey with Eren had also appeared one after the other on various corners of this world.
Alphee confirmed something Eren had already conjured on his own– that he was indeed the last Ranker from their group to arrive in Labh Salem. Since he was in the Immortal Plane where the concept of time and space were twisted, it had taken him quite some time by Labh Salem's standards to finally find his way.
Alephee told Eren about where she was. She also told him about the Rankers from Anfang who had appeared before and after her. She also briefly told him what she was up to during the last 18 years while he was still trapped by the Immortal Plane.
"This… This was to be expected when we left Anfang in order to come here through the Immortal Planes. I guess you still had it easy considering the fact that it only took you about 18 years to get here. Not bad for the first timer," Alephee said while continuing her journey.
The silver-threaded sandals that cradled her feet hinted at a blend of comfort and style, suitable for the unpredictable terrains that an adventurer might encounter. As she moved, the subtle jingling of charms woven into her attire added a melodic cadence to her every step.
Alephee's ruby red eyes, a striking contrast to the dark hues of her attire, gleamed with the spark of excitement. Her entire ensemble painted a portrait of someone on the brink of a new mission. She was looking forward to finding something that nobody was able to find in Labh Salem for quite some time.
"I'm glad you obtained Menaka's Blessing without any hiccups. I was afraid that the goddess would have… um… anyway. That explains why it took so long for you to call me. Where are you right now?"
Alephee asked as she strode forward, the white and crimson fog around her thickening as she stepped further.
"Brol. Near Kizamgaar's ruins. Um… where are you? And what are you doing?"
Eren asked with a bit of curiosity in his voice. He had never seen Alephee this focused on doing something as she was at this point. Back in Anfang, there was nothing that could excite her and make her want to focus all her attention on. But it seemed that she had finally found something to invest her time and efforts in.
"I… I am at Broken Faith grounds. It's a famous region on the continent of Epas, far away from where you are, Eren. And I… uh… I'm trying to find something I have been looking for quite some time. That thing… I'm getting closer to it. I can feel it," she replied.
"Epas! That's indeed a tough place for me to reach with my current circumstances."
Eren raised his eyebrows when he found out about Alephee's location. Not only was the continent of Epas far from where he was, it was also ruled by a coven of witches. As such, it was not a place he could get to so easily from Onianum.
"Yeah, I know," Alephee stopped in her tracks and replied. She decided that she would finish speaking with Eren first before carrying on with her mysterious adventure.
"It seems we need to adapt," Alphee clenched her fists before voicing her decision to Eren.
"Eren, you remember what I did after my brother died right?" Alephee asked.
"I do," Eren nodded.
He remembered through Aleph's memories that Alephee had split herself in seven parts using Perfect Paradox. She had done that in order to raise her chances to find the true inheritor of the Elder ichor bloodline. It meant there were six other versions of Alephee that existed in the boundless cosmos.
Alephee had become almost powerless after splitting herself this way. She had lost her divinity and fell from grace, almost turning her into an ordinary existence. However, she had decided to do something about it ever since she stepped foot in Labh Salem.
"Eren… one of my split forms… it's here. In Labh Salem. I need to merge with that form after making her believe that you are the true inheritor of the Elder Ichor bloodline.
So I can't come and join you where you are as of now because I'm busy tracking down… well… myself, in a way.
You should know that merging with my own self would not be an easy endeavor for me. It might take a few years even to merge after getting hold of my split form. I also have some other troubles I'm trying to get rid of.
I don't know in which state or condition the split form is in. and I don't know what psychological changes it has gone through after so much time has passed.
I am getting close to that form. It took me quite a while to find its location. And I had to invest quite a lot of effort. But I'm finally on the right track. I can finally feel its presence growing close to me.
As such, I can't just lose track now. Otherwise, all my efforts would go down the drain."
Alephee explained to Eren that merely finding one of her split forms was not enough. She also had to convince the form that it was her that had found the true inheritor of the Elder Ichor bloodline.
Things would get even more complicated if that form had zeroed in on a worthy successor of Aleph's divine throne on its own. In such a situation, she needed to convince the split form that Eren was the right choice for their brother's legacy.
Not that the job would be too difficult for her as Aleph had already given his divine throne to Eren, making him his true inheritor.
"So… we part ways?" Eren asked. "We part ways," Alephee confirmed and sighed. "For the time being that is."
AN: Alephee splitting herself into seven forms through Perfect Paradox was explained in chapter 1506.
