A presence he had only encountered once, somewhere between a dream and an illusion. Perhaps it had been both.
Or maybe… she exists in that liminal space between reality and fate.
She appeared once more, seated gracefully, a porcelain cup in her hand, eyes unreadable.
"You're still too weak," she said, almost absentmindedly, as she took a sip.
Ace's eyes narrowed.
"Weak?" he repeated, his tone calm but cold.
The moment was familiar. Too familiar.
He'd lived this before. Deja Vu indeed.
"And what exactly," he asked, voice low, "would qualify me as not weak?"
As if on cue, she smiled faintly.
"Have you ever heard of the Immortal Realm?"
She didn't wait for a response.
"Oh right, you've unlocked the Divine Market already, haven't you? Holders of the Divine Garden always awaken the library last," she added, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear with elegant grace.
"That's where the real knowledge begins."
