CH. 551: Aria

Fafnir placed Asahi on its back and flew over the forest. Fafnir's head darted everywhere as if it was searching for Aria in the vast wilderness.

He rubbed Fafnir's back. "Need help?"

"She changes her home often…" Fafnir shook its head. "Aria is currently sleeping in one of these houses to recuperate energy. Keeping up this barrier is taking a hit on her body."

"Let me find her for you." He traced Aria's presence as they progressed deep into the forest. "There."

"Ohhh. Your talents are versatile. I'm grateful you gave up on killing me."

Fafnir made a grand landing and let him down. He stepped inside the house, walking as he observed the crude yet simple architecture. Aria handmade every room on this floor, even constructing stairs that led to her room on the first floor. He took the creaky wooden stairs, and finally knocked on Aria's door. A knock was a must to avoid weird situations like walking in on her naked.

…

Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Aria opened her eyes and sluggishly threw off her white blanket. Stretching her arms with a long yawn, she stepped off the bed. Hearing another knock, she walked towards the door, looking half asleep.

'Who is it?'

Stheno and Euryale occasionally dropped by to check on the barrier but they did their job from outside the barrier. That made Fafnir the only person to spend time with her in this peaceful forest. The house hardly had any room to fit a dragon of its size.

Her curiosity growing, she opened the door to a new visitor. The charming young man standing before her revealed a befuddled look as his eyes went up and down her naked body.

Aria looked exactly like Ais's mature version in Asahi's mind. With the warm glow of magic stone over her pale body, she looked like a fairy. As a spirit, she technically was a spirit.

"You're everything I expected you to be." Asahi's scrutiny stopped on perky breasts that seemed to defy gravity. "Even more."

Aria just stood frozen as if centuries of isolation took away her ability to react 'normally' to the situation.

Asahi cleared his throat. "I didn't mean to stare. You should wear something while I wait."

He closed the door, leaving her to collect her thoughts. Her barrier wasn't broken, which raised her confusion to a new level. How did he enter her domain?

"Aria." A red eye peeked through the window. Fluttering its wings, Fafnir floated outside. "Human Asahi came seeking you for… I forgot to ask his purpose."

Fafnir's presence gave Aria a much-needed composure. She took a deep breath and fetched her only dress from the closet. The dress was made of moss and twigs, things that could be found everywhere in the forest. Living alone was a struggle, but she solved most of her daily life problems over the thousand years.

"How did he come here?"

"The sisters let him through from their temple. Asahi calls himself a god from another world. Aria, promise me you won't attack him. He is a kind man."

"I don't attack others, Fafnir. That's your job." Aria shook her head before smiling. "I'm happy to chat with someone, even if he thinks he is from another world."

She retained much of her speaking ability, thanks to regular conversations with the dragon.

"I'm delighted at your warm welcome." Asahi's voice entered her ears. "Take the dress as a token of gratitude."

A stack of white dresses floated over the bed before gracefully landing. She held the dress woven from silk, feeling its softness against her cheeks. Her handmade dress couldn't compare. "This is… gorgeous."

He chose the plainest dress he could find, yet Aria fell in love with it. He felt a tinge of sympathy for her determination to seal Fafnir even if it meant living miserably and away from her daughter. It was several years for Ais but Aria lived through every second of those thousand years.

"Thank you… Human Asahi."

Aria quickly wore the dress and welcomed Asahi into the room. The scent of petals and dews drifted in every corner. Aria invited him to sit on the bed, so he did.

Silence invaded the room as both parties observed each other.

Asahi couldn't find any hint of insanity in Aria. She looked stable enough to pass as a normal person.

Meanwhile, Aria stared at Asahi's face, finding his features quite pleasing to her eyes. Smiling, she leaned towards him. "I'm curious. How did a god from another world skip an encounter with us and reach the heart of Tartarus?"

Aria's curiosity strengthened his doubt about Aria acting independently from Medusa's sisters. "I was invited here, actually. Euryale made a pact with me to leave them alone. I have a question for you as well. Fafnir isn't an aggressive monster like it used to be. Why are you still here? Shouldn't you return to the surface and meet your loved ones?"

The mention of Fafnir didn't bring out any dark feelings in Aria — she had truly forgiven the dragon for ripping her family apart. The mention of a loved one, however, clouded her expression.

Aria gripped the edge of the bed and lowered her head. "I have a daughter. My little princess Ais… I want to see her innocent smile again… but I can't leave."

Aria's voice was hoarse as she poured her heart out to practically a stranger. She may have been looking all these years to release these emotions but there was nobody to listen to her. Fafnir, with its limited emotional intelligence, didn't feel like a reliable listener. Asahi's charm also greatly contributed to prying open her frozen heart.

He could see tears glistening in her eyes, but he didn't bring it up. "What is holding you here?"

Aria shook her head. "It's… not that simple. The surface isn't ready… You must have seen the Demi Spirits. They will destroy civilization if gods don't directly interfere with Arcanum."

She had sworn to keep the barrier up as long as she had an ounce of breath. She wasn't protecting Medusa from the world; she was protecting the world from Medusa's vengeance, hoping the deities nurtured heroes to face the Demi Spirits.

She was ignorant of Orario's current state. Contrary to the rise of heroes, the demobilization of Zeus and Hera Familia significantly reduced Orario's strength.

He couldn't find it in him to destroy her sand castle of hopes. "So you'll prioritize the world over your daughter."

She looked up at him with a vulnerable look. He targeted the guilt that plagued her for a long time. "I… have to. I'm content as long as Ais stays safe and finds her hero. Yeah, Ais's safety is everything."

"You're stupid."

Aria paused in her action of wiping her tears and stared at him, confused. "Ah?"

"Stupid but admirable. That's how Ais's current Familia sees her." He chuckled. "I wonder where she got this stupidity from."

"Ais is in a Familia?!" Aria's eyes snapped open as though she broke from a trance. "She… she is an adventurer? Wait, doesn't that mean you have met Ais? Did she have any weird side effects of Stasis Barrier? How old is she now?"

Aria jumped at him and grabbed his shoulders, desperately shaking him for answers. When asked to calm down, she fired more questions at him.

Fafnir, outside the window, chuckled, seeing Aria lively like the wind. "I was not mistaken. You're a special human, Asahi."

***

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