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When Maria patted her head, she felt not just pain but something bizarre—an eerie sensation, as if the entity had briefly entered her body and soul. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

She glimpsed fragments of memories from her life here: the loneliness, the ache of missing her family.

It was an almost otherworldly power that defied logic, eerily similar to her own.

"Could it be? Is Veronica developing into some kind of Outer Goddess like me? Her existence is paradoxical. She distorts reality simply by moving. Even touching her could destroy someone, as they’re consumed by her without her realizing it. It’s as if... because of the Emptiness caused by being an Embodiment of the Dreams of Someone Forgotten by the entire World of Azure Star, her existence—hollow in both form and soul—can consume anything. I’ll need to examine her further to understand."

"Ah, right!" Maria snapped out of her thoughts. "I was wondering if you could let us enter the tower..."

"oK..."

"I’ll also stay here," Maria said. "Through a Divine Soul Ego—a piece of myself—so I can always keep you company, and we can learn from each other, okay?"

Maria had already done something similar with Arachne, so she didn’t mind repeating the process.

"Oh...!"

Veronica suddenly brightened. She seemed genuinely excited about spending her days with Maria from now on.

"I’m also building an army to fight some very bad people," Maria said. "Would you mind sharing a few of your friends? Or maybe not—they’re probably too valuable."

"oK..."

"You don’t mind if we keep the friends we brought with us?" Nyx asked.

The girl shook her head. "No, I don’t mind."

They were surprised. They had assumed the Undead were her companions, her friends.

But then Veronica opened her palm, and hundreds of specters emerged from it.

"She created ghosts and specters?!" Nyx exclaimed. "Wow, what kind of power do you have, Veronica?"

"FrIeNdS..."

Maria examined the ghostly specters and spirits Veronica had summoned. Some appeared to be the souls of unfortunate players who had died here—perhaps thousands had already been fed to the manor.

Still, Maria wasn’t one to judge. Honestly, she didn’t mind, as long as the souls weren’t destroyed. Eventually, they would pass on peacefully and reincarnate.

And given that Veronica had lost most of her memories... she wasn’t exactly in a stable state.

"Thanks, Veronica. It really means a lot. I’m building an army of Undead," Maria explained. "There are some terrible people in the tower, and we want to take them down. That’s why I asked for your help."

"fInE..."

The girl seemed willing to help and didn’t ask for anything in return. Maria and her daughter watched as the ghosts floated around Veronica, keeping her company by possessing nearby plushies—bears, ponies, and cute bee dolls cuddled close to her.

"Actually, there’s someone I want you to talk to," Maria said with a gentle smile. "Would you mind if I called them here, Veronica?"

"FrIeNd?"

"No, I know your sister, Amelia."

"...!"

Veronica didn’t speak, but her eyes lit up. She nodded eagerly.

"Do you miss her? Do you miss your sister?"

"I dO... lOnElY..."

"You feel lonely?" Nyx asked. "Aw, don’t worry. We’ll never let you feel that way again, okay?"

"OkAy... HaPpY..."

"Mom, can’t I hug her?" Nyx asked.

"You can, but permeate your body with your Aura," Maria explained. "She doesn’t know how to control her body yet. It can siphon energy, lifeforce, or even matter upon touch. So use a barrier with your divinity. That should be simple for you now, right?"

"No problem~!" Nyx said proudly. She quickly hugged Veronica, making the little eldritch goddess blush slightly.

"Ouch, yeah, it’s like touching a jellyfish. There’s a small sting, but it’s nothing for me, hehe!" Nyx giggled. "You like hugs, Veronica? I heard that to stay healthy, you need at least one hug a day!"

"HuG..."

Veronica slowly spread her arms and hugged Nyx back, resting her head on Nyx’s shoulder. She seemed to be crying again. Her tears fell against Nyx’s barrier, distorting it slightly, but Nyx was strong enough to keep it intact.

"Heheh, yes, hug! Let’s be friends! I’m Nyx! Did I say my name before? Well, now you know it again if I did, hehe!" Nyx giggled sweetly, making Veronica smile and nod.

"FrIeNd!"

Maria watched the two happily, as she focused a part of her consciousness on a completely different world—Azure Star.

.

.

.

It had been nearly a week since Maria and her family left Azure Star. With their new responsibilities, all her friends had been working hard to help the world recover from the great cataclysm caused by the Original Nightmare Curse and the Living Nightmare Dimension, which had emerged from the Hollow Core.

Amelia had been working mostly on the island, helping however she could with her newly awakened abilities. Her Dream Weapon, shaped like a heart-shaped hourglass, possessed mysterious powers over time, allowing her to rewind certain areas. This power was further enhanced by the Divine Throne Fragment she had received from Maria.

Her efforts greatly aided the city’s recovery. Half of the island’s city had been left in ruins, and even with Maria and everyone else’s help, there was still much work to be done.

"Phew... I needed this."

As the day neared its end, Amelia returned home, sat on her couch, and sipped green tea while enjoying sweet cookies she had baked earlier that morning. The radio played softly in the background.

Some called her old-fashioned, and she didn’t disagree. She never liked TVs, especially now that they constantly aired irritating news reports blaming Maria for the disasters. Even today, they were still trying to clear her name.

"Maria... Arthur..."

It hadn’t even been a week, and she already missed her "siblings." She had grown used to seeing them every morning. They had spent several weeks here, not just the initial one. Watching them come downstairs, sharing breakfast—it was something she might never experience again.

"Sister..."

Amelia gazed at the night sky through the window, trying to remember her sister. The old, forgotten memories never truly returned. She knew her sister had existed. She was the last person who remembered her, even though she couldn’t recall her name anymore.

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