"Mmm... interesting"

Within Mireya's soul, an infinite and chaotic space, the pieces of a colorful prism floated scattered. Fragments of memories, some clear and others faded, orbited around her, held together by a complex network of power.

"It doesn't fit. Its properties defy all the logic I know."

This spiderweb intertwined energies of different natures: spiritual, cursed, divine, and magical, creating a vibrant and constantly moving tapestry.

"......"

And at the heart of this fractured universe...

"A melody... a staff?"

Echidna watched with an unusual concentration.

"It's a paradox. Every time I try to understand it, my mind encounters a contradiction."

Her millennia of existence did not give her a clear answer. What she had before her was a visual melody, a musical score of notes that emanated an energy that defied her comprehension.

"It's strange..."

The notes, which should be simple symbols, manifested as a visual melody that vibrated with an ancient and unknown power.

"The essence of this power feels as old as the first suns, but the way it manifests is so recent and unstable."

Echidna immersed herself in her observation, trying to decipher the purpose of that strange manifestation.

"Really... it's never boring."

Echidna finally came to that simple conclusion, because despite having lived with her companion for years, she couldn't help but feel astonished.

"It's like a box of surprises."

Since their souls had merged, she had grown accustomed to all kinds of anomalous situations, where every day was an unexpected experience. However, the scene in front of her was able to surpass them all, something she didn't actually dislike, because for divine entities, born from divine energy, boredom was the worst enemy.

"I guess it was worth enduring for so long..."

Although at first they were born completely devoted to the wish for which they were created, over time they would gain more freedom until they finally fell into monotony, seeking any means to entertain themselves, whether by subtly interfering with mortals or by falling into madness in search of amusement.

"Thinking about it that way, would I have become like them over time?"

There were even some who would abandon everything just to sleep, a category that Echidna herself had fallen into after being sealed millennia ago when she was forced to watch her power slowly deplete until Mireya's arrival.

"I guess it's as I expected from the companion I chose."

Although the time they had shared was the shortest in comparison to her long existence, it had also been the most fun and unpredictable.

"It would be perfect... if it weren't necessary to invest so much recovered power in keeping things under control here... Hahhh..."

And with each concubine Mireya gained, she felt her power recover.

...Only for, unfortunately, all that recovered power to have to be used for a mundane but crucial purpose: keeping Mireya's monstrous energy reserves at bay.

"It's quite exhausting to do it all the time..."

The snake goddess had to constantly work anonymously to cover up and regulate that energy, preventing it from attracting the attention of other powerful monsters or entities.

"... I can't even leave him alone for a moment."

A shudder of worry ran through Echidna as she recalled the last time she had rested.

"How did he manage to go up against a calamity...?"

It was only for a few days, an insignificant amount of time for her, but in her absence, her companion had gotten involved in a battle against a calamity that was believed to be extinct even in the goddess's era.

"Because of these things, I can't let my guard down."

She forced herself to remain vigilant, knowing that negligence could lead to catastrophic consequences.

"What's more... This thing... Could it be...?"

While trying to analyze the melody, Echidna had a revelation.

"This might be the main cause after all."

She discovered that it was possible that this visual score was the true cause of the resonance phenomenon she and Mireya were experiencing.

"But if that's the case..."

A new hypothesis formed in her mind: perhaps the bond between them was much deeper than she had ever imagined.

"......."

The goddess immersed herself in her memories of a forgotten era where she was known by many names, and among them was the Serpent of Eternity, as no attack, not even the most absolute forms of existential erasure, were capable of destroying her. For this reason, the final solution had been to seal her, as she was considered a living paradox.

"I never understood it until now, but if that's the case!"

Now, faced with the possibility that her own paradoxical existence was due precisely to the bond she would forge with Mireya in the future, a new paradox manifested itself.

"If it's true, then...!"

If it were true, she could not disappear until Mireya's death, and in a perfect parallel, Mireya could not be destroyed as long as she existed in the past.

"That means..."

Their stories, Echidna thought, intertwined in a way that defied the logic of time and space.

"That logic doesn't just apply to my case."

Echidna, still deep in her reflections, had a new and alarming understanding.

"!!"

If the paradox applied to her bond with Mireya, it must also be true for every being he had resonated with up to that moment.

"......"

She thought of Goldie, Brownie, and Silver.

"If this is true, it would explain why their souls had survived events that should have been impossible."

She recalled Silver's soul, faint but intact despite having been trapped for millennia in a golem made of incomprehensible materials. She also thought of Goldie, who had somehow become a hybrid of curse and divinity, something normally impossible due to the opposite nature of both energies.

"?!"

She came to a conclusion that left her in shock: all those stories, from the moment of resonance, had intertwined in an existential paradox that ensured their mutual emergence. As long as one of them existed, the rest would also, regardless of them belonging to different eras or universes.

"Such a thing is...! How is it possible?!"

Astonished by her own speculation, she wondered how something so powerful could exist, looking back at the melody with admiration.

"...But."

However, her expression abruptly changed as she remembered her original purpose.

"This isn't the time to think about that."

Regaining control, Echidna observed the melody that was agitating uncontrollably before her.

"Interesting, is it reacting to some stimulus...?"

However, while Echidna continued her observations trying to find a solution to the situation...

"Hey, Echidna, I know you're in there, come out!"

... Meanwhile, in Mireya's room, he lay on his bed, his face flushed with a high fever.

"Haaaa... Hahhh... Ugh... Cough, cough!"

He was breathing with difficulty while Lilith carefully placed a wet cloth on his forehead.

"Did you find out what's wrong with this fever?!" Original content can be found at novel⚑fire.net

Asking with irritation about the situation while repelling Mireya's uncontrolled and irregular aura that bathed the room, Lilith asked Echidna.

"I've discovered the cause, however, the reason behind it is unknown and..."

"And what?!"

"...Also how to stop it."

"Tch...! At this rate, it will get out of control!"

"I am aware of that, but without knowing the reason there is no way to stabilize it this time."

"Tch...!!"

"However, I have a hypothesis that is worth a try."

"... What do you propose?"

"To do it, we first have to seal the room and bring both Goldie and Silver here."

"What are you planning to do...? You're not thinking of...!"

"There's no other option than a total resonance."