Strongest Warlock - Wizard World Irregular

Ethan felt heavy, unable to even open his eyes.

And yet, at the same time, he felt as if he were floating, which confused him a bit.l

The familiar feeling of water washing over him made him wonder if he was submerged underwater or not.

The last thing he remembered was that he summoned his Celestial Domain, dragging all the Red Chameleons inside of it.

Although he didn't know what happened afterward, he was confident that the Fairies who lived inside his Domain would be able to deal with the Chameleons.

Aside from them, there were also two dependable allies whom he could rely on to help if things spiraled out of control.

With all of this in mind, he hadn't been afraid of failing. He trusted that as long as they were around, things would be fine.

'I wonder where I am and how many days have passed since that battle?' Ethan thought.

Since he couldn't move his body or open his eyes, the only thing he could do was think.

But just as he was thinking about what to do next, a familiar voice reached his ears.

"It has been a while, Ethan. I wish we have met in better circumstances."

"Mimir? Is that you?"

"Yes. It is me."

Although Ethan's eyes were closed, a vision appeared inside his mind, showing the Giant's severed head looking at him with a faint smile on his face.

"You've done it this time, Ethan," Mimir said in a teasing tone. "You've put yourself in a situation where you are at a Progenitor's mercy."

"Hah?" Ethan frowned. "What do you mean? Did I get caught by a Progenitor?"

"Yes," Mimir replied. "And right now, she is conspiring with Lyall to extract your seed and store it in bottles for future use."

"Huh?!"

"Hahaha! Just look at your face. Don't worry. I'm only half joking. Lyall is actually trying to convince her that taking it directly inside her body would be the best choice right now."

Ethan felt as if an impending doom was hanging right above his head.

Although Lyall wasn't really a Witch and didn't possess magical powers, there was still a very small possibility that if they did the deed, his Magical Circuits would regain their function.

Once that happened, he would be like a beacon to the other Progenitors, telling them where he was, which would start a war to acquire him as their vessel.

"Well, don't worry. Lilith and Hecate—I mean Ramona are protecting your body from Lyall's attempt to take advantage of your defenseless state." Mimir smirked. "But let's not talk about them for the time being and discuss something more important."

Ethan nodded and watched as the Giant's face became serious.

"Ethan, remember this. The Progenitor of Magic, Hecate, is neither your friend nor ally," Mimir said in a solemn tone. "While she can empathize with others, she has firm beliefs about certain things. Also, she has a very… bad hobby of making people make hard choices."

"Hard choices?" Ethan suddenly felt a foreboding feeling about this statement from the gentle giant.

"Yes." Mimir nodded. "Hecate likes to make people choose. I'm sure that when you wake up, she will entertain your desire to have Princess Ramona's soul reunite with her body, but she'll likely have you make a hard decision.

"Although I am not a hundred percent certain, I can already guess what she plans to ask you when you wake up. This is also why I bound your soul temporarily to this domain so that you will be prepared the moment you open your eyes."

Ethan's face hardened as he decided to ask Mimir for his insight on this matter.

The young man believed that Mimir was a very wise giant, which was why he took the initiative to bind Ethan's consciousness for the time being to give him some time to prepare for his inevitable meeting with the Progenitor of Magic.

"Can you tell me what ideas have come to you about what kind of choices she will present to me?" Ethan inquired.

"Yes, I can tell you what I think she will do," Mimir answered. "But brace yourself because Hecate will only let you choose one and only one option."

Ethan nodded as he braced himself for whatever Mimir was going to tell him.

He had made many hard decisions before, but he had a feeling that this time, it would be more difficult than anything he had experienced in the past.

"She will make you choose who you want to save," Mimir said. "I believe she will make you choose between Princess Ramona and Nicole."

"What? Choose between Ramona and Nicole?" Ethan was caught completely off guard by Mimir's revelation. "What do you mean choose between them?"

"Like I mentioned earlier, Hecate has a hobby of making people choose. She believes that every choice must have consequences. When Princess Ramona went to look for her in the past, she was also given a choice.

"And that choice led her to surrender her soul to Hecate as collateral for a chance for the two of you to be together.

"I think Hecate's original bet with Princess Ramona is about whether or not you thought of her as someone precious to the point that you would be willing to go to World's End to retrieve her soul.

"Since you have come, then that means that you have met at least half of the conditions that Hecate has given. But, she might use this as an opportunity to keep Princess Ramona's soul for herself by giving you a very difficult choice."

"And that choice is for me to choose between Ramona and Nicole?" Ethan asked, suddenly feeling a lump in his throat. "Is she that merciless? Is she that cruel?"

Mimir sighed before shaking his head. "If you came alone, things might have been different. But since you brought comrades with you—people whom you deem as important, she will use them as hostages to force you to make a hard choice.

"That is also the reason why I kept your soul here for the time being. I knew that you would need some time to think about your answer. But let me just say one other thing—even if Nicole wasn't here, she might have used someone else in her stead.

"For example, Lilith or Lyall. She will definitely use them to force you to choose between them and Ramona. That's just her nature, and it just so happens that she has many options to choose from.

"The only reason why she chose Nicole is because she is also in a very dire situation at the moment. Frankly, Hecate is currently using her magic to stabilize Nicole's frozen heart so that it will not freeze past the point of no return."

The giant's head looked sadly at Ethan because he knew that regardless of what he chose after waking up, he would lose someone important to him.

"Then what if I don't make a choice?" Ethan's voice almost broke apart after saying his words. "What would happen if I don't choose?"

"Then you will lose both of them," Mimir answered. "What Hecate hates the most is indecisiveness. She will not show mercy or empathize with people who couldn't make a choice.

"You have to understand, Ethan. Not all Progenitors are fair. They, who stand above others and wield powers that defy common sense have become jaded with time. This is why they have developed quirks and habits that can lead to the demise or destruction of mortal souls.

"Think for now, and come up with a plan. Whatever decision you make, know that I will stand by you."

Ethan felt at a loss as he closed his eyes to think.

If waking up would force him to make a hard decision, wouldn't it be better if he remained sleeping?

Of course not.

Ethan knew this as well.

Not waking up was no different from being indecisive.

If he didn't open his eyes, no one would benefit from it.

He would not only lose Nicole and Hecate, but the rest of the people who had accompanied him on this journey as well.

His grandparents, who are waiting for him back home, would become worried.

His sister and his parents, who had just recently become part of his life, would be left behind as well.

He couldn't afford to lay still because doing so would leave him stagnant and endanger the people around him.

Inside Mimir's Domain, Ethan pondered his next move.

Right now, Sebastian and his Other Half weren't with him, so he needed to make this choice alone.

A choice that would decide the fate of two people whom he cared for very much.

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