The Summoner's Rebirth: Awaken, Milady

Chapter 176: Talk With The Dead

In front of her was a pitch black dimension. She had forcibly inserted herself into the place, so her condition was reasonably affected. She felt a huge pressure be put on her.

Ignoring that, she tried to look for any hints as to where her target was.

The dead could not speak, and the Serpent was sadly no longer alive to indicate its location to Aria. However, there were still traces of its life energy since it hadn't been long since it died.

Aria focused her senses on feeling the possible energy tracks. It took her quite some time and effort, but she ended up succeeding. There was an especially concentrated point in the space, where the Serpent's spirit was the most powerful at.

Upon entering this space, Aria's connection with her spirits was cut off.

Not paying attention to that, Aria channeled her mana to link with the Serpent's fading spirit.

"Xenos."

She called out, but there was not a single response returned to her.

"Didn't you call out to me?" Aria spoke again. "I heard your desires, Serpent. Come out and talk with me for a bit, will you?"

The Serpent, who had originally given up on living and was just waiting for its eventual doom to finally end it all, heard Aria's voice and had its attention stolen.

[You are.. the one behind that woman.] Rage was present in its voice after recognizing Aria.

The mastermind behind its demise, the one who orchestrated everything, the one who toyed with him to distract him so that the other spiteful woman could prevail, the one that-

Although it wanted to get mad, everything was already over. It lost. That was a cold, hard fact that it couldn't refute.

The Serpent's spirit flickered. If it was compared to a flame, Aria's appearance was akin to oil that fed to the flame's life.

Aria nodded lightly. "I am. I'm the one who taught her the skill to beat you. How was it?"

[Painful. It felt like everything was getting sucked out of me. I was thrown into this place.. Why, just why? Why did you have to.. challenge us like this?]

"Because you were a threat to our safety. Just like how we are a threat to yours." Aria answered bluntly.

[We live in different worlds, don't we?]

"Different worlds connected by a thin spatial thread. One that might rupture anytime now. Making you and your kin able to come out to our world and cause havoc. Your lair's location appeared in a particularly obstructive location, which was why you needed to be terminated."

[I.. This world isn't mine.]

Aria knew. That the monsters in these so called dungeons.. Weren't there out of their own volition.

Just like the one she got into. The one where she encountered Leonis' remains. 

Xenos, too, would've never intended to appear in the most populous part of the city, perhaps.

It didn't even know what was beyond the gates. The fight occurred because they were the one who entered its realm and slaughtered its kin.

"That doesn't change the fact that you were a threat, and we had to defeat you. Isn't that just the way of life? The strong defeats the weak and gets to live their lives in peace. The defeated one.. Well, just so you know, you're technically dead right now."

Although she was able to converse with Xenos, the Serpent no longer had a body to possess. Since the Serpent was a strong monster, its spirit lingered around in the world for a bit longer, but it would dissipate into the void anytime soon.

[...You didn't have to repeat that fact. I know.]

"That's actually why I'm here, though. I can bring you back 'alive'." Aria added after a pause, a smile now surfacing on her face. A confident smirk that irked the Serpent quite a bit, but also tickled its interests.

[How would you be able to...]

"I'm a Summoner. Well.. Not exactly, but soon to be one. I'm a former Summoner. One that had everything stripped away from her.. And had to start from the beginning." Aria didn't mind telling the Serpent about her identity.

Her real history with this world. From the beginning, her glorious past as the legendary Summoner.

If the Serpent refused to obey her, then it would be left for dead anyway. If the Serpent followed her, then it would be forced to obey her rules. It wouldn't be able to defy her as her servant.

Thus, without restraint, she wanted to tell the Serpent.

Of course, that is if the Serpent even cared about her conditions. 

"When I said you called out to me, I meant that your scream of death and lingering regrets against the world were so strong that I could feel it. If you want to keep that passion and bring it back to the mortal world.. I would be able to help you out. As a Summoner, you will come under my reign and serve me."

An offer. One that was clearly favorable to Aria, not so much to Xenos. 

[Ha! Me, serving a lowly human like you.. No way in hell.] Xenos scowled.

The idea of losing already hurt its ego. What was all this about serving a human? It was a complete embarrassment.

"Well, then.. Your life would be wasted. For the realm to deteriorate to such a level, for you to grow to such a point, and for all of your children to roam around and overpopulate the lands, doesn't it mean that a long time had passed since you were first born? Are you truly willing to let go of all of those years without accomplishing anything in particular, dying to a group of 'lowly' humans as you say?" Aria provoked it.

The reason for resonance. The fact that Xenos longed to live. Loathed to fade away. 

[Urk... What accomplishments, what good would it be for me to follow you anyways? It wouldn't be any different from dying right here and now.]

What Aria said struck the Serpent in the right places. What she said was correct, it wasn't willing to go down just like this.

Xenos was swayed. 

"Since you were born, have you ever stepped out of your closed realm? Do you know what is beyond the lands you are familiar with?"

[..Are you mocking me? Of course I know. I wasn't always at that place. My children, everything, none of us would have had to stay in that place if not for..]

"For?"

[I don't know. All I know is that we were randomly transported inside the realm out of nowhere one day. I don't know who did it, why we were subjected to this kind of treatment, but... If, one day, I'm able to find out which bastard did it, you best bet that they're not going to keep their lives peaceful.]

Now, the rage that was originally meant for Aria was directed towards this unknown being who made Xenos' life filled with suffering. 

Aria broke into small fits of laughter. She pursed her lips.

"If you want to hear out my story, it might pique your interest in following me. Would you like to hear me?"

[..Whatever. I'm already dead anyway, what would hearing a puny human's story change?]

"It might change your opinion. Be wary of me, I'm a very charismatic speaker. Who knows how fast you would switch your opinions around to support me?"

Once Xenos learned who she was, and knows that its enemy was highly likely to be her own enemy, what would it do?

[You're joking. Just hurry and get on to it.] Xenos' tone was starting to lighten up quite a bit from the first dialogue it had with Aria.

The more the Serpent thought about it, the more the fact that its life had dissipated sunk into its mind. Once the thought had been processed, it was much more easier to take a lighter turn on what was happening.

A nice progress for Aria. 

Aria sat down. Taking a deep breath in, she reminisced her story and began to pour the words out of her mouth. Telling Xenos what she had gone through. How she got here in attractive words that tugged at the creature's heartstrings. 

Making use of Xenos' own experience and linking it with herself to draw even more pity and feelings. To further persuade the Serpent. 

And she knew. As her words continued to trickle out, Xenos began to harbor more and more interest for her and the offer she made. 

What couldn't she do?

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