In the world Shi Tian knew, Merlin is a womanizer. A complete scumbag. Whenever he had free time, he sought women and 'flirted' with them. Sometimes, he went as far as to have a one-night stand. His devilishly handsome looks that bordered 'beauty' only helped in this endeavor.
Although Shi Tian remained child-like, his ethereal appearance could not be hidden. The pinnacle of cuteness, paired with his perfectly round cheeks and golden eyes, turned him into a mature woman's best teddy bear. Add to that the 'singing' he did just now, a siren surfaced from the depths of the ocean.
Water trickled down her neck. Her long black hair stuck closely. Her pair of light blue irises watched the incubus' ode of desolation.
She was completely silent until the song ended. At this moment, Shi Tian snapped out of his daze. He felt a tangible gaze land exactly on him. He became especially sensitive to it, more so since his presence is nonexistent in this world.
He looked around and saw a woman on the sea.
His first though was:
'I have done it this time!'
Shi Tian was familiar with the Lady of the Lake, but not the Lady of the Ocean!
The moment he met her eyes, his thoughts shifted.
'...It's bad.'
Relying solely on his intuition, he saw through the woman's emotions. Guilt, confusion, doubt, loss… all of them are mixed like a puddle of muddy water.
"Care to say why you came here, Young Miss?"
His childish voice rang across the ocean's shore.
"The scent of blood mixed itself with the sea breeze."
"Oh, that. A war took place nearby. We are cleaning things up."
The woman did not respond. Instead, she kept on staring at Shi Tian, which made him shy. However, he did not lose his keen sense of judgement. The woman floating on the sea's surface is a strong combatant.
"From what I can see, you are well-versed in combat. My Lord's army is still lacking a formidable general…"
Although he hasn't explicitly said it, the woman understood he was recruiting her. She did not say anything. She swam to the shore, revealing her beautiful figure inch by inch. Her abdomen went beyond his expectations. It was filled with light blue fluid. Bubbles emerged every now and then.
The woman's beauty was one-of-a-kind; an exotic beauty that conforms to his aesthetics.
'Merlin, oh Merlin. I think I understand you a bit more now…'
Just then, he felt a sudden chill out of nowhere. Shi Tian stood up in a jolt. Something life threatening seemed to have targeted him.
The woman slowly walked up to him. Her jade-like fingers began pinching his cheek. Shi Tian's brain got fried.
"Ghost fry. You may call me H…ysilens."
Strings of words appeared on the corner of his eyes, only to dissipate at the next instant.
It reads:
[Soul seal deviates from the typical parameters. Re-evaluating Remembrance's limits is set into the queue. Scanning Amphoreus' system mainframe, memory utilization ongoing…]
The power of the [Encompassing Eyes] briefly manifested itself to this foreign world…
*****
'Why does it feel like I sold my body…'
It was clearly to recruit a formidable warrior for Cerydra's cause, but Shi Tian felt it was him selling his body to a gorgeous and mature woman.
The moment he returned to the temporary camp, he tried to leave to give Cerydra and Hysilens the time to speak alone. He knew the Imperator's words are more 'valid' compared to a ghost magus like him.
Unfortunately, neither of the two did not let him leave.
Cerydra's eyes held a questioning look. He did not return until the Curtain-Fall hour (lit. dawn). Even, he returned with an unknown woman.
Worst of all…
The woman could see him!
An intangible, complex feeling arose from her heart. The feeling of 'exclusivity' disappeared with Hysilens' appearance. The number of people who can interact with Shi Tian increased from one to two.
'...Humph. So what if it is?'
Cerydra regained her composure and examined the new arrival. The greatest thing that stood out was Hysilens' temperament. Cerydra couldn't be mistaken that 'coldness' resulted from countless human lives.
'Did he bring her…'
Everything made sense.
"Ahem. I have brought Miss Hysilens to the Imperator."
Cerydra nodded.
"...Hysilens. Follow me. I will grant you everything you seek."
"Mhm."
She received a soft approval. Hysilens knelt on one knee. Her experience in the land made her well-versed in their culture. Submitting to a 'ruler' could be done by kneeling.
The rest was history. Hysilens' combat prowess was tested the next day. The siren's song lulled the enemy soldiers. Whoever that came close to her died under her blade.
'...It feels like… they are complete?'
Shi Tian watched everything happen. He has a strong feeling that Hysilens' addition to Cerydra's side completed everything—that the two are meant to meet no matter what.
He was drawn into the war situation when lines of text appeared in his eyes.
[Impromptu memory utilization complete. The Dao of Creation has been designated as the core of the system.]
[Remembrance's influence has been partially suppressed. Path Energy activation... images of the other world have been opened.]
[Memories of the Honkai have been temporarily suppressed. Blocking subconscious recall…. Complete.]
[Remembrance Path Energy Suppression: Ongoing]
A series of texts he could not understand emerged out of thin air. It threw his focus off from the city attack.
'Memories, honkai… Was that the origin of these songs?'
Shi Tian found the origin of the songs to be of great importance to him. Yet, he could not recall where they came from. The lines of text explained everything. He did not bother to think further. Whatever it was, he will find out in due time.
What's important was that to prevent him from spreading "traces" of this memory related to the "Honkai", his memories about it were blocked. "Temporarily" meant he is actively doing something to deal with it, even if the current Shi Tian could not see it.
Finally, he seems to have gained something from this lengthy explanation.
[Targeted Memetic Superimposition System]
Core Function: To analyze the Remembrance Path by replication of memories.
Available Memoria: [Hero Maker, Merlin], [King of Knights, Artoria Pendragon], [The Treacherous Emperor, Lelouch vi Britannia], [Immortal Witch, C.C.], [Emperor of Roses, Nero]...
Memoria Charge: 100%
It was straightforward. By telling stories to the people who can see him, he can gain "Memoria Charge". Filling it to 100% allows him to transform or summon a 'character' for five minutes.
'I... What I am doing has something to do with this...'