Looking at the other self made from strange energy, Leo felt he could control this body. Not exactly…
On closer feeling, he found his ability to control these two bodies was completely different. One he could control completely, the other he could only choose a direction for the future.
'So that's it. The past that has passed completely belongs to me. And that thing represents my future.'
He looked again at the rope in front of him that was still beckoning. He finally understood what all this meant.
'Want to test my attitude?'
Leo looked again at his 'future', the corner of his mouth lifting in a slight curve. Being someone who was already dead, why think so much?
As his intention changed, that body gradually dissolved. Starting from the head, everything turned into smaller points of light flying toward the front end of the rope.
The rope absorbed this energy and grew longer, that body was worn away more and more. When only half of the body remained, the rope finally came close to Leo. Without any hesitation, he reached out and grabbed it.
Opening his eyes once more, Leo with a completely serious face raised the tree branch and decisively drew one final stroke onto the circle.
"This stroke is worth half my life!"
As the words ended, the entire circle lit up with an extremely blinding light. The ground, solid as it was, vanished directly, leaving a pit one meter deep. The drawn circle and the ground disintegrated into light like the midday sun and then simultaneously surrounded Leo's body.
Michael couldn't react in time, only feeling the ground beneath his feet suddenly become empty, causing him to fall. He didn't even have time to curse before this powerful light forced him to cover his eyes.
"What?!"
Not being able to see anything meant he couldn't determine what was happening. Didn't know if it was good or bad.
"Leo! Are you okay?" He hurriedly shouted to determine the other's safety.
Forget the feelings of three years of attachment, just the fact that if Leo died now would imprison him in the oil lamp for ten years was enough to make him panic.
Leo at this moment didn't know which world he had wandered off to, so he couldn't answer him. This made Michael even more worried.
'System, check if Leo is still alive or not?'
[Of course he's alive. As long as Leo dies before the wish becomes reality, you will immediately be imprisoned in the oil lamp. The process is completely automatic so you don't need to think much about it.]
Hearing this, Michael could finally let out a sigh of relief. Just now he really thought he hadn't even had time to become a contractor before being imprisoned for ten years.
Moreover, the automatic process the system mentioned held significant value for him. That way he wouldn't need to think about whether Leo was alive or not in the future.
Suddenly he felt a hand grab his shoulder and pull him elsewhere. The one pulling was none other than Raphael.
He only intended to go see what Leo was planning to do, not expecting a strange phenomenon to appear as soon as he showed up. This time it's really over. And yet, someone really became a contractor at just six years old.
Michael didn't know who it was, so he struggled and resisted but was immediately pressed down by a powerful force.
"Kid, stay away from Leo a bit."
Raphael's voice rang out, and Michael immediately stopped. Although he didn't like Raphael, after all, Raphael had never truly harmed him... At least not to death, but he still got injured.
In an instant, he had been pulled several hundred meters away. Now the blinding feeling was gone, Michael slowly opened his eyes and saw in the distance a sphere of light several times larger than his body. Without needing to think much, he knew Leo was trapped inside.
"What's going on here? Is it dangerous?"
"Although I don't know how Leo managed it, it's probably not dangerous. Normally during an awakening, a situation like this occurs. It's just Leo's situation has light that's a bit too strong, not clear why, but from what I see it's not a dangerous problem."
Raphael answered, his gaze still fixed intently on Leo. He was very curious about what exactly a 'little monster' would awaken. Could it be something no one in all of history has ever managed?
Although he wanted Leo to live a normal and safe life, being a peerless genius naturally meant he held a bit of pride in his heart.
Hearing the confirmation from an expert, Michael felt somewhat reassured. He frowned, thinking of the last sentence Leo said.
'Half a life… What does this mean? Could it be… System, did he just do something similar to sacrificing lifespan?'
[System scanning…]
[You are not mistaken, it is indeed sacrificing lifespan.]
Michael's pupils trembled slightly; he couldn't help but be astonished. For the sake of being six years earlier, willing to throw away half a lifespan? Is this madness or unwavering will?
'Why? Wouldn't waiting six years still be better?'
[I cannot read the thoughts in Leo's head, but based on analysis, this was a necessity, not negotiable.]
[This world has always known both of you have a past not belonging here. Therefore it needed to see your determination towards this place. If determination isn't shown, then even waiting another six years would not allow an awakening.]
[From the data the system has gathered, you two could actually have awakened from the moment you were born.]
Hearing this, Michael didn't feel regret over the lost time because he learned a lot over the past three years. If he had known from the start that he too could awaken, he would have made the same choice as now anyway.
'So that means I've been stared at from the very beginning?'
The world discovering anomalies on it actually isn't that strange. But Michael until now still held onto a lucky mindset and thought it probably spared him. After all, he was an 'uninvited guest'.
[It's not exactly staring, but every soul has its own identifier like a citizen's ID. You are not a citizen of this place, so of course you were discovered as soon as you entered.]
'Forget it, at least the world doesn't have ill intentions towards me. Half a lifespan, huh…'
Michael at this moment felt a bit unwilling. Although he couldn't die completely, losing so many years of lifespan was still very regrettable.