The frantic yelling of the mysterious girl completely cuts off, leaving behind a sudden, pitch-black silence that feels heavier and more suffocating than the freezing water around me.
She doesn't say a word. The void stretches out into an agonizing, unbroken quiet, and with every passing moment, the lack of a response grows deafening.
A cold knot of dread begins to tighten in my stomach, replacing the fiery confidence that had fueled my bold negotiation just moments ago. My hands, still crossed defensively over my chest, begin to tremble slightly in the weightless void.
Did I push her too far? The thought flashes through my mind, a sudden spike of nervous panic. Oh, god. Did I demand too much? No, no... I shouldn't have been so incredibly greedy. I don't even know what she is. For all I know, she's some kind of omnipotent entity who could erase my entire existence with just a single twitch of her finger. If she gets angry, she might just leave my soul to rot in this bottomless abyss forever.
The terrifying reality of my situation finally crashes back down on me. I am a mortal woman trying to bully a cosmic force using corporate logic.
Swallowing the lump of fear in my throat, I decide to cut my losses and back down before she changes her mind about letting me return to my world at all. I part my lips, desperately preparing to stammer out an apology. "Actually, I—"
"Very well," the girl's voice suddenly resounds through the darkness, cutting me off.
Her tone is no longer snapping or panicked; instead, it carries a heavy, sighing resignation that completely catches me off guard.
"If you truly want those powers... I will grant them to you," she states quietly. "After all, your assessment is correct. I am making a deeply unfair request of you. I am deliberately disrupting your peace and fracturing your quiet life. It is only right that I give you something substantial in return. So, whatever you have asked for, I will give it to you."
My jaw drops. I completely freeze, staring blankly into the infinite blackness.
"What...?" I stammer, my carefully practiced corporate composure entirely evaporating. "Are you... are you really agreeing to my demands? Just like that? Is this real, or are you joking with me?"
"I do not joke, nor do I lie," the voice responds firmly, a strange, binding resonance vibrating within her words. "You can rest completely assured. I always fulfill my promises. Now, the time has come. Go back to Elanore's world, and I will ensure my words are kept."
A wave of intense skepticism hits me. In the business world, a verbal agreement isn't worth the paper it isn't printed on. People lie. Clients back out. And cosmic entities trying to hurry me into a dangerous, comatose body are the least reliable of all. If I step into Elanore's world based on nothing but a spoken promise, I lose every single ounce of my leverage the second I wake up.
"If you say so," I argue, my voice hardening as my survival instincts kick back in. "But how am I supposed to trust that you will actually keep your word? Is there any proof? What guarantee do I have?"
The voice lets out a sharp, irritated breath. "So what do you suggest? Do you want to demand even more powers from me?"
"No, no! I don't want anything else," I say quickly, waving my hands in the dark. "But let's make an official contract. It's the only way I can truly know that you will fulfill your promise."
A brief, tense silence stretches between us as the entity processes my request. After a few agonizing moments, she lets out a defeated sigh.
"Fine. I will draft the contract right now."
The moment the words leave her mouth, a sudden, blinding flash of light tears through the pitch-black void. I flinch, blocking my eyes as a glowing, ethereal parchment materializes out of thin air, floating directly in front of me. Glowing golden runes and script ripple across its surface, neatly translating into crisp, legible clauses right before my eyes.
"There," the voice commands, an invisible pressure pushing the document closer to me. "It is done. Now go."
"Hold on, give me some time," I demand, squinting at the radiant script. "I need to read through the clauses thoroughly before I sign anything."
"There is no time!" she yells, her voice spiking with that familiar, desperate panic. "The timeline is collapsing! You can read the damn thing any time after you return!"
"Absolutely not," I fire back, crossing my arms stubbornly. "I am a professional. I am not going back to Elanore's world under a contract I haven't even read. Just give me five minutes."
"Five minutes is an eternity right now! No!"
"Two minutes!" I counter sharply, using my classic closing tactic. "Just give me two minutes, or the deal is completely off."
The void trembles slightly, but the voice remains silent, begrudgingly granting me the time.
Without wasting another second, my eyes fly across the glowing parchment. I scan the clauses at maximum speed, my analytical brain filtering out the cosmic fluff to check the core legalities: Retention of Sara's original identity—confirmed. Seamless consciousness transition upon sleep—confirmed. Biological stamina recharge system (1 hour = 7 hours)—confirmed. Cross-reality timeline notification tracking system—confirmed.
Everything is exactly as I demanded. There are no hidden traps, no predatory clauses.
"Alright," I say, letting out a breath of relief as I look up into the dark. "Everything is perfectly fine with me. Just give me a pen and I'll finalize it."
"There are no pens in the void," the voice replies dryly.
Before I can complain, a slender, crystalline quill glowing with a faint silver light materializes between my fingers. It feels cold, sharp, and humming with pure energy.
"Sign it. Now."
Holding the quill tightly, I lean forward and trace my signature—Sara—in a bold, elegant sweep at the bottom of the glowing parchment.
The moment the final stroke is completed, the contract explodes into a spectacular shower of golden particles, rushing directly into my chest. A profound, searing warmth floods through my entire soul, anchoring the alien systems directly into my consciousness.
The moment the final stroke is completed, the contract explodes into a spectacular shower of golden particles, rushing directly into my chest. A profound, searing warmth floods through my entire soul, anchoring the alien systems directly into my consciousness.
"Wait, I have one last question," I call out quickly before she can throw me back. "A request, actually."
"Another request?!" the girl gasps, her voice sharp with sudden exasperation. "Do you want even more power? Your contract has already been signed and sealed, Sara! I cannot alter the terms or add anything else now!"
"No, no, that's not what I mean at all," I say, raising my hands to calm her down. "You mentioned earlier that you were going to explain everything to me—who you are, and the true mechanics of my existence. But we are running out of time right now, so you can't. I understand that. But when I return to this void, or when I get another chance to meet with you, you have to tell me the truth. Can you make a promise like that?"
The voice pauses, the irritation fading into a soft, serious tone. "Of course. It is entirely my duty to tell you everything. But for now, we truly do not have enough time. And honestly... it will take some time before we can speak like this again. You will need to be patient and wait for me."
"Why?" I ask, my eyebrows knitting together.
"Because it takes an immense amount of energy to manifest a meeting with you," she explains, her voice sounding noticeably weaker. "It requires a massive reservation of my own power, and it also heavily relies on your vital energy. Think about it—when you were recovering in the hospital, your body and soul were far too weak. I couldn't absorb any energy from you to establish a stable link, which is why we couldn't meet. In order for us to talk again, I have to completely recover and save up my power. When I have regained everything, I will find you and tell you the entire story. I promise."
I let out a slow breath, absorbing her words. It makes logical, systemic sense. A massive cross-reality data bridge would naturally require a heavy power source from both endpoints.
"Alright then," I say, a confident expression returning to my face. "Whatever. I'll hold you to that, so make sure you keep your promise. Take care of yourself until we meet again."
I square my shoulders, completely bracing myself. "Alright, send me to the other world. I am ready. What are you waiting for? We are running out of time, remember?"
A faint, amused breath escapes the voice. "Yes. Just follow the light."
Suddenly, a tiny pinprick of brilliant, crystalline light pierces through the heavy fabric of the black void right in front of me. It expands rapidly, swirling outward into a luminous archway—a radiant entrance cutting through the deep underwater currents.
Without a single shred of hesitation left in my body, I move forward, letting the pull of the currents guide me straight into the blinding white glow. The freezing pressure of the abyss begins to melt away, replaced by a strange, heavy warmth wrapping over my senses. It feels exactly like the deep, shifting sensation of waking up from a long, dreamless sleep...
"The contract is signed, the promises are locked in, and the cosmic bridge has been crossed. Armed with the power to manage a grueling twenty-four-hour dual life, Sara is no longer just a passive victim of fate—she is a strategic player with a system bound to her soul.
What kind of environment will greet Sara the very instant she opens her eyes as Elanore? How will her newly minted biological recharge and timeline notification systems present themselves in this magical world? And will the promised safety hold true, or is she about to wake up in the middle of a fresh crisis?
Let's turn to the next chapter to witness Sara's official, high-tech awakening in Elanore's world! Stay with us to discover how her new double life truly begins!"