Melioris says goodbye

The bustle of the amusement park turned into a distant echo for Susie and Lilith, who had sat on a bench near the exit. The first, a redhead with an appearance that seemed innocent, remained in a relaxed posture, with her arms crossed, while the second, a voluptuous figure with a baseball cap, fiddled with her phone. Both had been watching the "date" throughout the day, ready to intervene if necessary.

"Honestly, I thought the boy would try a dramatic confession, or as usually happens, a kidnapping attempt as always."

Susie spoke with a soft tone and a smile on her face that seemed innocent, although there was a maniacal spark in her eyes.

"It was a possible scenario."

Lilith replied, her tone rough and masculine, an abrupt contrast to her melodious voice.

"But aside from the traumas he suffered on the rides, our intervention was not necessary."

Lilith nodded, her gaze turning to a hidden monitor on her wrist, where a live transmission of Leo and Melioris could be seen.

"From now on, we will stay out of it. Aside from the surveillance channels, we have other means to monitor them."

"That's right, besides, it seems Melioris's time is coming to an end."

"When the resonance ends, the brat is definitely going to go crazy, so it's better to let him vent his anger on his own."

"You should have never taught him to deal with his problems that way."

Susie replied ironically.

"By that logic, you weren't a good influence either by subtly teaching him torture methods."

Lilith chuckled. They looked at each other, and then let out a slightly awkward laugh. A couple of seconds later, a shrill voice cut through the air.

"Hurry up, young Leo! It's time to go!"

"....I beg you... A little slower..."

Leo, visibly exhausted, could barely keep up with Melioris. The girl dragged him by the hand, with a radiant smile on her face, but....

(BZZ)

.... In an instant, without Leo noticing, Melioris's skin subtly glowed for a few moments with a kaleidoscopic light, a flash that vanished as quickly as it appeared.

"What....was...that?"

However, upon noticing that phenomenon for the first time, Rima, the girl with the cat mask, approached Lilith and Susie upon seeing that they were both looking at the camera on the former's wrist, peeking curiously at the screen.

"Are you referring to the brief glow he just gave off?"

Lilith replied, looking at Rima.

"Yes, I've never....seen... That. It's... Very....Pretty. What... Is it?"

"Now that I think about it, is this your first time seeing this kind of situation?"

Lilith asked. Rima replied timidly.

"In that case, the best person to explain these things is Susie. I'm bothered by talking about these kinds of topics."

"......"

Upon hearing those words, Rima turned to look at Susie, her large and curious eyes fixed on her, waiting for an answer.

"I suppose I have no choice."

Susie smiled at her with a sweet expression like that of a big sister.

"Well, in simple terms, a resonance is a special kind of fusion between Mireya and another being, something that only a few exceptions can achieve, like Silver or Goldie. This happens due to the special circumstances of their situation."

As she said that, Susie looked at Melioris in the distance, dragging Leo.

"The Melioris form was born thanks to the resonance he created with Echidna, with whom he is also able to unite. But due to the peculiar change in personality and gender when using it, Mireya sealed it, making a vow to never use that form again."

As she said that, Susie's smile widened a little.

"However, unlike other forms, this resonance is not so stable. It hasn't been polished through constant use, so under normal circumstances, it should have a short duration. But due to the strong bond between Mireya and Echidna, this form usually lasts a long time despite its minimal use. In fact, the first time it appeared, it remained active for an entire day."

"So, does that mean...that what I just saw....is a sign...that the resonance...is about to end?"

Rima, still with curiosity in her eyes, asked another question.

"That's right, little one."

Susie replied, her tone of voice the same as always.

"When that used to happen, it was the beginning of the countdown. The resonance separates, and Melioris will return to normal."

"And when he does..."

At that moment, Lilith intervened with a deep murmur.

"That brat will have all the memories of what he did in that state."

"That's right, and the first thing he'll do is beat up the first thing he sees."

Susie added with a giggle, as if the idea was charming to her.

"So it's better not to interfere."

Lilith finished, her gaze fixed on the monitor on her wrist.

On the other side of the screen, Melioris was heading toward an unknown location and, even though she was in front of Leo, she was dragging him by the hand and constantly looking at her phone screen.

"Okay... I give up! So..."

"......"

"Could you guide the way, young Leo?"

She asked with a voice too cheerful for someone who was already in the lead.

"......."

Leo, who was already tired, looked at the phone screen that Melioris was showing him as a clear signal to guide her along the route.

"Haaa... It's over here, please."

Seeing the screen and noting the route they were taking, Leo immediately corrected her.

"I see, so it's this way!"

"......"

However, to his frustration, Melioris turned to take a different path that was obviously the wrong one, even with the arrow painted on the phone's map.

In this way, their situation was repeated again and again until an exasperated Leo, with no other option, asked:

"Huh? Why do you always get it wrong?"

"......"

Leo's expression was one of pure exasperation. It wasn't just because of the fatigue from the park, but also because she had been doing the same thing since they had left. It was as if she was deliberately trying to take the wrong path.

"I assure you I'm not doing it on purpose!"

"... Did you read my mind?"

"You found me out?!"

"You did?!"

"It was only for an instant!"

"......"

At that point, to an already resigned Leo, it was incomprehensible how someone could deliberately take the wrong path despite having so much power, when the directions were so clear or when they just had to go in a straight line.

"We're finally here!"

"Hahhh... Haaa... Haa... Finally..."

And so, despite Melioris's peculiar way of following the path, Leo's efforts and patient guidance finally bore fruit. After a long walk, they arrived at the Temple of Couples, or at least the version built today in the same place where, a long time ago, the original temple used to be.

"So this is where you wanted me to go?"

The structure was a modern replica, with its polished marble and plastic vines climbing the walls, contrasting with the ancient temple that had once existed in its place. A bright, neon heart-shaped sign announced the entrance, promising eternal love to its visitors.

"Not exactly!"

Suddenly, at those words, a halo of multicolored lights began to manifest behind her, emanating an aura of power. The same eight paper men, imbued with the boreal energy he had seen for the first time that night, materialized, floating behind her.

"......"

Leo's mind immediately raced, trying to understand what he was seeing, but he returned to reality when he heard Melioris's voice reciting the same words from that night.

"{Prism of the eighth purity = third manifestation: Saw}"

Immediately, the eight paper men came together, forming a single figure. The eight spun together at an incredible speed, enveloped in the kaleidoscopic energy, creating a large energetic disk.

"Full power!"

(SHHHRRRR-SHRRR-SHRRRR!!)

After Melioris's shout, she lowered her hand as a signal, and the energetic disk moved, cutting through space.

(CRACK!!)

"?!"

After that, a crack opened in reality, revealing the true temple on the other side.

"This is the real objective, young Leo."

Melioris motioned for Leo to follow her and, without waiting for a response, entered the rift she had opened.

"Come on, hurry up... I don't have much time left..."

"?!"

As soon as they entered, Melioris's body began to flash with an even greater intensity than before. It was as if her skin was overloaded, like a crystal about to break.

"W-what do you mean?"

Panic took over Leo as he saw her.

"Faster than expected."

Melioris looked at her hand, the radiant smile on her face showing not a hint of fear.

"My time is about to end."

Saying this, she approached one of the temple's marble walls and touched it with a hand. Her hair fluttered gently in a wind that did not exist.

"My time has come, young Leo. Thank you for everything."

Melioris spoke with a voice full of emotion, but her gaze was directed straight at Leo.

[threat detected!]

In that instant, the system detected the anomaly and, as a defense, sent its antibodies. From the temple's marble, translucent humanoid figures began to emerge, composed of what seemed to be data glitches and pure energy. These figures moved erratically, like corrupted code, and their pixelated hands reached out with the intention to destroy.

Melioris, enveloped in energy, looked at them cheerfully.

"You've arrived at just the right time."

As she spoke, the transformation began to fade. Her stature shrank, her hair receded to her shoulders, her green locks vanished completely, and her eyes returned to a mysterious white, while her features returned to their childlike, androgynous form.

"Finally...."

The transformation was finally complete. The figure of Melioris completely vanished, revealing the childlike, androgynous form of Mireya.

(WHUMP!!)

Immediately, with his eyes still white and empty, he stood up and, in an act of pure rage, slammed his head with brutal force against the temple's marble wall. The sound of the impact resonated, dry and deafening, in the empty space.

"... I'm here."

Blood gushed from his forehead, dripping down his face, but Mireya didn't seem to care. He raised his head, his gaze meeting the "antibodies" floating in front of him. A macabre smile was drawn on his face, as color slowly returned to his eyes.

"I'm going to burn this damned place to the ground."

And with those words as a trigger, a bright, blinding light enveloped them all.

"Resonance."

The brightness intensified, stunning everyone present and blinding everyone in the process before revealing...