'Double Awakening,' Avendial thought as he witnessed a radiant orb shimmering above Aria's body.
Slowly, the warmth of the aura began to ooze out, enveloping the nearby area.
As it expanded, the glow completely surrounded Aria, illuminating her form with a gentle light that obscured her bare skin yet revealed nothing.
"Huh? Huh? Wh-what is this?!" Aria exclaimed, her senses ignited by the warm, tingling sensation that enveloped her.
Though not painful, it was undeniably strange.
She instinctively let her hands wander, exploring her body.
As she looked at her fingers, she realized something astonishing: the pain she had felt moments before was fading away.
It was as if her body was mending itself, particularly in her lower regions where the agony had been most intense.
It felt like a miracle.
She could feel the healing coursing through her, but more compelling than that physical sensation was the rush of emotions surging through her mind.
Her gaze fixed upon Avendial standing nearby, and the moment her eyes met his, her thoughts froze.
'!?!'
'W-where is his title?!' Aria's mind began to calm despite the whirlwind of emotions.
For the first time, she noticed that the title she usually saw hovering above his head had vanished.
In her pain-ridden state throughout the night, she hadn't realized it, but now, a shocked expression spread across her face as she noticed an odd glitch shimmering above him.
It wasn't just the absence of the title; something more was amiss.
"Don't move, Aria!" Avendial commanded, acutely aware that the double awakening process could heal a person's body.
He understood that the absorption of psi energy not only enhanced one's abilities but also facilitated miraculous healing.
This phenomenon, although not yet fully understood, was a life-saver under critical conditions.
For instance, someone on the brink of death who underwent a double awakening would not only awaken their latent potential but return to their peak condition.
From Avendial's observations, the logical explanation for this extraordinary healing lay in the fact that double awakening only occurred during life-threatening situations.
A person needed to be in grave danger, teetering on the edge of death, to unlock their true capabilities.
As a result, going through a double awakening at the last moment effectively granted them a second chance at life, restoring them to their original state while making them stronger.
However, right now, his priority was to reassure Aria and show her that his intentions were genuine.
With that in mind, Avendial lunged forward and embraced her tightly, cradling her body against him.
'!?'
"Wh-what?! L-leave me! You're evil!" Aria shouted in protest.
Caught off guard by the unexpected hug, she felt the healing light enveloping her but was still haunted by the emotional scars from the torturous night before.
Desperate to push Avendial away, she struggled, but her efforts proved futile against his formidable strength.
"Stop, damn it! Ughhh!—kughh!?" Avendial tightened his grip around her waist, burying his face near her neck as he screamed—literally screamed—out in pain, or at least he tried to convey the intensity of his suffering to her.
"Huh? Wh-what happened to you?" Aria, initially enraged by his actions, suddenly found her mind locked in a moment of confusion.
Feeling him tighten his hold as he screamed in agony, she paused, unable to move, even as she clearly sensed his body trembling.
"N-nothing... kughh... A-Aria, just wait.
You will awaken your hidden ability soon enough... Cough!"
Avendial Koft, or rather the character he was playing, was acting as if he were on the verge of death.
Was he injured somehow? Did something happen due to that light?
"N-no, I'm fine, it's just—Ugh..."
Avendial observed as she leaped out of bed, completely unbothered by her nakedness.
She placed a hand on his shoulder, her expression a mixture of shock and something else.
Her eyes darted away from his, focusing instead on an invisible point between them, as if there were something intangible separating them.
"Huh? Why are you acting?"
'Finally...' Avendial thought, momentarily relieved as Aria spoke those words.
He glanced at her, noticing her bewildered expression.
It was clear she was seeing something beyond the ordinary, probably his status window.
Her words suggested that she could perceive his emotional state.
Understanding this, he merely shrugged his shoulders; it seemed like the right moment to drop his act.
Her anger toward him had already vanished.
"So what? Would you have believed me if I told you this was all to help you awaken your power?"
'!?'
"Wh-what?" Aria exclaimed, her focus breaking as she blinked, confusion washing over her face.
The implication of his words seemed to dawn on her, making it clear that he had been acting all along.
If not for the screen that had appeared before her, she might have believed him.
Her eyes twitched in irritation as she regarded him, annoyance evident in her expression.
"Y-you..."
"I love you, Aria," Avendial added, deliberately crafting a moment filled with emotion, hoping to overwhelm her anger.
It felt akin to using poison to combat poison, as he shot an emotional arrow aimed directly at her now-calm mind.
badump
"Y-you....Eh? You're lying?" Aria's heart skipped a beat, but she quickly checked her status screen, which revealed something that made her frown.
'.....'
Avendial couldn't see what was on her screen, but as realization began to dawn on him, his expression turned blank.
It became apparent that she could discern whether he was being truthful or not, something he hadn't anticipated.
His eyes narrowed; given that if this was indeed true, it was a hassle. Naturally, in that moment, if she was able to really tell if he was lying or not, he would need to get rid of her.
He would never allow someone he couldn't control.
This prompted him to inquire for confirmation, while his hand clearly tightened, and his eyes coldly fixed on her, just to get the confirmation and eliminate her. "You can tell if I'm telling the truth or lying?"
".....It was just a fluke," Aria said, recalling how his heart rate had remained steady when he confessed his feelings.
She reasoned that if someone were genuinely confessing their love, their heart rate would naturally increase.
Faced with his blank stare, she began to understand that he had been deceiving her all along.
This awareness sent her into a wave of frustration.
Her mouth twitched as she closed her eyes and turned her body away from him, feeling simultaneously helpless and annoyed that he would lie to her given that he had professed his love more than a hundred times all night long.
"Go away! I hate you!