The [Soul Walking] technique taught by the dragon was not something that could be used indefinitely. Even though her mind was still relentlessly searching for Emery's soul, Morgana's body had begun to reach the end of its strength after only a week.
After strolling through the endless expanse of a lifeless forest for what felt like an eternity, her eyes finally met a different sight.
Amongst the dead gray trees, a burned-down house stood alone silently. Morgana headed there with unconcealed hope. The moment she carefully opened the door a young boy about 8 years old looked toward her with surprise.
Even though she had never seen what he looked like in his childhood, Morgana could immediately tell it was him. At that moment, a smile filled with relief formed on her exhausted expression.
"Who are you? Why are you here?" The young boy doubtfully asked. "Mother! You're not my mother… Who are you?"
Morgana was taken aback for a moment. Moreover, the boy's emerging vigilance made her feel uneasy. She felt as if he was driving her away.
"It's me, Morgana…"
She tried to approach him, but her action only seemed to startle the boy and make him even warier of her. The moment he saw her take another step toward him, the boy immediately ran away.
Morgana hurriedly tried to catch up to him, but multiple dark roots entangled her in an instant. She reflexively struggled to catch up, but she found that she was unable to cast any magic or muster up any strength.
In the end, she was forcefully returned to the Khaos space.
A second later, her sight heavily blurred, she found the dragon was already waiting for her. When her eyes met the dragon's, his voice promptly entered her ears.
"I told you it would not be easy, especially for such an untrained soul like yours."
"No, I will try again…" Morgana weakly insisted.
In truth, she wanted to rush back there right that instant. But what could she do in her current condition?
She could only take some time to recuperate before going back.
Unexpectedly, this time, she could not even find the house and more dark plant roots blocked her path. Before she knew it, she had been transported back to the Khaos space once again.
Understanding she needed time to regain her strength, Morgana casually walked out of the Khaos space upon being transported back. She didn't even glance at the dragon, leaving him annoyed on his own.
As soon as she came out, she was met with Klea and Gwen's concerns. She decided to share with them what she experienced.
Klea offered to help. She believed she would be able to provide great help as a specialist in spirit reading, but Morgana helplessly shook her head. Judging from the dragon's previous words, she believed the only reason she was able to enter that world was someone who had Khaos energy within themselves.
"I will try again," Morgana determinedly said. She was about to leave to recover some strength when Klea hastily stopped her.
"Wait, at least let me teach you a way to strengthen your soul."
…
The technique Klea taught was the same [Soul Tempering] meditation technique. After a few days of practice, Morgana could feel that all her senses had already improved.
Upon seeing the pleasantly astonished look on Morgana's face, Klea's mood also improved. This way, she could be of help to her.
"Now, go and try again."
Morgana entered the realm for another week. This time, she was able to talk to the little boy. After Morgana finally convinced him she meant no harm, 8-year-old Emery slowly became more willing to listen to her. He even wished she could tell him more stories.
Their conversation only lasted for a few minutes, but Klea and Gwen felt relieved when they heard about it.
At the same time, Gwen realized what Morgana was trying to achieve. She started to share the experiences she and Emery went through when they were little and later, although it was difficult, Klea tried her best to talk about their experiences at the academy.
The three unexpectedly bonded that day.
Morgana then said, "It will take time. It might take months or maybe even years, but I will not stop. Not until he wakes up."
Klea and Gwen nodded in understanding.
However, Gwen could not leave the kingdom for too long. She needed to return to Camelot, so she left several knights to stay guard in case Morgana needed any help. She also invited Klea to Camelot.
"No, I actually have other things to do as well."
It had been almost a month since Klea arrived on Earth and she hadn't done anything else since. She had to keep her promises of preparing other candidates for the duel and train hard to catch up on what she missed, so she decided to leave Emery's matter in Morgana's care for the time being.
If there was any news, she asked Gwen to send a message to Rome as it would be her next place to visit. Upon receiving the other's agreement, Klea summoned her Thunderbird and got on it with her cat before soaring high into the sky.
****
After a few more weeks of Soul walking, Morgana's expression lit up when she was finally able to meet an older version of Emery, one not much younger than the time she first met him. However, the moment the two's eyes met, Emery didn't recognize her.
Instead, he drew a sword with gritted teeth.
"You! You! You killed my father!"
This time, Morgana had no choice but to fight. It was not easy to win the fight as she was unable to cast spell nor have any special power, however as soon as she finish, the fight brought her back to Khaos space together with an urge to transform.
Once again, she received a vision of a certain dark and light wolf.
To her surprise, she realized the dark wolf had an identical signature to the young Emery she had been in contact with these last few weeks.
Her hand trembled as realization dawned upon her. "What about the light wolf?"
Just like how Emery could connect with Lucius or the wolf ancestor, a certain strong bond was attached through the blood imprint. In Morgana's case, she also had a deep connection with Emery. Looking at his unmoving body at that moment, she felt the faint presence of something else far away beyond the skies and stars.
****
In a certain lab on a certain green planet, an identical-looking body slowly opened its eyes.
[The soul has successfully been connected to the clone body.]