True Intentions?

Eleanor looked at Apophis and asked.

"Why are you alive Apophis?"

"…" Apophis looked at Eleanor silently for a while before sighing.

"What a way to ask a question, well you never knew how to be subtle in the first place,"

"No seriously why are you alive? I thought my chances increased since you were gone, but you are a pesky snake till the end, Tsk, Tsk," Eleanor clicked her tongue unhappily as Apophis smiled.

"Well, I am alive thanks to Ash," Apophis said and Eleanor looked at her appearance while commenting.

"Did you change your body to seduce Ash or something? This isn't what you looked like before, I think you had darker skin, Are you trying to take my spot as the fair-skinned buxom lady, you pesky snake!"

"Talk while putting some thought in your words for once, You should know what happened to me at that time, so Ash made a contract with the Gorgon and got me this body …but I only regained consciousness a little while ago," Apophis said while sighing.

'No I am certain he prevented me from getting back quicker,' Apophis thought but didn't say it out loud, it was only after Yuuya 'died' that she was able to forcefully awaken herself.

"So, you left him alone all this time? Tch, Totally useless, aren't you?" Eleanor's face scrunched up as she said that, even then she expected a sneaky diss but…

"Yeah, I am sorry," Apophis just said while smiling slightly.

"Apophis-san…" Grayfia felt worried since the smile Apophis showed wasn't her normal confident or mischevious one, it was like…

'…Why do you hate yourself so much?' Grayfia could feel the intense emotions leaking from Apophis, and it wasn't only her who had those.

"Way to bring the mood down, anyway it wasn't just you who left him alone," Even Eleanor didn't expect this type of reaction from her and drank some wine that now tasted bitter.

"Anyway, it isn't like he would've been alone 'cause there is her, where is she now? It isn't like her to leave him alone," Eleanor said and Apophis's face became more bitter, and that was all it took for Eleanor to understand.

"Hey, there is no way, Don't tell me 'that' happened?" Eleanor's voice was raised as her eyes trembled.

"Yes, They fought again and she died, he killed her," Apophis said and…

"So, what that fox said happened in the end, he left her alone for too long and she reverted back to her old self trying to find him, Why did he even leave her alone?" Eleanor pinched the bridge of her nose sighing heavily, "When we were alive they were impossible to separate but afterward he just left her like that?"

'No things went a lot differently, but…' Apophis thought while she turned to Eleanor.

"Argh, damn it all!!! my mood is ruined now, I now understand why he was in such a bad state," Eleanor threw the wine glass out of the window along with the wine and looked pissed.

"Master is in a bad state?" Grayfia asked in confusion, since Yuuya didn't look that way, she wasn't able to understand whatever the two were talking about before but the mention of Yuuya being injured was enough for her to intervene.

Grayfia knew that Yuuya was in bad shape after the incident that happened in this world but he was healed but Apophis and got better.

"That's what he shows on the outside, if it was anyone else in his place, they'd be dead long ago," Grayfia's eyes widened as soon she heard Eleanor.

"D-Dead, Master? No, you are lying," Grayfia lost her cool completely just at the mention of death and yuuya in the same sentence, but Eleanor shook her head.

"Let me make you understand what I mean," Eleanor appeared in front of Grayfia before the latter could even blink and touch her arm.

It was just a touch and there was no physical damage done, even then…

"Arghhhh!" Grayfia couldn't hold her painful scream as she left all connection to her right arm gone.

"You actually held on, that is impressive, if it was someone else they would've passed out," Eleanor looked a little impressed as she looked at the blood leaking from Grayfia's mouth.

'No I am sure I would've passed out as well,' Grayfia was sure that even if she added up all of the times she had been injured throughout her life whether it be big or small.

It still wouldn't compare to this, she was nearly on the verge of passing out but bit her own tongue in order to stay conscious. She wanted to know to what happened to Yuuya, that was her sole reason for holding on.

"So, you calmed down yet?" Eleanor asked since Grayfia was totally losing her shit as soon as she something about Yuuya's condition.

'She is still so unaware,' Eleanor thought as she saw Grayfia nod to her question.

"E-Ehar ead rhar?(What was that?)" Grayfia tried to speak through the pain and her nearly cut-off tongue.

"A person has a physical body and a conceptual body," Eleanor said as she snapped her fingers and Grayfia didn't feel the pain in her arm.

"What is a conceptual body?" Grayfia was now able to speak properly as even her tongue was healed as well.

"In simpler words, it is like the soul, and someone's soul can only take a set amount of damage and reason is simple, you deal with just pain if it is minor injuries or some major ones if you have grit, but the pain is amplified the worst a soul's state is," Eleanor said and Grayfia could understand some things.

"So Master's conceptual body is hurt? Then shouldn't Miss Eleanor be able to fix that?" Grayfia wondered that since Eleanor seemed to be very adept in healing.

"Well, let's assume that the conceptual body is a sheet of glass, the injury you just suffered would be equivalent to a crack appearing on the glass sheet, and it would be a major injury if a chunk of the glass is broken off, if one moves in this situation they would feel like someone had placed their organs inside a blender and turned it on while they can still feel everything that happens to those organs, That is why the conceptual body can only handle so much damage as the person either goes insane or dies before it reaches a state where it is fully broken in pieces," Eleanor explained and Grayfia nodded in understanding.

'Why type of injury does Master suffer from?' But she was also scared as Eleanor got closer to the main topic.

"In Ash's case, none of the definitions work, his conceptual body in its current state is like…" Eleanor rubbed her forehead for some time before continuing, "A glass sheet that has been crushed into powder."

'What?' It was a lot worse than Grayfia thought it was, 'How much pain is master in?'

Grayfia really didn't know what to say or think, she couldn't even imagine it in her head. If what Eleanor had said was true then Yuuya who walked, trained, talked, and ate on a daily basis.

What type of pain did he go through to do that?

She really could not imagine it.

"That is why…" Eleanor turned to Apophis before she continued, "You should be proud of yourself, it is because you were with him that he has been able to keep himself together."

Hearing that Apophis just gave a hollow chuckle while saying.

"It isn't thanks to me," Eleanor narrowed her eyes but didn't say anything.

"Guh, This is pissing me off, I am going to go and get my mood up," Eleanor said as she went towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Apophis asked and Eleanor turned around with a grin on her face.

"Of course, it is to see Ash taking a bath, hehe~," Eleanor said.

"You know you shouldn't do that," Apophis said considering Yuuya's current physical condition.

"Yes yes, I know, but I have a very clear reason for going there," Eleanor said and Apophis deadpanned.

"Do elaborate,"

"A mouse has snuck in, so I am going to go catch it, if I happen to run into Ash while he is naked that is just a bonus," Eleanor grinned weirdly while rubbing her hands.

"Your true intentions are leaking out," Apophis sighed as she stood up, "I can't leave you alone since you will take advantage of his weakened state, I can't let that happen so I'll follow you."

"I wonder whose true intentions are leaking here?" Eleanor laughed while running out as Apophis followed her quickly.