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Ai scratched her head in contemplation. "That's a lot to take in, and I feel like that was the significantly shorter version, huh." Andromeda nodded her head and smiled. "Feel free to ask me any questions you may have.

"Right... well, first off, your children, long life and all, is Ioune one of your children?"

Andromeda chuckled and shook her head. "No, although he is the child of one of my old party members. She was a powerful ally back in the day, Ei'Lune had settled down with the High Priest of D'vrais sometime after I went into seclusion."

Ai smiled at that and scratched her cheek. "I guess that would make us his god-mother or something like that, eh?"

"Hou~ coming around to accepting me now?" Andromeda said as she hid a chuckle and a smile behind her hand.

"Yeah, I guess, but I'm not even remotely interested in that selfcest bull."

Andromeda coughed. "Fair enough. Any more questions?"

"Oh yeah, tons, I'm just trying to wrap my head around everything. So this husband of mine, he is clearly evil, how the hell did I end up married to an asshole?"

"Well, yes and no. He isn't so much evil as he simply doesn't have a conscience. He is the fourth priest of the Ten High Priests of the End. You married him because you knew you could use him, you weren't exactly a gentle soul in your past life."

"Wait, really? I thought you didn't know about my past life?" Ai looked at Andromeda in confusion.

"Indeed, what I do know is due to the gift that you gave me."

"And what exactly was this gift?"

"You gave me everything." She said simply with a soft smile.

Ai furrowed her brows in annoyance. "Specifically."

Andromeda giggled. "Before that, I should explain what makes us unique to ourselves, which makes us individuals rather than pieces to a whole. The three of us harbor certain aspects of which our souls have innately mastered. Your aspect, the gift that saved me, is the Aspect of Knowledge, the power to understand anything and everything. Aiya possesses the Aspect of Power, allowing for incredible magical feats and boundless mana reserves. Mine is the Aspect of Defiance, which has allowed me to defy my fate time and time again. With your gift and my aspect, I am confident that I have succeeded in stemming this cycle that plagues us at this time. I am confident you will survive your trials."

Ai stared at Andromeda in shock for a moment. "Why did I give you something so valuable?"

"Still rejecting the idea that you may have loved me as well?" Andromeda chuckled as Ai glared at her. "Erm, well, with your aspect, you saw who I was, what I fought for, and decided to try and save me. You held a deep regret for the things you did in your own life as you began to understand your own purpose. You wanted me to understand the things that I couldn't or simply refused to, you gave me the drive to continue when I wished nothing more than to rest in death. You saved me, and for that, I fell in love with you."

Ai looked down. "I... see... Sorry Ameda, even knowing that I can't return your feelings."

Andromeda nodded as she frowned with a saddened expression. "I know, I understand."

"Say, would it be possible to get my gift back? Maybe I can use it to help me overcome the trials?" Ai said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Shaking her head, Andromeda waved her hand through the air as a jumble of words appeared in the air. "It would be possible, yes, but it wouldn't be wise. You see these words, imagine this as your understanding of everything that has happened to you so far." She waved her hand once more as the word multiplied exponentially, nearly filling the space around them with random lines of floating text. "Should you take your gift back, your understanding of everything will increase exponentially, imagine that the trials would take advantage of this and use it against you to force you into insanity even faster." With a final wave of her hand, she dismissed all of the words.

Ai nodded, furrowing her brows once more. "Damnit, alright. What about your gift? Maybe a little defiance will help me overcome the last trial?"

Andromeda smiled once again. "You don't need to worry about that, I will give you both gifts when the time is right. For now, you should focus on improving your own mental stability."

"And how in the hell do I do that? The shit I dealt with in the short time I've been alive would make anyone go a little crazy."

"Look at it as it is, experience rather than trauma. When the time comes, think about how you've become stronger."

Ai nodded, she hadn't really thought about it much, but it really was as simple as that. In truth, she had become stronger from the things that nearly broke her before. Still, there were certain things that scared her that she felt she couldn't overcome. If she was abandoned once again, if she lost her friends and sister, and of course, tentacles, for whatever reason she couldn't stand them. Any one of those would test her harder than anything else in her trials.

"Ah, that reminds me, do you know why I'm so scared of tentacles?"

Andromeda tilted her head. "T-tentacles? W-why would you be scared of that?" She said with a hint of unease as cold sweat dripped from her forehead.

"So I'm not the only one! Did I inherit your fear?"

Andromeda shook her head. "No, I mean, maybe? Ok yes, I'm afraid of tentacles, so is Aiya and now so are you apparently. I'm not sure, maybe cause their so... disgusting, and slimy, and gross, and euuugh!" She shook her head as if trying to shake the thoughts away.

Ai cringed at the same time as her entire body shivered. "Yeah, ok, I get it, gross, but what if the trials use that against me?"

"Game over."

"Seriously?"

Andromeda giggled. "I doubt it, I don't remember my trials having any tentacle nightmares. It mainly used the people I cared about, and our father."

Ai nodded. "Ok, I think I can handle that, I just have to remember that none of it is real."

Andromeda shook her head. "It will seem real regardless. Imagine it like a dream state, where you don't know your in a dream, and everything that happens seems real, even if it's ridiculous."

"Hmmm... then how about lucid dreaming? What if I learned how to control my dreams?"

"No, it's like a dream, but it's not."

"Fuck."

Andromeda nodded. "Still, everything that has lead up to this so far has been to improve your chances of survival. Just don't think about it and have faith in yourself."

Ai nodded. "Right, one more question, then I should go catch up on some rest. Our 'mother' and 'father', is it Them?"

Andromeda frowned as she closed her eyes. "Yes." She opened her eyes and conjured the images of the Paladin and the Warlock. Their faces seemed distorted at first, then slowly began to form as the memories started to return. "The woman that is seeking us out, the Solitary Empress, is Her, Ambrosia, the very woman that killed and corrupted our father, Kha'Duran."

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