NOVPUBAll of this gave Idan a headache.
He didn't have time to settle the problems with one, the other immediately arrived.
Now he needs to keep an eye on Arabel and not let anything happen to her or let her do anything under the influence of this side effect.
Idan didn't want Arabel to regret her actions in the future, so he decided to keep a close eye on her.
Holding her in his arms and not letting her put her hands where she shouldn't, Idan looked around.
"Coco?" Idan called the little rascal.
He was not yet aware that his act had singed the poor girl's beloved fluffy tail.
"Coco?" Idan called again, sure that she was with them, just hiding in her space.
"Ouch!" Suddenly, something hit Idan on the back of the head with a bang.
What Idan found was a small rock. Turning around, Idan saw Coco's small, displeased face peeking out of a small crack in space, and in her small paws she was holding another stone.
"Coco, come here. Be a good girl," called Idan, but instead of obeying, Coco threw a stone at him and closed the rift behind her. The second stone hit Idan's forehead with a bang.
Idan suggested that maybe he had done something to offend this little rascal, and now she was throwing stones.
Shaking his head, calming Arabel and releasing her, Idan, taking advantage of the fact that she had not yet fully recovered and could not move quickly, walked away and, getting up with difficulty, put on pants, top and boots.
Idan's body was very weak. He could barely use his Soul Force, so he couldn't take full advantage of his surroundings. Idan wasn't sure if no one was watching them, and he was a little worried that someone might have seen his real appearance.
In addition, he decided not to wear a Ghost mask, fearing that he might be followed, and not wanting to reveal the existence of the mask.
Idan wasn't worried about Arabel yet. She had been wearing a mask all this time, and in their conversation they both used only short names and never seemed to address each other by their full names.
Idan felt relieved and thought that the sudden changes in his appearance might confuse those who might see him. This hope was based on the way Arabel felt about his appearance.
Idan himself had not yet had time to properly examine himself and did not know how much his appearance had changed.
Arabel sat down with difficulty and sighed in disappointment, looking at Idan, who had managed to get dressed and hide from her those delights for her eyes. With these charming details gone, her tumultuous emotions finally began to calm down.
Finally, everything she had done began to sink in, and her face turned red like a ripe tomato.
Arabel covered her face with her hands and began to sob and sniff. She was so embarrassed by what she had done that she didn't dare look at Idan. She wanted to bury herself deep in the ground and never come out.
Her emotions started to get into turmoil again, but this time without the influence of the Energy of Madness.
"Dan...I'm sorry, Dan..." Arabel began to apologize, sniffling and not realizing what was happening to her.
Idan sighed at the change in Arabel. This time, she seems to have returned to her former self.
Coming closer and sitting down next to her, he hugged her, trying to calm her down.
"It's okay, Belle. It's just a side effect of the effects of the Madness Energy that was left after the Ascension Test," Idan explained calmly, using a mental link and gently stroking her head.
"The system said it was only temporary. All you need is a little patience..." continued Idan, without stopping stroking her. Under his skillful hands, Arabel calmed down a little, and thoughts of sinking through the ground disappeared. But still, it was awkward for her to look at Idan.
"What about you?" asked Arabel.
That was an interesting question. Idan himself was trying to figure out why he wasn't affected by it. He only had a hunch.
Perhaps because his body and bloodline were already affected by a large amount of Madness Energy, he got used to it a bit and developed some resistance. Therefore, it had almost no side effects. At least they weren't as pronounced as Arabel's.
As for Arabel, her bloodline had an effect on her emotions, but exactly the opposite. Instead of stimulating her feelings, this connection seemed to overwhelm them. However, when she was around him, this suppression disappeared, and her emotions were no different from those of an ordinary person.
Without her bloodline suppressing her emotions, Arabel undoubtedly had a hard time controlling the emotions that were raging and stimulated by the Energy of Madness.
"We need to leave." said Idan, calming Arabel down a bit. He noticed that the flame's density had almost halved, and there wasn't much time left.
"System, can you tell if anyone is watching us?" Idan asked, because he had a strange feeling that someone was watching them all the time.
[Host, this System is not omnipotent or perfect. Therefore, I cannot say with complete certainty that no one is watching you, the Hosts. There is a small chance that this is the case. It's better to assume that you're being watched.]
This was exactly what Idan had feared. After the System's response, he began to act as if someone was really watching them.
"Arabel, be extremely careful in your statements and actions. I have a strange feeling that someone is watching us," Idan mentally conveyed his opinion, and Arabel, calming down a little, nodded in response.
"Ned, as soon as you get the chance, set up an Esma and leave my sister's group unnoticed and make sure that no one is watching you. Then turn into a flying beast that can carry two people. Enter the Flame Zone and take us away." — Idan mentally addressed Ned, feeling his presence through their contract.
Idan did not want to reveal Ned's abilities, in particular, his ability to transform into any being. Therefore, he suggested that they leave the group first, make sure that no one is watching them, and then, assuming the form of a flying beast, come and pull them out.
"Belle, ask Esme to stay with my sister and study with her. We will not return to the capital today, but will head North immediately," Idan suggested, looking at Arabel. At first, she was surprised, but then she agreed and, through her contract with Esma, mentally transmitted the message.
Idan decided to ride Ned to the North immediately. On the way, he wanted to rest and recover.
Idan also wanted to find Arslan as soon as possible.
Idan, based on his experience, suggested that Arabel's meeting with her younger brother could be a key moment for gaining full control over her bloodline. If everything goes well, it will also help to weaken the side effect of the Energy of Madness, which negatively affects her emotions.
