Chapter 1056: New World [1] |
Arianne wasn't dumb.
The moment those words left Michael's mouth, countless things that had once seemed strange suddenly began connecting together inside her mind.
It all started making sense.
Yet somehow, it was too much. The entire situation was so absurd that part of her instinctively refused to believe it.
Michael immediately noticed the look on her face and took several steps toward her.
Feeling his presence, Arianne subconsciously took a step backward. It was an instinctive reaction born from shock rather than fear, but she failed to notice how it made Michael's expression change.
For a brief second, something flashed across his face.
"Miss Arianne."
Michael forced himself to remain calm.
Arianne opened her mouth. Then closed it again. Because she honestly wasn't sure she believed him now either.
Michael raised a hand.
Space distorted once more. Another portal appeared.
Without saying anything further, Michael stepped through first. Then he turned around and looked back at her. His expression remained serious. Yet there was also something else there.
Nervousness. As though he was worried about what would happen next.
Since she was technically inside a part of him, Michael felt she should be able to enter Aurora. If not, he would have no choice but to wipe her memory clean of everything he had just said.
In fact, if Arianne proved to be a problem after all this, that was exactly what he planned to do. If things turned out differently from what he wanted, they would simply have to end their relationship afterward.
"Come." Michael said.
Arianne hesitated, took a steadying breath, then stepped through the portal.
The moment she crossed over, she froze. Her eyes widened as she looked at her surroundings in shock.
She had appeared inside a room unlike anything she had ever seen before. At first glance it seemed simple. Yet the longer she looked, the stranger it became.
The walls were smooth and painted a soft brown. Clean. Neat. Orderly.
The room was spacious, and a large bed occupied one side of it. Unlike the beds she was familiar with, there were no carved wooden decorations. The sheets were spotless. The blanket looked unbelievably soft.
Everything appeared comfortable.
Arianne slowly turned around, her gaze sweeping across the room again. There was a wardrobe with perfectly smooth white doors. Shelves holding books and strange objects she could not identify. A desk unlike any she had ever seen. A large window covered by elegant gray curtains.
Everything looked strange and foreign.
For several moments she simply stood there. Then curiosity won.
The first thing Arianne approached was the bed. Slowly, she reached out. Her fingers touched the mattress, then immediately sank slightly into it.
Arianne blinked in surprise and pressed harder. The mattress yielded beneath her hand.
So soft. Very soft.
She pressed again. Then again. Then she used both hands.
Arianne looked genuinely shocked. Compared to this, even the beds in the empire's capital felt lacking.
"What is this?"
Michael glanced over.
"A bed."
Arianne immediately looked at him.
"No."
Michael blinked.
"No?"
"It literally is."
Arianne stared at the mattress. Then back at Michael. Then back at the mattress. Finally she pointed at it.
"It must be so expensive, right? At least a few hundred gold coins?"
For the first time since the conversation began, Michael nearly laughed.
Meanwhile, Arianne reluctantly pulled herself away before becoming distracted by something else. She walked toward the curtains, carefully grasped the fabric, then pulled them aside. She froze when she saw the window.
The window itself looked strange. More importantly, it was completely transparent. Arianne instinctively touched it.
Unfortunately, all she could see was a fence made from strange material. The room sat close to a wall outside. However she could hear strange noises, horns and conversations in an unfamiliar language drifting in from beyond it.
For several moments she simply stood there listening. At this point, she didn't even have enough mental energy left to be shocked that Michael could casually move between worlds.
Soon her attention was stolen by Michael's desk. Dropping the curtains, Arianne slowly approached it and stared in admiration. The entire setup looked incredibly luxurious.
A large black screen sat on the desk. Beside it was another, smaller screen. A strange board covered in symbols. Several sleek devices she could not identify.
Everything looked expensive and impossibly fragile.
Arianne immediately clasped her hands behind her back. She didn't dare touch anything. What if she broke it? For all she knew, these could be priceless treasures.
Meanwhile, Michael simply watched from behind. Under normal circumstances, the sight would have amused him. Arianne looked like a child who had wandered into a treasure vault by accident.
Unfortunately, Michael's attention was elsewhere. His thoughts remained fixed on the conversation they had left unfinished.
Before he could decide how to continue, Arianne's attention was stolen by something else. Her gaze slowly drifted upward, toward the glowing object attached to the ceiling.
Arianne blinked. The object looked like a small glass fruit hanging above her. Yet unlike any crystal lamp she had ever seen, there was no flame or visible source of energy. Still, it emitted a steady white light that illuminated the entire room.
"Amazing…"
Arianne murmured. Then her eyes moved lower, toward the wall. There, near the doorway, was a small object protruding from the surface.
Arianne frowned.
"What is that?"
Michael followed her gaze.
"Oh. That's a light switch."
"A what?"
Before Michael could explain, curiosity had already won. Arianne walked over, stared at the small switch for a second, then reached out when she saw that Michael didn't stop her.
Click.
The room instantly sank into darkness.
"Ah!"
Arianne jumped in shock, instinctively taking a step backward. Unfortunately, she forgot Michael was standing directly behind her. Her back collided with his chest.
Strong arms immediately steadied her before she could lose her balance.
"It's fine." Michael's calm voice sounded beside her ear. "It's just the light."
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