Return (TOG)

2

Eran was floating about in the sea of shinsu in the tower. She was formless, but her consciousness was still there. As she had no control of where she was going, Eran simply drifted about as she collected shinsu that was around her. When she drifted past large groups of people, she could absorb shinsu faster. Other times, the shinsu would just slowly flow into her.

However, this time, Eran wanted to take a longer time so that she was able to become stronger and be able to maintain her form under all sorts of conditions.

I never knew how complex a living, breathing creature was.

Compared to the first time, Eran wanted to create a more optimized body. Her previous body was simply a copy of a creature that she had see the most often.

This time, she wanted to create a body made from all of her experiences in this tower.

With muscles as flexible as strings, with bones as dense and sturdy as rock... Maybe I can use the muscle composition of the agile Eels that swim in the tower...

Naturally, I want my body to have smooth skin, and crystal clear sky blue eyes. Maybe a cute pouty lips, and short blueish grey hair. Cute~~

As Eran was constructing and weaving her body, she was actually debating between whether she should make her body look like a human, or like a mixed hybrid.

On one hand, a hybrid would be much more convenient to have as she traversed the tower, but on the other hand, she rather liked being a human.

Eventually, she settled on being a human. It was the form that she knew best, after all.

Ahhh~ I'm so cute!!

...

During the process of making her body, Eran also wanted to make a weapon suitable for her as well. Throughout her journey up the tower, she have seen many different types of weapons, from needles, to discs, to whips, to taming animals. But, Eran didn't want her weapons to just be a weapon. She wanted to make something that she really liked. After all, anything can be a weapon, when used skillfully.

Eran remember how much she loved fishing in the past. When the sadness of seeing her friends becoming increasingly distant got too much, Eran would fish. She would concentrate, and be focused. Her mind would clear, and she would be able to think better.

Eran also liked to play the flute. Whenever she did, she could feel her teammates pausing to listen, and relax for a while. Then, they would talk about the piece that she played, and come together, however short it was. A flute was small and easy to carry, so she also made one.

And just like that, time passed by slowly. As Eran was so into making her own works of art, she didn't take note of the time. Eran simply willed her soul to stay rooted in some desolate corner of the tower that no one would ever visit. That was how she weaved shinsu into physical things.

Materialising shinsu and forcing it to take a physical form, is no easy feat. Usually, creatures use and control shinsu for attacking. After the attacks have finished, the shinsu would disperse, and return back into it's natural form. It was similar to how you could borrow shinsu, and then return it.

However, what Eran was doing, was taking shinsu, and forcing it to take a physical, permanent form. Naturally, the shinsu would try to disperse itself and return back to the natural flow of the tower, but Eran was trying to prevent that.

A way she could do it, was to infuse shinsu into a physical object. That was how ignition weapons came about. But as Eran did not have even a physical state, that was impossible as she cannot interact with it. With no other choice, Eran could only compress and compress shinsu into a thin, physical thread, and slowly stitch and weave her body into existence.

'A human body is complicated!' Eran often grumbled as she tirelessly worked at her task, but whenever she thought about seeing her friends again, her determination would be renewed.

When she tried to compress shinsu into a physical state in the begining, it always dispersed shortly after, like a normal attack. It took time to force enough shinsu together, for it to take a solid state.

Time was something Eran didn't lack.

Eran did not know why she didn't just die, but she was thankful. Thanks to that, Eran had a chance to find her friends again.

...

"And finally, I'm finished!" Eran squealed, but no one could hear her. Then she tried to possess the body that she had made. She was able to smoothly enter it, as she created it after all.

However, upon entering the body, Eran still had to make some adjustments to her body. There are always some issues you don't see until you experience it yourself.

For example, she had to wait for her body to be accustomed to have shinsu blood, rather than normal blood coursing through her. As her body was literally running on shinsu, Eran had to make sure every blood vessel was able to bring liquid shinsu to every fiber of her being. When she stood up, Eran had to get used to the weight of a physical body, and balancing on two legs.

Perfect... Motor skills, excellent! Shinsu sensitivity, perfect! This body is so good, I'm proud that I made it! It's so cute too...

Once that was over, Eran stood up, and walked around in her body. She tried some moves that she had seen her teammates, and other regulars practice up the tower. Hence, Eran is now very very comfortable with her body.

Time to find my friends, then climb the tower again!

...

Eduan Khun was very relaxed, as he sat on a chair in his own personal garden. The umbrella above him shielded him from the sun's heat. He was in a very casual top and shorts.

He was absentmindedly eating grapes, his favourite fruit. On a small wooden desk next to him, was a glass of cold water, and a letter.

The letter that his dear friend have written a long long time ago.

"... Eran said she'll come back, so she will. Since we will be living for a long long time anyway, why not continue waiting?"

Eduan can't remember who said that line, but all of them knew that their determined and willful friend would find a way, so they patiently waited.

And waited. And waited...

Just as Eduan was immersing himself in the past, someone covered his eyes suddenly.

'Who-' Eudan immediately summoned and readied his spear and lighthouses, and was about to kill the undetected intruder.

"Guess who it is~" A playful girlish voice teased.

"If you don't know who I am, I'll poke your forehead you grape lover!"

Ahhh, you're finally here...

"Hmm, who could it be?" Eduan pretended to not recognise that voice. There was only one person who could say such a thing to someone like him and get away with it.

"Is it... Precious Eran?" He slowly dragged out every word. Please don't let this be a dream.

"Ding ding ding! Bingo!" The girl cheered, then removed her hands from covering his eyes. "Ah, but do you have spare clothes? I'm like, naked right now."

"..." Eduan tensed up. Then, he guided one of his lighthouses in front of the girl. "If... If you open up that lighthouse, I have some spare clothes for you to change into."

"Thanks bro!"

Among all of them, Eran's relationship with Eduan was like siblings. They were that close. That's why Eduan was sure Eran would find a way to come back, no matter what.