Chapter 167 How Long?
"I don't see her. I don't see Kailey," Lucia repeated, still scanning her surroundings.
Aleshia tried to find a way to explain to Lucia, who was concerned and excitable. She knew she needed to say something. "I don't think she came back with me. I don't feel her presence next to me, and her consciousness isn't in this body, only her soul," Aleshia said. Reflecting on her time in that space, she added, "The last thing I remember before returning was her sleeping on a golem's tail."
"What?" Lucia questioned, bewildered. "Where would you even find a golem's tail? In fact, where would you even find a golem in your soul? Wouldn't it just be a cozy house or something?"
"Ah, right. Let me explain further. When I entered the soul space, I was in a different location than last time. I explored the area for a while until I stumbled upon a ruin that looked similar to yours. I don't know why our souls would recreate your place, but it could suggest a connection." After that, Aleshia went off on a tangent, explaining the markings she had found inside the ruin. Realizing she had strayed from the main topic, she quickly added, "Sorry, I went off-topic there." Returning to the topic, she continued, "It was then that I found Kailey—or perhaps she found me. After talking for a while and discussing a few things, we came across a magical book that Kailey read, 'The Book of Curses and Spells.'""That's a bit on the nose, isn't it?" Lucia remarked, intrigued by the story.
"Sure is," Aleshia agreed. "According to Kailey, the knowledge in the book contains all the wisdom she has gained throughout her life—that's what she said, at least." Pausing to think, she wanted to ask Lucia how long she had been inside her soul space. "Hey, Lucia," she called.
"Yeah?" Lucia responded.
"How long have you been controlling this body, and how long was I inside the soul space?" Aleshia asked.
Lucia made a gesture as if she were thinking, scrunching the eye holes of her hat. Aleshia could hear Lucia's thoughts mumbling through their connection as she calculated the time in her head. Finally, Lucia replied, "I'd estimate at least a week or more. I've managed to gain the children's trust here, so I believe they've grown fond of us. However, since I've been stuck on your head during that time, they might think I'm off-limits," Lucia mused.