Chapter 763 How I Love Him

When Aleister woke up again, she appeared in a familiar yet unfamiliar place.

The reason why it is familiar is that Aiwass used to come here often...and the reason why it is strange is that Aleister has never been here.

——This is the "Morgan Wonderful House" that Morgan gave to Aiwass.

When Aleister opened his eyes, he found Isabel sitting by the bed, looking at him in surprise.

Before departing for the Theocracy, Aiwass had shown Isabel both of his forms. That was why Isabel had turned a blind eye to Aiwass's affair with "Aleister"... and because of that, Isabel had immediately recognized Aleister's identity.

"Why did you come just now... You haven't come to see me in my dreams for all these days. It's already been halfway through the night, and you just came in..."

Isabel grumbled softly, reaching out to touch Aleister's long black hair, which was as smooth and clean as a wig, with some curiosity. She also felt a little worried: "Are you drunk? Girls should be careful when they are alone outside."

“…I didn’t actually drink.”

Aleister subconsciously raised her head and rubbed it gently against Isabel's palm, but she herself didn't even realize this intimate gesture, just like when passing by a low threshold that might hit your head, you would subconsciously bend down and lower your head.

She defended herself, "I'm researching a mysterious item involving Tiansi... I just might have been put into a coma by it. But don't worry, I still have people around me who can protect me."

At this point, Aleister suddenly realized something: "Do you come here to wait for me every night?"

The ticket to Morgan's House of Wonderful Things is to have a nightcap.

Aleister had entered this place after passing out because she had suddenly become intoxicated after coming into contact with that strange piece of liver. The intense intoxication had penetrated Aleister's heart through contact, and she was probably already in a deep sleep.

Suddenly, Aleister felt Isabel's caress on her hair turn into a slightly harder massage. She obediently followed Isabel's movements and made a sound as if in pain: "Ouch, ouch..."

"You have all the time to study that kind of stuff, why don't you come and see me."

Isabel rubbed Aleister's temple with some resentment and whispered, "I have a lot of things to say to you... In order to avoid forgetting them in the excitement of seeing you, I have to organize the outline every night after drinking. And now the words piled up have already reached several pages..."

“Woo…”

Aleister felt a little guilty for a moment and didn't know how to explain, so he could only make a sound as if in pain, hoping that this would make Her Majesty the Queen feel better.

But Isabel couldn't bear to press Aleister's head hard. Although Aleister himself might not feel it, Isabel, who was on the path of beauty, could clearly sense that Aleister was a part of Aiwass. It was like the relationship between a person and his reflection in a lake.

"…What should I call you?"

Isabel whispered, "Should I still call you Aiwass?"

"I'm... Aleister. Aleister Crowley."

Aleister stopped shouting, which might not have been his best acting, and after a short silence, he finally gave his name.

The moment she hesitated was when she wondered whether she was still Aiwass.

But in the end, Aleister made a decision—regardless of whether she was Aiwass or not, she didn't want to be Aiwass's substitute in Isabel's eyes. It was unfair to both Isabel and Aiwass. She was, after all, a fleeting phantom, a piece of fuel thrown into the fire...nothing more.

If Isabel had developed feelings for him, she might also feel sad when they parted—even if you only raised a pet for a few months, you would feel sad when it passed away. Not to mention a living person with whom you had deep feelings.

And given Isabel's personality, her sadness might be even more difficult to contain.

For those who remember themselves and never forget themselves, it is enough to have Aiwass.

Aleister thought so in his heart.

Thinking about it now, this might have been the underlying motivation behind Aleister's instinctive escape from meeting Isabel—in this world, sleep was a perfectly reasonable need. Although most transcendents didn't have a rigid need for sleep, everyone needed to access the dream world through "sleep."

——As we all know, it is difficult for people to dream when they are not sleeping.

Hearing this, Isabel just smiled mysteriously - unexpectedly, Aleister did not understand the meaning of Isabel's smile, which made her a little nervous.

Isabel climbed onto the bed, and Aleister instinctively shrank back.

But she was quickly grabbed by Isabel and hugged from behind.

Feeling the heat coming from behind, Aleister felt a little creepy on her neck for a moment - but at the same time, she felt a sense of attachment and familiar intimacy.

The moment Aleister smelled Isabel's scent, her abdomen and tense calves slowly softened. Although her upper body was still struggling, she seemed to have no strength to resist.

I'm clearly a clone that transcends the Dao, but why...

Such a thought flashed through Aleister's mind.

"Why are you so nervous?"

Isabel whispered in Aleister's ear: "Aren't you a girl? Isn't it normal for girls to hug each other?

"...Or do you still think of yourself as Aiwass? But if you are Aiwass, why don't you dare approach me?"

"I……"

Aleister was speechless for a moment.

But Isabel spoke frankly, "Are you worried... that developing feelings for me will hinder your integration? Are you worried that I'll be sad about you leaving?"

“…Indeed.”

Aleister was silent for a long time before calmly answering, "I am ultimately just a phantom, fleeting. No one can remember me. The only meaning of my existence is to promote Aiwass to a higher position.

"I'm not part of Aiwass—because even though he left me, he's still Aiwass. He has Aiwass's appearance, Aiwass's personality, Aiwass's memories, everything. But my appearance is fake, my identity is fabricated, and even this face is just a replacement for someone else, and I don't even know her full name.

"So, you don't have to interact with me too much, and I'm afraid I won't interact with you too often. You don't need to drink every day, it's not good for your health. We can relax a little... For example, once every two weeks or a month? If it's just for important matters, I think that's enough time.

"We can actually be more businesslike—tell me what needs to be dealt with, and if I can help you solve it, I'll help you think about it. But I still have to pass on the truly important matters to Aiwass... After all, my thinking is too advanced, and the many strategies I propose may harm you and Avalon..."

Aleister closed his eyes and suddenly said a lot of words with scattered thoughts and somewhat roundabout logic.

But Isabel just tilted her head and responded briefly: "What are you afraid of?"

For just a moment, Aleister fell silent.

She was quiet, as if she was asleep.

The Path of Beauty's ability to perceive the human heart is far more powerful in the dream world than in the physical realm. Here, there's no room for conflation between acting and expression, no room for lies. When Isabel's body touches Aleister's, she can read Aleister's every emotion.

——Emotions can speak.

Just like a perfect opera, even if you don’t speak the language, you can still roughly understand what the story is; an actor with abundant emotional tension, you don’t need to understand what he says to feel his heart.

At this moment, Isabel felt a strong sense of loneliness and panic.

Aleister must be incredibly powerful, for she is the Transcendent half of Aiwass. This means she can also summon powerful phantoms... phantoms capable of easily slaying fifth-level higher-level demons. While she's not completely invincible in this world, she should be a rare opponent.

But on the contrary...Aleister's heart is extremely fragile.

This was different from the Aiwass Isabel remembered.

"Since you say you're not Aiwass... can you listen to a story?"

Suddenly, Isabel whispered behind Aleister: "About...how I fell in love with Aiwass."

Aleister's body subconsciously trembled for a moment.

Without waiting for her response, Isabel spoke, "In the beginning, in my memory... Aiwass was always calm, wise, knowledgeable, and convincing. His soul was bright, his mind clear, and he never panicked, feared, furious, or angry. It was as if all the despicable words could not be used to describe him...

"That posture is more like that of a god than a mortal—a god that people keep their distance from."

(End of this chapter)