Chapter 581 - Golden Touch
"This might be considered a blessing, but it is a curse for me. Anything I touch can somehow turn into precious metals like gold and so on. I can already put this curse under control, but I don't know when the unexpected will happen. then made a lot of people afraid of me, including my family--" Erina started to tell a little about herself.
She somehow felt it was acceptable to tell that to someone she had just met yesterday.
'Ooh she is a poor girl. She lacks love, care, and skinship. But, that's a bit of an overkill for a mortal, I must say.' Rhea commented softly with sympathy in between her words.
'We are now on Earth, right? Why have I encountered so many power holders and espers lately?' Elysia began to marvel into wonder. They were very few in number and rare as far as she knew. However, it was she who was too oblivious to the world's truth.
'This is your world, Master Elysia. Why are you so surprised?' Rhea became clueless with Elysia's astonishment.
'No, it's nothing. Witches and shamans can also be called power holders. So, actually they've been everywhere since the beginning.' Elysia convinced herself based on her assumptions.
After that, she focused on listening to Erina's outpourings and grievances.
It was a story about a girl with an innate power that can change anything, animate and inanimate objects, into precious metals such as gold, diamonds, and so on.
The suffering occurred since that ability awakened. It made Erina's family and everyone distance themselves from her. Moreover, since she was kidnapped and accidentally turned the kidnapper into a golden statue. The living turned into metal, an indirect murder because nothing could turn the kidnapper back into a human.
Tragedy and trauma started there, but Erina finally managed to put her power under control as she grew older. Unfortunately, the fear was still there, and therefore no one dared to receive direct contact with Erina's skin.
Erina was also afraid of anyone's touch because she might turn that person into a golden statue, just like what had happened in the past.
"Hehe, for now, the government and the International Association of Espers asked me not to use my abilities. They paid me for it. I still have a bit of freedom. However, they and my family put a lot of experts just to keep me safe and also to monitor me." Erina looked at her hands and sighed.
"Uhm, thanks for listening to me. I shouldn't have said too much to you. That must be boring, right?" Erina then looked at Elysia with an awkward smile.
"I'm glad you put your trust in me. Your story is not boring, I actually saw the destiny guide you to something. You get that ability not without a reason, there must be a grand scheme behind it. Let's just take the wisdom. You are currently an extraordinarily beautiful girl living at the pinnacle of society. You live to enjoy life, away from the hardships and cruelty of the world. If we look on the bright side, we should feel grateful for what we have, not just look at our shortcomings. That way, we will feel happier in life." Elysia smiled gently in reply.
"Thank you." Erina couldn't understand everything at once, but she appreciated the concern.
"Uhm, I feel insecure now." Elysia hugged herself and looked left and right.
"Hehe, why is that?" Erina was amused by Elysia's behavior.
"You said we're being watched by a lot of experts, right? SO, are every conversation and everything we do monitored? Oh dear me... Are they stalking us when we're in the toilet or when we're changing?" Elysia had her own concern when she remembered that.
"Ah, they wouldn't dare to do that. Tiolet is one they shouldn't be monitoring. A severe punishment or perhaps a death penalty will be given to anyone who continues to observe my every move in a private space. They're not monitoring us right now. But, they'll start working again when we get out. Mio is here with us, remember?" Erina raised her finger with a playful smile.
"Oh, you scared me." Elysia breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hmm, I've heard stories from you. If you had a choice, would you want to live with your powers or without them at all?" Elysia nodded slightly and leaned back on the sofa. She didn't mean to meddle too much, but giving a little helping hand wasn't bad either.
"I didn't have a choice in the first place. But if I had the choice, I would still be where I am now." Erina looked up slightly with a slight smile.
"Why is that? I thought you would expect the Gods to deprive you of your golden touch ability." Elysia looked at Erina with some astonishment. That answer contradicted what Erina had complained about just now.
"There's no particular reason. However, I realized that everything would change the moment I lost my ability. But, the golden touch, hmm... That's a good name. As you said, I should feel grateful for my life now. I still have music and everyone likes my work." Erina gave a small smile.
"I'm glad to see you are happy. After all that, may I look at your gloved hands for a moment?" Elysia nodded a little as if she understood the unspoken meaning behind Erina's answer.
"You want to see my hands without gloves? Hm, fine, but please don't touch me carelessly okay? My hands are very sensitive to turning anything into precious metal upon close contact. I don't want anything bad to happen to you." Erina didn't mind it for some reason.
Perhaps, she just felt a little indebted to Elysia because she had asked too many questions last night.
She then took off her gloves in turn and showed her hands to Elysia with a smile.
Meanwhile, Elysia looked at the pair of gloves. They were made of a particular material with an additional layer inside. If anything else could turn into precious metal, but not the glove?
Elysia then looked at Erina's delicate white hands. They were a pair of hands that looked perfect for an artist with long, manicured fingers.
At first glance, she couldn't believe those hands could turn anything into precious metal.
"Please pardon me." Elysia tried to be a little reckless and touched Erina's hand with her finger.
"Wha- what are you doing, Elysia-san!?" Erina gasped and withdrew her hand reflexively. Out of her panic, she accidentally turned Elysia's finger golden.
"Hmm, you're right." Elysia looked at her golden finger. It was like she had just dipped her finger in a golden liquid.
"Sorry, I'm sorry. I, that-" Erina stuttered as she felt guilty despite everything. However, she gaped in surprise because Elysia's finger returned to normal with just a snap of a finger.
Mio was just about to act quickly, but she also gaped halfway. She didn't know what had happened, but it was like a counter-magic.
"I am now immune to your curse. You may try turning me into precious metal again, and you will be surprised that it won't have any effect on me anymore." Elysia stretched out her hand with a satisfied smile. She already knew how Erina's ability worked, and it was a bit like Yuuki's extreme ice.
"Really? How do you do that, Elysia-san?" Erina looked at Elysia's open palm and at Elysia's face. She did that repeatedly because she couldn't cope with the sudden change in events.
"My body and abilities are special. Actually, this isn't the first time I've met someone with abilities like yours. The other one is much more extreme actually because she can freeze the ocean with just a touch." Elysia just shrugged her shoulders slightly. She could see that Erina was in the same boat as Yuuki now.
"A person like that exists in this world? However, aren't you afraid? I might turn you into a gold or diamond statue, you know?" Erina blinked her eyes a few times. She could hardly believe it.
"She is afraid to freeze anything around her because her power is often out of control, not just triggered by a touch. I am one of the few who can be good friends with her without fear of freezing to death. I'm sure your abilities are no worse than her. You you just have to do something with your emotions, and you can put your abilities in complete control. Why don't you give it a try?" Elysia replied with an encouraging smile.
"That must be amazing... I really want to meet the person you're referring to, Elysia-san." Erina lowered her hand shyly and nervously.
She put her hand into Elysia's and pulled it reflexively. However, Elysia caught her hand and held it.
"See? It's not that hard." Elysia smiled contentedly to see that nothing had happened to her hands now. She simply sealed the cell transformation in her hand to resist the effects of the energy emitted by Erina's hand.
"No way... It's amazing. Your hand are so warm and smooth, Elysia-san." Erina stroked Elysia's hand and put it to her cheek. It was just like the first experience holding someone's hand after more than nine years without such a thing.
'Hm, that's a rather strange ability and the energy she emits is also strange. Maybe, we can seal her ability, but it will affect her soul. Well, this girl is just like Yuuki, and she just needs to regulate her emotions, especially panic and nervousness. That way, she will be completely fine without the gloves.' Rhea explained the results of her analysis. To be honest, it was her idea for Elysia to help this girl.
'Hehe, she looks so happy.' Elysia didn't bother Erina much, even though Erina treated her hand like a new attractive toy.
Moments later, Erina apologized for her behavior, but Elysia didn't feel offended in any way.
After that, they left the hotel because Elysia needed to buy a phone.. A journey to the northern region of Earth was also awaiting her.
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