"I have replaced your blood. I have replaced your flesh. I have replaced every cell, every chain of DNA that once defined you. What now remains… is it still you?"

Noah stayed silent. Not only him. Even Virgo had no words, because the question forced them to reflect on something they were intimately familiar with, yet had never dared to probe too deeply.

The concept of existence itself. The concept of self.

Who are you?

What makes you… you?

What separates you from the billions, trillions, or even quintillions of lives scattered across the universe?

Was it bloodline? The body? Cells and flesh?

Noah and Virgo had never truly considered it. So they paused in order to think, to search for the answers.

'Will I still be myself if my DNA is rewritten? Will I still be Noah if the Elysiari bloodline I forged within me is erased?'

Noah's thoughts spun violently, circling in every direction as his mind strained for an answer.

He recalled all he knew about existence that encompassed his blood, his soul, the countless connections binding him to his wives, friends, and followers.

His soul was unique, powerful beyond measure. Even if his bloodline was stripped away, as long as his soul endured, he would remain himself… wouldn't he?

He wondered, but dissatisfaction gnawed at him. His refined perception, thanks to his providence abilities, couldn't accept that answer. It was lacking too much.

Because in a universe where souls could be twisted, stolen, toyed with, the soul alone could not be the answer.

Neither body. Neither bloodline. Neither cells.

All of these could be reshaped. Hell, Noah himself was able to twist all of these concepts with terrifying ease.

So if all these could all be altered, did that mean he ceased to be himself the moment reshaped his whole body to be an Elysiari?

Noah shook his head sharply. No. It was not that. Something was missing.

He was thinking wrongly.

'Let's start simple. Let's start by accepting who I am. I am Noah Vae—!'

The thought cut off abruptly. His eyes widened as clarity struck like lightning.

Noah Vaelgrim.

That was who he was. That was his name.

It didn't matter if his bloodline shattered. It didn't matter if his soul broke into shards and was swept into the river of death. It didn't matter if his body was torn into mangled ruin.

Even if his appearance was remade, his essence remained. Because he was Noah Vaelgrim.

His wives didn't love his power. They loved Noah. His mother, his friends — all who stood by him did so not for his blood or flesh but because he was Noah Vaelgrim.

Laeh bent to his will not because of his lineage, but because he was Noah Vaelgrim.

That was the answer.

Name.

A name was a beautiful yet dreadful thing. It could bestow purpose, gift undeserved glory, or curse you with a burden you never chose.

And if a name could shape so much…

Then what of a true name? The name that defined existence itself?

Its weight would be even greater.

Noah's thoughts snapped together like puzzle pieces falling into place. The answer was already clear within him.

"You seem to have found it too," Virgo said, her eyes catching the sudden brightness in his.

Her lips curved with a subtle smile. She was happy, because to understand what makes us us reshaped the way one viewed existence.

To know who you are… is to take the first steady step toward knowing who you wish to become, and where you want to go.

That knowledge decides who you allow into your life, because who you surround yourself with shapes you in turn.

Let's not lie. Spend your days among cheaters, and even if you are not one, you soon will be. Influence is nasty like that, it coils like a serpent around your throat, tightening slow until escape is impossible.

And in that instant Virgo too understood herself more deeply. She knew who she was and who she wanted at her side.

Her gaze brightened, blood-red eyes fixed on Noah. Her thoughts burned: 'I abandoned my dreams once. But why should I? They are me. They are what I aspire to be. I cannot cast them aside.'

Before, she lacked the chance. But now, standing close to someone like Noah whose power was so wrongfully strong, perhaps… just perhaps, she could dream again.

Yes. She could.

Her smile widened, hope flickering deep inside her blood-red eyes. For now though, she decided to wait and observe.

She didn't want to make the same mistake as last time.

Noah looked at her calmly and finally spoke. "Yes. I understood something."

He smiled faintly.

"You want to answer first? Go on. I'm a gentleman." He stepped back, sweeping his arm in a mocking gesture of politeness.

Virgo shook her head. "Let's say it at the same time. I don't want you to lose points."

"Points whose use we don't even know."

"Aren't you Mister I Know Everything under Heaven and Earth?"

"Did I ever say that? Don't slander me, woman."

"You didn't. But you act like it."

"Oh? Now—!"

"I have replaced your blood. I have replaced your flesh. I have replaced every cell, every chain of DNA that once defined you. What now remains… is it still you?"

The robotic feminine voice thundered again through the white void, silencing their quarrel.

They exchanged a glance and nodded, deciding to answer together. If the voice didn't understand, that was its problem, not theirs.

They drew in breath, and spoke.

"Yes, I am still me, because my dreams are not stored in my blood, nor body, nor DNA. Dreams and goals are what make us us. What makes us unique among sea of people."

At the same time…

"My answer is name. Name is identity. Sometimes it comes with meaning, burden, or gifts. Sometimes it begins as nothing. But in the end, its meaning is carved by our actions. And a name requires no blood, no body, no DNA."

Silence.

Noah and Virgo looked at each other, surprised. They had expected the other to share their understanding. But their answers diverged.

One said dreams, other names.

So which was right?

The robotic voice cut short their wondering.

"Answers acknowledged."

"Noah Vaelgrim, +15 points."

"Virginia Ti Raneth, +15 points."

—End of Chapter 347—

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