Chapter 511: Bloom [1] |
Rustle~
A peculiar silence settled over the area, broken only by the soft rustling of leaves that echoed around.
Staring blankly at the red veil that covered the blue sky, Seraphina’s eyes grew slack.
Even now, she didn’t understand how the sky suddenly changed. It made her extremely wary, but she felt no changes coming from within her surroundings.
Furthermore, her vision was different from the others.
She could see things others couldn’t see, and beyond the veil of red that covered her vision, she could see over a hundred different threads, each tethered to a different monster advancing toward various parts of the city.
From their breathing and thought process, she could perceive it all.
...And at the same time, control them.
Their eyes were her eyes, their ears were her ears, and their mind was her mind.
Once she established a connection with a monster, there was no escaping it—unless something directly happened to her.
So then...
"Why?"
Her eyes grew even more vacant as Seraphina stared at the tree before her. Over a dozen threads extended toward the tree, attempting to connect with it, but every effort was in vain.
She had lost connection with the tree.
"No, I didn’t.."
She could still feel a faint sign from it. One that grew stronger with the more threads she connected.
"....Something has been trying to take control over it."
Her immediate thoughts were towards her son, Julien. All of this happened as a result of him. However, she knew Julien best.
She knew of his talents, and she understood he was no ’Spirit’ mage.
Even if he tried to learn it, there was no way he could not become skilled enough to challenge her. There had to be something more to the situation.
But what..?
What exactly?
"Does it even matter?"
Her thoughts abruptly stopped as she placed her hand against the tree. Feeling the rough bark of the tree, she raised her head to stare at the blood-red leaves.
"....Right, it doesn’t really matter."
The corner of her lips pulled upward.
There were many things she wasn’t particularly good at. She wasn’t a great mother, an exceptional cook, or even a patient listener. She had her flaws. But when it came to spirit magic, there were few, if any, who could surpass her.
So what if someone was trying to take over?
....It didn’t really matter.
Even if she didn’t know the answers now, she could find out once she took control over everything, including her son.
"It’s a bit of a pity that I might have to slow things down a bit, but I can wait."
A faint glow manifested around her palm.
The threads latching onto the tree multiplied, and a dull ache began to throb in her mind. Yet, the pain only made her smile widen.
Whatever the situation was, she knew that once she gained control back of the tree, she could quickly evolve it into the Destroyer Rank.
By then, who could stop her?
***
’...Where am I?’
Just as my vision faded to black, I felt my body being pulled into the tree, and a strange, weightless sensation enveloped my mind.
I didn’t know for how long the sensation lasted but by the time I recovered, I found myself standing in the middle of a dark and lonesome world.
’The Mirror Dimension.’
Staring at the white sun in the distance, and feeling the arid and dry air, I realized instantly where I was.
But why was I here?
All I remember doing was—
"Is it working?"
"...How would I know? We should wait for a bit and see."
My head flicked back upon hearing the sound of several voices behind me. Turning my head, I saw an elderly couple hunched over, their hands pressed against the ground while they scooted the earth together.
Shortly after, they began to water the ground.
Shaa—
I watched the scene with an incredulous look. What sort of...
"Do you think it’s going to work?"
"...I don’t know, but it has to work."
Lifting his head up, the old man wiped the sweat from his forehead. He was thin, and his face was pale.
It didn’t seem like he had a lot of time left.
"Cough! Cough...!"
And as expected, his coughing suggested the same thing.
"Ukh!"
"Greg!"
The woman hastily rushed to the man’s side, but it was to no avail. The coughing didn’t stop and they only grew more violent with each second that passed.
"Cough!"
Eventually, blood leaked out from his mouth, forcing him to the ground.
"Greg!"
The elderly woman only grew more concerned as she took him in his embrace, but regardless of all her attempts, she couldn’t do a thing. All she could do was watch as he struggled in her grasp.
Tears streamed down her face while her face mirrored the look of pain on the elderly man’s face. While the two weren’t a couple, they had spent a lot of time together. They were good friends.
I wasn’t far from the two and wanted to help, but my feet were rooted on the spot.
I couldn’t move at all.
...I was stuck in place.
"Help! Someone help...!"
Hearing the woman scream, I looked around with a frown. What’s the point of screaming for help? Who would even help in this place?
Who would—
"What happened? What’s going on?!"
My thoughts were quickly shattered by the sound of a rushed voice in the distance. When I turned to look, I saw several figures appear from a nearby hill, their faces filled with worry and concern.
"It’s Janet and Gret!"
"Hurry!"
The group didn’t hesitate to rush down the hill and move towards the elderly couple.
"Cough! Cough...!"
"Keep him still, I’ll think of a way to deal with this."
A tall man with a rugged build, an unshaven beard, blonde hair, yellow eyes, and a plain shirt grasped the elderly man, swiftly rifling through his bag. He retrieved several pills and handed them to the old man without hesitation.
"Eat up, they should be able to help for now."
At the same time, he retrieved the pills, he also retrieved a small bottle of water he quickly handed to the old man.
"Cough...!"
Through his coughs, the old man forced the pills down his throat.
Though not immediate, the pills began to ease the old man’s symptoms within a few minutes. It was only then that the group’s expressions shifted to visible relief.
"Thank goodness you made it in time, Ness. Had you been a little bit slower..."
"Yes, I know."
Ness, the burly man retrieved the water bottle and placed it in his bag while looking at the old man and then the ground.
"...Were the two of you planting seeds again?"
"Ah, yes..."
"The two of you should give up. Nothing can grow in this land."
"I know, but..."
The woman’s eyes grew downcast as she looked at the old man.
"...It’s been so long since we’ve seen a real tree. This place—it’s suffocating. It’s draining the life out of us. I can’t stand being here. I can’t, I can’t anymore!"
Holding onto her head, the woman raised her voice as her eyes grew bloodshot. She seemed to be on the verge of losing herself.
I would’ve normally questioned the scene in front of me, but more than anything, my eyes were focused on the clothes the group was wearing.
They were worn out and somewhat tattered which was why I couldn’t understand it at first, but soon... Soon, it all became clear to me and I felt my mind blank momentarily.
’Yes, of course, they look familiar. They’re the same style of clothes that used to be popular back on earth.’
Could this mean...?!
"Calm down, Janet. There’s no need to panic. We’ll get out of this place soon enough. You can trust that.
"But how? I’ve lost count of how many years I’ve been stuck in this god-forsaken place. I want to go back! I want to go back to earth...!"
’This...’
My hunch was correct.
The group in front of me was from Earth.
If that was the case, then when exactly was this?
"You know we can’t. We’re trying, but there’s no way out for us. Most of us have been stuck here for several decades already."
"I know, but I can’t take it anymore. G-greg can’t take it anymore. I’ve lost count of the amount of people I’ve had to see leave. I can’t—"
"Please trust him."
Who?
I strained my ears, trying to listen in on their conversation. For some reason, my heart was pounding loudly in my chest.
"...Toren, he’ll help us get out of this place. Regardless of how long it will take, he’ll get us out of here."
’Toren...’
Recalling the name, a thought occurred to me and the gears of my mind started to turn.
"Please don’t despair, Janet. Toren is strong. He’ll get us out of this forsaken place, and..."
His eyes cast in the direction of the old man, and his lips pursed.
"...He can also heal Greg."
"What?"
Janet’s head flicked up in the direction of the burly man.
"What do you mean he can heal Greg? What are you—"
"Here."
Rummaging through his back, the burly man retrieved a small vial and handed it to the old man.
"Ness!"
"...Wait, Ness."
The moment he retrieved the vial, the faces of the people behind the burly man changed, but he didn’t care and just raised his hand.
"Stop, I’ve made my decision."
"But—"
"The decision is final, and it’s not like I can’t get any more of this. We’ve already lost a lot of people. We can’t afford to lose more."
His words left the group with no chance to refute.
Bringing the vial to the dying old man, he tugged the old man’s chin and plopped the vial open.
"From the moment you take this vial, you will be transformed. All your troubles will vanish, and you will become someone entirely new. But I can’t carelessly give it to you. From the moment I give this to you, your life will no longer be yours."
The old man’s unfocused eyes shifted slightly.
"Your life will belong to Teron, and you will live to serve him. You will help us get out of his place, and you will become the pillar that supports humanity through their tough times. Are you willing?"
"...."
A stifling silence filled the surroundings for a brief moment before the old man’s lips parted.
"Y.. yes."
"Good." Find adventures on empire
As the corner of his lips pulled up, Ness brought the vial to the old man’s mouth.
"Cough!"
"Greg!"
From the moment the liquid touched his mouth, he started coughing, sending a few droplets of the liquid splashing against the ground beneath, forcing Ness to cover his mouth with his hand.
"Don’t spill anything. Drink it."
"Co—"
The old man’s body trembled fiercely, his entire face growing red.
He appeared on the brink of death, but soon after, a transformation began. His flesh tightened, his hair darkened to black, and his eyes became sharper. In just a few seconds, his entire demeanor shifted, and he suddenly looked much younger.
Such a scene stunned the woman who stepped back.
"Who, who..."
Seeing the scene, Ness smiled as he looked at Greg.
Opening his mouth, he said,
"From this moment forth, you’ll no longer be Greg. From this moment forth, you’ll be Genesis."
"Genesis...?"
Greg, no... Genesis lowered his head, staring at his hands as he clenched and unclenched them repeatedly. After a moment, he raised his head once more.
"Understood."
"Good."
Turning to look at the old woman, Ness packed his bag.
"The two of you follow me, I’ll lead you to Toren. Perhaps I might be able to provide the elixir to you as well."
"Me too...?"
"Indeed."
With the bag slung over his back, the group departed, leaving me utterly stunned and at a complete loss for what I had just witnessed.
Especially since something dawned on me.
’Ness...’
Why did he feel so familiar?
And...
Slowly lowering my head, I gazed at the soil, now stained with the old man’s blood. I remained fixated on the spot for an indeterminate amount of time until I felt a change occur, and my entire face stiffened.
’This...’
It was a thin red leaf.
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