It was pitch-black, as though nothing existed before me.
Had I arrived at the source of the Energy within His Highness? Just what kind of Spirit power did he possess?
If this place was connected to the power of a Spirit, there should have been flowers, plants, or trees… Yet not a trace of nature could be seen.
SPLASH. SPLASH.
Whenever I walked, I heard the soft sound of my feet stepping upon water.
Was His Highness’s Spirit related to water? Then what was that flame?
SPLASH. SPLASH.
I wandered aimlessly through the invisible darkness. As time passed, my eyes seemed to adjust, and the surroundings gradually began to take shape.
I lowered my gaze toward my feet.
Water.
Was this a lake or an ocean? I bent my knees to find out.
At the very least, it seemed to be water upon which I would not sink.
When I carefully swept one hand through the water beneath me, ripples spread outward in concentric circles.
It was neither an ocean nor a river.
Was it a lake?
I slowly peered beneath the surface.
‘A stone?’
I reached into the water and pulled out one of the stones I had seen below…
It was not a stone.
A skull?
Most Spirits originated from nature, so they generally wished for peace and well-being. Yet this Spirit was connected to death…
I placed the skull back into the water and looked more deeply beneath the surface.
!!!
Countless skulls, with no other bones attached, were piled beneath the silent lake like mountains. Innumerable deaths slumbered below, giving the place a chilling atmosphere.
I shuddered unconsciously at the dreamlike, secretive, and terrifying sight. When I raised my head, I saw black clouds that were thicker than mist and seemed strangely soft.
Those clouds rolled across the surface of the lake and swirled around my knees.
I continued walking endlessly through that eerie place, yet I still could not sense any trace of the Spirit. Then, far in the distance, a tiny purple light flickered.
I ran toward it, but I could not reach it. It was as though I had been walking in place from the very beginning.
When I stretched my hand toward the purple light, the pitch-black surroundings began to blend with it.
Dark purple engulfed everything, and I looked around.
DRIP. DRIP.
Was it raining?
I did not know why, but a chill ran down my spine. It was the instinctive fear that came from being overwhelmed by something.
Just what kind of Spirit had His Highness received?
Had the prince I once knew truly possessed a vessel vast enough to receive a Spirit like this?
DRIP. DRIP. DRIP.
More drops began to fall, landing upon my shoulders.
No.
This was not rain.
It was sticky, like the saliva that might drip from the open jaws of an enormous beast after it discovered its prey.
SWISH.
Something moved.
At once, fear seized my entire body, and I froze. This was only a world of the mind, so I could not truly die here. Even so, the terror came from my very instincts.
The purple darkness obscured everything, but as my eyes adjusted, its true form slowly began to emerge.
Huff. Huff.
My body would not move as I wished.
The Spirit’s identity…
I had discovered it!
.
.
.
The roots of the World Tree contained the Primordial God’s mana, and the fruit that grew upon it also held the Primordial God’s mana. After the Primordial God departed, the Dragons coveted the World Tree he had left behind.
The Dragons desired the Primordial God’s mana because they wished to grow stronger. It was only natural that they would covet it.
The Mother of Nature, the progenitor of the Elves who cared for all of nature, did not wish to harm anyone. However, the Dragons gradually began to look down upon her and slowly destroyed everything she cultivated.
After enduring them for a very long time, the Mother finally planted a single flower together with all the fury she had suppressed.
On the day that flower fully bloomed, immeasurable torrents of blood fell from the sky.
That same day, most of the Dragons plummeted to the earth at the exact same moment and met mysterious deaths. Countless Dragon corpses piled up around the flower.
DRIP. DRIP. DRIP. DRIP.
As the sticky liquid fell more heavily from the sky, I quickly raised my head.
Though the pitch-black darkness made it impossible to see clearly, the petals spread wide like an opening maw and lunged at me.
SLASH!
[Mind’s Eye Released.]
Huff. Huff. Huff.
THUD. BANG. THUD. BANG.
THUMP. THUMP.
THUMPTHUMPTHUMP.
My heart and breathing raced beyond control.
“Doidra!”
“Doidra!!”
Those were the voices of Elder Philn and King Hellorn.
I raised my head and looked at them.
Had I successfully released the Mind’s Eye?
I slowly turned my head toward His Highness.
His Highness…
How could His Highness…
Goosebumps covered my entire body, sweat streamed down my skin, and I trembled violently. Before I realized it, I was muttering in a whisper.
“Was this the Spirit you summoned?”
“Doidra!”
“Doidra, what do you mean?”
“Do you know its identity?”
Questions came at me from all directions.
Could it be?
The Oracle of the Spirit that His Highness had heard when he was ten years old.
Was that oracle truly being fulfilled?
All Elves heard an Oracle of the Spirit.
However, an oracle could normally be heard only by the one who received it, so it was exceedingly rare for others to hear even part of someone else’s oracle.
There were, however, rare occasions when every Elf heard a fragment of an Oracle of the Spirit.
That happened when the oracle would greatly affect the lives of all Elves.
No one knew the exact wording of His Highness’s oracle, but every Elf had heard one line.
Perhaps that line had been the pillar supporting them throughout a war they could not possibly win.
[Then, drenched from head to toe in Dragon blood, you shall hold the head of a Dragon in one hand.]
No one except His Highness knew the line that came before it.
Even so, one fact had become certain.
His Highness was someone capable of killing Dragons.
“Doidra, do not just stand there! Say something!”
“Doidra!”
When I finally returned to my senses, everyone around me was calling my name and asking about His Highness’s condition.
“Please, give me a moment. I need to calm myself and organize my thoughts before I speak.”
Ah, of course.
They too must have heard that His Highness was the hope of the Elves.
Should I reveal the identity of the Spirit within him?
No. I could not refer to such a being merely by its identity, as though speaking of someone beneath me. I should speak of its august name.
As my thoughts grew tangled, I suddenly remembered Rerian’s threat.
Rerian had ordered me to summon the Subspace and open a path for him once the Spirit King, all the Elders, and the leaders of every organization had gathered in the conference room.
I had betrayed my country all this time. Was it truly right to become a patriot now merely because I had seen His Highness’s potential?
Perhaps, just as the oracle foretold, His Highness could retrieve my wife and daughter from Dragonia.
However, His Highness would need time to fully master the Spirit’s power.
‘What should I do? What choice would allow my family to live happily?’
I had to decide quickly.
Even if I summoned the Subspace, could a Dragon truly pass through it immediately?
Would I not be stopped before the passage fully opened?
Yet I was surely not the only Elf who had sided with the Dragons.
Among those I knew, six traitors were already present here.
However, the people gathered in the conference room were powerful. The likelihood that they would quickly stop anyone attempting to summon the Subspace was… high.
Who was betraying the country as a loyal servant of the Dragons?
Who pretended to betray the country while remaining loyal?
Who pretended to be loyal while betraying it?
…I did not know.
If even one Elf outside the conference room summoned the Subspace and brought forth a single Dragon, the Elves would have… no chance of victory.
Come to think of it, no one had ever attempted to open the Subspace within the Ellar Kingdom and summon the Dragons.
‘Why not?’
Had no one else been given such an assignment?
Was it possible that I was the only one ordered to summon the Subspace?
No. The most likely explanation was that none of the traitors had been willing to risk their lives by acting first.
Did that mean most of them were merely observing the situation between the Dragons and the Elves?
Of course.
That was the safest choice.
The Dragons also understood the danger involved in summoning the Subspace. If I failed, they would likely assign me another mission… would they not?
The best course of action was…
To bring everyone outside, draw all attention toward His Highness, and carry out my mission amid the enormous crowd…
“Doidra!”
I heard the urgent voice of my father, the High Priest.
Ah, Father…
I turned my head toward him.
My father fulfilled his duties as the High Priest better than anyone and always stood at the forefront to protect the kingdom.
Was this truly the best choice?
I was doing this for my family, but was my father not also my family?
“What is His Highness’s condition?”
“Father.”
“Yes!”
Unlike the worry that usually filled his eyes, they were now brimming with expectation.
The sight tore at my heart, but I forced myself to answer calmly.
“I have learned the Spirit’s august name. You must prepare the Blooming Ceremony.”
!!!!
Not only my father, but everyone present stared at me in shock.
Spirits were noble beings from a higher plane than ours, so we always addressed them with respect. However, we did not normally refer to their names with the highest form of reverence.
Such honorifics were reserved solely for first-generation Spirits, such as our progenitor, the Mother of Nature.
“Its revered… name… Does that mean it is a first-generation Spirit?”
Elder Philn spoke urgently.
“Before the meeting begins, we will prepare His Highness’s Blooming Ceremony!”
Understood!
“High Priest, gather the priests and begin the preparations!”
“Understood!”
My father bowed and accepted Elder Philn’s command. Then he looked at me and cautiously asked,
“Its august name…?”
At that moment, all the rustling and hurried movement around us stopped at once.
I slowly recited the words.
“The Flower That Devours Flowers.”
My father answered in a trembling, halting voice.
“The Flower of Death that devours life.”
I nodded and continued.
“On the day the flower blooms, the heavens shall be drenched in blood…”
THUD.
Some collapsed to their knees in shock. Others trembled or quivered at the lips.
Like me, none of them knew what to do.
To us Elves, that flower held such meaning.
***
I slowly reflected upon the conversation between Doidra and the High Priest.
Did the phrase “the flower that devours flowers” mean that I could kill them?
Until only a few days ago, they had ignored me because I possessed no power.
Now that Internal Energy had accumulated within my body, they were delighted, and watching them had put me in a rather good mood.
The Flower of Death that devours life…
Did that mean I had devoured Kellick’s body?
Kellick had summoned me here when I had been destined to die meaninglessly because of an incomplete Heaven-Defying Formation.
From the perspective of Elves like Kellick, could that be interpreted as me having devoured him?
The High Priest addressed me in a tense voice.
“Your Highness… we will prepare the Blooming Ceremony. Please follow me.”
I nodded and looked around until my eyes met King Hellorn’s.
His face was pale, but he forced himself to appear cheerful and silently nodded at me.
Just what was this Flower of Death that made everyone react so dramatically?
A first-generation Spirit…
There were too many unfamiliar terms. I had no idea what I should ask about first.
I did not fully understand what was happening, but if Kellick’s help had allowed me to remain here, then I would have to adapt to their culture.
I changed into the elaborate clothing the High Priest had given me. It was quite different from a martial robe.
The clothes made from grass had been rough and uncomfortable. This outfit was still coarser than cloth, but it was far more comfortable.
Why did they not wear such clothes every day?
STEP. STEP.
“His Highness has arrived!”
In front of the World Tree stood something made of wood that resembled a dining table.
Was that the altar?
Their sense of beauty was rather lacking.
“Your Highness!”
At the sound of Elder Philn’s tense voice, I turned around and looked at him.
He swallowed hard and spoke with a pale face.
“During the Blooming Ceremony, you will be able to meet the Spirit within you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Hmm… During the Blooming Ceremony, the High Priest will tell you to close your eyes and gather your Energy.”
Was he telling me to perform Energy Circulation?
Ah, I could sense my inner self during Energy Circulation.
Did that mean they could meet their Spirits while circulating their Energy?
Interesting.
“Understood. Once I meet it, I should…”
“You must overcome the trial.”
Was it similar to attaining enlightenment during Energy Circulation?
I was accustomed to breaking through walls.
“Very well.”
“If anything goes wrong, you may lose consciousness… or your life.”
Was he referring to Qi Deviation?
If I wished to live according to my own will, I had to overcome it.
What should I do once I succeeded…?
At that moment, the Elves began gathering one by one.
“I heard His Highness summoned a Spirit?”
“Just as the oracle foretold, His Highness has…!”
“Mother of Nature, thank you!”
“Silence. This ceremony may determine our fate.”
MURMUR. MURMUR.
The High Priest struck the ground with his wooden staff and shouted.
“We will now begin His Highness’s Blooming Ceremony!”
All the Elves dropped to both knees at once, straightened their shoulders, and silently stared at me as I stood upon the altar.
“Your Highness, please sit comfortably upon the ground.”
I sat down in the lotus position.
At that moment—
WHOOOSH!
A gentle wind swirled around me together with a purple Energy.
Was the High Priest the one summoning the wind?
Across the Righteous Faction, the Unorthodox Faction, and the Demon Cult, fewer than five people had ever reached such a realm.
I could sense from the High Priest the Energy of the Profound Realm, the same realm that the Heavenly Demon and I had attained in my previous life.
“Your Highness! Now slowly close your eyes and gradually gather your Energy.”
I slowly closed my eyes and began circulating the Energy within my body throughout every part of it.
THUMPTHUMPTHUMP.
The Energy within my Middle Dantian began surging violently, contrary to my will.