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Mid Evening - Late Fall : The Tree of Prayer | Valtivar

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*Snap* The crisp snap of my horn echoed through the Gods' Abode as I pulled it down in front of me and liquified it, removing its impurities before strengthening it all with mana until it became viscous, similar to the elixir I gave to Leif.

-Whoever figured out how to make an elixir like this needs to be hailed. ..-

The way it worked was pretty simple, essentially just using a mix of conflicting mana attributes to destroy someone's insides and push them to the brink of death, then implant someone else's genetics as the foundation for healing.

It was a method that made it so you could create a hybrid between species as long as they shared common genetic templates, or in other words, were breedable.

-But the more similar the two beings are genetically, the worse the affinity with the elixir gets.

..- Meaning Ilios's affinity with my elixir would be terrible.

-But I'm not using it to change him... I'm using it to save him. ..-

*thump-thump-thump-thump* Happily thumping his tail against the ground Ilios never once pulled his loving gaze off me, as if wanting my face to be the last thing he saw. -But I'm not gonna let you die, buddy...-

Hastily finishing the elixir, I lowered my snout down to him and gently pressed it into his side. "Ilios.. this is going to really hurt, but I need you to stick with me, okay?" Moving the sphere of elixir in front of his snout, I anxiously held it there.

Even though I was confident he would survive if he took it.. the odds weren't guaranteed.

But in my moment of hesitation, he pried it out of my aura and threw it into his stomach. "Gulp-" By the time I noticed, his gaze was soft, and he wore a satisfied expression. He had accepted that the elixir could be the end...

But it only lasted a moment. *VWOO-CRACKLE* With his eyes instantly shooting open, his body tensed and spasmed as if falling into a seizure, and I had no choice but to sever his spinal cord. -His body is sending too many signals to his brain...-

Unlike with Leif, he wasn't instantly knocked unconscious, so his mind actively tried to sort and respond to the countless messages coming from the rest of his body as it panicked, instead of ignoring it all to preserve itself. -If I can just keep his mind alive.. he can make it... But...-

Looking down as his mind and expression finally eased, a wave of lethargy seemed to wash over him, but he fought it with every fiber of his being.

*Pat* Gently pressing my wet snout into his cheek, I closed my eyes and spoke softly with my divinity... "~Just take a nap for me, okay? I'll be here when you wake up.. I promise...~"

Pausing, as if to think, he stared into my chest for a moment before his lips gently curled and his head rolled onto its side.

He laid his faith on my shoulders.

And I wasn't going to fail him.

Over the course of the next several days, I closely monitored everything his body was doing and guided it however I could, from aiding the growth of healthy cells to culling cancerous ones the moment they appeared.

No matter what, I wasn't going to let his body have any hindrances while it healed.

But even with all of my efforts, his condition only worsened, and the source of it all was his nervous system.

Even after healing his spinal cord, his body didn't seem to want to use it, and I couldn't tell why.

.. His mind was starting to die, and I could do nothing but watch, only able to occasionally send false signals to try and keep his mind awake. ..

But eventually, as his mind did nothing but slow down, a single, slithering strand of divinity carved its way through his spine and climbed into his brain.

It was the turning point I was looking for. -Please...- His body wasn't ready to switch to a brain of divinity, but with his mind slowly dying, there was no other choice. "Just hang in there, Ilios... Don't die on me..." I needed time, but time was tight...

But then, after about a week, the several strands of divinity that had grown through his spine sent their first signal.

He finally made it around the bend.

"Hooooh..." Letting out an extremely long, stress-filled breath, I finally leaned back and looked up at the intricate carvings lining the ceiling and tried to sort my thoughts.

But there was nothing...

For the first time in what felt like eons, my mind was silent. "The breeze.. feels good..."

Closing my eyes, I gently lifted my wings off my side before suddenly switching to my draconic form. *Flash* At that moment, the sensation of the cool breeze flowing over my scales brought me nothing but bliss... -He's going to survive...-

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It felt good.

"I just.. hope you don't change too much..." Laying down next to him, I stared into the tiny white cloud floating in his reserve with a fond but nervous expression. "~You need to stay strong so none of the souls you absorb take over, okay?~"

He couldn't hear me, but his soul could, and for a moment, it seemed to swirl in the opposite direction as if to wave, and tell me not to worry.

"Haha," I couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle as my tail curled and started swaying back and forth. -He'll be alright...-

Now it was time for me to lay my faith on him. With at least a few months needed for his psuedo-reincarnation and evolution to finish, I couldn't stay and watch over him, but to an extent, I didn't need to.

Just like with Mother, there was some kind of connection between us, where no matter how far apart we were, I could feel his presence, and through it, understand his emotions, be it panic, understanding, or confidence.

But as things were, I felt an endless warmth, so deep that there wasn't a single speck of doubt in my mind.

"~Call me over when you're going to wake up, okay?

I'll be here.~" Gently nudging his side with my nose to center him over the reincarnation rune, I sat up straight with a smile before finally looking over my shoulder.

At the edge of the Gods' Abode stood a black-haired fenrir demihuman who had been frozen from shock.

Not that I could blame her though. -A lot has changed.

..- Now standing just under a hundred meters tall in my draconic form, my face had changed quite a bit, and the appearance of my body followed suit, maturing to look like an ancient with tufts of fur spread along my back and at the tip of my tail.

"How are you doing, Leif?" My voice was deep and somewhat gravelly, but filled with joy.

And it instantly snapped Leif out of her trance. "A-Ah! My lord!" Instantly kneeling, she lowered her gaze to the ground in a panic. "I apologize for intruding! I just.. wanted to make sure everything was alright!"

*WOOOSH* Instantly closing the distance between us, I walked around her back before using my scaly tail to pitch up her chin so she would look me in the eyes.

"There's no need to apologize. I know you were worried, but I'm okay.

" Finally taking a few steps back after forcing her to stand up, I laid down in front of her.

"So, how have things been in Siratha? Is there anything that needs my attention? "

"N-No!" She forced a smile on her face before speaking with a mix of anxiety and pride. "The thunderbirds have been adjusting well, and have been exceedingly helpful so far."

"Hoh? That's good to hear." Noticing a bead of sweat forming on her forehead, I tilted my head slightly. "Is something bothering you?"

Instantly tensing, her smile faded and she seemed to scrunch up. "Uh.. t..this may be out of line, and I apologize if it is, but..." Looking up at me, her gaze was filled with a mix of worry and stress. "W..What exactly happened to you..?"

-Oh, did she notice when my presence disappeared?- Deciding I could have a little fun with her, I smiled warmly. "I just killed and reincarnated myself. Nothing too major."

The color instantly drained from her face. "You.. what?"

"Hahaha," I couldn't hold back my laugh. "Don't worry, it was something that needed to happen in order for me to ascend to godhood again."

Her eyes went wide as her mind stuttered. "A..Ascend?"

I gently nodded before tapping the claw of my wing into the side of my head. *tap-tap* "Being a god is all about what's going on up here. Using divinity to think."

"D..Divinty?" Her eyes slowly started to glow as I spoke.

"Haha, its a type of particle related to time." Moving over my tail, I gently tapped it against her chest. "You have some too. One day you may even find yourself doing the same thing I just did."

Looking down into the furred tip of my tail pressing against her chest, her eyes gleamed like a child. "I.. can become a god..?"

"Of course, but it will take a very long time." -Perhaps too long...- But time was what both her body and soul needed. "If that is a path you wish to take, I will help you achieve it, but be warned.. it's not going to be a small endeavor."

"I-If becoming a god means I can better serve you, I will do whatever it takes!"

I felt like a parent looking into the eyes of their child as they were being sent off to start their journey in life.

But Leif's journey wasn't just beginning.

With a bit more idle conversation and catch-up, I quickly got caught up to speed on the situation with her and the other apostles, and got a better idea of how to help her, telling her to come up to the Gods' Abode once a day to meditate in order to strengthen her soul before giving the Tree of Prayer some minor repairs, and taking to the sky.

Although I wanted to stick around and greet the other apostles properly, after giving them all an 'oracle' through my aura, now stretching close to a hundred and twenty kilometers in every direction, I jumped into the void to go check on Father, and eventually go back to Bahamut in order to see Mother.

-Knowing my presence disappeared from Leif, I hope it didn't disappear from Mother. ..-

The last thing I wanted was for her to think I was really dead. -Reincarnation can definitely break those kinds of connections though...- All I could do was hope.

But after several hours of searching, I found myself gliding over the colossal estate of the Cabinet, only to see Mother and Hera happily chatting in the green central courtyard.

It was a relief, but that was only because I didn't know the absurdity of the monster that was lurking nearby.

The monster that could deal a killing blow to me with a mere glance.

The great and mighty Krystallo.

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