Chapter 49: Sacrificing Fire & Receiving Life?
Chapter 49: Sacrificing Fire & Receiving Life?
I wasn't dreaming.
The realization hit me with the weight of an absolute truth. This wasn't a hallucination spawned by a tired mind, nor a chaotic dream sequence from my old life on Earth. I was drifting backward through time, floating helplessly through a ancient memory locked deep inside the seed of Yggdrasil.
I was entirely detached from the body I was watching, a passive spectator in my own past. Yet, the physical vessel looked identical to mine—save for the ethereal glow pulsing just beneath the skin.
A massive, weathered brown seed the size of a minivan drifted aimlessly in a vast, pitch-black void. All around it, a boundless sea of glowing white stars shimmered. A second look revealed they weren't stars at all; they were an infinite sea of floating souls. Far off in the distance, a solitary mountain peak pierced through thick, roiling clouds. Atop its summit rested a gleaming white temple, and beside it grew a solitary tree laden with shimmering golden apples. Mount Olympus.
Looking past the phantom mountain, the void was dominated by twelve titanic, sun-like spheres. Each blazed with a completely different, intense hue, perfectly matching the elemental colors of Myst.
Beside the drifting seed, the floating version of myself slowly opened his eyes. They were a vivid, piercing green. A few distinct souls drifted closely around him. Their physical features were blurry and indistinct, yet their brilliant white light burned with a familiar resonance. Five of those closest souls were tethered directly to his chest by thin, glowing threads, as if they had all arrived in this desolate place together.
Slowly, two of the tethered souls began to take physical shape.
The first light condensed into Shehuang, her slit golden eyes snapping open as the blinding white aura outlined her serpentine form. Right beside her, a second soul solidified into Taki Tsuki. Her pure white, cursed eyes flitted open, instantly adjusting to the cosmic darkness. We were entirely unable to speak, move, or intervene. We were ghosts anchored to a phantom past, forced only to watch.
The red-haired man in the memory reached out a trembling hand, his knuckles brushing against the rough, dormant bark of the minivan-sized seed.
When he spoke, his voice carried the crushing weight of a fallen deity. "So it is you, Yggdrasil..." he murmured, the sound echoing through the empty void. "You aren't growing. Why? I see... the universe is gone. I was struck down by Heimdallr, and for what? Nothing? No revenge settled for my children? No final victory? Is this really all that is left?"
A bitter, self-deprecating smile touched his lips.
"Fine. Let me give all that remains of me. At least then, I can disperse with my regrets."
With a sudden, violent motion, the man plunged his hand directly into his own chest. His fingers sank past his ribs, gripping a blazing, primordial red fire that roared with terrifying heat. With a grunt of agony, he ripped the flame from his soul and thrust it deep into the heart of the Yggdrasil seed.
As the fire left his body, the green light in his eyes began to flicker and dim. His consciousness fractured. "Eh? Who am I...?" he whispered, his grip slackening. "I am... Luke Sky..."
The moment the primordial fire merged with the seed, absolute chaos bloomed inside the dormant womb of the new World Tree—a seed salvaged from the wreckage of the original Yggdrasil on Earth.
A blinding emerald light erupted from the fissures of the bark. Long, thick, grayish roots erupted from the base, streaking out wildly across the void like a web of lightning. They surged forward, anchoring themselves directly into all twelve sun-like elemental orbs and the distant, floating peak of Mount Olympus. The sheer influx of cosmic energy forced the seed to sprout at an impossible rate, shooting upward until a delicate green sapling unfurled its leaves in the darkness.
Just as the soul of Luke Sky—the mortal reincarnation of the trickster god Loki—was about to shatter into nothingness under the strain, a tender green vine from the sapling reached out. It brushed against his chest, pouring a soothing, vibrant green light into his fractured soul, halting its destruction.
[Father... Yggi... save...[ A faint, innocent voice echoed through the cosmic link.
As the emerald light stabilized his soul, a massive gravitational pull erupted from the newly tethered roots. Hundreds of the drifting, homeless souls were violently sucked into the vortex, pulled directly toward the twelve Elemental Planes. In a single, grand cosmic reset, the forgotten pantheons of both Norse and Greek myth were pulled into the leaves of Myst, scattered across the planes to await their new reincarnations.
The five souls hovering near my sleeping, unawakened body drifted toward the sun-like spheres, but the tethered threads held them fast to my chest.
[Oh... these are... Yggi's mothers!] the innocent voice chimed again. [Go with father...]
With a gentle push of her roots, Yggi guided my drifting soul straight into the titanic green orb representing the Plane of Life. The five tethered women were instantly pulled into the emerald tide along with me. Yet, on our side of the memory, the real Shehuang, Taki Tsuki, and I remained motionless, observing the exodus of our past selves.
In a flash of blinding light, our visions blurred.
When the world cleared, the sea of stars was gone. The floating mountain of Olympus and the twelve massive Elemental Planes now loomed far in the background, connected by a network of massive, glowing roots that looked like a celestial circuit board. We were standing atop a colossal root system that belonged to a titanic ash tree, mirroring the majestic World Tree of the Elven Island.
Standing directly in front of the towering trunk was a little girl.
She looked no older than seven or eight years old, with short, silver hair woven into intricate braids. Her eyes were a vibrant, lively green, and her pale skin was decorated with delicate, trailing tattoos that perfectly resembled the leaves of an ash tree. A single purple wildflower was tucked neatly behind her ear, and a heavy necklace adorned with twelve glowing, elementally colored beads hung around her neck.
She offered us a sweet, innocent smile, though her eyes held the depth and wisdom of an eternal entity.
"Hello, Father. Hello, both Mothers," she said, her voice clear and resonant.
I blinked, looking down at my hands. We were no longer insubstantial ghosts. I was anchored in a real body, gripping the Elven Longbow tightly in my left hand, while Shehuang and Taki Tsuki stood fully armored at my flanks.
"I take it Yggi is short for Yggdrasil," I said, finding my voice. "Is that why you showed us that memory?"
"Nope. Yggdrasil, my mother, is gone," the little girl replied smoothly, taking a few small steps toward us. "I am her daughter. You gave up your primordial fire and your very divinity to save her seed, so you are now my father. You don't remember dying for me, but I do, Loki Sky."
She paused, looking up at me with profound affection.
"It took you a really long time to grow inside the Plane of Life and reincarnate among the leaves of Myst. But now you are alive again, Father, and I am happy. I cannot simply hand back your original divinity or the memories that died with your past self, but..."
She raised a small, pale hand, pointing toward the massive green orb in the distance, where countless tiny pocket dimensions grew like leaves from the branches.
"I put your primordial fire in there, hidden inside the Secret Realms. Right now, that piece of your soul is empty, but finding it will make you whole again. We don't have much time to talk, Father. Mortals cannot survive in this cosmic space for long."
She closed her eyes, tilting her head as if listening to the air.
"I can sense the magic from the storage ring and the bracelet you wear. The other two mothers, Sylvia and Shade, are already with you. And there is one more mother—a fox—waiting for you on the other side of the inner sea on Myst."
Yggi stepped forward, her small arms wrapping tightly around my waist as she leaned her head against my chest.
"Thank you for finding Yggi, Father. I will be waiting for you to become a God again. Please come and play inside my Secret Realms so I can watch you grow. And Mothers, please take good care of my father for me."
Shehuang had absolutely no idea what the cosmic lore meant, but she felt the profound warmth of the bond. She offered a dazzling, protective smile and nodded firmly. Taki Tsuki placed a hand over her heart, offering a deeply respectful, solemn bow to the primal entity.
"Well, I don't know much about the whole God thing," I said, gently patting Yggi's silver braids. "There are no active Gods left on Myst. But I promise I’ll explore your Secret Realms as I grow stronger. Thank you for saving my soul back then, Yggi."
The little girl pulled back, her vibrant green eyes shining with determination. "Father, just follow Yggi's leaf inside the Secret Realm. It will guide you directly to the fire that belongs to you. As for the Gods... that is a matter for the future. Many will sprout over time. But at the very least, you must promise to beat those arrogant Greek Gods on Mount Olympus."
With a sudden flash of light, Yggi reached out and gently tapped the polished wood of my Elven Longbow.
Buzz!
A soft, emerald pulse surged through the weapon. At the very tip of the upper limb, a tiny, pristine green leaf sprouted from the magical wood, uncoiling gracefully.
"It will act as your compass and point toward your fire, Father," Yggi whispered, her form beginning to dissolve into motes of light. "I have enhanced your bow. It was originally crafted from a part of my branches, which is how I was able to track your magic and find you."
Suddenly, a profound weightlessness took over. My feet left the colossal root, drifting upward into the cosmic void. In a flash of light, Shehuang and Taki Tsuki dissolved into streams of coppery-brown and blue mana, snapping cleanly back into my Summoner core space.
"Yggi is always watching, always waiting, and always praying for Father..." her voice echoed, fading into the distance. "Be well, and live happily..."
Whoosh!
The gravitational pull intensified, hurling me rapidly upward through the towering canopy of the spectral World Tree. Green leaves blurred past my vision in a dizzying rushing cascade, until the light finally fractured, and everything plunged into absolute darkness.
Whoosh~!
Suddenly, as everyone was trying to figure out what was going on, the monumental trunk of the Tree of Life sprouted a sudden, seamless opening. Before a single guard could draw a blade, a flying object was shot out into the open air.
"Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck~!"
The screaming, airborne projectile was none other than me.
Thud~!
I hit the ground hard about thirty feet away, tumbling through the dirt. As the wind was knocked out of me, a wave of profound spiritual regret washed over my mind. Damn it. I completely missed my chance to scream the Team Rocket slogan.
""Loki!""
Both Ayala and Lisa broke formation, running to my side in a panic to help me up. Thorin actually looked genuinely worried for me, a rare look on his face. Lana mirrored his expression, and even the King stepped forward, his royal entourage trailing closely behind to see what the hell had just transpired.
Lisa gripped my shoulders, her eyes scanning me for injuries. "Loki, what happened?! You’ve been inside the tree for a few hours already! We thought you entered the Secret Realm early or something!"
I stood up, dusting the dirt and loose bark off my clothes, looking at the crowd of stunned nobles and students. I couldn't help but grin. "Would anybody believe me if I said I’m the Tree of Life’s daddy?"
Crickets~!
Absolute, crushing silence. Yeah, fair enough. Even Ayala and Lisa were just staring at me blankly. Nobody buys the literal truth these days.
"Fine, then I don't know," I sighed, playing it off. "I was pulled in, and then I was shot out. Perhaps it had to do with my Elven Longbow."
In truth, I was secretly reeling from the sheer shock of looking at my weapon. It wasn't an Elven Longbow anymore. Far from it.
The core shape and elegant elven design remained, but the delicate elf-hair drawstring was completely gone. In its place was a semi-shimmering strand of vibrant green sap—unbelievably strong, yet perfectly flexible. The ancient runes carved along the wood, which had been faint and dormant before, now blazed with the exact same blinding radiance as the Tree of Life's own sigils. The grey ash wood itself felt profoundly dense; it had been heavily reinforced, infused with a divine permanence that meant it could now only be damaged by 9th Circle foes.
Best of all, the mechanics had evolved. The moment I drew the string back, a solid ash-wood arrow manifested seamlessly out of thin air, heavily coated in a swirling, condensed gale of life-element Aura Blow. The magic stabilized instantly, demanding absolutely zero cost from my own mana or stamina reserves. And if things got messy up close? The bow was now durable enough to be swung as a blunt melee weapon without a single worry of splitting the wood.
As I gave the sap string a tiny, experimental tug, a heavy, ancient name echoed directly into my mind: <Yggi’s Heartbow>. At the very top of the upper limb, a tiny, vibrant green leaf sprouted, pulsing gently. I could feel it instantly—it was a spiritual compass designed to guide me through the upcoming trial.
Ayala reached out, her fingers lightly brushing the glowing runes. "Seems your bow triggered a sudden reaction with the root system," she surmised, turning back to the King and the instructors. "You got pulled in by pure chance, but it looks like the weapon got significantly stronger in the process. That is a fortunate turn."
A collective murmur of agreement went through the crowd. Hearing her logical, scholarly version of events, everyone instantly believed her instead of my literal truth. I just let out a quiet sigh.
Buzz~!
Before the chatter could die down, another massive wave of mana warped the air. An abnormal, localized tremor shook the plaza. The Royal Secret Realm portal was opening—a full day earlier than anyone had anticipated.
The tiny green leaf on Yggi's Heartbow gave a sharp, physical tug, mimicking the exact sensation of a fish aggressively biting a fishing line. I hid a smirk. I had a very strong hunch this was Yggi's doing. If my guess was right, the other two regional portals belonging to the rival factions would open tomorrow exactly as planned. Clever girl.
Principal Owen’s hidden eye—his specialized True Sight—flashed as he noticed the structural abnormalities in the shifting ambient mana. His gaze snapped directly toward me. I immediately looked away, softly whistling a fake, innocent tune.
Owen, being the sharp old monster he is, clearly figured something out. He didn't waste a second, turning to the staff and projecting his voice across the clearing. "Teacher Lisa, prepare to send the students in early! There is a high probability our portal is the only one experiencing this early anomaly. We can secure a full one-day head start."
Creak, creak~!
Just as his orders left his mouth, the green-rimmed portal stabilized. It expanded to a full ten feet wide, its surface a swirling, violent vortex of pure emerald life energy.
Going into a life-attribute realm required strict preparation. Undead, for instance, cannot freely pass into these types of dense life spaces. Unless they are safely tucked away inside a Summoner's specialized dimensional space or within sealed Space Objects, their necrotic bodies will literally get torn apart by the opposing concept. The same rule applied to sending a Fire Elemental headfirst into a Water Secret Realm.
As the frantic scramble to form teams began, a wave of stunned whispers rippled through the student body. People were staring directly at me. I was one of the very few choosing to step through completely alone, refusing to join a faction or a party. In a realm this volatile, going solo was considered absolute suicide for most.
Even Lana wasn't taking any chances. She was heading in surrounded by a premium vanguard: Thorin, a dedicated Healer, and a powerful Mage woman—all of them established at the 3rd Circle—alongside her massive, 6th Circle Storm Giant. Most of the standard students were clustering into massive, cautious parties of six to eight people.
But as the frantic whispers continued, a few grim reminders of my past exploits began to circulate through the crowd. Specifically, the rumor of me utterly thrashing Ayala in a fight. Slowly, the confused stares turned into looks of realization. If anyone had the right to be arrogant enough to go in alone, it was me.
Of course, there were a couple of oddball, solo Knights opting out of the team system too. But everyone knew their types. They were either planning to dig a hole and hide in one spot for the entire month, or they were planning to indulge in some highly disgraceful, off-the-books activities where they didn't want any witnesses.
What kind of bad things? The usual checklist: secretly selling out to the Elves, cutting deals with the Eastern Cultivators, assassinating rivals, robbing weak teams, and in those super rare, exceptionally despicable cases, actively stealing other guys' girls.
I paused, mentally running through that exact checklist. Hold on... why do I feel like I've already hit or planned to hit almost every single one of those?
I looked over at Thorin, who was confidently giving tactical orders to Lana, his chest puffed out. I gave a slow, self-aware nod to myself.
"I really might be the bad guy," I muttered.
Mwah~!
As the first official teams began holding hands, nervously stepping into the roaring green vortex, Lisa stepped into my space. She checked over my armor straps, her hands lingering on my chest before she suddenly leaned up and kissed me firmly.
"Here," she murmured, pulling back slightly and pressing something into my palm. "Think of me while you are all alone in there..."
I looked down. It was a flawless, miniature portrait of her, meticulously crafted using Light Utility magic back in the city. The likeness was striking, capturing her exact smile.
I grinned, sliding it into a secure inner pocket. "Lisa, this is actually incredible. I’ll look at it every single night when I set up camp. I love you, Lisa."
Mwah~!
Before the sentiment could even settle, Ayala—utterly tired of waiting her turn—grabbed my shoulder, spun me around, and pulled me down into a deep, breathless kiss that lasted a solid minute right in front of the entire academy.
"Sorry, I didn't think to prepare a sentimental gift," Ayala said, her breathing a bit shallow as she stepped back, a smirk playing on her lips. "But I am carrying your child. So that counts as a pretty big reminder, right?"
"It definitely counts," I laughed, my heart hammering against my ribs. "I love you as well, Ayala. Keep an eye on things out here, alright? See ya."
Without giving Thorin’s group a chance to clear the path or recover from the shock of my send-off, I turned on my heel. I sprinted full tilt toward the roaring, swirling green magical energy, leaping into the air at the final threshold.
"Canonbaaaaaaaaaaall~!" I bellowed.
Then, the emerald light flashed, and my awareness went completely fuzzy.
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